Saved by a Helmet Tap--Again!

[SacramentoMike]

I stopped at a Lowe's Hardware last night and was cutting through an industrial area to catch the freeway home. The road is wide and empty, goes over a high bridge over a marshy area, so you're going uphill without much of a view ahead till you crest the top. I was about there, going over the posted 45 by a little too much when a guy on a sport bike came over the top the other way. I think I'd just raised my hand to wave when I noticed he was beating on his helmet pretty vigorously with the right hand.

Took me a second to interpret that--maybe less--and I braked fairly quickly. As soon as I reached the top, looked down and there he was: West Sac PD in one of the big SUVs more and more cops are using these days, just waiting for folks like me taking advantage of a natural-made raceway. Easy pickings.

Thank you, brother, for the heads up. I guess I've been helped out like this a good half a dozen times over the years, and done the same for plenty of others. One of my favorite parts of being in the brotherhood.

(And by the way, speeding unsafely in its many forms should be punished. Exceeding limits that are too slow for the conditions--well, not as serious. At all. And hiding just to score some easy tickets under those circumstances just PISSES ME OFF! So there!)

 

[lnewlf]

wonder how many guys know what the helmet tap means...

yeah-bear in the bush grabs my nanny too..I.never get on the road in anything without my Escort...not foolproof but most of the time they are too lazy to use instant on

 

[JamesW]

I give the vigorous "tap" to oncoming at times, usually I get a wave back as aknowledgement, once in a while I get a funny look so perhaps they didn't know. Hope it was not an $$$$$$ learning experience. Still flash lites at cars. Two fingers behind helmet is bambi, than there is the low slowdown for other stuff.

 

[Old Michael]

I guess I've been helped out like this a good half a dozen times over the years, . . .

Maybe you should slow the **** DOWN, ya squid *******.






Jus' sayin'.

 

[rogdeb]

I guess I've been helped out like this a good half a dozen times over the years, . . .

Maybe you should slow the **** DOWN, ya squid *******.






Jus' sayin'.

Yeah !! OM and Marky Mark .... NEVER .. speed.

 

[juniorfjr]

I guess I've been helped out like this a good half a dozen times over the years, . . .

Maybe you should slow the **** DOWN, ya squid *******.






Jus' sayin'.

probably just wearing wife beater and flipflops, too.

 

[odot]

...........................and drunk.............but, that's not really all that bad of a thing.

 

[escapefjrtist]

...tough crowd SacMike!

Regardless of OM's advice, glad you didn't end up paying the toll.

--G

 

[SacramentoMike]

...tough crowd SacMike!
Regardless of OM's advice, glad you didn't end up paying the toll.

--G

Not worrying. And the crowd was all talking about OM and Bokerfork, I figured. We were all going like hell when those two blew past us on Skaggs Springs Road a couple summers ago.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

There are several hand signals you should know if you ride the highways much. The head tap, clear road ahead to pass, something in the lane and which lane it's in, I need to take a break. I have tried in vain to signal Harley riders with the "helmet tap" but they think I'm telling them to wear a helmet and they flip me off, ******* jerks.

 

[dcarver]

I really enjoy it when a rider gets my signal and grenades the brakes then returns a thumbs up.. I think it's coolio.

 

[kolonial72]

In the literature given by PENNDOT for motorcycle learners, they listed the head-tap as "Your headlights are on." Nice try, PENNDOT.

 

[El Toro]

In the literature given by PENNDOT for motorcycle learners, they listed the head-tap as "Your headlights are on." Nice try, PENNDOT.

That's pretty funny.

I suppose that a flash of the high beams, which is what I tend to do to give a warning, must mean in PENNDOT lingo that your helmet's too tight.

 

[Old Guy]

(And by the way, speeding unsafely in its many forms should be punished. Exceeding limits that are too slow for the conditions--well, not as serious. At all. And hiding just to score some easy tickets under those circumstances just PISSES ME OFF! So there!)

I agree wholeheartedly. I'll admit to riding too danged fast from time to time, and when I get a ticket I've taken it gracefully and accepted that it was deserved. But in my home state, some of the speed limits are idiotic. I just took I-30 over into North Little Rock. I was rolling 75 mph in a 60 mph zone and was in the way! If virtually everyone is busting the speed limit by 15 mph, it's too slow!

OK. Rant over. And yes, the helmet tap is used here as well.

 

[gixxerjasen]

On a divided highway, pay attention to the traffic way over there...the motorcyclist you aren't looking at might be trying to signal a speed trap to you. City of Mesquite is out daily...got me once. I try, but some folks are focused on their side only.

The hand signal that we really need is the "Bro, there's an accident five miles ahead with four miles of stopped traffic behind it so exit now before you are screwed" hand wave. Can't tell you how many times I've been on my way home on my commute passing nasty traffic (no splitting here) and see some guy tooling along freely behind the traffic with an opportunity to miss it and I have no way to let him know what's ahead of him.

 

[TomInPA]

...tough crowd SacMike!
Regardless of OM's advice, glad you didn't end up paying the toll.

--G

Not worrying. And the crowd was all talking about OM and Bokerfork, I figured. We were all going like hell when those two blew past us on Skaggs Springs Road a couple summers ago.

That was me you were riding with, and yeah...like we were standing still.