WTF is wrong with Auckland car drivers?

[Tubbsy]

Ok, today....I have had 2 narrow misses with cars. The first one non-bike related. Walking across a road after waiting for the green light for me to go. This c0ck comes barreling around the corner, even though he's supposed to wait till pedestrians are safely across (I wasn't dawdling), I look up, he's actually looking at me in his 4x4, I had to actually jump out of the way as the car passed by fast, and less than a foot from me. Reflexively I slammed my hand into the passenger door hard enough that there's no way he couldn't hear and probably made a dent, as far as he knows he hit me right? He didn't even slow down or stop.

Fast forward, I'm riding home from work on Aucklands waterfront....doing between 50-60km/h in line with traffic, some knob is sitting on my tail almost looking like he wants to pass for about 1km, even though there's nowhere for him to go in front of me, and let me stress...I was NOT riding like a grandma, nor did I have indicators on, nor was I doing anything that should piss him off, but I do have an L plate on, which means traffic should at least be considerate. Next thing, he's sped up and is pretending he's gonna ram me, suddenly he slows right down, flashing headlights at me and turns off.

I wish these pr1cks would have the balls to actually stop, I'd love to show them they are just as vulnerable as me without a couple tons of metal around them.:girlfight::bash:

Anybody else have experiences like this? I'm betting just about everyone.

[White trash]

Sorry. It's the fact that they can sense you ride a Hyosung. You're going to have to live with it till you grow into a big boy and get a Suzuki.

And then they'll try and kill you for that.......

[skidMark]

Only 2 near misses in a day...

Fuck you must be doing something right...

And ditch the L plate.... to many cocks like to pick on learners.

[mattian]

welcome to the world of riding a motorcycle in Auckland city. Get used to it buddy, its going to happen to you frequently. The way you learn to deal with it will determine whether you stick with it, or decide its not for you.
The story of you crossing the road as a paedestrian reminds me of this time the exact same thing happened to me, only, I didnt hit the car, I just gave him the finger and he stops, jumps out flashing his id and introducing himself and a police officer. He was a plain clothes detective! I told him, I thought he was trying to run me over in his car and he jumps back in and takes off again. Damn, I wish I got his badge number now.

[awayatc]

....yeah.....
best thing to do when on ya bike with somebody to close behind you is keep chosing position on road right in front of driver behind you.
keep eye on mirror and keep blocking his view... This usualy makes them fall back a bit.
If that fails:
Use throttle and pass vehicle in front..
or slow down/brake and let him pass...
Probably not your L plate, is just the way it is, and you just have to get used to deal with pricks on the road...

Don't get wound up to easy.....all about staying alive my friend.....
The throttle is your friend....

[Tubbsy]

He he he....yeh yeh yeh....I ride a Hyosung.....goes like a dream though (touch wood).

Really hope I dented the door of that knob earlier though....that would have been a hit and run considering he didn't stop.

[FJRider]

Perhaps you'ld better increase your life - insurance...

[skidMark]

Perhaps you'ld better increase your life - insurance...


Yeah whats all ya details man i wanna take out life insurance on you!

[samgab]

I think of riding a motorcycle in terms of a knight riding a horse in battle. :) Weaving and dodging the cars, bumps, greasy patches, metal plates, roadworks, trucks, busses, paint, oil, faulty lights, red light runners, drivers who have never heard of indicators, lane jumpers, holes in the road, and whatnot turns every trip to or from work into a big adventure, and a challenge in staying alive. Get to work with the adrenaline going each time!
And I haven't died yet... Much.

[Mom]

Ok, today....I have had 2 narrow misses with cars.
Anybody else have experiences like this? I'm betting just about everyone.

The prick that about mowed you down on the PedX needs to go and get his glasses prescription changed, take care on those things. My advice is actually eyeball the driver before you step out, that way you can be sure they have seen you (hopefully, maybe, fingers crossed) a bit like riding a motorbike really.



....yeah.....
best thing to do when on ya bike with somebody to close behind you is keep chosing position on road right in front of driver behind you.
keep eye on mirror and keep blocking his view... This usualy makes them fall back a bit.
Don't get wound up to easy.....all about staying alive my friend.....
The throttle is your friend....

