Bad habits! - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

Davecm203 · 05-17-2009, 12:33 PM

It is the time of year that there are a lot of motorcycles out on the road. Over the past week, I have noticed a large number of motorcycles doing things that increase the risk of ridding. Motorcycling is a risky thing and we should not increase that risk. We are all guilty at times of doing things we should not do. Here are some things that I have noticed motorcyclists doing over the past week alone.

While ridding through town in my car, I started to change lanes. I turned on my signal, checked my blind spot and side mirror. All clear. I then checked my rear view mirror and noticed a motorcyclist coming up on me fast. There was a car in the lane next to him and so I hesitated. Something told me that he would switch into the lane I was getting ready to pull into once he cleared the car next to him. And I was not wrong. He shot into the lane and next to me. Even though I had my signal on and had started to move into that lane. If I had not paid attention or not realized what he was going to do, I would have surely taken him out.

I saw a few motorcyclists ridding in the blind spot of other vehicles. One guy was ridding along side a tractor trailer for a long time and made no effort to get past him.

A couple of motorcyclist were approaching a red light in the middle lane that was clear. The right lane had a box truck and the left most had a couple of SUVs. The light turned green as they approached the intersection and so they just gunned it and tore through the intersection. That is a bad idea in a car as well as a motorcycle. If a vehicle was running the red light, it would have been very ugly. And with the large vehicles to both sides of them there is no way they could have checked to make sure that traffic was stopped in both directions before entering into the intersection. I will use the vehicles to my left and right in that situation as protection. I stay next to them through the intersection in case someone runs the light.

Yesterday, while in my cage, I was approaching a light and a motorcyclist approached to turn left. He came to almost a complete stop. I saw him and took my foot off the gas but when it appeared that he was stopping, I went back on the gas. At that point he decided he could use the power of the bike to make the left turn before I would hit him. He took off while making a very sharp left turn in front of me. It was close enough that I hit my brakes very hard. The problem is that intersections are often slick from oil, anti-freeze, sand, ect. He was also on a cruiser and he had it leaned hard enough that I am sure that he was close to hitting a hard part. If he had fallen in front of me, I do not think I would have stopped quick enough to keep from hitting him.

The other day, I happened to be on my bike and was behind another motorcycle. He approached an intersection where he had the right of way. There was a car approaching very quickly from the right that had a stop sign. My heart stopped as I did not think the car was going to stop for the sign as the motorcyclist drove trustingly into the intersection. The car did make a stop (albeit a hard stop and still rolled partly into the intersection). I did not know the guy on the motorcycle. I just happened to end up behind him. Even if you have the right of way, always slow and make sure that the other cars are stopping and appear to see you.

We need to be careful and remember that on a public road, nothing in for certain. Taking chances is not worth the risks. I had a guy tell me one time, "What? Are you afraid to die?" It is not the dying part that scares me the most. It is being in a wheel chair or staring at a ceiling for the rest of my life that scares me. It is a risky sport that we can minimize to a degree. If I do get hurt, I don't want it to be for something that I could have avoided. Most car/motorcycle accidents are the fault of the car, but a lot of times, the motorcyclist could have taken actions to avoid the situation in the first place.

Has any one else noticed any bad habits that motorcyclists seem to have?