Following Other Motorcycles

[MustangWolf]

Mustang: Yeah...Sometimes those are pertinent concerns and they actually have been in the past. Did it never occur to you that they might be for you someday? I guess that it's not so much of a concern if you're taking a big old crotch rocket in a straight line at freeway speed, but some of us dream bigger than that. Some of us dream even bigger than that

Oh you got me! Not only do I only ride in a straight line, but I hang out at Starbucks. One day, maybe even I can dream bigger than that. Even I can dream bigger than that.

But seriously, as mentioned by other riders, if you're feeling hassled by another rider, motivate them to pass you.

Welcome to BARF!

 

[berth]

Because there's a strong headwind, there's no shoulder and I'm already all the way over to the right where the road is all sorts of craggly, it takes two hands to avoid wiping out and I'm liable to be hit by a door?

Trying to visualize someplace where there's doors and no shoulder.

By the way, you really can't imagine a scenario where you need two hands to control your motorcycle? And what do you think I'm doing? Taking a straight shot down the freeway?

I think you're riding too fast for conditions.

Best piece of advice I ever heard in traffic school. If you're holding the wheel (bars) too tight, you're driving too fast. It's a great heuristic to tell when you're unconsciously in over your head. Whether it's 130 in sweeper or 15 in dense fog. If it's you're holding too tight, you're riding to fast for your ride.

If you can't take a hand of your handler bar for a casual wave, then slow down. Sure, you could be in nothing but the gnarliest, twistiest, 2nd gear corners going back to back to back. Then, yea, it's hard. But 99% of the roads aren't like that, cuz folks as a rule don't like them, and trucks do poorly on them (and folks like trucks because they bring nice stuff to their houses). So road designers tend to not make them like this.

But if every door is opening on you, every car is ambushing you, trucks are team tagging you, every deer is punching you, and every tree is on the brink of teetering and blocking you're path -- you need to slow down.

I'll never forget a great scene of watching Miguel Duhamel, knee down, going ten-tents, in the Carousel at Road America, take a tear off and flicking it off his glove like sticky tape. Like every day at the office.

Here was someone who had a lot in reserve.

You, apparently, don't.

So, slow down.

 

[1962siia]

I've been rear ended a couple times by friends behind me while riding in formation and yeah its always a bummer! I'll take all the space you'll give me and yeah sometime I stuff the rear brake so with little or no notice!

OP its a legitimate request.

 

[gcowan11]

There's room for 2 motorcycles in one lane. Just stay to the right and forget about the rider behind you. If he is faster he will pass, if he is slower then there isn't a problem is there?

 

[hattusilis]

^You'd think not and I really do wish that they would do just that instead of hanging off of me.

Trying to visualize someplace where there's doors and no shoulder.



I think you're riding too fast for conditions.

Best piece of advice I ever heard in traffic school. If you're holding the wheel (bars) too tight, you're driving too fast. It's a great heuristic to tell when you're unconsciously in over your head. Whether it's 130 in sweeper or 15 in dense fog. If it's you're holding too tight, you're riding to fast for your ride.

If you can't take a hand of your handler bar for a casual wave, then slow down. Sure, you could be in nothing but the gnarliest, twistiest, 2nd gear corners going back to back to back. Then, yea, it's hard. But 99% of the roads aren't like that, cuz folks as a rule don't like them, and trucks do poorly on them (and folks like trucks because they bring nice stuff to their houses). So road designers tend to not make them like this.

But if every door is opening on you, every car is ambushing you, trucks are team tagging you, every deer is punching you, and every tree is on the brink of teetering and blocking you're path -- you need to slow down.

I'll never forget a great scene of watching Miguel Duhamel, knee down, going ten-tents, in the Carousel at Road America, take a tear off and flicking it off his glove like sticky tape. Like every day at the office.

Here was someone who had a lot in reserve.

You, apparently, don't.

So, slow down.

No offense, but the idea that needing two hand to control your bike in a situation necessarily means that you're going too fast for it is just silly. Needing two hands doesn't mean that you're scared for your life and gripping the handlebars so tight that you're tearing the flexors in your arm. There's a pretty large middle ground between brazen and petrified. I never do that little wave, but that's because I don't want to. I'm not your buddy just because we're both on motorcycles. I'm sure as hell less inclined to do it now, too.

