[may2nd]

Went for a ride today, 70 degrees and sunny..but that was the only awesome thing about it other than the riding i did to not get killed!! I am a realitivly new rider and have read several takes on ride like everyone is trying to kill you, and that is what was happening today. Im not gonna list everything that happened in order and detail, but dang!!! I felt like everyone was playing who can hit the guy on the new black cbr!!F****ing crazy.. Im just glad i made it home to vent on the forum!! By the way, thanks to those of you who gave advise on getting the warning stickers off the gas tank..Looks better..Ride safe!!

 

[live_to_ride]

Wow!!! Glad you're safe. One day my neighbour asked why motorcyclists ride in the lane and not on the shoulder, I answered "cause it's our lane"! She was shocked! Now THERE'S an example of what some dumb driver's think which explains why we ride as if EVERYONE is out to get us. Some rides I come home and kiss the garage floor outta sweet relief of arriving home safe lol

 

[PsychManSean]

Glad to hear your safe, I had a similar experience on the way to work today actually, people just dont pay attention, it is amazing.

 

[w0rM]

I think I read it on this forum somewhere but it's the best advice I've seen so far... approach every ride like you're completely invisible - like nobody can see you at all.

People are freaking idiots. I'm glad you're ok and you didn't end up with with a awful story to tell.

 

[may2nd]

No doubt..its the quote from people like that lady.. its like either they see me, didnt care or both..well as they say keep your ceptors on..in other words keep your head on a swivel!!

 

[madd-trapper]

Sounds like a normal day of riding to me. Ive found that Sundays are the worst day to ride, worst drivers are out especially in the morning.
And then you have the "ride it only on Sundays" cruiser riders dressed in all their pirate village people garb that wont get out of the way.

 

[madd-trapper]

No doubt..its the quote from people like that lady.. its like either they see me, didnt care or both..well as they say keep your ceptors on..in other words keep your head on a swivel!!

Ive noticed that i get cut off by 95% female drivers. I wouldve bought it Saturday night if I hadnt been riding smart. Im at a stop light behind a really loud Harley. We both go left on a 4 lane street, 40mph zone. Dude on the Harley has a 12ish looking girl on the back. Soon as we make the turn he takes off like a bat out of **** right along wheres theres a very busy large gas station. I see 2 cars approaching us to make left turns into the gas station. I slow, Harleys still flying. One car makes the left as the Harley goes by him, barely missing him. I had already hit the brakes. I dont think the idiot on the Harley even knows how close he just came to killing himself and his daughter.
Granted the bike had the right of way. And had the Harley been doin the speed limit and not 20+ over, the car would have made the turn well in front of him.
Reminds me why I enjoy going slow.

 

[may2nd]

seems to me we all need to organize and find ourselves a motorcycle only state, no cars, trucks, only two wheeled vehicles.im not suprized by the sunday phenomenom (or however its spelled) bunch of hung over, or people heading out to expel sin from their soul or both...Y-M-C-A!!

 

[may2nd]

Same here..some ass in a mini van was tailgaiting me in a 35 zone, i was doin about 32..he comes flyin around me, on the right, passes, then gets in front of me and starts stopping rapidly to make a left hand turn, all the while i was in the left lane, and there is now traffic behind me but not on my right so i quickly checked my mirror, swerved around him on the right,and got by him and a pickup is going right out of a drive way on my right into my lane so i slowed and and changed lanes to avoid him..swerving to miss the mini van was almost an instinct ual feeling rather than to break..maybe because i knew in the back of my mind i would be eating mini van for lunch if i try to stop either way, i was pissed and shaken..

 

[madd-trapper]

Sounds like you did it right and didnt panic. I usually will speed up if anyone tail gates me to a point. My wife had a habit of leaving stop lights real slow and would have all the cars backed up behind her. I would look in my mirror and she'd be 10 car lengths behind me. I always try and keep traffic as far away as possible, within reason.
No matter what you do some other driver will try and kill you. But thats the fun of it. Plus every once in awhile kicking in someones door!

 

[w0rM]

Christ, I hope I have better luck than you guys. Kinda makes me wonder if I even want to learn to ride at all.