This is good advice! I know it is difficult when you are a new rider to have confidence in situations like that. The fact you are new actually makes you feel like it is worse than it is. I am not saying that L platers are not harrassed/tailgated etc because there is testimony here that it does happen. It just feels worse when you are fresh to the road anyway.

Move in your lane mate. Own your bit of road. Let them know you are infront of them. Dont listen to shit about your bike either mate, we all had to start somewhere.

[MaxCannon]

I think a mandatory part of the driving test should be to show people a photo of the white diamond symbol painted on the road and ask them what it's for.
If they don't know that it's put in front of pedestrian crossing to warn you the crossing is there then they should fail the test immediately.

I cross the pedestrain crossing on Campbell road 4 times a day when I take the dog for a run around cornwall park (there and back in the morning and evening).

The number of times drivers have come sailing over the crossing while I'm staring them down standingo on the road is shocking.
Half the time I think the poor bastards that do stop are going to end up with the fuckwit behind embeded in the boot - still on the phone / looking out the window /doing a crossword etc

As for when I'm on the bike the best I advise I have for anyone is always assume other drivers are going to do the stupidest thing possible.
Being on a bike means you have to think not only for yourself but for all the other people on the road at the same time.

[rosie631]

This is not just an auckland problem. Bad here in Christchurch too. Think when you get on a bike you become invisible to some cagers. Just have to ride defensively and never assume they have seen you.

[beyond]

Well... the only way to survive as a rider in Auckland, is to assume that everyone is out to get you.
You are the red flag to the bull.
You are the bullseye to the dart.
You are the ant to the boy with the magnifying glass.
You are the blowfly to the wing puller.
You are the chicken to Inghams.
You are the kernel to Sanitarium cornflakes...
The Iraqi terrorist to an American sniper....
The rat to the cheese in the trap..
The pimple on the arsehole of the world...

AND as White Trash pointed out... until you get a Suzuki, it's only going to get worse.





Hang in there buddy.

[FJRider]

Yeah whats all ya details man i wanna take out life insurance on you!

Pm me with the details the insurance company needs, and I will reply with same. Being under 25... can you afford the premiums... ???

You BOTH live in a BIG and BUSY city, full of dickheads and wankers, and moan online about the problems... :laugh:

[dwnundabkr]

[QUOTE=beyond;1968455]Well... the only way to survive as a rider in .

AND as White Trash pointed out... until you get a Suzuki, it's only going to get worse.


Hey Beyond this should read, and when you get a suzuki it will get worse nearly as bad as a honda:2thumbsup

[Blackshear]

And ditch the L plate.... to many cocks like to pick on learners.
Weaving around in your lane a lot keeps them away :shifty:
Also, having my L plate on has gotten me out of 2 fines so far...

[Howsie]

Weaving around in your lane a lot keeps them away :shifty:
Also, having my L plate on has gotten me out of 2 fines so far...


So there is a use for the L plate!

To the poster:

Get a tinted visor so u can turn around and stare at tailgaters, they back off pretty quick when you do that! Worked everytime for me so far.

Keep your cool cos the moment you do something out of anger is the moment Mr Plod is around the corner or the unexpected happens.

Expect the unexpected

It Auckland, its how we live here. I like the analogy of the knight, keeps the adrenaline flowing. Act like you own the road.

Pre-empt every move the cars around you could make, always look for your out should the worst happen.



All this just takes time on the road. Be thankful you are learning in a busy place that keeps you alert, its worse going from a quiet town (like Alexandra :p) to Auckland. If you can survive the wankers in Auckland you can survive anywhere. Adapt or be hit:2guns:

Nice bike btw, ignore the jibes:laugh:

[Blackshear]

Get a tinted visor so u can turn around and stare at tailgaters, they back off pretty quick when you do that! Worked everytime for me so far.


You also stare at the girls ass or chest right next to you, till the lights change. They start looking pretty flustered after 10 seconds :msn-wink:
However, with a male in the car, it is not advised. Especially not when he's driving by himself, you're jsut asking for a sore bum.

