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They say you have to ride like you're invisible

8K views 38 replies 26 participants last post by  my250cbrgeo 
#1 ·
and I learned first hand that, it's true

 
#4 ·
I'm sure that's what happened. What bothered me was, when he heard me blasting my horn he didn't move back over, he pushed me into the left lane. If there was a car there It could have ended badly for me. I really don't think it was my fault at all.

And you can't see it on the video, but he actually look right at me after I started honking and he still came over.
 
#5 ·
That's why I got the repsol version, you can see it miles away, plus the fact I like it ( others don't because its not a real race bike???) but cars still do stupid things. I had a guy pull out on me & when I caught up to him at a set of lights he said he didn't see me, on an orange bike with orange & white helmet & hi-vis vest on over my jacket. Maybe he needs a white cane & a guide dog lol. I ride like everyone else is out to kill me.
 
#9 ·
I was in the process of passing him but the traffic ahead of me in my lane started to slow down, so I had to slow down. It's not like I made the conscious decision to sit right next to that guy like that. I started out quite a ways behind him, the traffic sped up, so I sped up, but then the traffic slowed down and I just so happened that I got stuck next to the guy.

And I don't remember what was going through my head but I doubt I checked to see if there was traffic coming in the outside lane it was just either sit in the middle lane and let that guy hit me or move and hope for the best.
 
#8 ·
you could write a book on the neurology, psychology and
physiology of 'nice' people driving into motorcycles
and pushbikes etc, but the bottom line is that
- you simply cant trust them -

worldwide people know that some 'turn into maniacs'
when they get behind the wheel.. unrelated societies..
'everyone' knows there are some who simply shouldnt
be driving on the roads,, again, worldwide..

beauty of the motorcycle is its power to weight ratio
its relatively efficient braking, its relatively small
road footprint and its ability to use escape zones
unavailable to larger vehicles such as cars..

ive had at least one escape from certain death
by riding my motorcycle instead of driving a car,
in which a head on with a semi-trailer was certain..
so we have our own potentials, one of which is
riding while fully aware that - they cant be trusted -

this includes incidentally, as others have mentioned,
replacing our beep beep horn with one that says
'look out! truck!!'
mine is a fiamm low tone from amazon.com for $17
incl post to aust, plug and play, using stock bracket..
'look out! its a buick!!'
 
#11 ·
deliberately train your eyes/peripheral vision and brain
to notice behind you thru mirrors by only momentarily,
glancing toward and back from your mirrors..

after a while it will seem as if you arent really looking
or not really taking your attention from the road ahead..
because thats what will be happening,, you brain and
peripheral vision will learn to see, enough, rearward
while virtually continuing to see frontward..

just a hint..
 
#12 ·
#14 ·
It is not impossible to put both the high and low tone Fiamm horns on the bike. Having both makes a very noticeable difference. Well worth the extra trouble, AFAIAC.

On the original mount, slightly bent inward:


On the left side, where there is a lot of room on the frame:








This picture shows the proximity to the exhaust header. So far no damage.



The whole shootin' match here: http://www.pbase.com/tomfarr/fiamms_on_cbr250r

Yes, the left horn has slipped on it's mount and is pointing up, which is not good for riding in the rain.
Something to fix this winter.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Like I tried to explain in another post, I wasn't riding in anyone's blind spot. The traffic in my lane was moving considerably faster in my lane than his lane. (You can see I was actually passing him.)

He came over into my lane maybe, I don't know, a second after I pulled up next to him? I wasn't riding in his blind spot for a prolonged period of time. I was passing him, and he just decided he needed to get over a lane in the short period of time that I was in his blind spot.

P.S. Thanks to all the people telling me this is completely my fault and that I'm a ******************** rider. Even though I don't think this situation was avoidable, you're entitled to your opinions.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Like I tried to explain in another post, I wasn't riding in anyone's blind spot. The traffic in my lane was moving considerably faster in my lane than his lane. (You can see I was actually passing him.)

He came over into my lane maybe, I don't know, a second after I pulled up next to him? I wasn't riding in his blind spot for a prolonged period of time. I was passing him, and he just decided he needed to get over a lane in the short period of time that I was in his blind spot.

P.S. Thanks to all the people telling me this is completely my fault and that I'm a ******************** rider. Even though I don't think this situation was avoidable, you're entitled to your opinions.

You mentioned 'Fault' a few times,
How long have you been riding?
sorry to sound harsh but you better watch your own vid camera again.

