Rinkydink Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Okay, I took my 800ST for a ride today as the weather for Feb. was a lot nicer for a change. I'm coming home in heavy traffic and when leaving a stop-light I am behind an SUV. They have "Bike LR"(Little Rock)and 26.2 stickers plastered all over their vehicle. We take off and the accordian effect is rampant with a lot of bottle-necking present. I am not pushing them but am being crowded from behind so I have to watch my Ps and Qs...traffic clears up, we get up to speed and I end up passing them in the left hand lane. The driver flips me the bird and I'm tempted to do the same (or kick the driver's door) but I kept my cool and just cruised on home. I admit I got close to her rear bumper but only to prevent the Tahoe behind me from ass-packing me. By the time I got home I wished I'd followed them to give them a piece of my mind. The mindset of some people amazes me as I was merely trying to cover my ass. I know I did the right thing but damn.....it pisses me off. Thanks, rant off. Link to comment
Marty Hill Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Guess your not familiar with the advrider salute. Link to comment
Rinkydink Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 In retrospect I should've (as in get on this head )but alas I was a good boy... Link to comment
upflying Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I ride close to the rear of traffic too. The difference is I am offset to the extreme left rear or right rear of the traffic I am following. I am in position to lane split if need be or dive ahead between cars if traffic behind is riding my ash. You should never ride behind the center of traffic ahead. Link to comment
beemerman2k Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm with Bob on this one. My other policy that I really try to hold to is this: there's little (no, really) room for emotion when dealing with cars. They don't understand, and furthermore, it doesn't matter if they do. My focus is on staying alive. If someone wants to flip me the bird, that means nothing to me -- no more significant than a tree I am passing. Emotions escalate confrontation; motorcyclists don't need confrontation. Link to comment
szurszewski Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I usually refrain from saying this outside of work (I teach traffic safety - teen, private adult, and college level classes for those, er, misguided enough to want to do my job), but I really don't see the point in decreasing your following distance (getting closer to the traffic ahead) because someone is closing in on your rear. In my experience, and according to the curricula I teach, that just results in having limited space to the front and the rear (which is to say, someone tailgating you usually won't stop doing that just because you speed up a little bit or get closer to traffic in front). What I/we teach as best practice is that the less space you have to the rear, the more room you need to make in front/the slower you need to go. Does that piss off the people tailgating you? Sure. Were they happy with you to begin with? No - you were already in their way...so, who cares? They might flip you the bird when they finally pass you, but as per the OP, apparently that happens even when you try to get out of their way. All that said, one of my biggest things to overcome in the way of trying to set a good example/model the behaviors I teach, is keeping my own bird in check...which doesn't always happen....but so far I've only kicked someone's door once. Link to comment
Lmar Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 +1 to Szursewski's comments. I usually try to keep some distance between myself and the vehicle in front of me. If the guy behind me starts riding my a$$, I light up my break lights and slow down to give them the message that they are following me too close. My thoughts in this situation are that a slower speed is a safer speed. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Both in car and on motorcycle I have some success when somebody is riding my a$$ with lighting up the four-way flashers. When they give me some distance I turn them off again. Link to comment
Lets_Play_Two Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Okay, I took my 800ST for a ride today as the weather for Feb. was a lot nicer for a change. I'm coming home in heavy traffic and when leaving a stop-light I am behind an SUV. They have "Bike LR"(Little Rock)and 26.2 stickers plastered all over their vehicle. We take off and the accordian effect is rampant with a lot of bottle-necking present. I am not pushing them but am being crowded from behind so I have to watch my Ps and Qs...traffic clears up, we get up to speed and I end up passing them in the left hand lane. The driver flips me the bird and I'm tempted to do the same (or kick the driver's door) but I kept my cool and just cruised on home. I admit I got close to her rear bumper but only to prevent the Tahoe behind me from ass-packing me. By the time I got home I wished I'd followed them to give them a piece of my mind. The mindset of some people amazes me as I was merely trying to cover my ass. I know I did the right thing but damn.....it pisses me off. Thanks, rant off. As you said, "...so I have to watch my Ps and Qs". Letting someone else get into your head and then "dictate" your behavior takes your mind off the Ps and Qs. We can only control our own behavior, nobody elses. I am glad you kept your cool and did your ranting from the relative safety of your key board. Link to comment
