Honda Shadow Forums banner

Oh I get it... invisible to everyone

5K views 44 replies 22 participants last post by  Usualdosage 
#1 ·
I feel compelled to analyse every aspect of my riding both good and bad to try to learn from it and grow as a rider. People have been telling me that I am invisible and that everyone on the road is out to kill me... I thought I understood what they meant. Apparently I didn't.

I have now put 8000k miles on my bike and was following my girlfriend back from the dealer where they had just completed my 8k service. Everything is going great until she passes a bicycle rider going the same direction we are. I guess he wanted to cross the street and so as soon as she goes by him he whips right out in front of the invisible man. Time slows down and our eyes meet and I can see him say, "oh s**t"! Before I even can think my tires are locked up and I go into a loud skid. He dodges one way and I release the brakes and dodge the other and I manage to miss him.

I suppose I should have anticipated that cross over move and I'm sure I will in the future. Lesson to be learned here is INVISIBLE doesn't just apply to motor vehicles! I know that now.
 
#4 ·
I feel compelled to analyse every aspect of my riding both good and bad to try to learn from it and grow as a rider. People have been telling me that I am invisible and that everyone on the road is out to kill me... I thought I understood what they meant. Apparently I didn't.

I have now put 8000k miles on my bike and was following my girlfriend back from the dealer where they had just completed my 8k service. Everything is going great until she passes a bicycle rider going the same direction we are. I guess he wanted to cross the street and so as soon as she goes by him he whips right out in front of the invisible man. Time slows down and our eyes meet and I can see him say, "oh s**t"! Before I even can think my tires are locked up and I go into a loud skid. He dodges one way and I release the brakes and dodge the other and I manage to miss him.

I suppose I should have anticipated that cross over move and I'm sure I will in the future. Lesson to be learned here is INVISIBLE doesn't just apply to motor vehicles! I know that now.
This is why I am now a believer in Loud Pipes.

I watched a girl driving a car start to pull directly into the path of my son while I was riding a little behind him. She didn't see him either (she was fiddling with her cell phone).

He has a 1200 Sportster with V&H pipes, and it is LOUD! When he cracked the throttle, she stopped completely, looked up with a scared expression on her face, and we just waved as we rode safely by.

That bicyclist may not have seen you (probably wasn't looking)...but if you had loud pipes, he would definitely have heard you, and stopped to saved his own skin (and probably would have had to go home to change his underwear).

Mrs. EZ also goes on record that loud pipes save lives. She likes my new pipes for that reason only.

My $0.02.
 
#6 ·
Even when they can see ya . . . had the driver of an 18 wheeler look straight at me last week and aim his nose right at the bike as he accelerated from a stop sign.
Pissed me off, but I moved.
 
#7 ·
I had a jacked up 4x4 Dodge RAM with a stinky Supercharged Cummins Diesel do his absolute best to run over me in the middle lane of the freeway last night at 10:15 PM. I'm absolutely certain he saw me, and I'm sure he saw me chasing him trying to get his license plate after I made a panic dive into the right lane to avoid being splattered from here to h3ll and back, because I couldn't catch him at WOT in 5th gear over an 8.5 mile stretch.

That being said, I filled my tank this morning and got 43.7 MPG doing it.

Psh, whatever. I lived.
 
#13 ·
Maybe a little informal poll here but those of you who have had close calls would you agree that most of the time the person causing your heart to race was on a cell phone? Even before I started to ride again I noticed that almost every idiot doing something stupid in a car or on a boat is on a cell phone.

One afternoon I was driving my car and a young girl pulled out of a neighborhood almost taking out the entire front end of my car. I was RIGHT THERE! It was daylight and she clearly would have seen me if she was paying attention to her driving not her cell phone. After that I started paying closer attention to idiot drivers and idiot boaters and like I said most of the stupidity I see on the roads or on the water are because the person is on a cell phone.

When NJ banned cell phone usage (I live in PA but spend a lot of time in NJ) I was pissed. When Philadelphia banned cell phone usage I was pissed again. In the last several months of my own informal driver/boater idiot poll I've completely changed my opinion on driving and cell phone usage. My car has a Bluetooth speaker and now I use it - all the time. I bought my wife one of those little Bluetooth gadgets for her car. I've told my kids that if I see them on a phone while driving I'm selling their cars - and I am serious.

If you haven't noticed try doing your own informal poll and I'm sure you'll agree. While we all think that we drive safe while on the phone the fact is many people get distracted while on the phone and do very stupid things behind the wheel.
 
#15 ·
Gonna get slapped for this, but until a bicycle has to pay as much in road taxes, registration and insurance as I pay for my Shadow, I have more right to that road than they do.

