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Referring to key fobs as sex toys just made my day. It will be paid forward to the crew you delightful muse(s) Oh man these last couple pages are a balm for my angry old man soul God bless you every one Holy snipe uh you know what the difference between a bmw and porcupine is
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Nov 2, 2023 15:20
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On a bmw the prick is in a hi viz onesie??
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Nov 2, 2023 16:26
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Driving at night is scary. I was on the highway and the car in front of me braked hard, so I braked hard, and I heard tire squeals behind me shortly thereafter. It was choppy squeals and I interpreted it as the car behind me slammed on the brakes and was fighting with their ABS. So rather than continuing to stop behind the car in front I ducked between two lanes, pretty much instinctively. I didn’t look back to see how close that car was because I had to look at cars ahead but I got a pretty bad feeling that move kept me from being a pancake. One of those things you don’t realize until the whole thing is 20 seconds behind you. I’m going to try to get to work earlier from now on so I can make sure to leave before dark.
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Nov 8, 2023 08:13
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Toe Rag posted:They're only safer for the people inside. It boggles my mind how high the hoods are on modern 1-ton trucks. I can only imagine the difference in injury and/or death getting hit by this versus a "normal" passenger car, eg a Camry. They literally murder pedestrians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN7mSXMruEo Visability, mass, height, all add up to dead hamburger. Shoot, the big trucks make driving my hatchback more dangerous. I can't see over their hood, so... I"m stuck at intersections. Vino posted:Driving at night is scary. I was on the highway and the car in front of me braked hard, so I braked hard, and I heard tire squeals behind me shortly thereafter. It was choppy squeals and I interpreted it as the car behind me slammed on the brakes and was fighting with their ABS. So rather than continuing to stop behind the car in front I ducked between two lanes, pretty much instinctively. I didn’t look back to see how close that car was because I had to look at cars ahead but I got a pretty bad feeling that move kept me from being a pancake. One of those things you don’t realize until the whole thing is 20 seconds behind you. That sucks, and it's scary. And I think we've all done it. There's a lot of lessons to take from this. You survived, this is good. You're here, and we can talk about how to do better. You should have more following distance, that gives you a lot more control of the person following you. You need to maintain more situational awareness, if the car behind you is "a mystery" you need to be paying more attention back there. If a car ever surprises you with where it is, this is a check on how you're doing as a rider. Are you tired? Is traffic to much? Are you having to much going on in your personal life? Is it a "that day" thing? Mind, this is not me going "you suck". I've done everything I've listed. Including having an actual crash over one of them. The "get out of the lane" instinct is one you should be setting up for, and training for. Getting out of the lane was the right thing, going BETWEEN lanes, was probably not. Have that exit strategy planned before you ever need it. It's also worth noting, that of things bike do really well, braking isn't the one they do better than cars. I'm glad you shared your story. Sharing stories is how we all can get better. Nerobro fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Nov 8, 2023 |
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Nov 8, 2023 16:27
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i really need to get mirrors good for more than satisfying a legal technicality
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Nov 8, 2023 17:34
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Fairly early on in riding anything above 50cc, I was at a stop light on a busy 4 plus lane road when one of those big trucks we’re complaining about popped over the gently sloping hill they could definitely see over and had to slam on their brakes to keep from smashing into the back of me. The lights are super high up and visible since a lot of semis come through there so they had plenty of warning they’d need to stop and if they’d been in the other lane, they would have plowed into a line of cars. With the hill and how hot they were coming in, I couldn’t see them in my rear view mirrors ahead of time at all. In my case, I admit I froze because I was all relaxed waiting for the light to turn and wasn’t ready to move yet. I was the only vehicle in my lane so all I could do was run the red light, which felt like it was impossible at the time. I’m a good driver/rider. I don’t run red lights! It was the first time it really sunk in that I could do everything right and just get flattened by an inattentive rear end in a top hat. In a car, you’re usually safe enough to think, “well I won’t be at fault if they hit me.” It was the moment that broke that thinking for me on a bike. My lane positioning is worlds better and I don’t let myself get all loosey goosey at stoplights anymore. I haven’t had to execute my emergency plans at a stop yet, but I’m much better about always making them. Hopefully I won’t freeze next time. Good instinct to get yourself out of that lane. Nerobro is right on the money with their advice. Always think about what you could have done better. -edit: Cactus Ghost posted:i really need to get mirrors good for more than satisfying a legal technicality The story above is why I bought better mirrors for my scooter. Seeing my elbows isn’t sufficient.
