Repeat after me, "I am invisible, and they ARE out to get me". This attitude should help you navigate thru the hordes of distracted, unseeing, and sometimes just stupid, cage drivers.Good luck with your new bike.
The MOST important point is perfectly and clearly described by kawabeemer above...
I've just gotten back onto the new Feejer as of Monday this week. AWESOME piece of Machinery!!!
Had an FJ12 starting back in '86 for eight years until child number two was on the horizon.
I surrendered her that year, and have missed her terribly every summer since then...
Of course you already know about defensive riding - BUT - after just FIVE days this week with my new Baby, I have had two close calls, and yesterday one that scared the "Ship" Outta Me!!
Number One:
- Four Lane City Intersection - Opposing traffic Pickup turns right while I keep an eye and distance from him while turning left into the left turn lane. OK - he's behaving...
- 300 feet later while gently easing by on his left and NOT AT ALL in his Blind Spot - I could see his face in the mirror - WATCH for that ALWAYS!!
- he starts coming onto me at a "medium" lane-change pace
- Thankfully, I had an empty Left Turn lane to abruptly vacate into
- F@#%#@%$ MORON finally notices what he's done and makes apologetic hand gestures
- Unbelievably, I was able to give him a "Wave of Forgiveness" a second or two later...
- I musta been in one F@#$%#$% of a good mood after a couple of hours on the new scooter to do that - wouldn't ya say???
Number Two:
- Brain Dead Freeway Driver!!!
- I am gently passing on a downhill right-hander that is tight enough to make you "feel the curve" when in a cage
- My Fairing is absolutely right beside this Brain-Dead F#@$#@'s head when he starts coming onto me!!!
- He NEVER LOOKED AT ALL - Dirty Cotton Rocksucker!!! F$#%#$(*
- I'm faced with vacating the outboard side of the passing lane
- Vibrating along what I'll call the "Rumble Strip" grooves carved outside of the Lane I'm looking face on into the concrete wall that separates the two directions on the Freeway in this corner
- I'd estimate 2 feet of asphalt from the "Rumble Strip" and the 3 foot high wall
- The "Genius" clued into reality momentarily once I was over there and got back into his own F$#%&(*&* Lane
- Again - Apologetic Hand Gestures = "Sorry and Go Ahead"
- That time I had a hard time not slowing down after looking at that wall and putting about a one-foot long dent in his door as deep as I could possibly physically manage
- The dent would have been in his head, not his door, if I could have done that while he was in his cage!!!
Number Three:
- I'm on the Outboard Lane of a Freeway Off-Ramp
- Slightly AHEAD of this F&*&$# Brainless Dipship, I have a left front fender coning into my right mirror and right rear quarter!!! WTF!!!!!!
- I have a few milliseconds to decide between leaving the lane and trying to continue the turn into the 3/4 inch crusher run stone shoulder and losing her entirely - with almost zero traction - or standing her back up to vertical and "Riding Her In Upright"
- My brain and the Front Brake Lever chose the latter...
- Better to "Ride her in Straight Up" than to take the chance of a lowside in the large gravel on the shoulder...
Even though it broke my heart to hear the "Thwack-Thwack- Thwack" of two feet of some kind of thin-stemmed shrubby crap whacking about on my new Baby's Lower Fairings, it DID beat the crap out of trying to continue the turn and losing her completely in that loose 3/4 inch gravel if I continued to try making the bend... Someone was looking down upon me to make that decision and "Ride It In" upright rather than losing it in the gravel...
Having hammered on the binders, I likely went into the weeds at about 20 mph and there were only a couple small bumps on the way in, before I could get back up onto the road...
If I carried a Sledge Hammer in the Bags - that F$%%&^'n SOB would no longer have a skull to hold his brain in place!!! Nor would he be a functioning human being!!!!!!
Sooo... What's the Moral of this Story???
1) Kawabeemer is DEAD RIGHT - You ARE BEYOND INVISIBLE to brainless Cagers!!! Never, Never, Never, Ever forget that!!!
2) Never, Ever, Ever, Ever ride your Bike like you might (as I regularly do - drive a car) and EASE past cages...
3) Flick the right wrist momentarily and get at least 50+ feet ahead of them if your speeds are similar
4) They are ALL Death Threats as soon as they learn how to turn the Ignition Key...
ENJOY your new Beauty!!!
You'll Love Her!!!
I'll not bet on that, as I know as of this week that there is absolutely no other possible reaction to her power, handling and versatility!!!
Shiny Side Up!
Scott