Irresponsible

[Warchild]

A lot of good thoughts here.... I like this comment:

If your sight lines are well within your passing ability and your distance judgment is sound....

Both are key to making a double-yellow pass a safe and reasonable non-event.

I admit I did a rather hefty amount of double-yellow passing this past weekend. Almost all of it due to the MASSIVE presence of Ma & Pa Kettle driving their Winnebago's 10-15mph *under* the posted 45mph speed limit in Yellowstone NP.

And I was riding solo on the Hayabusa.... as seen in these Yellowstone Day Ride photos.

I understand where the OP is coming from... as described, what he saw was clearly an immature, unprofessional pass on a double-yellow. Obviously, this practice is as fucked up as a soup sandwich. :angry:

Yet, I also see the point others make.... there are so many, many times where it is PLAINLY safe to pass on a long, uphill double yellow, assuming the line-of-sight supports the time required to make a clean pass.

Still and all, it is just amazing how cagers can get soooooooooo miffed that you (motorcyclist) can make reasonable progress through the Park, but they can not. More than once I had a douche-bag cager (usually in a pick-em-up truck) try to do a 'fake' move into the left lane as I would come abreast of them in a long, multi-car pass... all because someone (other than them) was making progress through the Park.

Now, if I was in a situation like that say, 10-15 years ago, the offending cager would have received the AdvRider Salute straight-away. Nowadays... I actually give a friendly wave after they try this fake homicide maneuver on me. I know these Park tourists don't *actually* want to kill me... they are just frustrated at the maddeningly slow pace that Yellowstone summer traffic produces.... :dntknw:

 

[SkooterG]

Ahhhh yes, Yellowstone in the summertime. I remember one or two years ago and that crazy mofo HotRodZilla leading me through Yellowstone passing the long lines of moronic cagers across the double yellow. What a beautiful park. What a shitty ride.

 

[Spud]

When I think back to how I used to ride in my early twenties I feel ashamed and very lucky to be alive. I can't throw stones in a glass house. It does bother me now that I'm older and wiser to see riders putting their lives and the sport's reputation in jeapordy.

This from the guy with his peg feelers AND boots ground off???!!!

 

[HotRodZilla]

Ahhhh yes, Yellowstone in the summertime. I remember one or two years ago and that crazy mofo HotRodZilla leading me through Yellowstone passing the long lines of moronic cagers across the double yellow. What a beautiful park. What a shitty ride.

Haha...Yeah, but overall, that was a fun ride. Sometimes traffic just sucks. However, every pass, whether or not on a double yellow is a calculated risk. Quite honestly, some double yellows are totally justified, and some are bullshit. Passing into a blind turn is never a good idea.

The riders leaving races get all hyped up thinking what they just saw was cool and they have the same ability. Its the same principle that keeps me from going to live MMA fights. Every 150 pound turd leaving that place thinks he's Forrest Griffin.

Oh yeah folks...Remember this: don't get your arm chewed off by a bear in Yellowstone. It carries a $5000 fine.

 

[stoggy]

LOL...

dont go on some vigilanty terror ride to rid us of yellow line crossers ok?

from the description it sounded like this guy was just hauling ass through, passing as he came to them. Not smart.

If they were going 20 and he was going 50 it would still be a 30 mph crash. If they were going the other way at the speed limit, 20mph and he was going 50 that would be a 70 mph crash. Go run as fast as you can into a concrete wall. Figure that is about 10mph, velocity increases energy by a power of 2, so it would hurt 90x more if he ran into the back of them and 490x more if it was a head on collision. Now that we can figure how bad something is going to hurt when we do it, we know what we can safely get away with.

 

[Greb]

When I think back to how I used to ride in my early twenties I feel ashamed and very lucky to be alive. I can't throw stones in a glass house. It does bother me now that I'm older and wiser to see riders putting their lives and the sport's reputation in jeapordy.

This from the guy with his peg feelers AND boots ground off???!!!

Yeah but everyone knows the FJR touches down early, especially with some road camber thrown in.

 

[Gerry.GEG]

I ride with a BMW rider (doesn't matter what he rides really) that likes to go around corners at break-neck speed. He's not the only one I ride with that does this. They have to wait for me up ahead because I WILL NOT go around blind corners at their speeds. Just common sense but some people think they are immune to someone pulling out of a driveway or something else that they would not be prepared to avoid due to speed.

Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[Jim in Phoenix]

When I think back to how I used to ride in my early twenties I feel ashamed and very lucky to be alive. I can't throw stones in a glass house. It does bother me now that I'm older and wiser to see riders putting their lives and the sport's reputation in jeapordy.

This from the guy with his peg feelers AND boots ground off???!!!

Yeah but everyone knows the FJR touches down early, especially with some road camber thrown in.

I hate to go off topic here, but when riding my old Concours 1000 up the "Devil's Highway", I often scrapped the pegs on the hairpin corners. I was surprised last year on the FJR when my boots were the first thing to touch. Fortunately, I do have toe sliders and it wasn't a problem, but is this common, or do I need to change my setup?