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Nov 8, 2023 17:49
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My mirrors are insufficient not because of elbows but because I can’t look at them and forward at the same time. That’s the main thing I struggle with in maintaining situational awareness behind me. I feel like I have to sneak glances behind very quickly in between making sure I don’t hit anything ahead. What’s the answer here?
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Nov 8, 2023 17:57
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Geekboy posted:I’m a good driver/rider. I don’t run red lights! Being alive, and ticketed, is infinitely superior to being "right and dead". I was a little kid, wrestling with my dad, and complained about him winning. He introduced me to the concept of "right of weight". Two tons of car, versus half a ton of rider and motorcycle does not work out in favor of the rider.. ever. You're doing the right thing. Awareness of lane positioning. Being ~in gear and ready to go~ until cars are parked up behind you at a light. I have moved at lights, but never NEEDED it. We have riders here, who have been rear ended on the bike, so it's definitely a common enough occurrence that the goon community has been affected. Vino posted:My mirrors are insufficient not because of elbows but because I can’t look at them and forward at the same time. That’s the main thing I struggle with in maintaining situational awareness behind me. I feel like I have to sneak glances behind very quickly in between making sure I don’t hit anything ahead. What’s the answer here? The answer is.. you're still new to riding. You need to learn. You need to get used to things. You need intentional practice. You're gonna get yourself new mirrors, and that's great. Work on that headspace. Play a game with yourself, and see how well you can keep track of cars around you. You should always have a map of sorts in your head of where the nearest cars are to you. It takes practice, but it is a skill you can develop. Get used to letting go of the left bar, and twisting your body around. I am entirely ok riding without mirrors, (though I really do like good mirrors..) but my head is on a swivel all the time. One reason riders tend to be faster than traffic, is by going faster, we have much more control of what's going on behind us. It doesn't take "much" faster than traffic, but a few mph helps a whole lot. Are you riding with earplugs? If you aren't, you should consider it. They lower the noise floor so they help you hear things near you, and free up your attention budget. It'll seem weird, but here's Global Cycling Network on how, how much, and when to look behind you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS1LSz23Cy4
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Nov 8, 2023 18:22
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Awesome tips about self awareness and staying in the moment, that's great advice for my auto driving too. Especially the 'am I distracted by personal life' stuff. Thanks nerobro
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Nov 8, 2023 19:22
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A third of my mirrors are occupied by my body just due to their position on the bike, but being large OEM mirrors there was plenty of room to slap on some convex mirrors. I've had them on my cars for at least the past decade and don't think I'll ever own a vehicle, two wheels or four, that I don't stick a set on to. They virtually eliminate blind spots and/or the need to physically turn your head.
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Nov 10, 2023 16:03
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Wow cleaning your mirrors and wind shield really helps. In the process I noticed that the mirrors are actually slightly curved to help you see a wider fov.
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Nov 13, 2023 20:17
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Got out on some nice roads and was kinda feeling myself after navigating some twisties and thought, “dang. I’m getting pretty good. I might even be low intermediate at this point.” Had a moment of mild panic that I’d be struck by lightning or grass clippings for my hubris. But I wasn’t. My mental health is much better when I can get out like I did today. Took an autumn leaves route I found a few weeks ago and drove with the family and rode it solo today. I’d show pictures if I’d taken any, but I just rode the ~90 miles without stopping (except as required by law).