0.01 we see white van up on your right.
0.06 safe in your left lane, your lane, or on the right.
0.08 NOW is the time to accelerate into the left lane
0.11, youve left it too late to do anything its coming and your tacho is low go down 2 cogs NOW and follow that Blue car on left.
0.14 you are even slowing more making yourself a sitting duck.
0.16 you even took hand off bars.

That is 10+ secs you had but now say its someione elses 'fault'
AND you made a misleading youtube out of it and still are not learning.

Then you carry on (riding on the oil slick mind you) and the grey car after could have been the same story
 
#18 ·
Try not to be too defensive. I'm a new rider, but as soon as I watched your video I didn't know what was going to happen ahead of time, but I'm thinking as soon as the traffic backs up the white van is going to go for it and try to come in the left lane. This happens all the time whether you are on a bike or in a cage. In that driver's mind the lane is clear and they are going to save two seconds by making a quick lane change. The difference is that they will usually notice the car before they completely come over and correct their mistake.

With a motorcycle they might not notice their mistake until they take you out. They might not ever notice their mistake and put you into the guard rail and continue on their way.

Try not to take it personal and learn from your brush with fate.
 
#20 ·
Every vehicle you pass can potentially do this to you, 99.99% of the time, it won't happen. I try and pass other vehicles as quickly as possible, and will favour either the outside or inside lane of a motorway, because the other vehicles are only on one side of you. It's very easy to have 20/20 vision in hindsight, but these real world occurrences, where traffic in different lanes slows down and speeds up, can catch out even the most observant of riders, every now and again. ;)
 
#21 ·
Just had this happen to me on the way home today. This guy passes me on the left (so he should know I'm there), then he drifts over to the right into my lane because his turn is coming up (no signal I might add.

Yeah, my horn is coming in the mail this week. The Fiamm low tone that Shisoshin mentions earlier in the thread.
 
#23 ·
re the horn, i have no garage, virtually no tools now, not even a parking space
my apartment,, she lives on the street, across the road where i can see her..
so the fiamm low tone was installed there, on the street, easy, quick..

but,, if i had the tools and somewhere to make brackets etc,
id have gone for the high and low tone combo with wiring harness
and relay plus my own bracket to suit.. not that the low tone
doesnt do the job, but both would be better i reckon..
 
#27 ·
Better to take the criticism here than be hit or killed. Don't get defensive but learn from this. You can say it wasn't your fault because the van pulled into you but realize that you're just as dead no matter who's at fault. I know it's difficult when traffic is slowing and speeding up but you had at least two other choices that would have been better - slow down so that if the van comes over it's in front of you, or speed up so that you pass the van quicker rather than lingering in the blind spot.

If this would have happened about 3 seconds earlier, the blue car in the left lane would have taken you out.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Don't be so absolute. Not everyone thinks you made a huge mistake. You moved into the other lane, which is what I would have done, the only difference is that I would have KNOWN that lane was open. Others here can speculate on driving in a blind spot, but if they ever passed anyone, they had to be in the blind spot at least for an instant and a lot of bad things can happen in that instant. Others may say that they would have slowed down, but they don't know if that would have put them in a different blind spot. Maybe you could have anticipated a little earlier, but I think you already may have determined that yourself when you posted this. Bottom line is that we really do have to assume we are invisible and a) make ourselves as visible as possible and b) assume our efforts to be seen didn't work and maintain that buffer zone all the time. BTW, I assume, and hope, that when your left hand came off the grip, it was to give the guy the universal symbol for "stay in your lane". ;)
 
#32 · (Edited)
Sorry to see that :(, but glad you are okay - good reactions getting out of the way when you had to :).

However, Aufitt is right: you slowed down, from a point of safety, right into the blind spot. A better move would have been to maintain speed right past the van or, better yet, WOT it into the left lane before you came level, where there was loads of free space.

The traffic in your lane wasn't really slowing enough to justify your slowing down as much as you did. Slowing down even more so as to stay well behind was another option, and probably even safer that WOT and change lanes if you were concerned about cars behind.

I had time to sit here going "Ohhh Shhhh111t! Not good!" 3 seconds before it went down, and I felt uncomfortable watching. But yeah hindsight is wonderful :).

I move from safely behind cars to well in front at ~WOT every time. Screw it if I go 10kph over the limit for 1.5 seconds. If I find a dufus who moves up and then slows down and puts me beside them at all, I either slow or punch it back in front. I never ever sit beside a car: I control where I sit 100% of the time.

Not having a go at you :). I just think that another option is to look at the event (which you so fortunately can!) and see what else you could do in the future :). It has helped me watching it!

Best regards,

Dave
 
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