You didnt see me

[RumbleRoads]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBNyuf533Go

This video really hits home as I don’t know of one biker that has been on the roads for sometime that has not lost an acquaintance, friend or family member to a motorcycle accident. I was almost a traffic statistic myself three years ago.

http://www.rocketcityhog.org/videos/howclose.mpeg

[cmonty54]

HI, I went to a Women Ride weekend last year and in a safety class they showed some tapes real similar to what you have posted and it really shows you how vulnerable you are on a bike. I choose to ride and I'm just a normal married Mom and Grandma, but people just assume the worst and just don't care that we are out there. I'm still a newbie to my bike, but I try to assume NOBODY can see me on the road!!!! Hope I get to keep riding for many years to come. Stay safe and ride long!

[mayhem]

that does hit home,90% of my friends and family ride and I have lost many do to negligance [spelling].... ride safe friends !!!!!

[redneck]

I want to give all bikers good advice , ride in a group more is better so the average car drivers can not say that they never seen you coming , stay out of other drivers blind spot

[Diaz Dezine]

Hey rumble, great post. I to have been part of 2 mc accidents and I decided afte the second accident that I would give up riding. I really miss it but I can't seem to shake the after shock, just to paranoid. What sucks worse is that the person that hit me the second time was a guy on another harley, he checked if I was still alive then got back on his bike and left me laying there. It broke my heart when he left. I sold the bike as is and never looked back.
Someday I'll get the courage to ride again.
DIAZ

[egneg]

I used to ride when I lived in a small town. Now I live in a major city and wouldn't dream of riding on the roads around here.

[chucktx]

good post, thanks.....i too, have lost a lot of friends due to negligent drivers...

[heartless]

seems we all have lost, or know someone that has lost a loved one to a MC accident - happens way too often.

I too am fairly new to the two wheel scene, got my endorsement 2004...and i ride like no one can see me, always on the defensive, watching out for the person on the cell phone - not paying attention. i also practice A.T.G.A.T.T. (all the gear, all the time - wearing the proper protective gear)
around here (out in the boonies) one not only has to watch out for other motorists, but have to be on the lookout for the deer as well. there are almost as many deer/motorcycle accidents as car/motorcycle....

to those that ride - stay safe. to those that dont, please be aware

redneck - that is nice advice, but not always a reasonable proposition. I regularly ride to work in warmer weather, no one to ride with at that time.

Diaz - i am sorry that happened to you - another motorcyclist that just walked away?! what a jerk. Only you will know when the time is right to get back on one, if ever.

I hate to say it, but it is things like that, that have kind of turned me off to the "Harley" thing - the "new" Harley crowd seems to be a lot of "wannabes" - no offence meant here guys, but i see it way too much here in Wisconsin. to "them", if you arent riding a Harley you are lower than second class, they dont wave, they wont even acknowledge you exist.
to me - two wheels are two wheels, regardless of brand name, they way it should be. it shouldnt be about brand, it should be about the freedom & enjoyment of two wheels.

sorry to get on a rant, i will step off the soap box now.

ride safe, everyone!

ps: there is a text version of "you didn't see me" floating around out there, i had it once but seem to have lost it...will try to find it again.

[heartless]

here is a link to the text version....

you didnt see me

[codepunk]

Heartless you just let me know when you want to ride, I am there...

I don't currently own a harley either, have had some and I am most fond
of the 1200 sportsters. Currently I have been riding a old honda and I got
a new chopper I put together, old school plunger frame and a girder front. The power plant in that chop is a yamaha 650, not that it looks anything like a yamaha any longer.

[heartless]

sweet little ride there code. Would be honored to ride with you this summer.

i ride an older Kawaski 550LTD, 1984 vintage. the other half rides an '82 Honda Magna 750 - V45. we also have a '74 Honda CL360 Scrambler, an '85 Kawaski Voyager 1300, and an '82 Yamaha Maxim XJ1100 (made one year only).

I dont really have anything against Harley the manufacturer, it is more the "new" type of rider that seems to gravitate towards them. lol kind of the same reason I got out of truck driving - the "new" type of truckdriver..."me, me, me" and to H___ with you...

[redneck]

thanks heartless try to remember this tidbit if cars driver can not see 18 wheels trucks how can they see you and watch out for animals on foot

[heartless]

believe me - i do watch out for them - both the cars, and the deer!!
and i know first hand that many drivers dont "see" 18 wheelers - i used to drive one of them - you would be simply amazed at the stupid things that people do around a big truck....

[redneck]

I had driven big trucks but not 18 wheels and has seen people cut in front of 18 wheels ---what amaze me is that they blame truckers for the wrecks that cars drivers cause, if you will loan me the money I will buy myself a tank if you think tanks driver would be safe

[xzotic ink]

DAMM, the video made me jump, i didnt see him, had no clue what was happening...Than i went oo shit! Man that video mad my eyes jump, i didnt realize that stuff, im always thinking these guys "the bikers" know what they are doing and look out for us, now i know its a two way street.. Man, im always yelling at people for riding to close to the back of them, it just makes me nervous seeing that guy on the bike in front of me, if he falls , spins out, these other cars are flying by him, god forbid..O my god diaz that is terrible, i though all bikers like looked out for each other? even if he wasnt a rider he should at least helped ya out, i hate seeing and hearing stuff like this, but its a good snap back to reality!!! Sometimes you get too comfortable as a driver, thanks for the video!!

[codepunk]

Originally Posted by heartless

believe me - i do watch out for them - both the cars, and the deer!!
and i know first hand that many drivers dont "see" 18 wheelers - i used to drive one of them - you would be simply amazed at the stupid things that people do around a big truck....

