It's a jungle out there!

[L. A.]

Am I the only one who has a problem with cagers in terms of recognizing my hand signals?
Do they still teach hand signaling in driving classes?

About a month ago, a 'gentleman' in a white BMW convertible, came within 6" of t-boneing me as I made a left hand turn AFTER making proper hand signals!...and I'm not shy about signaling either! I look like a conductor in an orchestra pit...LOL

I always lean way over as I'm signaling...arm totally out-stretched...I even turn around & make eye contact with the driver of the car behind me!
(I'm too young to die...yet! LOL)

This man was behind me on a narrow 2-lane country road...what could prompt someone to risk another human being's life just for the sake of getting to a stop sign 2 seconds sooner!??!

Scares the livin' hell outta me sometimes, I gotta tell ya!

...but I just love to ride my flattie too much not to brave the masses...or the cold, by-the-way...LOL

So...does anyone have any valuable info for me...how can I be safer on the road without conventional turn signals?
I thank you!!!!

[AdminGuy]

I guess I'm qualifed to answer this. At one time I was a nationally cert. M/C instructor. But for those that have ridden with me -would never guess this.

Sounds like while you were slowing to make a left. He was impatient and buzzed you on the right. Can think of lots of words to descibe him and this type of behaviour. Sadly in the city - you get used to it.

If you have to slow way down before making turn. ie onto a gravel road from paved. I would try to position the bike in a more defensive lane blocking position. In the middle -not on the left side of lane. Rural. In the city turn from the right hand side of the lane. ie. oil and grease patch.

If you must, pre-plan and MAKE the traffic slow down behind you before turning.

Looking back while making left may cause you to swerve into on coming traffic. I wouldn't make a habbit of that.

Take care -ride safe. Always assume people don't see you.

pendin on what I'm on. If I use my left hand to signal right- I'll often point with my hand (to the right) because many drivers don't have a clue. And think your waving to someone.

I have on occation pulled off to let folks pass me. I don't let it bother me.

[L. A.]

Thanks Admin-Guy, for your response...this guy 'buzzed me' on the LEFT!...and I was TURNING left!...not the right...I'm used to them flyin' by me, but this guy almost hit me had I not hit both brakes...incidentally, although it's extremely difficult to lay down a flathead (this I know from experience! LOL), I almost did that day!

And yes, I always wondered if people just thought I was waving to someone as well, so whenever I make a right hand turn, I 'do the point'! LOLAM

I hear ya about swerving into another lane...I learned THAT one by experience too...only look back when I'm creeping along

Again...thanks...I'll continue to drive defensively even though we now have these humongous neon signs up on every road stating 'BEWARE OF AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS'!!!!!!

Makes no sense to me...we're simply giving them the 'right' to drive aggressively while putting the burden of safety on the rest of us who don't drive that way...*heavy sigh!

[k.perry]

Instead of looking back at them, look at them in your left mirror. Slow down if need be, until they are forced to meet your eyeballs in the mirror. Try it. You'll see that 99% of the time, they will see you looking at them. I do this "left mirror thing" to keep people from pulling up right behind my rear fender. Let me put it another way...If I don't look at them in my left mirror, they WILL for sure...pull up to within a foot of my rear fender. The other 1% will see you looking at them from your left mirror...and immediately step on the accelerator!

[AdminGuy]

Demolition derbys are fun. If you've never done it - give it a try. It's money well spent.

