Never, never underestimate the stupidity and carelessness of the average cagers

[solo1]

Last Friday I rode a nice ride on the Vstrom. It was my usual ride on backroads through quiet small towns. I came back my usual route going north on Hartzell road, a moderate traffic county road.

Coming up on a side road at the city limits, there was a back up of cars on the crossroad on both sides of my road waiting at the stop sign for cars (and me) to clear.

I was constantly sweeping my eyes from left to right watching the backup on both sides.  Just as I got to the intersection, the dipshit on my right pulled out and made a right turn directly in front of me.

His (her) vision was not obscured by anything, it was a clear view of my motorcycle complete with two headlights, two auxiliary headlights, yellow helmet and jacket, it made no difference.

As usual, I had covered the front brake. Light application of front brake, then heavy as the weight transferred, and then the back brake. The Vstrom's speed was hauled down from about 35mph in a hurry and I missed that #$%^&*!  No time to swerve, no time to blow the air horns.  I was glad to know that my responses worked just fine without thinking about it.

The @#$%^ just kept going with 120db of air horns and cussin' on my part, following him.  At the next traffic light he turned right again , i turned left, and put it behind me.

It was not another lesson learned as I already knew that one.  BTW, I don't know whether they were driving with a digit up their rectum, texting, or eating a hambuger, or just plain blind. never saw the driver as I sure as hell wasn't going to kick the 'Strom in the arse, pass him, and then have this idiot on my arse with 4,000 pounds of misguided missile.

Just thought I'd pass this on (preaching to the Choir!)

wayne

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

'The Choir' is glad you are still riding like they're out to kill us............because they are 

[cookiedough]

similar thing happened to me just 1 month ago.  Rural NO traffic country road, an old lady in a Buick was stopped at a side road with me coming along doing 55 mph at her on the main road.  I could see her from a distance just sitting there and she looked left right at me, then right to pull out.  YES, she pulled out on that side road onto my road right in front of me.  If I didn't lock up the brakes and slow down from 55 to 30 mph in an instant,  I would have T-boned her on the side flipping over her vehicle.

this is with NO traffic at all around just me and her no other people around, clear view. 

gotta admit though, a long time ago I did a bonehead move similar as her, but I pulled out to the right from a stop sign onto the main road.  I looked left, but NOT right much at all.  I still looked right, but figured I was turning right so no big deal since no one was coming to me from the main road on the left so good to pull out taking a right hand turn.  WRONG:  a cager was passing another car to the right of me and in MY lane of traffic turning right,  nearly avoided a 50 mph collision with the passing car coming at me.  Talk about your 'cream  your undies' moment.

Personally, I think a NO passing zone should be in all intersections when there is a cross street off the main hwy. road, agree??

[Momz]

Boneheads are everywhere. If you came to the Dearborn/Dearborn Heights area, you would be totally paraniod 100% of the time.

Cagers are not the only road idiots. Last Saturday, my wife and I went to Chelsea MI to look at new Toy Haulers and we were passed by quite a few motorcyclists and many of them were pulling bonehead moves on the expressway.

Stupidity is not limited to one type of transportation.   

[Patrick]

I understand, its frustrating. Its almost a daily occurrence.

The other some clown pulled out of a parking lot in front of oncoming traffic, continued into the other lane right in front of me. Problem is that he then forgot to turn, drove across a sidewalk, thru a fence and into a ditch.


Again a few days ago some idiot woman in a Cadillac blew thru a stop  sign and tried to make a turn which she couldn't do ended up in the oncoming lane all because she a cellphone stuck to her face. Well, she did the same exact thing this morning.

There are a lot of stupid people in this world and the main problem as I see it is that they don't think they are the stupid ones.

[Hooter]

It's early and no one is looking for us.    I never did like the statement "ride scared" cause if you do you shouldn't be riding. Makes one wonder anymore. Now, maybe that statement isn't so far out of the way??

[Firefighter]

I have only a few places to ride where I can be free of traffic. Down here the world is flat so I can see for miles in open areas. I try to avoid congested areas as I only have two eyes and can't keep up with all the idiots.

 In the fire service I respond in a Ford Explorer, has led flashing lights and sirens, still I have to be very careful, most don't appear to see me, and when they do, they don't behave like it.

Everyone is in a hurry, I don't understand, they pass me and weave in and out of traffic and then we meet up at the next traffic stop! If they are late every day they should leave a few minutes earlier. Seems IQ's have dropped.    Firefighter

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

It's early and no one is looking for us.    I never did like the statement "ride scared" cause if you do you shouldn't be riding. Makes one wonder anymore. Now, maybe that statement isn't so far out of the way??

I don't ride scared, I ride defensively 

[Big Bear]

I was taught in drivers ed back in 1984 in WI that it is illegal to pass in an intersection.  I still think about that when considering passing someone, even as recent as Saturday I waited until I was past the intersection to pull out and hop past a slower vehicle.  I do not understand why people drive 5 under on the highway in a newer car.  A Model T I can understand...

