People who can't see a bike!

Wraith

Do the impossible its fun
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 16, 2000
782
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I know this is a dirtbike site. But I hate idiots who can't see street bikes on the roads. This just really gets my blood boilng. To make a long story short. Since it rained Thursday and Friday here, and all the MX tracks were wahsed out. Me and a few buddies decided to get out the street bikes Saturday. Good ride. Get back to a buddies house to hang out. One guy leaves. Five minutes later his neighbor knocks on the door saying "Man I thought that was you laying in the ditch up the road". So we rush down to see if it was him. And guess what, it was. Turns out, 1/2 mile down the road (2 lane) a car coming the opposite direction was wanting to turn left and turned right into him! I mean I can't see how he could have not seen him. The bike stuck the car in the passengers side, right in the headlight. Our buddy said, (between pain killer injections) he saw the guys blinker on, and looked the guy right in the eyes and thought everything was cool. Until wham, almost a complete head on.
Before you start, he was speeding. I asked the cop to guess the speed (you know, impact, projectile) and said around 40-50. And it's a 40.
He got lucky though. He only broke his arm, shattered his knee cap, and dislocated his hip. And meesed up the ball and socket joint pretty good. Good thing about leathers, they save the skin. Too bad they don't prevent broken stuff :p
And they have even been advertising on the local TV stations around here for motorist to watch for bikes on the road. And to give them respect like they would other cars.
He's lucky. But these drivers just chap my ass.
Then wouldn't you know it. I had to tell his ER doctor to shut up, and do what he went to College for, and do what he was being paid for. Because he was talking smack, saying crap like, "We call those things Donor Bikes" You know Organ Donor. I should have decked that ..............

Sorry I'm just mad as crap
 

Papakeith

COTT Champ Emeritus
Damn Yankees
Aug 31, 2000
6,695
50
RI
Sorry to hear about your friend. Hope he heals well.

Ditto What Sr. KX Rider said. I haven't taken my street bike out for nearly :think: Gosh! 4 years! I had one of those Holy :scream: :uh: ! moments, and after that, it never felt the same.
 

mx547

Ortho doc's wet dream
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 24, 2000
4,787
102
i'm a two-time stupid driver victim. both times were little old ladies who stopped at the stop sign, then pulled out without yielding the right of way. the first one hit me. the second one i managed to avoid the car but i had to lay it down and slid into the curb (she just kept on going). i wasn't speeding either time. the second time, i even had my headlight on. both times i ended up in the hospital with broken legs. i spent over six weeks in the hospital because of the first one and now my right leg is 1 1/4" shorter than the left. i still have a street-legal bike but i rarely ride it. it hasn't been ridden since last summer. i would like to ride street more but i'm just not quite ready to die. :eek:
 

DrtSqrt

Member
Dec 19, 1999
41
0
It ticks me off when I'm in my truck and someone performs a goober move putting me in jeopardy. When I'm on my street bike, it provokes the strange combination of choice superlatives and Hail Mary's.

Just like racing dirtbikes, if you think about the accident potential then the fun gets zapped right out of it. Ride defensively, wear your gear, lights on and within the speed limit. Thankfully your friend will recover.
 

crkid

~SPONSOR~
Oct 14, 2001
665
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i don't ride a streetbike, so this is surprising (and scaring) me how many people have had the same experience. sorry to hear bout your friend though, hope he heals up quickly.

how can you be paying so little attention to the road that you hit a person on a motorcycle? c'mon i'm a 16 year old kid, so really i'm the one that should do things like that, but i check my blindspots and keep a mental note of who's around me (especially if their are motorcycles around). to date i have yet to even have an "almost accident". sorry bout the little rant, but pretty soon i will be the one on a streetbike and then this subject will really touch home.
 

KWJams

~SPONSOR~
Sep 22, 2000
1,167
4
I have never crashed my street bike but I will not let fear of stupid drivers keep me from riding.

A long time ago I came to the conclusion that from the second that I put her in gear my life is at risk and if I am going to survive then it is my responsibility.

Never-Never give anyone else on the road the benefit of the doubt that they have a clue of what they are doing!

When I see traffic coming towards me the first thing I do is catalog any driveways or streets between us that they may turn left across my path.

