Cager's reactions to bikes?

[Valkorado]

I'd like to hear some other stories about cager's unpredictable reactions to us two-wheeled folk. 

It seems some otherwise rational people become stark raving lunatics when in the presence of motorcycles.  I've had too many experiences to mention, most recently a couple weeks ago when Mother Nature eased (rather, teased) my riding withdrawals with a brief and fleeting window of sunshine and warmth.  I was tooling down a local residential street, and noticed the young lady ahead was sure paying attention to me in her rear and side views.  Now, 20 years ago I might have convinced myself that she was checking me out, but age has granted me fleeting flashes of insight; I knew she was ogling my silver bullet Valk.  Anyway, I backed off a bit to increase my cushion as she seemed to be paying more attention to me than the upcoming 4-way stop.  That was a good thing.  Seems she remembered that sign just in the nick of time, and slammed her brakes to the floor laying a fine 10' patch of thick steaming rubber as she slid to a 45 degree stop.  The piercing squeal tore into the sleepy small town afternoon, and some nearby strollers got a noticeable jolt to let them know they were alive.  The skids were still smokin' when I pulled to up to the sign.   

[Jess from VA]

A fairly benign, but bothersome issue is the number of cages that speed up to my always 5-7 over (minimum, but not in 25 zones) to get next to me to look over the bike (I know it's not me they're looking at).  I do appreciate the attention the bike deserves, but I only allow gawkers to have about 5-seconds of visuals before I either nail it or brake to rid myself of a side-by-side nuisance.

I guess this is a predictable, not an unpredictable issue.  I would argue that a good rider has to accept all the unpredictable issues that come along as being totally predictable (but this is just semantics).

Watching a 6-foot wood stepladder bounce out of a pickup bed in front of you is always fun.

Maybe my biggest pet peeve is in 42 years of riding, I have never been flashed a brassiere (or anything else) from a cage or even a pedestrian.  I have been feeling discriminated against for years on this issue.  

[MarkT]

I was on I-25 headed N just N of Co Springs coming up to the AF Academy in the center of the 3 lanes when the deadhead in the cage in the slow lane next to me started coming into my lane without looking.  This section of 25, speed limit I think is 75 but no matter because traffic is typically doing 85+.  Influenced by the fighter jocks maybe.  I gave the bozo a blast on the big horn and he swerved back into his lane.  I rolled on past, and he got pissed that the BIG HORN was only a bike, and dropped behind me within 3 ft of my fender.  I had a co-rider - my high school buddy visiting from WI; we were returning from Cripple Creek gambling.  I rolled on the throttle and left the jerk in the dust, 135 indicated.

Epilog - Marty had been swearing he was gonna get a Harley.  He went back to WI (Milwaukee area) and bought a Tourer.  That was 12 years ago, he still has it.  And moved to Durango.  If you see a black tourer in Durango, with a tall skinny guy who looks 70 on it - that would be Marty.

Jess - on the gawkers - happens to me a lot on Parker rd - 4 lane divided semi-rural 55mph rd.  Happens at night more than daytime when I have the night lights on.  They speed up to catch up and check out the lights.  I suppose I'm asking for it, after all I turned them on.

I got passed by 2 stepladders once in Aurora when on Alameda heading west, west of 225 - 6-lane divided blvd - traffic suddenly stopped and the van behind me with the unsecured ladders dropped them and they slid past me on both sides.  Amazing I didn't get hit, or hit the ladders.

Never been flashed either.  I hear truckers get that a lot.  Maybe if I wore a full coverage helmet with visor so they would confuse me for a young stud...

[Jack]

I have had the occasional gawkers but also the flipped finger, coke cups, gravel, etc hurled toward me.  There are many diversified reactions to bikers depending on who, where, and when.

[Chiefy]

The only negative reaction I've gotten was road rage from a girl.  She cut me off while talking on the phone.  At a traffic light I hollered to hang up and drive.  A short ways down the road she tried to run me off the road, for real.  Even though I always knew car vs bike was always a loss for the bike, this incident drove it home.  I let the loonies go now without competing or trying to "teach them a lesson!"

Most of the attention I get, for whatever reason, is high school boys in a POS car trying to race.  Can't figure that one out 

[.]

I have a lot of people in cars who, for whatever reason, will be poking along but when I pass them decide they want to come right up behind me and either tail me from the other lane where they just keep in sight in my blind spot mirror or want to prove they can't be passed by a "motorsicke." Both of them get left in the dust. I like being admired as much as anyone but there is a time and place for that. The time is when I'm parked and the place is a parking lot. I much prefer that people pay attention to driving when they are driving. Guess I'm just funny that way.

As for racing, I learned better spending 2-1/2 years on the ACE. As for the Valkyrie, whoever was trying to race may have thought it was a race but as for me, I haven't been in a race with a four-wheeler yet. And like I said, I don't race, I just leave. 