EffBee Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 The reality is that people only know what they know and they think that's all there is to know. Even if told there's more to know, they don't want to know. They only know you were too close for their comfort. Do they know you were trying to be defensive in light of what was going on behind you? No. Do they realize that as a motorcyclist you have special concerns about your safety? No. If told, would they care to know? No. If told it might mean your life would they care to know? No. If told their ignorance might mean a prison sentence for them should they kill someone because of it, would they care to know? No. All they know is all they know and there's no adding to that through civil means. Only through catharsis will they learn. Only theirs, not yours. Finally, keep in mind that they were in the same traffic jam as you were. They were irritated about it. You, being on a motorcycle and otherwise appearing defenseless, were who they vented on. Picking on the little guy. Now you also know what kind of courage they had. Same situation would they have flipped off a club member in colors? No. Another SUV? No. A sedan with two guys in it? No. Should you allow simple-minded, weak-willed people with a penchant for picking on the less protected to get your goat? No. Link to comment
taters Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Saw a prison documentary where a guy chased after a car and caught up with him. They got into a fight and the guy who chased after him ended up killing him. Punched him and the guy fell and hit his head. He's doing 9 years with guys named bubba who all want to be his proctologist. Let it alone. it just ain't worth it Link to comment
Rinkydink Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 All good points and I did keep to the left as I was in the left lane...it's just that my options were limited as far as leaving myself an out due to deep ditches and not much shoulder on each side. I would never actually retaliate (sp) and just wanted to make it home. I feel that I did nothing wrong and miss mightier than thou pedal pusher marathon lady didn't like it either way. For whatever reason I didn't deserve what I got. End of story. Szurszewski, just so we're clear it was the person in front of me that flipped me the bird not the person behind me. Link to comment
szurszewski Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I feel that I did nothing wrong and miss mightier than thou pedal pusher marathon lady didn't like it either way. For whatever reason I didn't deserve what I got. End of story. Szurszewski, just so we're clear it was the person in front of me that flipped me the bird not the person behind me. I got that. I was just saying that one of the reasons I hear for moving forward to get away from a tailgater is that people don't want to make the person behind them angry (this is typically from younger drivers, though sometimes from older folks who are just starting to drive; I do realize your reason was to give yourself more space to the rear), but my feeling is that since you can't please everyone anyway, we need to take care of ourselves primarily. I certainly don't think you did anything that "earned" a rude gesture, but you got one anyway, and that seems a great example of why it's not much use to try to please other drivers. ...which is not to say we shouldn't think of them at all, etc., etc. Link to comment
David13 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I never get behind a bus or a truck or an rv. If I can avoid it. If I do, I ride way way far back. If someone tailgates me, there is only one sensible thing I can do. Slow down. If they are going to whack me, I want that to be at slow speed, not high speed. Sometimes, if I am able to lane split, I can get away from them. But I must be able to do that safely. dc Link to comment
Kathy R Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 ....I admit I got close to her rear bumper but only to prevent the Tahoe behind me from ass-packing me. ... Respectfully, I don't agree that you did the right thing or that you didn't do anything wrong. I'm glad you didn't become a motorcycle sandwich between two slices of automobile. In the situation, as I understand it, I would have dropped back to allow more space in front of me. Like Paul, I've used my flashers with success. Another thing I do, if it's possible, is I pull off and let the tailgater move forward to tailgate someone else. I'm glad you kept your cool. Link to comment
4wheeldog Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 When someone rides my ass, I slow down and leave more room in front, not less. If necessary, I will stop and turn around to look at them......Maybe spread my hands in a ??? position. Crowding the vehicle in front to make space behind is pointless. Link to comment
Quinn Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 My guess would be that your lights were shining in his rear view mirror because you were so close. He probably felt you were intimidating him and he had no place to go. My suggestion for future problems is to fall back and then flip off the guy tailgating you; instead of being that guy to the car in front of you. --- Link to comment
doc47 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Flipping someone in a car the bird is just bad judgment. On a bike we are just too vulnerable. You NEVER know the mental status of the person behind the wheel of that car. He/she could be certifiable, high on speed, just caught his/her spouse in bed with best friend...... Bottom line is that all they have to do is twitch the wheel and you're history, or badly injured. Questions of justice, right/wrong don't apply. You're still dead or hurt. Link to comment
hANNAbONE Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 ...sOUNDS tO me like "NO" is the answer here EFFBee.! Link to comment
Dennis Andress Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 ...sOUNDS tO me like "NO" is the answer here EFFBee.! I thought it was "KNOW".... Link to comment
pbharvey Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 You never know who you're flipping off or what their reaction might be Link to comment
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