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Nov 15, 2023 10:49
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Geekboy posted:Got out on some nice roads and was kinda feeling myself after navigating some twisties and thought, “dang. I’m getting pretty good. I might even be low intermediate at this point.” These are all parts of a good story. One that will keep you riding, and keep you safe.
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Nov 15, 2023 16:57
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I'm often in a battle between riding at a slow pace to enjoy the scenery, or riding at a quicker pace that I can't afford to pay attention to anything aside from what's ahead
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Nov 15, 2023 19:37
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I never feel like I didn’t properly experience beautiful places I’ve ridden through but yeah, my eyes are mostly on the road. I suppose you see more from a car because of that illusion of safety that makes you think you can zone out, but it’s still better to be in it.
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Nov 15, 2023 20:24
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Still posting in the newbie thread after three years because I'm still new. Looks like the temperature is going to stay down so I'm calling it for my third summer of riding. I'm up to about 1400 lifetime miles, 400 of them this summer. I didn't get out quite as much as I'd hoped to due to illness, travel, and rainy weekends but still made it out a bit more than last year. I still don't feel confident enough to go out on the 55mph highways in my area yet (seeing a pallet fly off a truck and crash onto the road on two separate occasions while in my car really does a number on my feeling of safety on the bike) but I'm doing the 50mph roads with stoplights. I still prefer the 35-45 mph limit roads through the wooded areas in my suburban area. I think I finally internalized countersteering this summer. It clicked for me late last year but I backslid in the off season and it took a few rides to get back to where I was, but I hope I had enough time in the seat this year to make it stick. Gear is still in good shape. Helmet is three years old and has some scuffs but still sound, gloves are still holding together, boots still look brand new. I sweated up my pants and jacket a few times this year and will take them to the cleaner in the coming weeks. I think next year I'd like to ride in more built up areas a bit - staying off highways means it takes forever to get into DC itself but Arlington and Alexandria are both a little easier to get to and I have some other smaller downtowns I've been riding around as well. I feel like the little 300 still has a lot to teach me; a lot of riders would have probably traded in for something bigger by now. Cold weather gear would probably let me squeeze out another month or so of riding every year but the early sundowns of late autumn limit how much benefit I'd really see from it. Rest easy, friend. We'll be back out in four or five months! 
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Nov 25, 2023 23:17
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I love that CB300R especially in that matte blue with the gold forks. Would be great to compare to my MT03 (probably about the same but still).
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Nov 26, 2023 02:26
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The engine in the Yamaha is much more engaging.
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Nov 26, 2023 03:58
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Yamaha has much, much more engine Honda is noticably smaller and lighter feeling
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Nov 26, 2023 08:30
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I continue to feel like a newbie for as long as I keep making mistakes, which is still on every ride. So, it'll be a very long time. Today I had a near miss where I started passing a car that did the thing where they decide to merge at the same time as using the blinker and not checking the blind spot. So they just started turning right into where I was. I had left plenty of clearance and responded immediately and he realized and stopped so I was never really in danger, but I can't help but wonder what I could have done to avoid being there. I swear I looked at the car before I tried to pass it and there was no signal or turned tires or anything, and it was too dark to see the head of the driver.
