Author Topic: Almost got cleaned up today (Read 4375 times)

B6mick · « **on:** February 03, 2007, 07:52:44 AM »

And my Bloody loud pipe saved my butt
Even if the driver didn't notice me till the last second, he heard me and stopped his lane change, and made room for the minister and I.

aussiebandit · « **Reply #1 on:** February 04, 2007, 02:48:49 AM »

Was The Minister on her bike your pillioning with you......

Not that it makes much difference...but I have noticed that when you're with a couple of other bikes people tend to take a bit more notice.....

B6mick · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:46:05 AM »

The minister was riding the B6, her first ride since the birth of the young fella. I was leading on the Zed with the minister riding staggered formation. A wedding car decided to change lanes, mid corner just to make life a bit more interesting, rather than jump on the brakes, and put the minister at even more risk, I jumped hard on the gas. I was in his blind spot, but I was overtaking him, so therefore I was going to be in his blind spot, at some point of the overtaking move. He heard the Zed being gas up, (like you would have to totally deaf not to hear the Zed, hard on the gas) and pulled back into his lane let myself and the minister to blast on by. Mind you I think he was wishing he was deaf, and blind by the time the minister, had let fly with a few nice words and matching gestures.

aussiebandit · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2007, 06:17:06 AM »

and I bet he mouthed the words

"sorry I didn't see you"

I'm so sick to death of hearing that as an excuse. I'm sorry but (in my case anyway) what didn't they see, the 200+ kg bike or the 100+kg bloke sitting on top of it, if they can't see me what hope do my kids on their push bikes have, or grandma with her walking frame....

B6mick · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2007, 04:07:13 AM »

Yes the most hated words I know. When I was a motorcycle courier I trialed the orange reflective safety vests, and the you bute, helmets with the reflective stuff all over, even the old fj12 copped a good doss of the reflective stuff, (plus add the lights on at all times), for the company I worked for. ( BTW they dumped the idea of supplying the stuff to all riders as it failed to reduce accidents and near misses). You can not believe the stupid looks when you would pull up beside some idiot, and politely ask, after their bumb assed comment "sorry I didn't see you". "Oh is that right and which part of me or the bike didn't you see"
We should get like the poms, when a driver says "but I didn't see him/her" it’s taken as a total admission of guilt, and should be them followed up with the full weight of the law.
Dangerous Driving. But we can positively calk this one up as loud pipe saved 2 lives. Thats if anybody is counting the pro's of loud pipes.

I wouldn't think so. To busy reading some BS from a uni study, without figures

or stats to back their theories.

aussiebandit · « **Reply #5 on:** February 05, 2007, 06:26:47 AM »

I have absolutely no doubt that louder than standard pipes do save lives, but some people just of go over board....just let me check something........

........Oh good "The Treasurer" isn't behind me........

.....for instance I can't be in the garage when she starts the M750, infact I'd rather be on a different street.....how she doesn't get booked I don't know.....

I'm considering a new pipe for the B12, but that's only so I can hear it over the bloody V Twins.....I think there are currently 30 bikes in the Redbacks, of which there are only 5 four cylinders, a B12, XJR1300, ZRX1200, ZX10R and a K100RT. The rest are Twins, Tripples (1) and Singles (3).

As for wearing reflective tape/clothing etc, I had a non-riding friend say "Ya know Mick, I reckon you're better off wearing all Black, 'cause ya look more dangerous, and people are scared of you".

This was some time ago, and I thought I'd try a make some observations about the way motorists treated me when I wore different clothes.

My conclusion is that it doesn't matter what the hell I wear the bstrds still don't see me until it's almost to late. The only difference is the look on their face when they realise they nearly killed you. When I wear "safety" colours the look is that of a stunned Emu, when I wear all Black (including helmet and visor) it's more a look of "Please don't kill me, I promise I will give you my first born son, just please don't kill me"

B6mick · « **Reply #6 on:** February 06, 2007, 03:39:14 AM »

You know the time that I remember the most for "sorry I didn't see you" Was when I had my ex on the back and she was 7 month up the duff, with my twin boys. The look of a stunded mullet, just before he fainted. Just because I shirt fronted him after pulling an illegal u turn in front of me. I think the simple words of "how the f would ya feel if ya had cleaned me up and killed my 2 unborn sons" while pointing at the ex's rather large belly. We needed a dump master for the shyte in mine and the ex's pants and a ambo for the d*#*head driver passed out in the middle of the road in Melb peak hour.

Vlad · « **Reply #7 on:** February 06, 2007, 08:40:45 AM »

I do have a relatively loud pipe (Yosh RS3), but in my experience loud horn does a much better job in saving one's ass from stupid cagers, and so does the headlight modulator. Bandit's stock horn is a miserable excuse for one and Stebel air horn was by far the best safety upgrade. Headlight is not much better either, and apart from practically rebuilding the whole thing the modulator made me way more visible to everyone on busy city streets and highways.

I don't drive much at night, but still consider reflective tape a good safety feature. If you are concerned about goofy road worker looks use black reflective tape and keep your bad ass appearance.

All in all, although not totally useless as a security feature, loud pipes are the last on my list. Paying attention to your surrounding and being ready to break, swerve, honk or flash is first. You can't prevent stupid people from doing stupid things - you can only do your best to avoid them.

