Be The Bunny! Safe riding and motorcycle survival thread

I'll (somewhat) disagree. I haven't had anyone turn left in front of me in the six years since I started wearing my Dayglo-Discoball helmet.
Complacency kills, but visibility is a fantastic defence against the complacency of others.

 

Hold on.....

You consider brake-checking and confronting another driver to be a reasonable response to lights flashing at you?!

Lights, not lasers?!

Dude. Bunnies are calm; bunnies are Zen.

 

Understood - I'm not saying don't try and be seen - I'm just saying don't expect to be seen even with a Dayglo-Discoball helmet, and don't over-do-it so much that everyone is eyeballing you and not paying attention to anything else.

I know you (k-moe) have been riding long enough to know this but I just want to make sure the new rider doesn't fall into the trap of thinking that an SUV driver who's trying to plug in his iphone, getting a earful from his wife about missing his kids conception, while asphyxiating himself on a double-gouda-donut-burger will give a shit about the tiny glowing guy on a motorcycle when he needs to change lanes.

..and no I said I've slammed my brakes on and politely asked the gentleman how i could help. I really thought he was trying to wave me down - I thought there was something wrong with my car. I had only been in the US for about 3 weeks at the time and never heard of these stupid things.

 

Welcome to America

 

Wait.... I'm still trying process this---

ROTFLMAO

 

Agreed.

 

As everyone else has said, pay attention and be prepared to ride. You cant always account for what others might/might not do, only your own actions. Over the years I have had several accidents, from just doing stupid stuff while riding my street bike offroad, to having my bike so mangled the only way it got home was with a chain wrapped round it dangling from the back of a tow truck; in *every* instance, there was a high degree of operator inattention involved. It can happen pretty fast, one second you are enjoying the ride, the next you are flat on your back with tubes going where no tube should ever go. Know your abilities, know your bike, making sure it is in good/safe running condition, and above and beyond all else, *relax and enjoy the ride*! You can never anticipate everything that might happen. One time I was all proud of myself for putting on a helmet to take a short ride to a lawyers office to talk about divorce #2. I was a mile or so from the place and a bee or hornet flew up under my glasses and stung me *just* below my eye. By the time I walked into the lawyers office, my eye was running water so bad he probably thought I was crying about the obscene retainer check I was about to write. My point is you cant worry about every little thing, do the best you can and just enjoy the ride, because being tense and fearful will kill you.

 

I have been hit from behind sitting at a stoplight.I have T boned an idiot who turned left in front of me,That being said. I don't ride without gear,helmet,jacket, gloves, eye protection, never ride in shorts, never ride without boots.I have the results of road rash on about 30 percent of my body I was stupid I payed the price......so now I would rather sweat then bleed

 

and when you're tired of being the bunny..........

 

thats a little over kill all you need is 1 machine gun

1916-17 Matchless-Vickers 8B2-M Russian Military Motorcycle Combination4

 

I like the way you think.the best defense is an awesome offense

 

I drive a tractor trailer for a living.I think it helps in that you tend to think way ahead of you,escapes or outs what ever you want to call them equal surviving on a bike..I also avoid large group rides. A huge bunch of people who don't know each other with various degrees of ability what could possibly go wrong.

 

Why am I flashing back to Mad Max?

 

oddly enough people look for those riders and avoided them

 

I almost high sided once because a guy slammed on the breaks with no warning and came to a complete stop on a back road. It was to look at some restaurant. Anyway I had to react quick and my back tire came out so fast and I barely recovered it. We where on a curve. I was on a GS 1000 at the time. I love the fact that on my XJ1100 the front brakes will engage when just using the rear pedal because they are linked. Never even hinted at locking even with some hard breaking on dirt. One other thing is wet grass can be tricky especially if your front brake is dragging a bit.

 

Bump for fall riding. The sun is low and blinding drivers here. Wet leaves are starting to stick to the roads in the parks here. Hit a boatload of apples @45 in the road yesterday....that was a new one for me, truck must've dumped em. I'll admit I didn't see them until I was about 2 seconds away, no panic just maintained throttle right through.

 

Black Hills. 2 months riding experience on my new XJ550 (1985). Lead cycle driving down the mountain on two lane winding blacktop called Rimrock Hwy in the rain. Following a beat up pickup. Come around bend, saw pickup in road, with on coming traffic in other lane.

Suddenly I realize the pickup is stopped, no brake lights, no turn signals. On left, on coming traffic. On right, gravel shoulder the width of sidewalk, then a drop off into a canyon.

Hit the brakes. Guys behind me see only steam from my tires. Coming up on pickup at about 45-50 mph. Maneuver right onto gravel at about 40 mph. Look down and see rocks skipping over edge inches from my tire.

Made it around him, but my buddies aren't sure how.

I learned never become complacent, don't over drive your conditions, beware of the other driver, and keep warm (the cold made my senses and reflexes slow).

 

That is why I avoid group pheasant or deer hunts....

 

+1. I hunt alone or with one or two others that I have known for a significant number of years.

 

First day of Spring!
Bunny bump.