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Nov 28, 2023 06:47
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Vino posted:I can't help but wonder what I could have done to avoid being there. Unless you decide to never pass a car, you can't avoid that situation entirely. However you can mitigate the risk three ways: 1) Never hang out in a car's blind spot. Make sure you always ride in a position where you're visible to the driver. I've been riding long enough that I get an automatic vague icky feeling when I'm in someone's blind spot.  2) Minimize the time spent in the blind spot during the pass by doing it quickly. Plan the moment of the pass, accelerate hard, and then slow back to a normal speed once you're fully in view again. 3) Avoid being behind cars in general, because people not only don't check their blind spots, they often don't even look in their mirrors. Since you can filter in California, use that to your advantage and get ahead of the pack of traffic whenever possible. Or just hang back and let people get ahead of you. If they're passing you, they at least have you in view. I treat cars like cattle. They generally aren't out to get you, but they are large and dumb and oblivious, and they could accidentally flatten you without even noticing you're there, so you need to keep your distance and make sure you're always in their line of sight. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Nov 28, 2023 |
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Nov 28, 2023 07:16
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My god it happened twice in two days, except this time there was no blinker and the person didn't even realize I was there and came all the way into the lane forcing me to brake. I'm really at the mercy of these idiots aren't I. Thanks for the cattle metaphor, I've been trying to find that exact metaphor myself.
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Nov 29, 2023 05:04
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If there was one thing I learned when I was cycling all the time it's just that. Cars are big, fast and stupid. Assume at all times they don't see you. Even if they do see you, they might still run you over. Some might even want to run you over. Most times I was riding I was imagining scenarios. "What happens if this car decides to right hook me?" Eventually you can read and predict potential hazards.
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Nov 29, 2023 05:47
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Vino posted:My god it happened twice in two days, except this time there was no blinker and the person didn't even realize I was there and came all the way into the lane forcing me to brake. I'm really at the mercy of these idiots aren't I. No, don’t start framing your thoughts this way. It’s better to have a mindset that you are in control. There are a number of thing you can do to help prevent these situations as already outlined. Some other things to think about, what was your lane position? What other exit trajectories did you have? Did the car have any things in front of it that may have made it change lanes? Did they tap their brakes right before? Maybe these are all no, but don’t give up and think that everything is outside of your control.
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Nov 29, 2023 05:57
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A general rule is to not be anywhere near the cars as much as possible, whether that requires the use of the throttle or the brakes out positioning is down to circumstance
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Nov 29, 2023 06:03
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Slavvy posted:A general rule is to not be anywhere near the cars as much as possible This is one big reason why dirt bikes are cool and good. but lawdy, SxS are 10x worse than regular cars
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Nov 29, 2023 15:26
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TotalLossBrain posted:but lawdy, SxS are 10x worse than regular cars this old dude i know who does a lot of volunteer trail work told me once he only clears treefalls wide enough to let motorcycles through lol
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Nov 29, 2023 17:54
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TotalLossBrain posted:This is one big reason why dirt bikes are cool and good. Seriously. SXS are like mega quads. They're the worst of everything in the woods and the people driving them tend to be drunk idiots, or their kids. Don't get me wrong, they're incredible vehicles, but I have more negative encounters with them than anything else.
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Nov 29, 2023 19:08
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Side by sides are a loving menace, almost have gotten wrecked by them on several occasions riding my gravel bicycle on the local dirt pass.
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Nov 29, 2023 20:06
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Sagebrush posted:I treat cars like cattle. They generally aren't out to get you, but they are large and dumb and oblivious, and they could accidentally flatten you without even noticing you're there, so you need to keep your distance and make sure you're always in their line of sight. I always framed it as "I am a hole in traffic into which cars will try to insert themselves" but I like the cattle metaphor too (I found myself in the middle of a cattle drive once and they were actually more well behaved than some drivers I've been around)
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Nov 30, 2023 00:22
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And you get to toot not just your own horn!
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Nov 30, 2023 00:28
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Sagebrush posted:Unless you decide to never pass a car, you can't avoid that situation entirely. Shoot these are good reminders for my four wheeled driving, cheers.
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Dec 5, 2023 01:07
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Whoever in this thread said that their only close calls have been at night was not lying. Last night I was driving home after dark (which I usually try to avoid but no avoiding it this time) and I filtered up the front and then didn't swerve in front of the first car but stayed between the lanes. When the light turned green that car decided he would gun it within an inch of me and forced me into the other lane. I'm very lucky the car to my right also didnt do that because I would have been a sandwich. Lesson learned, always move over in front of that car into a blocking position. I've also learned that if I'm at a light and the guy behind me speeds to pass me way over the speed limit just so he can be first at the next light, that I should not filter in front of him at that next light.