And yeah, no shit I'm not a great rider. I don't know what gives you the impression that I'm speeding if I'm having issues with people crowding me up though. You know that there are roads that are lined with parked cars, by the way, right? If you don't pay attention you might get hit by one while it's pulling out. Or run into someone. Maybe a toddling someone.

This place is seeming like a pretty typical internet forum, so I'm going to bug out, but I'll leave you with this novel concept:

f you want to go faster than somebody then pass them safely. Pass them in an unsafe manner for all I care. Whatever happens as a result is between you and whoever you ran into. If you can't pass somebody safely (or don't want to do it) then just follow them from a safe distance. If somebody absolutely has to be in front of you in spite of the fact that you're both going the same speed then you're better off having him in front of you anyway. If he's passing you because he's travelling down the road faster than you are then you damned well should have yielded to him. Don't hold up some guy who's tear assing between work sites when you're out for your Sunday ride...

 

[bcv_west]

I'll be honest, that doesn't seem like it would be a very good novel. Not much dramatic arc to the story. Maybe a screenplay for a PSA if you fleshed it out a little and developed the characters.

 

[MustangWolf]

 

[SuperMike]

... you're still following me too closely if the distance from your front wheel to my rear wheel is less than three seconds.

Here, OP. Here is where you fucked up. This is just plain ridiculous.

 

[hattusilis]

It's actually not. I think the problem is that motorcycles are like flypaper to people who feel like they have something to prove.

http://www.survivalskills.co.uk/riding_skills_32.htm

 

[auditude]

OP is making a legitimate request; I expected a little more restraint and respect from teh BARFs.

The guy is trying vehemently to ride his own ride whenever he's out riding...what's the deal with dumping on him?

You've never made a mistake? A ridiculous request? A questionable maneuver? A an a-hole, dbag move? Never parked it in the corners? Held up a much better rider on the track or street?

BARF, what's up with the holier-than-thou attitude?

If he or any one else is in your way, move on; however, this post is not one of BARF's finer moments. I recommend this forum to EVERY moto/scoot I come across simply because it's chock full of great info and positive moto vibes. There's as much info about awareness as there is about great roads and people. I'd hate for a newb's first exposure to BARF to be this thread...it's somewhat embarrassing.

Seriously, what's the deal? He rides cautiously, checks his mirrors, waves you on and pulls over. That's more than I can say for some of the guys I roll up on during my commute on 880!

BARF is the absolute best moto forum around; let's act like it...

now git off my lawn!!!

 

[BeksNY]

OP is making a legitimate request; I expected a little more restraint and respect from teh BARFs.
...
BARF, what's up with the holier-than-thou attitude?
...
If he or any one else is in your way, move on; however, this post is not one of BARF's finer moments.
...
I'd hate for a newb's first exposure to BARF to be this thread...it's somewhat embarrassing.
...
Seriously, what's the deal? He rides cautiously, checks his mirrors, waves you on and pulls over. That's more than I can say for some of the guys I roll up on during my commute on 880!
...
BARF is the absolute best moto forum around; let's act like it...

+1
OP, I had a less-than-stellar introduction to BARF after my first post not so long. (Typical, responses.) It scared me off the forum for a while, so I went back to lurking. Then I went to a few social meets. Fast forward to now and I'm lucky to count many BARFers as riding buddies, drinking buddies, teachers, and some of my closest friends. Don't let these responses make you think they're representative of the forum as a whole. Keep riding your own ride and meet some of us IRL.

 

[corndog67]

I'll never forget a great scene of watching Miguel Duhamel, knee down, going ten-tents, in the Carousel at Road America, take a tear off and flicking it off his glove like sticky tape. Like every day at the office.

Here was someone who had a lot in reserve.

You, apparently, don't.

So, slow down.

The proper term is, I believe, " Like flicking a booger....".


OP, my advice? Relax. Practice a lot. Ride every road you can find. Real shitty roads, dirty, funky, slippery roads, ride them so much they don't bother you any more. (I know quite a few people that avoid less-than-stellar roads at all costs, they aren't comfortable). Ride them until the bike is sliding around underneath you, and you aren't tripping at all. At this point, very few people will be keeping up with you. Problem solved. The more you practice, the sooner you get there.