[Hrdly-Dangrs]

Yes, I too am practised at 'Hand Signals'. Course now and then I have been known to use a couple that aren't in the manual. Usually reserved for those 'Drivers' that ignored the first three types in the book. I find that these 'Special' hand signals usually gets their attention! Probably the only ones they can understand anyway!.. ...'Gentleman Rider'.....Hrdly-Dangrs

[61 panman]

Seems like every time you kick over your rig and head out on the road your flirtin with disaster( 38 SPECIAL ?). Like you guys I try to be a big handsignaler but it sure seems like most people havn't the foggiest about what we are doing.
Lately I have taken to riding as defensively as possible. You just cannot shoot all the jerks who cut you off, tailgate, swerve around you and all the other stunts cagers pull. Even though we all savor the possibilities after it happens.
The story about Clifford K. Pease in the Winter issue of the club magazine is a real travesty. A great American run down by a true coward hit and runner.
Unfortunatly that is the price we may pay for doing what we love to do. But when I am out there Anytime I see a left hand turning cager I am Checking the rearview, slowing down, and watching that car real carefully, because those left hand turners bring down a lot of Bikers,
Ride safe,
Doug

[AdminGuy]

Pacifist eats crow

I attended a funeral on Friday for fellow antique motorcyclist. Tragic marine industrial accident. 2pm heading home to ride a few roads that I know he enjoyed. I just want to mellow out.

Traffic crawling - two lane. I roll out too double line to look around big truck in front of me, to see what's up. One complete motion- out and back. Lady behind me in SUV darts up to my right , half in my lane and half on the shoulder? She's blocked!!! Where is she going? Doo-dah she's gained 15 feet. When I roll back into my lane middle I almost tag her front left quarter, she moved in so quick. I flip -and give her hood a dramatic new custom look with my fist. She gets the message.

Not proud of that. If someone passed me on the left while I was turning left? I would get the licence plate and then plead the 5th.

[L. A.]

I'm probably gonna catch flack for this but...

I've been known to kick in one or two driver's side doors...and, no!...I'm not real proud of that either...
Sometimes we (I) act...THEN think...(oops!)

[Magic]

Hey there, you got my attention with this subject. I can understand and agree with all of you so far even the one I wouldn't want to admit to. Anyway I've been riding over 30 years, cross country, and have come across and dealt with most inhumane drivers. The one that seems to really ^%#! me off is the one that passes me half in my lane while I'm relaxing doing the speed limit plus! I tend to ride on the inside of my lane under normal conditions and only move to outside for road surface problems, turning, or getting opposing/crossing traffic to notice me if warranted. I've met up with a few and got off my saddle to educate them into understanding that this lane is mine to move in and I'm not looking for someone else to unexpectedly share it with! I can only say that it is getting more difficult to enjoy our passion without getting in trouble, simply put. Ride um, Merlin

[Pete Gagan]

Hi Merlin:

People not noticing motorcycles is a fact of life, it seems, unless you are in europe, where the drivers are better educated as to the presence of bikes.
If I am riding a machine that is capable of keeping up with traffic flow, I ride closer to the center line than the shoulder, (about 2/3rds of the way across), and I have run into very little problem with the four wheeled types. They seem to notice better.
Pete Gagan, Prez

[k.perry]

Riding near the centerline on a curved road is spooky. This is where opposing traffic veers over the yellow line when the driver overshoots his lane (and into your lane as an impending head-on). The event is called "high-siding." Lets listen in on a conversation:
Rider #1: "Did you hear about Dave? He got wiped out in a head on collision. High sided by a car that oversteered into his lane up on Mullholland."
Rider # 2: "Yes, I did. A tragic accident, and he was riding in his lane, so it wasn't his fault."
Rider # 1: "No, it wasn't his fault. He was right....but he is dead."
The moral to this story is..motorcycles are dangerous. Before you ride, ask yourself.."Is today a good day to die?" It's better to take this attitude: Motorcycles are illegal to drive on state and federal roads. You are an outlaw. You have an antique motorcycle, a car driver doesn't, but he wants one so bad that he hates you for having one. You have no right to be on the road. Wave goodbye to your wife everytime you leave on your machine, because you may not be coming back, except in pieces in a body bag. Pick your times to ride. Sunday mornings before 9:30 a.m. is good around here. Most people sleep in or sleep one off and generally the roads are vacant. Just after Superbowl kick-off time is a GOOD time to ride, but get home before the world-series (whatever) half-time or you may get squashed when they go out for more alcohol (aka- opiate of the masses, but noticing now, that the new generation never touches the stuff and that's encouraging)! Everybody ride defensively (I'll be over in the slow lane), and obey the traffic laws.