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Dec 13, 2023 23:06
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I keep having a problem with this scenario: two lanes reduce down to a single lane. Homey behind me tries to pull up alongside me AFTER the painted lane divider markers have already disappeared, i.e trying to pass me in my own lane. WTF? I've started to just put on turn signals and take the middle of the now combined lane. Ppl get mad, I do not give a gently caress. As soon as the painted lines are gone, it's a single lane.
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Dec 13, 2023 23:27
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Vino posted:Whoever in this thread said that their only close calls have been at night was not lying. Last night I was driving home after dark (which I usually try to avoid but no avoiding it this time) and I filtered up the front and then didn't swerve in front of the first car but stayed between the lanes. When the light turned green that car decided he would gun it within an inch of me and forced me into the other lane. I'm very lucky the car to my right also didnt do that because I would have been a sandwich. Lesson learned, always move over in front of that car into a blocking position. Just open the throttle TotalLossBrain posted:I keep having a problem with this scenario: two lanes reduce down to a single lane. Just open the throttle
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Dec 13, 2023 23:54
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Slavvy posted:
That's not usually an option because traffic is slow and piled up in front of me. Americans do not understand zipper merges.
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Dec 14, 2023 00:13
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Had a close call on my way to work today with a pile of wet leaves I didn't notice in the middle of a turn. It was a good reminder to always be paying attention and that losing focus is unacceptable arrogance. My reaction probably wasn't the best either: when I felt my rear tire start to slide out from under me, I slammed down a foot and pushed the bike back up to the proper angle mid-lean without slowing down. If I'd actually gone down with my foot down like that it probably would've been bad. I need more practice and I need to pay more attention.
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Dec 14, 2023 00:29
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Re open the throttle: I ride a 300. Normally in those instances I do peel away as fast as I can to avoid that but I never exceed the speed limit by much so That Guy will usually catch up to me. But this guy was running some souped up honda and caught me off guard. I'm at the point where most of the mistakes I make are borne of losing concentration. If I had been focusing I would not have made the mistakes. So I've taken to narrating all of my moves aloud as if I'm steaming it on Twitch.
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Dec 14, 2023 03:10
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TotalLossBrain posted:I've started to just put on turn signals and take the middle of the now combined lane. Ppl get mad, I do not give a gently caress. As soon as the painted lines are gone, it's a single lane. Blocking positions are a legit technique. I mean of course you plan to GTFO when a car actually moves on your space, but I regularly make it a point to ride where I'm obvious and occupying the part of my lane that somebody might otherwise be tempted to use to their advantage. Sometimes in the position you describe I'll do a healthy swerve back and forth across the newly combined space to make it unambiguous.
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Dec 14, 2023 04:12
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Vino posted:Re open the throttle: I ride a 300. Normally in those instances I do peel away as fast as I can to avoid that but I never exceed the speed limit by much so That Guy will usually catch up to me. But this guy was running some souped up honda and caught me off guard. I talk to myself inside the helmet too, albeit less now than when I was a newbier newbie. I did it on my exam ride and the man from the DOT riding behind me could hear it over the radio but he said he didn't mind. Vocalising can definitely help my concentration and it makes me glad I'm not alone in doing this. Regarding riding a 300 and opening the throttle, being in a few situations where I couldn't get ahead of cars in traffic despite WOT in the correct gear was part of my rationalisation for getting a bigger bike after a few years on the 300. I though at the time that the arguments for faster bikes being safer was mostly bullshit on the whole and I still believe this, but there are definitely situations where really great acceleration compared to the cars around you gives you options that wasn't available on my learner bike at least. It's one of those things that are nice to have, but mostly it's lots of fun.
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Dec 14, 2023 06:29
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