Heartless, drove for Fisher in fenwood many, many years ago. Boy the stories I could tell about driving truck. Had a honda one time try to sneak a right turn on me in Minneapolis, he lost in fact when my fully loaded trailer wheels went over his hood it reduced the entire car to a junk pile. Tailgater's I used to have fun with also, picture a trailer with no load and me doing about 80. Push down the throttle to the floor and just lock up just the trailer brakes and watch the fun begin as the people on your tail panic looking for some way to keep from hitting you even though in reality you never loose a bit of ground speed.

[heartless]

Originally Posted by codepunk

.... Tailgater's I used to have fun with also, picture a trailer with no load and me doing about 80. Push down the throttle to the floor and just lock up just the trailer brakes and watch the fun begin as the people on your tail panic looking for some way to keep from hitting you even though in reality you never loose a bit of ground speed.

hehehe, you musta learned that one from the same book i did!! yes, i am guilty of playing that game as well
when i started driving i worked for Crossroads Express out of Marshfield, last long haul job i had was for SF Transport (Smith Feeds) out of Loyal, got laid off from there. that was about 3 years ago now. figured 13 years was plenty, it wasnt fun anymore, just another job that i had started dreading...thats when it is time for a change.

...im always thinking these guys "the bikers" know what they are doing and look out for us, now i know its a two way street...

Xotic - it is everyone's job to pay attention to what is going on around them when they are behind the wheel, handlebars, whatever...unfortunately way too many don't.
even when i am in my car, i drive as tho no one can see me - i drive a small car, so half the time people don't see me...or assume i am further away than i really am, same thing when on the bike. Please, just take that extra second or two to look again and think about what you are about to do, it is a two way street no matter what you drive/ride.

[xzotic ink]

i will and will definitely keep passing the word to other drivers!!!!

[RumbleRoads]

Heartless, the Harley riders you talk of are not typical of all Harley riders. All the Harley riders I know are happy with their choice of motorcycle and respect other rider’s choice too.
In fact I used to ride a Honda Valkyrie and was a member of the local Valkyrie owners group for many years. A lot of the members in that group regularly bashed Harley riders and the Harley-Davidson motorcycle it self as an oil leaking pile of junk. Had me thinking for years that they where just a high priced label.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I went on one test ride last July and could not ride my Honda back home. My Harley, a 2005 Heritage Softail Classic, sits a lot lower and handles better then my last bike, a 2000 Honda Valkyrie. When I trading in my Honda I lost the lockable sattel bags and trunk, cruise and radio but gain a bike that is more fun to ride and handles better.
As for Harley riders, I’m sure there is one bad apple in every barrel, but all I have met don’t go around bashing other people’s rides. I know you’re new to riding and will discover many things to be very different then what you think now in years to come.


Diaz Dezine, bummer to hear about what happened to you. It really sux that it was another biekr that left you laying the road. The guy was a real jerk and should have gone to jail for leaving the seen of an accident they were involved in. In general bikers are good people but I can tell you one thing for sure that not every biker is your friend.
I have a hard time talking about my MC accident even after three years as I was almost killed in it. But I had to ride again. I have been riding all my life and miserable times in my life when I did not have a motorcycle. Being a biker is a big part of who I am and I love the wind and the biker lifestyle. I will admit to you getting back in the sattel was not easy. I had panic attacks and flash backs of the bad memories. I can understand how you feel and wish you the best if you ride another time of not.


Xzotic ink, I’ll tell ya what, when riding on two wheels you have to watch out for the cagers on the road and newbie bikers too as both will take you out in a moment of carelessness.
.

[DixieRambler]

RumbleRoads,

Thanks for the video. I have been riding bikes for most of my adult life. Mainly off road bikes like motocross and enduro (sp). I recently bought a new Harley Sportster and have already had several close encounters. Primarily drivers pulling out in front of you, switching lanes, cell phone talkers and worse, those who like to ride my ass. I had a guy the other day ride my rear. All I could see in my mirrors was his grill and headlights. I saw him stop at a small country store and contemplated turning around and showing him my chain I keep in my bags. Probably would not have stopped him from riding so close to bikes and would have only got me thrown in jail! You just have to be super safe these days. Thanks for the post.

Jim

[RumbleRoads]

Originally Posted by DixieRambler

RumbleRoads,
I had a guy the other day ride my rear. All I could see in my mirrors was his grill and headlights. I saw him stop at a small country store and contemplated turning around and showing him my chain I keep in my bags. Probably would not have stopped him from riding so close to bikes and would have only got me thrown in jail!
Jim

I really understand how you feel and been temped myself but you can’t tech a whole world of idiots a lesion. Better to be riding anyway than setting in jail. LOL

BTW, I never knew my 41 year old ass looked so nice. It must look nice the way some cagers like to ride it. LOL, it's never long till I shake them off it but still it ticks me off how some folks have no regard for public safety on the roads.

Once I was riding with some friends and while taking a break at B-King had a jurk in an SUV pull in and ran over one of the lady rider’s toe of her shoe while she was setting half off her bike's seat. She was okay but how do you not see someone in a parking lot right in front of you? Needless to say he got an ear full of cussin’ from her and took it while the rest of, all big burry bikers, stood and watched her back.

[redneck]

I wonder how many states had laws that deal with TAIL-GATERS???? some drivers think that if they stay close enough to the vehicle in front of them, they will save gas

< To realize the value of one second, ask a person who survived an ACCIDENT >

[xzotic ink]

Xzotic ink, watch out for the cagers on the road and newbie bikers too as both will take you out in a moment of carelessness.[/color][/size][/font]
.[/quote]

what are cagers?

[redneck]

I may be wrong but I think that cagers is drivers that belong in a cage