I have had drivers make left hand turns in front of me from the right lane of a four lane highway before while I was driving my big truck. :think:
 

MONKEYMOUSE

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2001
889
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Well i'm not old enough to drive one but i ride on um all the time. Never been hit when I was on the bike. But my nabor whas STOPED at a red light some one backed out of a drive way in him and his bike!! Broke his leg in 6 places, He told me the person stoped got out and the first thing he did was yell at my nabor. Said HE should be watching what was around him :debil:!! Me and my dad have had manny near misses on our bike (he had been hit befor on his old bike). One other thing did any of you relize how they don't under stand that on a bike you cant stop as fast! :| some times i think people just realy like to see how far they can test the limits. :think:
 

n8MX

Member
Mar 27, 2001
135
0
One other thing did any of you relize how they don't under stand that on a bike you cant stop as fast!

Umm, on my bike I can stop faster than in a car (don't know about everyone else...). I like seperate control of front and rear brakes... I have a much better feel of when I am about to slide. I often ride on the street (in all my gear) to our friends house where my CR is. I think riding in the dirt helps me on the street. In dirt I can learn to make instant decisions without huge consequences. On the street I think that has helped me avoid accident situations.

Andy
 

firecracker22

Sponsoring Member
Oct 23, 2000
3,217
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Actually they teach in MSF classes that a street bike can stop faster than a car. Which can cause many rear end accidents.

I plan on getting a street bike someday (soon!) as soon as I can afford one. But all of these horror stories make me think it might not be a daily driver, just a weekend toy.
 

xtreme73

Member
Mar 17, 2002
125
0
not just stopping as fast but also making corrections/evassive manuvers in corners, gravel, and wet roads is really hard. I think some people forget that bikes have to fight gravity and that it's so easy to have a date with the cement. The worst are the assholes that actually try and inflict harm on bikers. Seen and heard about people intentially backing into, cutting off and turning in front of bikes way too many times. Thats when you want the 12 guage loaded and strapped to your back.
 

MONKEYMOUSE

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2001
889
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Hey n8MX Its not that easy to stop when you have a big ol' harley hartige sprinnger then 360+ pounds people on it. You cant just grab a lot of break down shift and hold up the bike. If you can that would be somthing to see. :silly:
 

KWJams

~SPONSOR~
Sep 22, 2000
1,167
4
Originally posted by xtreme73
not just stopping as fast but also making corrections/evassive manuvers in corners, gravel, and wet roads is really hard.

The worst are the assholes that actually try and inflict harm on bikers. Seen and heard about people intentially backing into, cutting off and turning in front of bikes way too many times.

Never let yourself get in them situations.

I know that sounds to be easier said than done, but it is not.

It is all a frame of mind you get into on the streets.

1. Never ride in traffic! I always ride 3-4 mph faster than traffic is flowing to stay in front of the pack. You start cruising along with traffic and they will swarm all over you like being mid pack into the first corner when the gate drops in a moto.
They forget you are there and will use you as a hockey puck!

2. Ride far enough ahead of yourself so stuff like loose gravel, wet corners and oil is no surprise.

FC22,
The horror stories are usually the results of the riders themselves.

Just last week by Wadsworth, NV a drunk driver plowed into a mini van full of kids and killed five. :|

We all still drive cars, ride bicycles and walk across streets as pedestrians.

Yesterday the wife and I jumped on the Harley and took a trip up into the Uinta mountains and had a great time.

Rounding a corner there was a slow moving Jeep Wrangler coming towards us with a solid yellow line in both lanes.
I saw a 1 Ton truck pulling a horse trailer that was traveling faster than the Jeep and I automatically assumed the driver had no clue and would pass the Jeep instead of slowing down.
I backed out of it and drifted over onto our shoulder of the road and he did not disappoint me! He never even saw us.
We were three wide on a corner with us on the shoulder when we met! :|
If I would of made the mistake of thinking he knew what he was doing we would be hood ornaments right now!

Ride to live! :cool: In the dirt or on the streets, it's all the same.
 

Kav

Crash Master
Damn Yankees
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 20, 2001
1,517
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"Ride like the world is out to kill you."

