[BearKat]

Yeah. It sucks, I hate it, and I get pissed off at them too. I was raised in a Harley Biker House...I know dead people because of this very topic. Cool heads must prevail here. Ignorance and bad driving can not be helped, solved or fixed with any kind of retaliation like that, especialy on two wheels. In that case, I would probably yell and curse that cager to hell and back, but just be thankful I am still alive in one piece and rolling down the road. You should see how pissed cagers are here in Cali when we split lanes in heavy traffic. I have had a car puposely try to take me out.....he missed, I flipped up my visor looked right at him, waved, smiled, and kept driving. That pissed him off just a little bit more...

[sagent]

Some jackass cager from my school was in the car with one of his butt buddies and decided to purposefully try to mess with me. He even pulled up next to me at a stoplight and started talking s**t. It really is suprising how easily the mirror of a car comes off.

of course this was an extremely isolated incident and I do not recommend punching mirros of of every ignorant cager. If I have the chance I usually will say somthing too them but I try to be at least professional as opposed to coming across as pissed to the point of kicking their ass (which I usually am!)

[WildKat]

The problem is, when is our image is bad it is a big deal. We have enough problems already becuz of others making the rider image bad so why add to it. Bad image = higher insurance rates, more road rage, more injuries and death, more bad press, etc.

I know you were pissed off, we all would be and we'd all be tempted to do the same thing and maybe some of us have in the past...but living and learning is what keeps you upright and not on your back.

Just my .02

[katman05]

Wildkat wrote

The problem is, when is our image is bad it is a big deal. We have enough problems already becuz of others making the rider image bad so why add to it. Bad image = higher insurance rates, more road rage, more injuries and death, more bad press, etc.

I know you were pissed off, we all would be and we'd all be tempted to do the same thing and maybe some of us have in the past...but living and learning is what keeps you upright and not on your back.

Just my .02

+1

[md86]

Most of the time people are too stupid to reralize WHY you're pissed at them in the first place . They don't realize they're stupid and can't drive . But I'd probably do something anyway . I just can't let stuff go . Maybe I'll grow out of it one day .

[tdrcomm]

...You should see how pissed cagers are here in Cali when we split lanes in heavy traffic. I have had a car puposely try to take me out.....he missed, I flipped up my visor looked right at him, waved, smiled, and kept driving. That pissed him off just a little bit more...

There is nothing that pisses a SoCal driver more than to be stuck in 5 mph, going-nowhere, traffic at 6:00 on the 5 freeway and see bike after bike split lanes going on their merry way. Or use the carpool lane with impunity. Or the tollroads. I have had cars intentially veer over to narrow the lane. Gets frustrating but you have to deal with it. But I've noticed (mostly from conversations with drivers) that the majority are unaware of the laws or the rules governing bikes on the road. In Cali, were allowed to "share" the lane, not split (ride the lines). The way I believe the law is written (have to check, BF has my DMV Motorcycle Handbook and Lisa's MSF study book), cars are not required to "give" us that space but we are allowed to "claim" the space if it is available. Once we have established position and/or the driver is aware of a bike he/she must maintain lane position until we pass (which we try to do as fast as possible). Speed is not stated, just what is save at the moment. The problem is.... LOT'S OF CAGERS CAN'T DRIVE WELL! That forces us to ride the lines. Because we have to do it so often drivers THINK that we're allowed to ride anywhere we can find space. Most people that are clueless to the rules of the road are surprised to hear what the law actually allows. The wife of one of my clients was flabergasted to learn that. She thought that cars could be anywhere they wanted to and bikes just had to find a spot to ride. They actually think that double yellows are just for the cars. Many are not aware that the rules that govern them also apply to us... and vice versa.

Others are just plain dicks that get a rise out of buzzing a bike. Some think it's getting back at bikes for whizzing past them stuck in traffic and scaring the hell out of them by splitting. NONSENSE! They get startled because THEY NEVER CHECK THEIR SIDE MIRRORS!! EVER!! Next time you're on the freeway hang back a safe distance and check out the driver in their side mirrors. I guarantee that you'll go a mile before he/she ever glances in the side mirror. If you're lucky if they check it means that they're about to change lanes. It's been drilled into our heads to constantly check our mirrors, but not drivers.

I hate splitting lanes. Nerve-wracking and mentally stressful, but sometimes you have to do it. I've never had someone intentionally try to share my space but I've had a few times that I am very glad that I was riding defensively and had an escape route planned (Torque is a beautiful thing). I do enjoy splitting behind Harleys, though. Once a H-D passes a car drivers always make a hole and have their eyes glued to the mirror.... at least for a while, until I scoot by right behind him. Maybe there is something to that "loud pipes save lives" crap.

I try not to antagonize anything that outweighs me by 2000lbs no matter how much I want to punch them in the throat. I can outrun any car on the road but all it takes is one a-hole to nudge me into a guardrail. I have made a few people aware of what they did once we make it to a stop, and I've followed a car or two to their destination to "explain" what they did a couple of miles back. But having to hit 150 on the 605 to get away from a retard that who's door I just caved in is a risk that I no longer want to take.

But I do flip off every brain-damaged, cell phone driver that wants to claim two lanes instead of one. Jason, I know it's frustrating and just makes you want to strangle some idiot but try to chill a bit before reacting. Yeah, easy to say than to do. But all it takes is one jerk looking for payback that can ruin your life. Unfortunatly, I think it's all in the price we pay to use the mode of transportation that we have chosen.