[Hrdly-Dangrs]

New Jersey High-Speed Motorcycle Dancing

Actually I stopped giving hand signals a long time ago! If your in the fast lane or middle lane and you want to start moving into the right lane, say to get off at the next exit, hand signals are virtually useless anymore. The usual scenerio is you'll put up your left arm to signal the right turn, which is OK for the guy behind you cause it give's him (HE THINKS) the OK to speed-up to pass you on your left before you complete your move into the right lane. Meanwhile the guy who's attention you would really like to get, you know, the one speeding up on your right, doesn't see the signal (OR DOESN'T CARE) as he's speeding up to pass you (READ: CUT YOU OFF), Mind you now, your original intention is to get over to the right to make that exit, so your all the time trying to do this with your good right hand on the throttle, your left foot trying to catch the gear shift to down shift as soon as you can get that left hand back down to pull in the clutch, all the while your right foot doing a pogo tap dance on the brake and your eyes looking left, right, front and behind and at the spot where you want to end up at, all within a few very quick seconds! Screw the signal and hit the gas, get over in one piece! We all know that IF YOU LIVE thru the accident the DUMBASS in the cage will be telling the usual line to the cops or worse IF YOU DON'T, the 'Meatwagon' boys, how he never seen any signal anyway cause he was dialing his cell-phone to confirm his 'T' off time at the 'Club House' he was late for and ....blah..blah..blah.....THE STUPID SON-OF-A-****!!......Gentleman Rider...Hrdly-Dangrs......Gets even more interesting when you jump off the 'Panhead' and go for a ride on your early Sportster with left side brake.....wait..brake left...no right....shift left....Ahhhh!!.

[L. A.]

LOL HARDLY!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
Doncha jes LOVE the challange of ridin' old iron!!!!!!!!!

To me...yes...it's dangerous!... but OH-so-invigorating to know that I just maneuvered an awesome machine through death-defying feats of lane-changing and left-hand turns*...and I KNOW not a one ov them could do it!!!!!!! HaHaHaHa!!!!!!!!

*not to mention ditch jumping and off-road treks through fields and woods...LMAO!

There's nothing like my flattie!
It's like a tractor...LOL...it'll DO anything...and never (knock on wood), breakdown...OLD FAITHFUL...gets me from point 'A' to point "B' with ease, reliability and PRIDE!

YEEEE-HAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

BTW...I'm ALMOST glad my flathead sports 'antique' tags...that...and only that assures me I won't ride it @ night...so I guess that makes it a LITTLE bit safer...

I gotta get another bike...LOL

[mcarver]

hand signals

Yep, I think most drivers don't have the faintest idea what we're doing when we stick our left arms out. It really does boil down to poor driver training and education. People don't know, don't care, are too busy, gotta get there 15 seconds sooner by passing every chance they get, yes on the left as well as the right. What do we do? Keep our eyes peeled, educate ourselves, don't put ourselves in needlessly dangerous situations, and ride as if they are ALL trying to kill us. I had a fun one last summer down near Coos Bay, Oregon.... on a side road came over a crest doing about the speed limit (45 or so.. well maybe 60). 100 yards in front of me, blocking both lanes is an early 70s land yacht (oxidized brown paint, peeling vinyl top) is making a three point u turn and blocking both lanes. Yes, this is in the blind spot right below a hill, he can't see what's about to come over and the unfortunates coming over don't have much chance either. Luckily I was on a late model bike with great brakes and literally one second after I saw him the very elderly man in the car looked right at me (I think I had my horn button fully depressed) and moved faster than he probably had in years. Later (after I changed my shorts) I thought about the Dukes of Hazzard when I recalled his smoking tires and spraying gravel trying to get out of the way! LOL