--Justin
 
#19 ·
Absolutely right! Bicyclists have the same rights in the public right of way that cars and motorcycles do. Sure some of them can be dicks but that is because they're human, not because they're bicyclists!
I ride my motorcycle, my bicycle and (when I have to) my car. Whatever I use for transportation, I try to respect other people on the road and do what I can to protect those on two wheels.
 
#24 ·
Anyone riding a bicycle into traffic on a public road is breaking the law in all fifty states and typically you won't see a serious bicycle rider doing that. The urban bike riders are another matter and they seem to think that anything goes.

Florida may require 3' passing but in Indiana you are required to pass in another lane, just as you would a car.

Around my area we had a fairly large group of riders who were very vocal about their rights to use roads but at the same time would ride through lights, split lanes and jump in front of waiting cars which ticked off a whole lot of people. A couple of PO's in the area started issuing them tickets for running lights, splitting lanes and they screamed to high heaven, particularly when their bikes were impounded until they could produce legal ID's. Then the courts put the infraction counts on their drivers licenses.

As far as cell phones, talking on a cell phone while driving has really been proven in a couple of dozen studies to inpair a driver to the same level as being legally drunk and using hand free devices doesn't really change that. I know everyone but you, you're special and can do it.

If you are ever driving or riding and have someone tailgating you then fall back 20-30 feet only to pull up and tailgate you again; bet your lungs that the person is either on a cell phone or drunk. Same difference. I absolutely hate tailgaters and if the opportunity presents itself I will mess with them all I can. Not on a bike, since I'm not crazy, but in my 11 year old SUV, you betcha....
 
#26 ·
Anyone riding a bicycle into traffic on a public road is breaking the law in all fifty states and typically you won't see a serious bicycle rider doing that.
Does this read how you meant it to? It's perfectly legal in all 50 states for a bicyclist to ride in traffic on public roads.

I absolutely hate tailgaters and if the opportunity presents itself I will mess with them all I can. Not on a bike, since I'm not crazy, but in my 11 year old SUV, you betcha....
I hate tailgaters, too, but their a$$holery ain't worth my insurance deductible.

In Florida, if you "mess with them" you can get nailed by the Road Rage Law.
 
#25 ·
To the original poster, maybe you were following your G.F. to close and that's why the cyclist didn't see you. Bicyclists have every right to be on the road but they do have to follow all the same traffic laws as powered vehicles. As far as cell phones being the number one distraction it's probably correct but if we didn't have them there would be other distractions to take it's place. Drivers and riders should be doing one thing when they are on the road. DRIVING!
 
#27 ·
To the original poster, maybe you were following your G.F. to close and that's why the cyclist didn't see you.
I think I had a good following distance, not too close and yet not so far anyone would try to pull out in between us... so I thought. Oh, I forgot to mention he was riding sitting straight up not holding his handle bars wearing headphones listening to music.
 
#28 ·
Interesting discussion

I wondered how many bicyclists were on this forum as well. Riding a bicycle around here is much more dangerous than the motorcycle. The cell phone/distracted drivers will run over a bicyclist, whereas a motorcycle rider has a chance to get out of the way. Georgia has passed a new law this year to require the 3 foot passing distance in this legislative session.

It is worth noting that most road bicyclists are chronic about breaking laws pertaining to stop signs and traffic control devices. That seems to be the biggest complaint of cage drivers. However, you don't usually see a bicyclist exceeding the speed limit on a 45 mph road.

The cell phone issue is a problem whose time is yet to come. In the 1950's, they didn't have seat belts in cars. I imagine that the day will come when we will laugh about the fact that people used to talk/text/surf web on their phone while driving. RUKM?
 

Attachments

#29 ·
Invisible

I wondered how many bicyclists were on this forum as well. Riding a bicycle around here is much more dangerous than the motorcycle. The cell phone/distracted drivers will run over a bicyclist, whereas a motorcycle rider has a chance to get out of the way. Georgia has passed a new law this year to require the 3 foot passing distance in this legislative session.

It is worth noting that most road bicyclists are chronic about breaking laws pertaining to stop signs and traffic control devices. That seems to be the biggest complaint of cage drivers. However, you don't usually see a bicyclist exceeding the speed limit on a 45 mph road.

The cell phone issue is a problem whose time is yet to come. In the 1950's, they didn't have seat belts in cars. I imagine that the day will come when we will laugh about the fact that people used to talk/text/surf web on their phone while driving. RUKM?
What exactly is a 3 foot passing distance? Sounds way to close to me.
 
#34 · (Edited)
That is why I qualified my statement by pointing out a specific geographical area. I would put the percentage of cyclist doing stupid crap at around 25% or better for my area, especialy when the weather is decent. Single riders are not too bad but get two or more together and all bets are off.

