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Bay area is northern california, yeah. I get a lot of people moving over for me. People seen really accustomed to us splitting here. Guys in big trucks will often fold in their huge side mirrors when they see me coming, too.
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Nov 2, 2012 01:39
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| # ? May 17, 2024 00:11 |
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Yeah, I always give a thankful wave when people move over for me. It's attentive and shows they're courteous and polite people. If they don't move over I redline by their window with my clutch in. Thinking of getting a sticker for my helmet that says "thank you for sharing your lane" to increase efficiency. Don't die in San Fran, Z3n. The last thing you need is to skid across a street covered in urine and weed. That smell don't come out of any fabric.
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Nov 2, 2012 05:31
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Appreciate that, because out east here people try to run you off the road for the egregious violation of passing them while gridlocked.
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Nov 2, 2012 05:45
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Xovaan posted:Yeah, I always give a thankful wave when people move over for me. It's attentive and shows they're courteous and polite people. If they don't move over I redline by their window with my clutch in. Thinking of getting a sticker for my helmet that says "thank you for sharing your lane" to increase efficiency. If I'm dead, it wouldn't be my problem. You'd just have to deal with it before I get incinerated.  Shimrod posted:@Z3n - Bay Area is Cali yeah? That's the state in the US where you're allowed to filter? Do you get a lot of people moving over or is it just a good luck thing? Yeah, CA it's both legal and very lane split friendly. Santa Barbara and the Bay Area (greater San Francisco area) are both great for splitting, lots of drivers get out of your way, but obviously there are a lot of terrible drivers too, as with anywhere.
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Nov 2, 2012 06:31
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Interesting, I find when I split where I am people are usually fairly nice to me, moving out of my way, etc. but if I'm out somewhere (e.g. in basically any of the cities around me) they're usually cunts. I wonder if that'll change if/when splitting is made legal. Hopefully the trials in Sydney go well.
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Nov 2, 2012 07:30
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Shimrod posted:Sounds like a bad luck night twisto, don't let it get to you, bit more attention next time and it'll be back to the usual 1 or 2 people trying to kill you instead of 4-5. Hey, I don't mind it when other people try to kill me, it's what tells me I'm alive. It's when the person trying to kill me is me that I get jumpy. I think I must have just been tired after a lovely day at work. I've learned my lesson - I just won't bother caring about work any more.
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Nov 2, 2012 08:41
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Heh, that's true, it used to really get to me when I started riding how stupid people could be but it's already a "eh, gently caress 'em" and move on sort of thing. You get used to it disturbingly fast :/
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Nov 2, 2012 09:30
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Had a good one last night: had just gone through some toll gates and this car was looking like they were going to move over on me, and sure enough they did. What I was not expecting was for them to change lanes like they were doing an emergency swerve. Had to have give it a big handful to escape getting sideswiped.Shimrod posted:Hopefully the trials in Sydney go well. Don't hold your breath.
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Nov 2, 2012 10:32
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From what I've heard of the Sydney trials they're almost bound to fail, because as I understand it they're going to measure the difference in traffic flow before and during the trial, and compare the results. The thing is, the trial is only legalising behaviour which is already extremely common, so it's unlikely to make much difference at all. They'd have been better off just allowing it everywhere for a period of three months or something like that, and see if it seemed to cause any problems. If no major dramas, make it legal.
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Nov 2, 2012 15:24
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Well. That sucks.
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Nov 3, 2012 01:10
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Here4DaGangBang posted:From what I've heard of the Sydney trials they're almost bound to fail, because as I understand it they're going to measure the difference in traffic flow before and during the trial, and compare the results. The thing is, the trial is only legalising behaviour which is already extremely common, so it's unlikely to make much difference at all. The rules are also incredibly restrictive, including not letting past the stop line so you'll have a queue of bikes stacked up between traffic, which is just a totally awesome idea.
