Why I Don't Carry My Side Bags When Riding to Work

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Worst I've ever experienced is a honk as I go by from somebody I probably startled. Even if some jealous cager bound driver did experience road rage it's not like they could keep up and do anything. But thankfully I don't have to deal with that kind of commute every day. Yet.

 
Evil's right.... There are several factors IMHO that mitigate against road rage:

  • This is California. It's a common sight to see motorcycles coming up the middle.
  • I try to wait till the cars stabilize before cutting up the middle. By then they're trapped like flies in amber and have limited maneuverability.
  • They can't catch me, typically. But the fact is, in tight but moving traffic, a berserk cager willing to break laws and kill people CAN catch you.
To answer your question, and as Evil said, I occasionally get cars honk at me. It makes me laugh because I think, "Dude, what state are YOU from?" But the other thing I observe about the cars that honk is they're typically the drivers who are planted in the fast lane going 55 MPH--they're the scolders who want everyone to drive like them.
Other than that, I've had cars nudge over (at 3 MPH) clearly trying to pinch the door closed on me, but that doesn't typically work. I think only once have I had someone actually slam his pick-up truck over in 45-MPH freeway traffic to keep me from getting past. That's where high engine revs (for immediate acceleration and braking response), two fingers on the brake, and "leaving yourself an out" comes in, not to mention training in swerving and braking. And as MadMike2 said in the other related thread, you gotta be on your game, meaning you have GOT to be paying 100% attention.

I had one local rider tell me that he was crossing the Bay Bridge (which appears a lot in this "Bad" video) on his Wing when a guy in a Porsche pinched him and wouldn't let him get buy. Traffic was stop and go. During a stop the rider was able to get right up next to the Porsche. He said he looked at the guy, flipped him off, and with his left boot just CAVED the dude's passenger door. Then Mr. Wing scooted on up and away while the Porsche guy impotently honked his horn.

If you think night's bad, try night in the rain, when everyone including me's got limited vision and visibility. And yes, I tend not to split on those nights, but just get in line, pretend I'm a car, and slog it on home.

My biggest "inherent" (vs. "residual") risk isn't other cars; it's the occasional bad decisions I make, when I think to myself, "You have GOT to cool it!" Because as I try to express in my recent Burleigh's Morning Commute, I start nice and calm, but by the time you're 25 miles down the freeway and deep in the hatchet fight, you pick up the pace.

 
Like I've said before, I'm just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to occasional hooliganism. But, that said, I would definitely refrain from mounting a video camera on my bike to record my antics, then documenting them, adding a soundtrack and posting the evidence up on the WWW. Much bad mojo can come from this, for you personally, and us as a group. I'd sure hate to see this and similar footage being viewed in Sacramento by lawmakers who are considering a law against lane-sharing.

IMO, Ted Nugent dealt one of the most serious blows to the image of hunters in general with video documentation of his obvious and nearly sexual thrill of killing. Hey, whatever floats your boat, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

My lane sharing policy and sig line on BARF: Lane share safely - Max speed 30mph or 10mph above traffic flow, whichever is slower. The life you save may be your own. The privilege you preserve belongs to us all.

If CA outlaws lane-sharing, I'll sell my bike and get a Subaru. It's that important to me.

 
Like I've said before, I'm just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to occasional hooliganism. But, that said, I would definitely refrain from mounting a video camera on my bike to record my antics, then documenting them, adding a soundtrack and posting the evidence up on the WWW. Much bad mojo can come from this, for you personally, and us as a group. I'd sure hate to see this and similar footage being viewed in Sacramento by lawmakers who are considering a law against lane-sharing.
IMO, Ted Nugent dealt one of the most serious blows to the image of hunters in general with video documentation of his obvious and nearly sexual thrill of killing. Hey, whatever floats your boat, but sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

My lane sharing policy and sig line on BARF: Lane share safely - Max speed 30mph or 10mph above traffic flow, whichever is slower. The life you save may be your own. The privilege you preserve belongs to us all.

If CA outlaws lane-sharing, I'll sell my bike and get a Subaru. It's that important to me.
Party pooper :bleh:

 
A real man would go faster and wheelie through most of that saving wear and tear on the front tire :D

Friggin Amazing, that traffic is facked up. It can be pretty bad around here, and I'd welcome an HOV lane and/or the ability to lane share now and then.

Fortunately my commute is all secondary roads.

 
I for one would like to view this brazen display of a middle aged man wreaking havoc upon a defenseless public while singing Born to be Wild and wondering if the dental paste was strong enough to keep the dentures in place. I mean, really, we survived The Wild Bunch, Hollister ramblings, and the Hells Angels. I don't think JB's video will have much impact upon our society, although I have not yet seen it...

 
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