[Dogg]

Maybe my biggest pet peeve is in 42 years of riding, I have never been flashed a brassiere (or anything else) from a cage or even a pedestrian.  I have been feeling discriminated against for years on this issue.  

Come ride with me at the beach. I have a shirt that says, "if you like my bike show me your boobs". Im on the fat tire bike......it works......

[fudgie]

Never been flashed either.  I hear truckers get that a lot.  Maybe if I wore a full coverage helmet with visor so they would confuse me for a young stud...

We got flashed on our way to meet up with MI for the Thors Hammer relay. It was quite nice. 

07 we were on I-90 100 miles outta Sturgis heading home when a car with 2 guys rolled up beside us with beads in there hands. Kit gave them what they wanted but we passed on the beads. Had to many already. 

Ask triumph Bob about getting flashed on the way home from the Blue/Grey ride. I laughed so hard I about passed out. 

[MAD6Gun]

We got flashed on our way to meet up with MI for the Thors Hammer relay. It was quite nice. 

Yea Brian I was on that ride. The group I was in missed it. I think we were ahead of you guys (or behind) I dont remember but I remember you guys talking about it. Damn missed it...LOL.....

[Jess from VA]

Maybe my biggest pet peeve is in 42 years of riding, I have never been flashed a brassiere (or anything else) from a cage or even a pedestrian.  I have been feeling discriminated against for years on this issue.  

Come ride with me at the beach. I have a shirt that says, "if you like my bike show me your boobs". Im on the fat tire bike......it works......

For political reasons, I have not visited MD in 5 years or so, though I have been down around Solomon's Island/Point Lookout way many times (only over the Bay Bridge once to the beaches).  But for beach boobs, I might be persuaded.  Not much for traffic thou.

[saddlesore]

 Just yesterday I came up behind a cage that was weaving between the shoulder and the middle of the inside lane. When I felt it was safe enough to pass I got along side of him expecting to see a young texter.
It was only 40 degrees so I had my under armour hood on with sunglasses. So when I pulled along side expecting to do a stare down. The driver was around 85 years old, had a white knuckle grip with both hands on the wheel and a couple of disabled driver tags hanging on the mirror.
He looked over at me and nodded and I sped away.
I think he was looking at me in the mirror. Or he could have been drunk. Or he just plain shouldn't have been driving.

[Jess from VA]

Generally, most lane weavers are cell phone or texters, but the IS fairing (black bike) is also often mistaken for a police dresser (esp when wearing my textile gear and tall boots), and I get brake lights and weaving as they study me in their mirror.  I am almost always overtaking.

Dude, how many cops on bikes have you seen that are smoking a stogie, hmmmmm?

[Gavin_Sons]

Came up on a car today that was weaving, as I got closer I saw a foot out the window pressed against the mirror. I said to myself, this fool seriously dosent have his foot out the window. He motioned for me to pass and I just shook my head as I passed.

[cookiedough]

I try to avoid cagers like the plague and leave as much space between me and them as possible and don't like driving interstate in heavy traffic nor rush hour traffic bumper to bumper stop and go heavily traveled.  The VAlk is a big bike, but doesn't stand a chance against anything on 4 wheels even against smart fit for two car (man those things are dinky).

[Rams]

I have had the occasional gawkers but also the flipped finger, coke cups, gravel, etc hurled toward me.  There are many diversified reactions to bikers depending on who, where, and when.

Well, I have been flashed a boob or two in my life time but, not while on my Valkyrie.  Probably has to do with what I looked like 25 years ago compared to the fat old fart I've turned into.  Regardless, I was just flipped off yesterday.   I rarely react to such things, the jerk that did it doesn't know me and I could not care less about him.  Until.................................

But, this jerk decided to tailgate me at about 2 to 3 feet which is what started the problem.  Obviously he was in a hurry.  I was already 5 over and an appropriate distance from the car in front of me but, apparently, that wasn't fast enough for him.  After tapping my brake lights twice, I simply pulled over into the turn lane (center of a four lane) and let him go by.   As he passed, I gave him the look but did nothing else.  Well, he decided to flip me off.  I have rarely reacted to something like this and I won't say I was right but, I reacted.  

After he passed by, I pulled in behind him being careful to not get close but watched him.  His desire to get past me gained him all of 10 feet at the next traffic light.  By this time, I was in the next lane on the outside and to his right rear.  I saw him looking back at me but didn't react.  Then, he looked me eyeball to eyeball and flipped me off again.  

This ticked me off. right or wrong, I had to know what this jerks problem was so, at the next light, I pulled right up beside him, his window was down.  I stopped and looked over at him.  He wouldn't look at me now so I asked him if he was some kind of Bad Ass or what.  He just shrugged and smiled but, wouldn't look my direction.  Asked him if he always tail gated motorcycles like he did me, got the same reaction.  So, I invited him to pull over and let's "discuss" the issue.    I sat there waiting.