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Nov 4, 2012 13:49
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2ndclasscitizen posted:The rules are also incredibly restrictive, including not letting past the stop line so you'll have a queue of bikes stacked up between traffic, which is just a totally awesome idea. Yeah, also that. I was thinking about this the other day, and whether we might eventually see a bike section in front of where the cars stop, but I'm guessing not, because that would mean that the loops for the traffic lights would be under the bike section unless they were dug up and moved, which isn't going to happen. Anyway, typical case of loving bureaucrats not being able to put together a pretty simple test, or perhaps someone doesn't actually want filtering to become legal, so they're rigging the game. I guess it's partly also down the to the filtering lobby touting the benefits of decreased congestion, which I'd wager are pretty mild anyway. A better angle to work would be rider safety IMO.
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Nov 4, 2012 16:12
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E: Uh. How did this get here?
Dzus fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Nov 6, 2012 |
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Nov 6, 2012 16:02
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I was making a pretty slow left-hand turn today and my back end stepped out. I grabbed a handful of clutch and came to a stop in a neighborhood to compose myself. I inspected the rear tire and found it was soft (0 psi) and, upon further inspection, had a nail in it. What concerns me is that I grabbed a handful of clutch. This is twice I've had my back end step out on me while going through a slow turn (first time was on some leaves at a stop sign), and I have the same reaction each time. Is it bad? How can I break myself of this?
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Nov 20, 2012 20:36
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Ride a small dirtbike around for a bit on gravel, practicing letting the rear drift out, and you'll retrain that instinct.
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Nov 20, 2012 21:24
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Is it really that bad though? Is this a situation that can cause a high side?
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Nov 21, 2012 06:06
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Here4DaGangBang posted:Yeah, also that. I was thinking about this the other day, and whether we might eventually see a bike section in front of where the cars stop, but I'm guessing not, because that would mean that the loops for the traffic lights would be under the bike section unless they were dug up and moved, which isn't going to happen. They would just lay new loops and swap the wires over in the control panel. the loops are just regular wire put down into slots cut in the tarmac and sealed in with a bituminous sealant. there's way less work and cost in just laying new ones. They've put forward stop boxes on loads of junctions here recently, supposed to be only for bicycles but no one cycles in our poo poo weather so they're great for getting ahead f cars at a light without being in the path of people turning into the junction especially truck trailers when they dont take the turn wide enough.
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Nov 21, 2012 06:50
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echomadman posted:They would just lay new loops and swap the wires over in the control panel. the loops are just regular wire put down into slots cut in the tarmac and sealed in with a bituminous sealant. there's way less work and cost in just laying new ones. I've never really thought deeply on it, but it hadn't even occurred to me that they're just wires in slots, LOL. I guess the square cut in the road is suggestive of a solid slab which could be removed and have something laid under it. Facepalm.
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Nov 21, 2012 12:48
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kenny powerzzz posted:Is it really that bad though? Is this a situation that can cause a high side? It largely depends on the situation, but clutching in will shift weight to the front, so if you're in a situation where the rear steps out and you let weight off it, it could very well regain traction, and, if it's out of line, quickly try and right itself. So yeah, possible highside.
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Nov 26, 2012 07:07
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I didn't crash, but I nearly had someone crash into me. My office is about a mile away from where I live so I typically ride my bicycle in, but I'll ride my 625 SMC in occasionally just to avoid any chance of my carb getting clogged from disuse. On my way home I was about to turn into my apartment complex from the right lane of a 3-lane feeder, when I suddenly heard tires squeeling, checked my mirrors and saw a corolla closing in on me way too fast. I gunned the throttle and drove into the exit-only driveway from my complex to get out of the way. No injuries or damage, but I could smell burning rubber from locked brakes. With that in mind, I don't think my brake light is adequate at all. The difference in brightness going from running lights to actuating the brake is next to nil. I'm wondering if I should look for some other aftermarket tail light, or if there's a brighter bulb I can put in the factory housing. The previous owner installed some sort of multi-LED bulb, but it just doesn't cut it. I'd also like to purchase some retro-reflective tape to put on my helmet. Can any of you guys point me to something that would help with visibility? I liked the look of that black 3M tape I saw that shines back white, but I'm not sure if that's the best stuff to use. My helmet is a silver RF-1000.
