Reprising "Dancing in the Dark"

[James Burleigh]

Dancing in the Dark! :yahoo:

 

[madmike2]

Dancing in the Dark! :yahoo:

Thanks, JB.

I just did that dance this evening, %:30 traffic on Hwy 99 South, in scattered showers.

Much better than being in the cage!

 

[BwanaDik]

Great shots, reminds me of riding in London and El Lay.

Do you ride with or without your sidebags in place?

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks for the video JB...that was a fun watch.

 

[Niehart]

Thanks JB. Hope Fang has good insurance ... Maybe it's like the rest of the world; we adapt but sure looks scary to me.

 

[zenwhipper]

Is it me or are some laws being broken :huh: ? I know lane splitting is legal in Cal, but passing cars on the outside or inside of lanes (~24-30 seconds into vid) seems well... not legal. But... that commute does look like fun if not a bit intense!

Scott

 

[SacramentoMike]

Say all you want about "twisties" and canyon carving. THIS is fun m/c riding! Thx, JB.

 

[user 213]

Is it me or are some laws being broken :huh: ? I know lane splitting is legal in Cal, but passing cars on the outside or inside of lanes (~24-30 seconds into vid) seems well... not legal. But... that commute does look like fun if not a bit intense!
Scott

It's not just you. I counted 5 violations. All the off freeway action is questionable.

 

[airboss]

Thanks for that one JB, I for one miss your ride stories/novels, heres hoping 2010 produces more of them.

 

[wheatonFJR]

...I counted 5 violations. All the off freeway action is questionable.

Well then I better not get a video camera, cuz maybe I might be going faster than what the sign says, and maybe I might pass on the dbl yellow if a slow goer doesn't move aside on a deserted road...and I'm sure if you had video of your rides, there might be a violation of rules as well...such as putting a car tire on a perfectly good motorcycle.

ooooh Dangerous!!!

Thanks for that one JB, I for one miss your ride stories/novels, heres hoping 2010 produces more of them.

Me, too. Write some more stories will ya...and don't let the peanuthead gallery bother ya. :clapping:

 

[old&slow]

The video ,,, Kind of looked like a accident looking for a place to happen... :blink: :dribble:

If that is normal driving / riding in Kalifornia ,,, I'm glad I've never been there...

 

[James Burleigh]

Thanks, JB. I just did that dance this evening… Much better than being in the cage!

Always better than the cage, ‘cept in a rainstorm. :glare: It’s funny about some of the comments you get with a post like this. But I suspect that some who do not commute every day all year rain or shine light or dark in heavy urban traffic can only see through the eyes of cagers or weekend riders, as evidenced by their armchair penchant for counting "violations." Others who do commute in other states are restricted in their experience by having to behave like a cage in commute traffic—one in line behind the other (can you imagine having to commute in a place where you cannot get ahead even though the traffic is porous?). It may be helpful for folks to recall that the traffic is all moving in the same direction, and that urban commuting ~15,000 miles a year over the past 6 years promotes a skill set in addition to (and unique from) those important skills gained during weekend riding on freeways or in the twisties.

That reminds me: my forum post about “Entitlement Syndrome” is being published in the January issue of San Francisco CityBike magazine ("Ride Fast Take Chances") as a letter to the editor.

Great shots, reminds me of riding in London and El Lay. Do you ride with or without your sidebags in place?

Thank you. Never had the pleasure of riding in London. Have ridden in Al-Ay (as my Colombian mother used to call it), and that's some crazy sh*t down there. To answer your question, with the saddlebags. I particularly like them on at night since they have reflectors and increase my visual footprint. Where the handlebars fit, the bags follow. The time they can be tricky is when moving to the front of a line at a light, but your lane gets pinched, so you have to cut across between cars in line that are not too close to each other. That's another example of when you have to feather the clutch, since it's a matter of pride not to put a foot down. Requires concentration since you don't want to dump your bike in the middle of a 30-car back-up at a light. :lol:

Say all you want about "twisties" and canyon carving. THIS is fun m/c riding! Thx, JB.

I see we are of like mind…. :friends:

When I first started commuting by M.C., it was when I had the Sportster. Riding was a weekend hobby at first, but then I got a client I could not get to by public transportation, and taking a car would send me through multiple major traffic bottlenecks. So I started taking the bike, 90 miles round trip. At first I was angry and scared because I felt I had no choice, and that it would be very dangerous; I did not lane share; and I arrived home each night rejoicing I was not killed that day.

