Riding Peeves

[xanthmo]

Here is a short list of things I dislike about being on 2 wheels:

1. Lights don't seem to change for me - particularly when in left turn lanes.  I wait for another car, then pull past the line, but sometimes that other car never comes, causing a moral dilemma

2. Any "cagers" ever flick a cigarette at you, even if not intentionally?

3. Ahh, the smells, sometimes it is nice to experience aromas you would not notice in a car, but riding 20mps over a rotten skunk carcass is one thing I can do without.

4. While on the subject of roadkill - does anyone get paranoid at night about hitting an animal, alive or otherwise?

Riding is great, but the annoyances are magnified by the vulnerability of being without a protective metal enclosure.  Please add to the list if I left out anything.

[Myth]

Yo X,

They make a thing that goes on your bike to give you the apperence of being a car to the lights.  I've heard it works.

So far only had to dodge one cig, but I was riding with my dad and a car went over a 3 ft. cardboard disk and kicked it up at us.  It went between us within a foot of my dads head.  My dad being one of those bikers who refuses to wear a helmet...

As far as smells...  I've got you beat.  I was going down a highway here on my way home from work and all I could smell was cow crap.  It smelled so bad!  Then there was a huge area of road (2 lanes going one way), 12 foot long and all the way across the left lane, where it looked like there was mud on the road...  It wasn't mud...  Then for the rest of my journey down this highway there was a strip on the road of cow shyt...  It wasn't like cow patties, it was like the cows had the runs.  I got to where I could see the cattle hauler making the mess, but I could never fight my way through traffic enough to pass him.  That was a bad ride.

As far as being scared of hitting an animal on the bike...  I've heard way to many horror stories to really completely push it outta my mind.  But I try not to worry about it.  I try to treat it like everything else, look for it and dodge it.

Now adding to your list...  I really hate those "No Turn Signal" S.O.B.'s.  That really chaps my a$$.  You'll just be running down the road and then BAM! Here they come with outta care in the freakin' world!  I don't know if it's because they can't see us cause we're small or if it's cause they keep their head buried up their corn hole...  But really, how much freaking trouble is it to turn on a GD turn signal?!  Lazy bastards...

Another thing that eats me up is the opposite of those guys.  The ones that never turn them off...  When you're going down the road and you see that no one is letting this one poor bastard over, so you being the good sameritan you are... slow down and try to flag them over.  You wait...  You wave...  You wait...  You see them looking at you...  You wave again...  You now have the person behind you about to run smooth over you...  And you finally say "Screw it!"...  And after you pass them you see them change lanes to the opposite side that they've had the turn signal on for the last 5 minutes...  Good God people!!!  Look at your freaking gauges!!!  They're there for a reason!  They're not fashion!

Now I have noticed that you can link many driving issues to the fact of someone holding a phone...  I guess they can't use their turn signals right cause their hands are full...  MORONS!!!  I have more peeves, but I'll hold off on them and see if anyone else might list them.  Don't wanna take all the glory.  

[xanthmo]

Myth, that was some good stuff!  I am in a worse mood today than yesterday, and your post actually made me laugh.    

There is a connection between cell phone use and turn signals - maybe they are left handed people causing the problem, but I have noticed people who hold cell phones with their left hand just opt-out of using a turn signal.

The smell of manure is pretty bad, in a car its a cringe of the nose, but on a bike, you can almost taste it.  [too bad there is not a barf smilie].

[Myth]

Easy there X, I'm a left hander...  The only reason there's a right half to my body is so the left half doesn't fall over.   :twisted:   And you're right, you can taste it...  And by saying that I'm going to assume you've had your experience with it as well.  I was actually having to stay a little further back off the car in front of me to make sure they weren't like a pissed off monkey slinging poo at me.

Well X I'm glad I could lighten your mood.   :cry:  But I have to give Ben his props...  He is the only one who actually updated his info in the Control panel to show his city/state info.

[ILL CLICK ENT]

Easy there X, I'm a left hander...  The only reason there's a right half to my body is so the left half doesn't fall over.   :twisted:   And you're right, you can taste it...  And by saying that I'm going to assume you've had your experience with it as well.  I was actually having to stay a little further back off the car in front of me to make sure they weren't like a pissed off monkey slinging poo at me.

Well X I'm glad I could lighten your mood.   :cry:  But I have to give Ben his props...  He is the only one who actually updated his info in the Control panel to show his city/state info.

I agree with u both. Hey Myth, why u wanna go and leave me out? I made my update on location. I thought we were all cool? It's all good.

[Myth]

Now I feel like a jerk...     Now us poor uneducated folk will never firgure it out...     But don't worry, it's coming.

[ILL CLICK ENT]

It's all good Myth 8-)

[Myth]

Thanks ICE, glad you like it.  It's a section of an album cover for one of my favorite bands.  And just incase you didn't know...  It's Disturbed "Indestructible".

[aggieboi254]

ok how bout those people that look straigh at you and either turn in front of you and when they see you stop dead across you lane and as you lock your brakes up trying not to hit them they look at you like its your fault,or the people that are in the lane next to you staring right at you in their sideview mirror and without signalin they start to change lanes  and come so close to hitting you you can smell the wax on their car!

I know what you mean about the smells on the bike! i was riding to work the other day.half way between home and work on a back road,i just so happened to pass a sewage treatment plant ,i never smell it in my car but wow that is a smell i could go the rest of my life without ever smelling again!!!

[xanthmo]

I think people drive passively, they expect to see trucks and cars, but for some reason motorcycles just don't register as a consideration.  How's the weather down there in TX?  Welcome to the forum AG.

[Myth]

Well in my part of Texas it's lows are high 50's and the highs are low 80's...

[drummerben]

Wow...here in NE Georgia we are already into unseasonably cold weather (low 30's/ high 20's). I'm not riding my bike much (I finally got the kinks worked out--I think). I take it out for 15-20 min every few days just to keep it running. Hopefully there will be a few warm days I can ride to work this month. So far the end of Oct./beginning of Nov. is looking chilly.

[Myth]

Hey Ben, I'm going to be coming to Georgia in Jan., is it gonna be freezing balls there???  I'm going to be out in the weather a lot, I'm going to be at Fort Benning.  Doing my basic training...  And I hate being cold...

[aggieboi254]

the weather is kind of off and on, one day its 50 the next day it 78 or 85 ,ive been lucky though since i got my bike it hasnt rained here yet.just at night it drops down to about 50 or so and its just to cold to ride the bike 60 miles to and from work ya know! that makes me a little mad lol.

[Myth]

Hey aggieboi, you know they make heated gear???   I'm not sure how you'd wire it to the Zong, but I'm sure there's a way.  I'm kind of tempted by some of it...  I figure I'll be riding in all the icy shyt...  Eventually...