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Nov 28, 2012 04:56
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Get any 3M Scotchlite (spelling?) Or 3M SOLAR tape and it'll shine up super bright when light hits it. I'm pretty sure you can get it in Red which should be visible on daylight. Stuff is easy enough to find on Ebay or ask your local printery if they have any in stock you can have/buy.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:10
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You can get Scotchlite tape in a variety of colours, including silver, no doubt. Check eBay.
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Nov 28, 2012 05:11
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Looks like they make a few different colors. Wouldn't yellow or red be the brightest in the day? http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Marine/Home/Products/Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECIE20S4K7000000_nid=GSW72ZWPZHbe2875VTTP9Sgl
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Nov 28, 2012 06:06
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I'm thinking red on my helmet, and I found some yellow patches/panels that could be neat to put on my tank plastics. This could be fun. Thanks for the suggestions. Shimrod posted:Get any 3M Scotchlite (spelling?) Or 3M SOLAR tape and it'll shine up super bright when light hits it. I'm pretty sure you can get it in Red which should be visible on daylight. I couldn't find any thing by the name of "SOLAR" tape. The only solar stuff I found from 3M was for solar cells.
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Nov 28, 2012 06:56
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I've never used it personally but I'm pretty sure 3M SOLAR is the name for marine high vis tape. Oh well, Scotchlite is really bright anyway. Anyway, have fun with it. I decorated my black helmet with 3M and had a ball, plus I'm safer now! If you do any circles make sure you have something to hold both sides of the tape down as they're a oval office to cut out if you don't.
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Nov 28, 2012 07:11
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Ah, I found it. It's called "SOLAS" (safety of life at sea). http://www.amazon.com/3M-Marine-88619-REFLECT-MMX50M/dp/B002IV6LO8
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Nov 28, 2012 07:58
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Christ, what a week. Yesterday I had 5 people pull out in front of me in about 30 minutes worth of riding, one of which forced me to swerve off the road to avoid going splat. Today I was sort of on Autopilot going to work because I hadn't had my morning coffee and almost went up the rear end of a 4wd. Car 2 ahead of it was turning right, so they were all stopped and I didn't realize - well, I knew they were stopped, but for some reason it didn't "click". Ended up swerving to the left (curb side) to avoid it and came to a stop about 2 feet past its rear bumper right up next to a ute parked on the side of the road. Actually had to hold the bike up to stop it falling into the ute, I locked the front wheel. Lesson learned - make sure you're fully awake before you head out to work, even if you do have a family business and were just going to dick around and wake up properly at your parents place. Sprained my wrist from the jolt of stopping the bike falling over. Another one, not me, but a mate - he's just started riding and went to take his bike out of his shed the other day and a gust of wind blew a heap of clothes on the clothes line into his face, he ended up falling off the bike because he couldn't see poo poo. Broke his clutch and gear levers as well as his footpeg on that side. <.< I find that one kind of funny actually. Shimrod fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 03:46
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I was on a two-lane road in Glasgow on the way to work, the left lane of which is forward/left at a junction (driving on the left, since it's Scotland) but at rush hour it becomes a de facto left-only lane. Cyclist filtering through traffic between the road and kerb, I've kept an eye on him in my mirror from earlier since traffic was stop-and-go and he was weaving a bit, assume that like everyone else he's going to go left, so I stick to the centre to give him space, wonder why he is now pacing me even though he's filtering and I'm staying in traffic. I go to turn left at the junction, he keeps pacing, then he goes straight on in front of me and starts shouting "WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH". Swore at him, felt a bit of a dick after because he hadn't broke the highway code or anything, but really, holding position next to me, it's a bit "piss or get off the pot". Learned not to assume anything after that! More recently, I was apparently totally invisible, because I went to a petrol station, went in to pay and came back out to find a middle-aged person with a sedan parked right up against my bike, and using it as a door and petrol pump hose rest. Said "Ah come on now, that's taking the piss a little", got "I'm in a hurry" as a response. Not worth an argument, so just got on and drove off. Afterwards - and this bit I saw coming a second before it happened, but wonder if there's anything else I should have done - driving home, and a car's indicating to pull out from being parked facing in my direction of travel on the opposite side of the road, into my lane. Not a problem, driver acknowledged me in mirror, I'm driving at about 25. Some cars were coming down the other lane, a good ten seconds away. This apparently spooked