Then, over time, something happened: I began to look forward to it, enjoy it, thrive on it. And my skills and confidence increased. At that point, what becomes most critical for me is good judgment (ref. Entitlement Syndrome above).

Thanks for that one JB, I for one miss your ride stories/novels, heres hoping 2010 produces more of them.

Me, too. Write some more stories will ya...and don't let the peanuthead gallery bother ya. :clapping:

Thank you, both. I appreciate that very much. I will try to oblige in the new year. When we lost Tim I lost the ambition to contribute much, because I felt like he was the guy I was writing to / for.

More Dancing in the Dark....

 

[airboss]

Thank you, both. I appreciate that very much. I will try to oblige in the new year. When we lost Tim I lost the ambition to contribute much, because I felt like he was the guy I was writing to / for.

More Dancing in the Dark....

I understand, I don't ever remember being so sadden by the passing of a person I never met as I was by Tim's. I can only imagine what it was like for all you who shared your presence with him.

 

[tcfjr]

I'll throw my two-cents in, for what they're worth...

None of the maneuvers shown in JB's two videos would get a second thought by a CHP officer. These are safe, advanced techniques seen in all the urban areas of California, both north and south. With some minor exceptions, most cars are happy to let you pass through - for every one that may try to block your path, you'll have 100 who will move over slightly to give you more room.

JB is a skilled, experienced rider, using his bike and the laws of his state to move efficiently through heavy traffic. In my experience, it is much safer to control your own destiny by moving assertively into open areas, than to wait statically in a long line of cars. If you keep the speed differential between your bike and the surrounding traffic to no more than 10-15 mph (like JB), and you look like you know what you're doing, LEO's will not be a concern.

 

[7xray]

Great stuff! I envy your skill and fortitude.

As I was watching those clips, I got to thinking that you had done some research on accidents a while ago and I wonder if there are any statistics on m/c accidents that occur during rush hours with lane sharing (is that the correct term, or is it lane splitting?) I'll bet there are more accidents that occur due to squidly behavior than riding in rush hour traffic.

Thanks for the videos.

7X

 

[CAJW]

I for one liked the excellent display of how to put an FJR on the center stand. As for a daily running of the gauntlet, I prefer the occasional Bambi over rush hour traffic, but when in Rome....

 

[FJRBluesman]

It's all about your risk comfort.

 

[dcarver]

I think an interesting exchange would be me following JB in SF traffic

and JB following me down a muddy dirt road....

I see nothing wrong with anything in the video -

You wouldn't believe how I split sheep and deer on my daily ride... :rofl:

 

[madmike2]

None of the maneuvers shown in JB's two videos would get a second thought by a CHP officer. These are safe, advanced techniques seen in all the urban areas of California, both north and south. With some minor exceptions, most cars are happy to let you pass through - for every one that may try to block your path, you'll have 100 who will move over slightly to give you more room.

+1, gunny, amen, you're right!

If you keep the speed differential between your bike and the surrounding traffic to no more than 10-15 mph (like JB), and you look like you know what you're doing, LEO's will not be a concern.

I routinely pass CHP, Sheriff and City Police cruisers during my commute. As tcfjr states, not a problem when one is controlling their bike, paying attention and not acting "stupid". Those who choose to do the same at a 30 mph differential would likely get noticed.

Of course, the best opportunity is to follow a police motorcycle....if you can keep up with them. They have skills AND a badge.

EDIT:

I will add this caveat.

On city streets, I'm not nearly as aggressive as JB. I try to guess what other drivers are thinking, assess their decisions and try to anticipate what they will do. That's the hard part! I do share lanes at some signals, if there is room, to be in "clear" traffic. I know the signals and intersections in my short 2 mile excursion from the highway to my house, so I know which signals have "tight" lanes so I stay in mine rather than "sharing".

I won't violate painted traffic triangles or cross double-yellow lines. I DO NOT pass on the right in the bike lanes....I've made that mistake when a car suddenly turned right without a signal: NOT their error, but MINE for making the decision leading to that action and possible accident.

I am a commercial driver and I protect my license. I also don't feel the need to repair my motorcycle because of something that is in my control: patience (How I hate that principle!).

The above paragraphs cheerfully sponsored by: Entitlement Syndrome.