This weekend I guaranty that coming down US 26 from Mt Hood into Welches when traffic is backed up for miles you will find a group of cyclists as the cause. Two lane mountain roads with little to no shoulders and plenty of blind corners is not the smartest place to be riding three and four abreast on a holiday weekend.

If the problem was with only 1% or even 10% I would have a better opinion of cyclists.

I have similar opinions about people on cell phones, not only in cars but as they walk down the sidewalk or in the isles at stores. More than once I have had someone, usually a woman, run her shopping cart into mine or me because she had an "F"ing phone pressed to her ear. Men and teenagers are just as bad.

Even though I have a great dislike for many of those that I have to share the road with I do quite often yield my legal right of way. I have nothing to gain by running over the top of a cyclist that is running a stop sign. Granted if I did the cyclist may never do it again but then I also have to deal with damage to my vehicle and all the other BS associated to being in an accident. Same goes for the cagers on cell phones, reading the newspaper (or like my stepmother who use to read books as she drove to work) or doing any number of things other than paying attention to their driving.
 
#32 ·
:shock: Cyclist? Bunch of arrogant self righteous spandex wearing Nancys. They should be banned from the highways and county blacktops. And I'm not talking the "Urban I ride my cycle(mountain bike type)to work everyday cyclist. I'm talking about those a$$holes you see on the highways. Arrogant f*ckers! And making special laws to protect them. It's a toy! Get over it. :p
 
#38 ·
Ga 3' Passing Law

I wasn't very clear. The Georgia law requires cars to move over at least 3' when passing a bicyclist. However, they still don't....They are too busy texting.....

Bikeleague.org Blog Blog Archive Georgia State Legislature Approves 3 Foot Passing Law

I could not tell you the number of times that I have been passed by a vehicle moving 50-60 mph and could have touched the side of the car with my left hand.

And before Susan07 calls me a spandex-nancy, I'm just trying to keep my cholesterol level down. Doctors orders. I am not trying to prove some divine point about bicycles having a "right" to be on the road.
 
#39 ·
I wasn't very clear. The Georgia law requires cars to move over at least 3' when passing a bicyclist. However, they still don't....They are too busy texting.....

Bikeleague.org Blog Blog Archive Georgia State Legislature Approves 3 Foot Passing Law

I could not tell you the number of times that I have been passed by a vehicle moving 50-60 mph and could have touched the side of the car with my left hand.

And before Susan07 calls me a spandex-nancy, I'm just trying to keep my cholesterol level down. Doctors orders. I am not trying to prove some divine point about bicycles having a "right" to be on the road.
:shock: Sex! :-D
 
#40 · (Edited)
Yes, Susan07 gets a Coffee Nostril award. You go girl!

As my personal contribution toward adding fuel to this fire.....

1. We have mostly rural two lane blind curve roads here with lots of loaded/unloaded log trucks going here and there. If the choice is me doing a header into an 18 wheeler or ramming the spandex head, who do you think is going to get the raw deal? Not me brother. A responsible rider should know where he/she should NOT be riding....we call it self-preservation - similar to not doing the butterfly stroke on a shark infested reef.

2. Driving on public right-of-ways is not a right, it is a state permitted activity. Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it say anything about it. If state legislators fold to the bike lobby, that is a problem you can fix at the ballot box.

3. If you drove a car or motorcycle at pedaling speed, you'd get a ticket for obstruction.

4. Yes, all states should issue bicycle licenses and require tags (you must now hold a special marine license to drive a boat in OR, why should bikers get off scott free?) That said, 100% of their fees should go into building bike lanes so they can get the ***** off our roadways.
 
#41 ·
Yes, Susan07 gets a Coffee Nostril award. You go girl!

As my personal contribution toward adding fuel to this fire.....

1. We have mostly rural two lane blind curve roads here with lots of loaded/unloaded log trucks going here and there. If the choice is me doing a header into an 18 wheeler or ramming the spandex head, who do you think is going to get the raw deal? Not me brother. A responsible rider should know where he/she should NOT be riding....we call it self-preservation - similar to not doing the butterfly stroke on a shark infested reef.

2. Driving on public right-of-ways is not a right, it is a state permitted activity. Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it say anything about it. If state legislators fold to the bike lobby, that is a problem you can fix at the ballot box.

3. If you drove a car or motorcycle at pedaling speed, you'd get a ticket for obstruction.

4. Yes, all states should issue bicycle licenses and require tags (you must now hold a special marine license to drive a boat in OR, why should bikers get off scott free?) That said, 100% of their fees should go into building bike lanes so they can get the ***** off our roadways.
:shock: Girl? Who you calling a girl Motherf*cker? :shock: :lol::lol::lol: My BIKE'S name is Susan! I'm Charles. :-D
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top