the person who wanted to pull out into thinking "Oh no, if they get past I'll lose my lane forever!" and they shot out. Not even into the lane of travel, so that at least I could have just decelerated nicely or gone round, but perpendicular to and blocking the road, when I was metres away. Full emergency stop to their bumper while blaring the horn, and the poor fuckwit looked like a deer in the headlights, and I pointed at their mirror and went "seriously?!". Must have given them a hell of a fright, but at least they (hopefully) thought "poo poo, I acknowledged him two seconds ago, need to pay more attention in future" as opposed to not having acknowledged me earlier and thinking "loving bikes out of nowhere, not my fault at all" Have a few of the usual "hurr bike is invisible I change lane right into them" but I obviously don't have much of a talent for telling stories. Wootcannon fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Dec 7, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 03:21
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So some fuckhead tried shoulder-tackling me tonight downtown while I was on my scooter. I flinched but didn't swerve because if I'm going down, it's going to be after hitting someone, not because I avoided doing that. Plus I'd feel better knowing they got hurt, as those folks tend to understand base stimuli like pain way better than shame. Can't wait for Christmas break, when thousands of that guy suddenly flee the city and stay with their parents for a month or so until the next semester starts.
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Dec 8, 2012 11:08
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Shoulder-tackling? As in he was on foot?! 
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Dec 8, 2012 11:35
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The gently caress?
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Dec 8, 2012 12:25
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Because drunk, obviously.
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Dec 8, 2012 12:26
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Did you successfully hit him? The best scenario is one where you nail him and ride off without crashing.
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Dec 8, 2012 19:33
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No. Either he missed or let up at the last second. I turned around to see him run to the other side of the street and catch up with his friends, who I can only assume were impressed as heck with his spontaneous act of manliness.
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Dec 8, 2012 20:26
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Remember gloves with hard knuckle protectors are also useful as knuckle dusters in a pinch. 
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Dec 8, 2012 20:27
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Rode around a speed bump in the gutter yesterday, and didn't notice all the leaves built up in it, slid entirely traction free for about 5m before the rear gripped and pushed me out. Holy hell it was a triple-clench moment that one 
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Dec 8, 2012 23:59
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2ndclasscitizen posted:Rode around a speed bump in the gutter yesterday, and didn't notice all the leaves built up in it, slid entirely traction free for about 5m before the rear gripped and pushed me out. Holy hell it was a triple-clench moment that one I got a tank slapper that way once and somehow managed to ride it out. gently caress leaves! Last week hit a patch of sand at an intersection. At first I thought it was just regular dirty pavement from construction, but then the the rear stepped out as I was turning right. I stuck my leg out as if it would do any good and fortunately I didn't chop the throttle.
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Dec 9, 2012 07:04
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For those wondering about generic 3m silver reflective tape:  Pictures don't do it justice. It's really, really bright. In daytime the stuff's so bright that it looks completely white.
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Dec 9, 2012 10:32
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Well, didn't crash or almost crash, but still a dummy. I was on the highway after picking my bike up from the shop to get my oil leak issue fixed, and traffic was moving about or less than the speed limit. I was taking advantage of my bike's ability to find gaps and overtake people, easily cutting through traffic. Ahead of me was a police SUV, and when I went to pass him, I actually gave him a lot more room as I overtook him. Still, the lights came on. I pulled over and as he approached, he yelled "You just cut off a state policeman!" He was pissed. I apologized and pretty much told him I was just used to being able to take advantage of spaces cars couldn't. He was pretty cool after that and after checking to make sure I wasn't wanted for anything (though he lied and said he was just checking to see if I really had my endorsement) he let me go with a warning. Better lucky than smart I guess.
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Dec 9, 2012 22:52
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Had quite the opposite of the usual. Had a guy on a shadow come within inches of merging into me today. Turned on his signal and immediately started merging, no look at all. Good thing my car has a loud horn.
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Dec 11, 2012 05:39
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