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

However, every pass, whether or not on a double yellow is a calculated risk. Quite honestly, some double yellows are totally justified, and some are bullshit. Passing into a blind turn is never a good idea.

S.O. has a CDL of which she is very protective (cognizant of highway traffic laws) -- and even she will pass on double yellow when riding (when appropriate).

I ride with a BMW rider (doesn't matter what he rides really) that likes to go around corners at break-neck speed. He's not the only one I ride with that does this. They have to wait for me up ahead because I WILL NOT go around blind corners at their speeds. Just common sense but some people think they are immune to someone pulling out of a driveway or something else that they would not be prepared to avoid due to speed. Stupid is as stupid does.

I think the topic is passing on corners (curves) -- not just riding curves?

By definition, many curves are 'blind' -- they curve away from the rider, out of sight. To ride at a speed that allowed full control of the motorcycle in the immediate space of roadway fully visible to the rider -- well, that may require quite a slow pace?

In the full spectrum of bikes and riders, there's quite a large hierarchy of rider skill and machine capability.

You apparently found yours? And, your fellow riders may know theirs?

 

[Bugnatr]

I was surprised last year on the FJR when my boots were the first thing to touch. Fortunately, I do have toe sliders and it wasn't a problem, but is this common, or do I need to change my setup?

It may just be how you position your feet, try cornering with the balls of your feet on the pegs. This also helps put more weight on the peg for better COG while leaned over.

My GP suspension helps prevent some of the peg scraping as compared to stock suspension.

 

[RsvlFeej]

Aint that kinda like lane sharing?

Not even remotely related.

 

[Greb]

I was surprised last year on the FJR when my boots were the first thing to touch. Fortunately, I do have toe sliders and it wasn't a problem, but is this common, or do I need to change my setup?

It may just be how you position your feet, try cornering with the balls of your feet on the pegs. This also helps put more weight on the peg for better COG while leaned over.

My GP suspension helps prevent some of the peg scraping as compared to stock suspension.

I'm now in the habit of placing the ball of my foot on the inside peg, every once in awhile my slider touches down.

 

[autorotate]

"Responsible," "Dangerous," and other words like these are all subjective and relative. The only objective arbiter is death, IMO. Even then, luck can sometimes pluck a person free of consequence. That's without getting religious.

For every person doing something stupid, there are two more out there who look at you riding a motorcycle and pass the same judgment. Subjective.

You can pass a semi on a two lane mountain road on left hand diminishing radius turn while a gang of apes with morning stars swings at you from the cattle car it's hauling a thousand times and never get hurt. Or you can do it once and end up using your helmet as sidewalk chalk.

People do things I wouldn't do all the time. I don't do things I wouldn't do, and that keeps me happy enough.

Ride your own ride, and all that.

In the case of some asshole breaking the rules, traffic or otherwise and hurting you or someone else, well that's a different story.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Aint that kinda like lane sharing?

Not even remotely related.

That wasn't meant to be taken seriously

 

[HotRodZilla]

If they were going the other way at the speed limit, 20mph and he was going 50 that would be a 70 mph crash.

Not to pick nits, but physics has proven that this is not true. The described crash would be a 50mph crash. It would seem to make sense, but it just isn't true.

 

[blueman]

I rode with a dude for the first time with a silver AE for about 400 miles a couple of years ago. I will never do it again. If it was up to me I would have taken his license away. During that day he repeatedly made very dangerous moves putting himself his passenger !!!!!!!, and vehicles on the road around us in jepoardy1. I have caught my self every so often making stupid moves by mistake in the 4 decades I have riden motorcycles. This dude road like that on a continued bases the entire day. I have always enjoyed riding with other fellow FJR pilots because of thier mature riding skills and consideration for others on the road. Not that day. Even the FIM guys at Laguna Seca don't ride like that.

and

 

[JET]

I don't understand why some people get "mad" at others for riding like idiots. Actually, I think the term for that is "road rage", Getting mad at someone because they're doing something you don't like.

I understand concern for other people that may be affected, concern for your own safety, etc. But, what can you do about someone elses lack of concern, teach em a lesson or beat your ideas into their head? Nope, not unless you want to suffer the consequences of your idiotic reaction to anothers idiotic lack of concern. If the original OP had really been paying attention he would have already seen the rider coming up behind him before he was passed. In that case he could have done something like signal it wasn't safe to pass, moved over, slowed down in case there was an accident, etc. Just my opinion, and like all the rest of them smells just as bad......

edit: The original OP didn't seem mad, but more concerned. I can understand that especially in light of his experiences. But again, what can we do? Not a whole lot other than trying to educate others, and I think this post does that.

 

[blueman]

Years ago, I am thinkng about 1977 I was riding wheelies on my RD400 when I was pulled over by the man. I went to defensive driving school so I would not receive any points. The instructor said something to the class that really stuck with me all these years that I try to remind my self ever time I drive my car or go riding. It sounds more elementary than it really is. That is "if you watch out for the other guy you will inherently watch out for your self" I can think of several occasions were that saved me from a mishap being my fault or theres.