[art]

Just said yesterday that one of my biggest fears is pulling out in front of a biker. I don't ride anymore but I do try and watch for bikers. God forbid that to happen, I would feel terrible.

[Big Bear]

I have that same fear of pulling out in front of a bike.  I look twice both ways and won't pull out on a car approaching from my left to turn left because I can't see behind them.  I do tell them "nice turn signal" every time though but I bet they don't hear me.  They do know from my hand signals I am not happy but many are looking at or talking on their phones so they don't notice.

[Big Al of Tennessee]

Good Moves.

Forgiving  is Easy Lord, but forgettin is the hardest thing to do. Willie Nelson Lyric.

[R J]

I was taught in drivers ed back in 1984 in WI that it is illegal to pass in an intersection.  I still think about that when considering passing someone, even as recent as Saturday I waited until I was past the intersection to pull out and hop past a slower vehicle.  I do not understand why people drive 5 under on the highway in a newer car.  A Model T I can understand...

They don't want to put the 1st scratch on it.    They want someone else to do it so their insurance doesn't have to pay for the repair.

Just for sheets & grins, I put an old ooga horn on my Dakota.

That sucker gets their attention real quick.

It is an old 6 volt horn off of a 28 Chev, I know because I took it off of my great grandfathers car when he passed, and ya zap it with 12v, it sure do give a weird ooga.    Loud and I might add also.

[solo1]

RJ, I did just the opposite.  I put a set of trumpets on my 1929 Chevy.  They were darn near as long as the stovebolt engine.  No one was paying attention to my AHOOOOOGA horn but they did the trumpets.

There, i just hijacked my own thread.

Getting back to the thread. Don't trust anything to work to get these dumbasses attention.  Rely only on an attentive brain and  Mark ! eyeballs.   Cover that front brake, it's your best friend.

I always remind myself to not think of other things when riding. Riding and attention to my surroundings is my number one priority. If I feel that I can't give riding my full atttention, i won't ride.

[Hooter]

It's like I told my son when he started riding. "Don't ever think that behind you is safe because it isn't". Moving or setting still, doesn't matter.

[R J]

Wayne, the ooga horn is on my 2010 Dodge Dakota.

So that sound comng from it gets their attention real quick like.

I can flip the switch back to the original horn and yupper, they ignore it.

[Earl43P]

I regularly pass certain left turn lanes where I would be in line at a light so I can't get rear-ended. I go further down the road and either turn right, make a U turn and go back or I simply do the U turn further down past the congested area.

I've seen cage accidents there, most always rear-enders.

I make it a point to NEVER sit, stopped, waiting to turn left in ANY traffic if it can be avoided, which in almost every case, it CAN. Wife questions these situations, having NO CLUE why I'll pass by my left turn.

I have a terrific commute, 65 miles mixed/mostly highway, but once I get into my hometown, my head is on a swivel. Virtually all of my close calls happen near the University, young girls, mirror adjusted to "self-view", on the phone, going 10-15 mph under the speed limit, "trying to kill me".

This morning, I had a Contractor workbed dually truck hell-bent to beat me to the on-ramp, so I let him - he had to hit 70+ in a 50 to do so, spraying me since the road was still wet. Then he CRAWLS down the LOOOOONG on-ramp to merge with 70 mph light traffic at a stately 45.  He might have hit 60 by the time I got a chance to pass him.  I went 80 for 15 seconds or so and never saw him again.

[therapist]

A few years ago I was on a two lane and two guys on bikes, with girls on the back, passed me on the right, in my lane. It was so unexpected, it scared the heck out of me. I went from surprised, to really angry. Then I saw that they had pulled over at a restaurant. That was the day when I realized I had truly mellowed in my old age. I really wanted to give them some crap and embarrass them in front of their ladies, but I just kept on riding. I think I have realized you truly can't fix stupid.

Boneheads are everywhere. If you came to the Dearborn/Dearborn Heights area, you would be totally paraniod 100% of the time.

Cagers are not the only road idiots. Last Saturday, my wife and I went to Chelsea MI to look at new Toy Haulers and we were passed by quite a few motorcyclists and many of them were pulling bonehead moves on the expressway.

Stupidity is not limited to one type of transportation.   

[cookiedough]

I don't get too verbal or confrontational at someone anymore either.  Back in my early 20's,  a cager wanted to pass me and beat me to the onramp in a 30 mph speed zone.  I saw him coming from behind in the mirror, so I tromped my 350 chevy V8 to the floor doing 75 mph real quick.  He never got by me, side by side, until I backed off to turn off that road onto the onramp.  NO passing zone only 1 1/2 lanes is all so technically NO passing zone.  Today, I would just pull on over and let them on by me not worth it anymore some 20+ years later. 