It might seem like a long way off, maybe even unattainable. Not necessarily. Our buddy Al, the Deerslayer, started as a rank beginner. And wan5ed to learn how to ride. He bought a CR500. Almost brand new. First ride, he blipped the throttle off a bump and looped it. He asked me that if I bought our buddies 250, would I trade him for that CR500? And that is how I got my first CR500. I never even rode that 250, just bought it and took it to Al's house. But, Al started riding dirt, had to wait for him , sometimes help him back up the side of hills, sometimes fix his bent bike when he biffed. He bought a BMW R/75, and started riding that daily. He rode a lot. Then he bought a GS1100E (I ended up with that bike, too). But, in a year, year and a half maybe, Al was riding at the front or near the front of the pack at all times. And rode very well. It is attainable.

 

[danate]

I think some of the sarcasm and general response to the OP is because asking others to be more respectful while on the roadway is like asking a frog not to shit in a pond.

The only thing you can do to improve your own safety is to improve your own skills. You're not going to stop motorcyclists, car drivers, bus drivers, clowns on unicycles etc. from tailgating you and riding/driving/honking like an idiot.

If someone is following you too close, easy way to get rid of them is to slow down and move out of the way. Eventually they will pass. Take a course on low speed maneuvers (like the ALCO Sheriff's course) and you will get more comfortable with that.

 

[BeksNY]

I think some of the sarcasm and general response to the OP is because asking others to be more respectful while on the roadway is like asking a frog not to shit in a pond.

I know, I know. Believe me, having moved from a far more traffic-congested city than Berkeley or even SF (the whole Bay Area, really), I get it. Three seconds is a lot. My point was more "we're not all jerks" and less "you do you, honey."

Nice expression, by the way, homie.

EDIT: Derp. Just realized there was a post in between there. Can't keep up with the early-risers on BARF without more coffee.

 

[ScottRNelson]

What makes you think that I don't know to pull over or slow down to let people pass me? The only problem I have in that department is that sometimes people are afraid to pass me even if I've slowed down and I'm riding down a paved shoulder with my blinker on doing head checks to see if I can get back into traffic yet.

I had to read quite a ways on this thread to realize that you're new here.

Welcome to BARF

I think the regulars here should have been a bit easier on you.

The only time I ride closely behind someone else is when I want to get around them. And I won't stay there for long in most cases. If I'm going to stay behind another rider, I'll give them more space - but not three seconds.

Don't take most of these comments personally, and we hope you'll stick around. You should feel proud of making a post that gets to multiple pages in less than a day. Not everyone can do that.

 

[jh2586]

OP, don't let these guys discourage you. It's a legitimate request and people should be giving you the minimum following distance. However, I believe you should focus more concern on what's in front of you rather than what's behind you for the simple fact that there is seldom anything you can do about what's behind. If you don't feel safe when others follow too closely, either make room for them to pass or slow down.

I think 3 seconds might be too much in a crowded city like Berkeley, and if I remember correctly, the minimum emergency stop following distance is 2-seconds.

EDIT: And welcome to BARF Don't let what some of the regulars say get you down. This is a really good community and at times, people can be harsh.

 

[NB0tt]

Because there's a strong headwind, there's no shoulder and I'm already all the way over to the right where the road is all sorts of craggly, it takes two hands to avoid wiping out and I'm liable to be hit by a door? What makes you think that I don't wave people by? And you're still making with the everybody-does-it talk. How about you wait until it's safe to pass instead of relying on other people to play traffic marshal for you? It's Think For Yourself Day, dammit.

Maybe you should stop riding. Sounds way too dangerous. Glad you grew up in Berkeley and know it better than everyone else; maybe you should get a Prius?

 

[Oakland675R]

OP you're ok, as others eluded to sometimes this forum can be a bit harsh and then it spirals out of control quickly with what feels like everyone is attacking you. I think you have a legitimate point however the road is shared by EVERYONE therefore we must adapt to the situations it presents us. We all encounter the same situations while riding and for the most part we can sympathize with you. Try to filter through the comments and look for the constructive criticism that will help you become a better rider and remember at the end of the day ride your own ride and do what you deem is the safest. If someone is to close and you find a safe spot to pull over, by all means let them go on and go about enjoying your ride. Just my .02

 

[Jackson]

Wow you all are a bunch of dicks. Welcome to BARF op, looks like you figured out how to trigger the sensitive ones. Don't listen to them they bitch and complain just as much if not more than your request.

 

[NB0tt]

Wow you all are a bunch of dicks. Welcome to BARF op, looks like you figured out how to trigger the sensitive ones. Don't listen to them they bitch and complain just as much if not more than your request.

Pfffff I thought OP was somewhat legit at first until he started attacking others and then the more I read this thread the less and less sympathy I had for him.