I use to ride my DR-350 on the road in the summer but as time whent on people in cars seemed to be out to get me, pulling in to my lane and trying to force me off the road. Pulling out in front of me seemed to be the norm. I took the MSF class and learned a great deal on how to look for and then handle some one that does something dumb. And got a discount at Allstate to boot! :) After I took the coures I had a better understanding of what to look for and how to avoid carless drivers. And we whent over some of the resions why a driver in a car my not see you. (ie the size of the bike and rider) It is a importent class to take and will help you even if you've been riding for a few years or more. And some places offer an advanced course. ;)
 

CylinderStay

Member
May 18, 2001
95
0
When I'm around bikes on the road I like to give them plenty of room. But what really frosts me is when they tail gate me while riding in the center of the lane, right down the oil streak! :eek:
 

kdx357

Mod Ban
Nov 20, 2001
122
0
my stupid neighbor ran me off a 10 foot wide trail with his go kart , well i went in cleaned up, then went out and pulled the little ******* right out of the roll cage , punched him in the face (fist actually broke the visor off went into the helmet and basicly broke his nose. then i threw him down and he dont like riding around me too much anymore. oh and it was on purpose he looked right at me . the stupid kid got away with too much @!#$ and i dont take it , i think people should stick up for themselves more often
 

Wraith

Do the impossible its fun
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 16, 2000
782
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Originally posted by KWJams


Never let yourself get in them situations.

What about the time I was riding down a road. And a upper middle class women in her 40s driving a SUV threw a Big Gulp and bag of trash right at my head! Now how did I get into that situation? Was it because it was 10% my fault for even being there? Anyway, back to the TOPIC. You can take every course. Take every precaution possible. And some idiot in a 4 wheeler (car) will do something that almost gets you killed. Sure it's part of it. And I and my friends accept it. By why do we have to accept the fact, people don't want or forget to give bikes the same respect as cars?
 

zcookie49

Seven OUT!
Dec 21, 2000
860
0
Wraith. I hope your friend gets better every day. Great friends that offer support will really help out. I know for I am 4 weeks since I broke both of my femurs and more... Friends and family really make a difference. I am sorry to hear that to happen to anyone, it hits home when close though, I cant imagine what you felt having to ride up the street and find your friend injured there. ......
Street bikes... that is what my Dad told me I should do, sell my dirt, get a street, and he knows they are just as dangerous.
If I ever decide to own a street bike, I always say , "Weekend rides, ON Backroads only!". But that doesnt mean anything, all it takes is for someone to drop a cig in their lap or change the radio station while driving, and to come into your lane head on, then its evasive action. Most motorists will probably swerve back if your lucky, then you end up off the road, hurt and sometimes they keep going!!!
I thought dirt was safer, but a couple of years ago, I got T-boned by a 400F at 25mph and then I bailed on a jump...
I still like the dirt chances though. Road rash is some pretty nasty stuff that I have heard from some street riders, glad your friend had on his leathers. Keep his spirits up and you will notice a difference..
Oh, I almost forgot. Idiot drivers, pay attention, some people dont realize that they are behind the controls of a machine that can cease life in a milisecond...allright, no more ranting....
 

mx547

Ortho doc's wet dream
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 24, 2000
4,787
102
Originally posted by zcookie49
If I ever decide to own a street bike, I always say , "Weekend rides, ON Backroads only!".

i read a report last week that stated that the safest places to be are the interstates and divided highways.
 

jmics19067

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 22, 2002
2,097
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most drivers are idiots anymore I beleive. Doesnt matter if you are on a bike or just crossing your kid across the street on the way to school.I still swear they shoudl take out the seat belts and air bags out of the cars and even possibly make the driver of the car sitout on the front bumper of the car like some Aztec sacrifice. That and rewire the horn so that every time some impatient nitwit hits it it catapults himself out in front of the car and he runs himself over.
 

zcookie49

Seven OUT!
Dec 21, 2000
860
0
yeah, you wouldnt think Highways are safer, but it is probably like i said, that on 1 lane backroads, car drivers coming the opposite direction can come into your lane forcing the biker to make evasive action... I dont know. It makes you wonder if it is even worth it to ride on the streets.
 

NVR FNSH

~SPONSOR~
Oct 31, 2000
1,235
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I just assume that everybody I deal with is stupid & incompetent until proven otherwise - doesn't matter if it's at work, riding on the street or dirt, etc.

Seems to work so far....

Brian
 

MONKEYMOUSE

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2001
889
0
My favorit saying, witch is on a sticker says "Good roads bring bad people, Bad roads bring good people. :D" My unk. has that on his bike helmet (along with some very profund stickers, go figure)
 

splatt

Resident mental case
~SPONSOR~
Dec 1, 2001
908
14
My bother-in-law used to ride his bicycle to work in the summer until he was hit by a car twice in the same week. He was rear ended waiting for a light in both instances. Both times it was the same intersection. He was lucky both times and walked away with only minor scrapes and bruises. He gave it up not long after that though.

Steve
 
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