One thing that irritates me still is every single day,  the cars in front single lane go 50-55 mph just putzing slow on the hwy, but once my lane goes 2 lanes in same direction, they get over into the slow right lane and do 65 mph then, why is that???   I won't pass doing 65 mph already in a 55 zone (heavily policed), so I just stay in the left lane side by side these cagers in the right lane and then once it gets back down to 1 single lane, they all slow back down to 50-55 mph instead of maintaining 62-65 mph like they should.  WHY?  Explain that to me???  My poorly skilled neighbor is bad as well, he cannot keep a constant speed with his foot on gas pedal.  I refuse anymore to drive with him, he goes from 50 to 70 mph without noticing it until I told him to slow down he is going 70 in a 55 mph speed zone.  It's not that hard to maintain between 57-63 mph in any vehicle without cruise control. 

[baird4444]

I've used this more times than not and it does help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqQBubilSXU

[Patrick]

I've used this more times than not and it does help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqQBubilSXU

I use it too. I'm kinda convinced that the headlight law tends to cause a problem with cars losing depth perception.  So a wobble/swerve and flashing the headlight seems to help.

[solo1]

I occasionally use weaving when faced with a left turn in front of a motorcycle situation.  I also sometimes use it when stopping in traffic so that my brake light stands out.

I did not use it in the start of this thread but covered the front brake instead.

I noticed that in one of the comments about smidzy is that we should flash our headlight.  NO WAY.  That could be a signal to 'come'

[Patrick]

I occasionally use weaving when faced with a left turn in front of a motorcycle situation.  I also sometimes use it when stopping in traffic so that my brake light stands out.

I did not use it in the start of this thread but covered the front brake instead.

I noticed that in one of the comments about smidzy is that we should flash our headlight.  NO WAY.  That could be a signal to 'come'

Then a headlight modulator is out ?

[hubcapsc]

My lightbar is hooked to my high-beam switch.

When I see someone who might pull out on me, I switch on
the brights (plus the lightbar) hoping that the "change"
will make them notice me. I have seen more than one
person start to take off and then jerk to a stop  ...

Sort of like a visual horn... beep, hello, do you see me?

-Mike

[solo1]

Patrick, no I once had a headlight pulser, that works.  Continued flashing at 4/sec is not the same as one flash.

Sorta similar are those cagers that don't turn on their lights during rain, fog, or dusk.  Flashing high beams (in my car) doesn't seem to work to remind them as much as turning my lights off and on.
Probably a case of "Oh My Gosh, where did he go?) 'Course we don't have that option on most motorcycles.

[Jess Tolbirt]

i didnt read the responses above but it was probably a Volvo...people here in Volvo's have no common sense at all

[Crackerborn]

The modulator helps but they will still try to get you. Last year I was passed by MC state patrol with lights and siren on and watched in amazed disbelief as a cager at a 4-way stop blew the sign to make a right turn in front of the MC cop. All I can say is those boys have great training and reflexes. He was next to the driver of the cage telling them things about their ancestry (I think) for a short while before getting on down the road to whatever the call was.

[Patrick]

Yep, just can't protect yourself from everything, or, everyone.

[SpidyJ]

i didnt read the responses above but it was probably a Volvo...people here in Volvo's have no common sense at all

Wait! What?
 

[Jess Tolbirt]

i didnt read the responses above but it was probably a Volvo...people here in Volvo's have no common sense at all

Wait! What?
 

Volvo drivers, thats what,,,they are the worst i have ever seen,, i will say 7 out of ten times when it comes to close calls its always a volvo,, when you are riding down the road, and see a volvo, watch it for about 10 minutes or so and you will see them do something stupid,,,

[..]

When I was a motorcycle messenger in London the drivers who most often tried to kill us were.

In order of craziness.

Royal Mail van drivers
Black cabs
Volvo drivers

How do you tell the difference between a porcupine and a Volvo?



Ones got the pricks on the outside.   

Same applies to most Range Rover drivers. 

[Patrick]

I don't think I've ever seen a Volvo without an obama or Bush lied sticker.



But come to think about it, there was a time when I liked Volvo's. I put small block thin wall Ford engines in 2  544's and an 1800. But, that was a long time ago. They turned out to be neat cars though.

[SpidyJ]

When I was a motorcycle messenger in London the drivers who most often tried to kill us were.

In order of craziness.

Royal Mail van drivers
Black cabs
Volvo drivers

How do you tell the difference between a porcupine and a Volvo?



Ones got the pricks on the outside.   

Same applies to most Range Rover drivers. 

I find this amazing........uh oh...the President of the company I work for drives a Volvo.........and a Harley!!   Such is the dichotomy of life.........

[R J]

When I was a motorcycle messenger in London the drivers who most often tried to kill us were.

In order of craziness.

Royal Mail van drivers
Black cabs
Volvo drivers

How do you tell the difference between a porcupine and a Volvo?



Ones got the pricks on the outside.   

Same applies to most Range Rover drivers. 

I find this amazing........uh oh...the President of the company I work for drives a Volvo.........and a Harley!!   Such is the dichotomy of life.........

SpidyJ, does your boss have an Obama sticker on his Volvo?

I just discovered my neighbor down the street has a Volvo, and sure as hell, he has an Obummer sticker on it.     I've only seen it on the street maybe a dozen times in the past 15 years.     NO, he is not a talkin neighbor.   He is in a clan with the neighbors on the other side of his house.