The light turned and he sped off.  He was maybe twenty-five, I'm almost 60.  Was probably a pretty dumb move on my part but, I'm thinking he'll remember.   I'm thinking he was feeling pretty secure in that cage, tail gating a motorcycle, out weighing that bike by several thousand pounds.    I hope I made an impression he doesn't forget.  Yeah, I could have gotten shot or worse but, damn it, there are times when you have to stand up and let some jerks know they are wrong.

[Valkorado]

So, I invited him to pull over and let's "discuss" the issue.   

I'm guessing you would have won that "debate", blackrams!

[Jess from VA]

Sounds reasonable to me BR.  

Experience shows that acting up (trading insults) in traffic often results in you being side by side with the same guy, maybe several more times.  

I have often responded to the finger with a blown kiss and goofy smile (this takes discipline).  Psyops where the other guy has no idea what's going on, and is often more pissed (good for me, I win) than if you just gave him the finger back.... which is so predictable and a boring response.  

[musclehead]

A fairly benign, but bothersome issue is the number of cages that speed up to my always 5-7 over (minimum, but not in 25 zones) to get next to me to look over the bike (I know it's not me they're looking at).  I do appreciate the attention the bike deserves, but I only allow gawkers to have about 5-seconds of visuals before I either nail it or brake to rid myself of a side-by-side nuisance.

I guess this is a predictable, not an unpredictable issue.  I would argue that a good rider has to accept all the unpredictable issues that come along as being totally predictable (but this is just semantics).

Watching a 6-foot wood stepladder bounce out of a pickup bed in front of you is always fun.

Maybe my biggest pet peeve is in 42 years of riding, I have never been flashed a brassiere (or anything else) from a cage or even a pedestrian.  I have been feeling discriminated against for years on this issue.  

I got flashed in dayton OH when I was a trucker 

[Moonshot_1]

Try riding around in a Santa suit and beard during Christmas.

They chase you down so they can get a picture not realizing they are running you off the road at the same time.

[fudgie]

Came up on a car today that was weaving, as I got closer I saw a foot out the window pressed against the mirror. I said to myself, this fool seriously dosent have his foot out the window. He motioned for me to pass and I just shook my head as I passed.

If its chics that do that I roll up and maintain the pace and give myself a look-see! 

[Edvalk]

It happened twice in one day and both times it was pickup trucks pulling lawn care trailers. The first one was in my neighborhood and I'm going the speed limit the truck has a stop sign and he dosen't even look my way he just drives thru the intersection . I get into the intersection and yell hey pretty loud and you could tell it shook both of them up they weren't sure where it came from then they saw me. Then later that day I'm on a 40mph road going up blind hill and there's a side street to my left and the truck with trailer pulls out slow right in front of me . I just shook my fist at him.

[sandy]

When I'm running 7 over in the HOV lane, some cars come up too close. It seems threatening my life doesn't dawn on them. Then sometimes they see the Glock on my right hip and tailgating is no longer a problem. It's such a shame that they know how to drive correctly but only do it right when they feel threatened.

[JimC]

On my first bike (68 BSA) back in 1972 I was cruising slowly, maybe 25 mph,  on a side street in a Chicago south side neighborhood. All of a sudden an old lady who was stopped at a stop sign on my right pulled out in front of me. I was almost able to stop, and in slow motion the bike and I went down. 

Here I am laying on the street with the exhaust pipe burning a good size hole in my right calf, (because I was wearing cut off shorts at the time) and this old snapper puts her arm out the window of her car and shakes her finger at me and yells, "you get that thing back on the sidewalk where it belongs",  then drove away.

I was so dumbfounded I just laid there and watched her drive off.

Jim

[old2soon]

My 500-4 Honda wasn't too old and I remember I was on a 4 lane street with a concrete divider dividing the 4 lanes. With that divider there was no kind of left shoulder. I was in the left lane when this late 60s early 70s Buick decided he needed to be where I already was.  And I had a vehicle just ahead of me and another just behind me. Honda had a lack of horn noise problem then also.  The old geezer(I know-i'm one now)got close enough for me to punch in his side window.  The busted side glass got his attention and he went back into his lane. Found out later I DID NOT break my hand but I did hurt it.  Now I just pay a lot more attention and do my best to get myself noticed to see if I can stay alive out there.  RIDE SAFE.

[alph]

one morning when heading home after work, a boom-truck pulls out into the intersection as i approached it, i swerved to the right, laid on the horn as i hit the gravel on the shoulder.  i kept going when i saw the truck turn into a dead end road, i thought he would be stopping at the up coming stop sign where i was going to give him a piece of my mind.  so, i doubled back to confront the guy.  when i get there the driver had gotten out of his truck, i can tell its an older guy (my age) and i could tell he was shaken up from the incident.  so i ask him "you a little blind?" he replied "i must have been" that's when i realize that he honestly didn't see me and that he didn't intentionally pull into my lane, he was apologetic and i'm the type of person that can accept an apology if offered.  so, i left......