 

[madd-trapper]

Welcome to the real world. Its not so bad till you crash. Then you can make the decision if you want to get back on. I have. And like Ive said before got to see what my knee cap looks like without skin. But I got back on and road to the hospital, and still riding 20+years later.
Just make sure you ride responsibly and defensively.
Its not all puppies and rainbows out there on the street like certain people want this forum to be, hmm.
But with all the crushed skulls, bloody bones, torn off limbs, disemboweled bodies, smashed bikes and death, people still ride and will continue to do so. Why because its fun and its a way of life.
In my job Ive gotten to see more carnage then anyone should have to see, many of it crashed bikes. I pay more attention and dont ride like a maniac anymore. Most of the time.
There is a certain thrill being on the edge and cheating death.

Sorry to the mods about my graphic descriptions, hope it doesnt offend any children or plush bunnies reading this thread.
Good thing I didnt post any of my AI pics.

 

[w0rM]

What do you do?

I'm certainly not buying a bike because I want to cheat death or live on the edge. With that said, I'm also not buying one because I think it's perfectly safe and nothing could ever happen to me. If I thought that, I wouldn't even be bothering with all the reading and the safety courses.

If I want to go fast, my car has that covered pretty well. It's way faster (and safer) than the CBR250.

 

[live_to_ride]

Christ, I hope I have better luck than you guys. Kinda makes me wonder if I even want to learn to ride at all.

Most people who ride will have stories to tell about crashes or near misses. Four years ago I had an "incident" while riding a Ninja...snapped my left leg in half. When I stood up i felt and heard a pop, looked down and saw my leg and ankle swing to the left. Wound up in surgery and 8 screws and 2 pins later I started my recovery. In a cast for two months; 2 weeks post cast removal I was back on my bike. Shouldn't have been but the pull was too strong to ignore. Don't give up before you start, it's a fun sport. You sound like you are preparing well with a good head on your shoulders. Get on that bike and ride like the wind!!!!!!!

 

[pvcbr250]

We should all move to Vietnam or some other country that rides alot of motorcycles and scooters lol.

 

[w0rM]

Most people who ride will have stories to tell about crashes or near misses. Four years ago I had an "incident" while riding a Ninja...snapped my left leg in half. When I stood up i felt and heard a pop, looked down and saw my leg and ankle swing to the left. Wound up in surgery and 8 screws and 2 pins later I started my recovery. In a cast for two months; 2 weeks post cast removal I was back on my bike. Shouldn't have been but the pull was too strong to ignore. Don't give up before you start, it's a fun sport. You sound like you are preparing well with a good head on your shoulders. Get on that bike and ride like the wind!!!!!!!

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not going to give up now. Maybe I'll regret it later but I'm going to do my best to be good at this. I'm a pretty patient guy and I have a lot of experience with sports cars and driving fast (at the track). I know that's not the same as on a motorcycle but I'm already a very focused and careful driver. I hope some of that serves me well on the bike.

 

[live_to_ride]

You won't have regrets, you've started off with a great bike. Keep shiney side up lol

 

[madd-trapper]

You'll be fine. Since you realize and know the risks and dont treat it as a game I think youre starting out all right.
Be nice if we had more bikes and scooters and less soccer moms on their phones in SUV's.

 

[w0rM]

You'll be fine. Since you realize and know the risks and dont treat it as a game I think youre starting out all right.
Be nice if we had more bikes and scooters and less soccer moms on their phones in SUV's.

I hate SUVs! I can't tell you how many times I've **** near been run over in my 350z by one of those morons.

 

[CBRNewbie]

Near Misses

For the first week after I got my bike I left the headlight in the standard 'dipped' position. I had so many people start to pull out on me from side roads and then suddenly brake that I switched it to 'full beam' all of the time. I just leave the switch in that position ready for my next ride. Since then (six weeks) things have been fine. I do feel guilty when I'm behind someone and I'm probably blinding them but for me it's crucial to have that extra bit of visibility. I still assume everyone wants to kill me but its definitely better.

For the new riders out there, its much easier to see if a car is starting to pull out on you by looking at its front wheel. Tiny movements forward can easily be seen to give you that extra bit of warning.