B6mick · « **Reply #8 on:** February 07, 2007, 04:52:35 AM »

Points taken Vlad but when you have just a mere second between being cleaned up and in imminent danger, or for a better use of words removing yourself from the danger area is the first and only priority, to keep it simple by one action I have done this and made the offending driver aware of my presence. With time being of the essence I was able to stay in total control of my bike (mid corner), while making room for myself and my good woman, without having to think or react about using the horn. Lets face it we are not talking 2 of 3 seconds to think about this shyte, it’s a case of do it or die, and efen NOW.

As for this comment, I’m not sure whether I should take offence too.
"Paying attention to your surrounding and being ready to break, swerve, honk or flash is first. You can't prevent stupid people from doing stupid things - you can only do your best to avoid them"
Mate I've been a professional rider for many years, and have been riding for over 30 years, and have a million plus miles under my butt, as a rider and countless more as a professional driver, paying attention to other drivers around me is the only reason I’m still here. If I was to take that advice I wouldn’t get out of bed each and every day. Now let’s break your next statement down, remembering I was there, mid corner and you were not. “Brake”, what and still get cleaned up by wedding car driver, mid corner braking not the greatest choice available, also considering the minister of war the good women, in close company to the rear and on the closer side to the wedding car, thus leaving no escape route for her either. Swerve, yes, I did, violently, counter steering its called, now, how are you now going to straighten up a couple of hundred kg of motorcycle, or are you going to just continue down the wrong side of the road and hope like hell that nothings coming. I would gas it up, and yee gods I did. Honk and flash what? Flash, to bloody late mate, I’m already along side the idiot, what bloody good is flashing your bloody lights, modulating or not, he missed you riding up from behind for the last 5 k’s, Honk what waste more time and concentration?, oh yes honk so the driver can see the last second of your life as he looks to see what’s honking him, there is no mistaking a loud pipe on a motorcycle, no need for the driver to look he now knows what’s there and what he needs to do about it.
We are not taking yards here we are taking of less than 2 feet, milli seconds, to do or die.

aussiebandit · « **Reply #9 on:** February 07, 2007, 07:11:11 AM »

I'm going to sit on the fence on this one, I think I'm sitting on the fence anyway, as I can see two very valid points.

Yes staying alert and, to quote the riding instructors, 'setting up the brakes, positioning yourself as far away from the most obvious danger', are all very essential survival skills.

However, sometimes shyte happens. You're on a four lane highway about to pass someone. You've done everything right, maintained a 3-4 second gap, positioned yourself in their mirrors so you can see their face, indicated and pulled out. You've even kept within the law and you've still got the OEM exhaust on your bike. You're now in line with the drivers window, you breifly look over and notice he is changing CD's, talking on the phone, lighting a cigarette and steering the car with his knees - he now decides that he wants to be in your lane.

Choices: 1 Brake and get cleaned up from behind. 2 Honk your horn - this results in scaring the driver who swerves even harder in fright. 3 Decide that the 'cheese cutter', armco with nasty channel iron at the end or concrete wall is not very inviting. 4 Accelerate HARD and lane split to safety.

Yes I've been there done that. I've also seen 'The Treasurer' get through the same situation a lot easier because the dickhead knew she was there. Why, because her M750 has a set of Staintune pipes with no baffling - so she can be heard......

aussiebandit · « **Reply #10 on:** February 07, 2007, 07:13:03 AM »

By the way Mick, I bet you were one of those riders that kept old spark plugs in your pockets, and loved the old cars where you could just pull the keys out of the ignition without any fuss.....

jlmoulto · « **Reply #11 on:** February 07, 2007, 08:48:32 AM »

Congrats on safely getting away from a difficult circumstance and using whatever tools in your aresenal to make it happen most effectvely. I lean towards the side of quiet pipes simply because I think the loud pipes annoy so many people who are not in the sport (and some who are), and make things difficult for us to enjoy our sport (see legislation). However, I also realize that noise is obviously one way of getting attention and in this case the driver appears to have responded to it. You were there and made the judgement call based on that short reaction time you had. Good on you.

I think one of my faults is sometimes not realizing all of the avenues available to me and I tend to go to the brakes to avoid situations more than anything else. I don't have loud pipes as an option but I certainly have the horn, manouverability, acceleration, etc. at my disposal. I have been trying to concentrate on developing my other skills as well in "non emergency" situations to avoid the brake only response.

Any tips to help a relative newbie out?

rmtcook · « **Reply #12 on:** February 07, 2007, 11:01:17 AM »

Slightly off topic, but along the lines of being seen, what do you guys think of those tire valve LED's for night riding? Do they help you to be seen or is it strictly styling?
[/img]

Red01 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 07, 2007, 11:16:51 AM »

They might help someone see you from the side, but from head or tail on, they'd be useless.

B6mick · « **Reply #14 on:** February 10, 2007, 09:24:51 PM »

Quote from: "aussiebandit"

By the way Mick, I bet you were one of those riders that kept old spark plugs in your pockets, and loved the old cars where you could just pull the keys out of the ignition without any fuss.....

What ya trying to say Mick.

Who me, never

well maybe

just a little bit.

Lawn Mower plugs are best,

Why?

Because when they are presented to you in a court of law as evidence, it's easy to convince the judge that, it couldn't be yours, while showing the judge the correct plug set, you keep, as spares from you inside vest pocket.

“Must have been on the road your honour, I must have run over it a flicked it up onto this poor unfortunate drivers windscreen”.