[Howsie]

You also stare at the girls ass or chest right next to you, till the lights change. They start looking pretty flustered after 10 seconds :msn-wink:
However, with a male in the car, it is not advised. Especially not when he's driving by himself, you're jsut asking for a sore bum.

id give it a go if there was a guy in the car with the gurl. Then you can piss him off more as you pull away from the lights, then again as you filter up the next set to repeat at the next hot chic. Always good to check out the many nice girls i see around auckland. Even have the odd convo at the lights real quick :D

[zzzbang]

can only imagine how that quick convo at the lights would go :spanking:

[Blackshear]

id give it a go if there was a guy in the car with the gurl. Then you can piss him off more as you pull away from the lights, then again as you filter up the next set to repeat at the next hot chic. Always good to check out the many nice girls i see around auckland. Even have the odd convo at the lights real quick :D

Son of a bitch!
I thought I was the only sleezy guy chatting people up :clap:
Only one or two successful talks... Hard to find non-snobby teenagers these days!
But I will take this chatting-in-front-of-males challenge on... ROLL ON SATURDAY!

[Blackshear]

can only imagine how that quick convo at the lights would go :spanking:

If you know the area, you can get as much as two minutes worth!



Damn I hate awkward silence...

[zzzbang]

ahh.. theres so many reasons to ride a bike isnt there lol.

[Howsie]

Son of a bitch!
I thought I was the only sleezy guy chatting people up :clap:
Only one or two successful talks... Hard to find non-snobby teenagers these days!
But I will take this chatting-in-front-of-males challenge on... ROLL ON SATURDAY!



Dnt know bout the chatting-in-front-of-guys thing would go down so well, its the chatting to the carload of girls that works better but BIG UPS to you for taking the challenge:clap:

going completely offtopic as we do in KB, has anyone had a pleasant chat with another car on the motorway in rush hour??

Are you coming to the 250 ride 2day?? Meet at Mt Eden Motorcycles at 1030am for a ride with 250s

[Howsie]

If you know the area, you can get as much as two minutes worth!



Damn I hate awkward silence...

some long lines in botany area, so thats at least 2 light sequences!

[Howsie]

ahh.. theres so many reasons to ride a bike isnt there lol.

its a good thing the reasons to ride outweigh the reasons to not ride!!

[Blackshear]

Dnt know bout the chatting-in-front-of-guys thing would go down so well, its the chatting to the carload of girls that works better but BIG UPS to you for taking the challenge:clap:

going completely offtopic as we do in KB, has anyone had a pleasant chat with another car on the motorway in rush hour??

Are you coming to the 250 ride 2day?? Meet at Mt Eden Motorcycles at 1030am for a ride with 250s


some long lines in botany area, so thats at least 2 light sequences!

I'm not crazy/godly enough to attempt moving conversation!

Glen... EDEN! That's like. THIS! \________(>_<)________/ Far away!
I would, but I've got a party to go to iiiiin... just a smidge under 30 minutes now. I hate some people, i really do.

Hmmm. I must find congested roads.

[RocKai]

Hey, try this:
Remove your tail light cover (the red bits) and replace it with a CLEAR one, then put a Xenon bulb in. This will effectively tell whoever is tailgating, following behind, stalking...etc your bike to Back Off :bash:. Nothing serious, it will just blind them enough into a safer distance.

P.S. Just an opinion, do it at your own risk :woohoo::gob::whocares:

[Howsie]

I'm not crazy/godly enough to attempt moving conversation!

Glen... EDEN! That's like. THIS! \________(>_<)________/ Far away!
I would, but I've got a party to go to iiiiin... just a smidge under 30 minutes now. I hate some people, i really do.

Hmmm. I must find congested roads.

MT EDEN man, you know, not that far from the CBD..... distance dont matter, more of an excuse to ride the bike! Who has a party that STARTS at 130am? lol


Hey, try this:
Remove your tail light cover (the red bits) and replace it with a CLEAR one, then put a Xenon bulb in. This will effectively tell whoever is tailgating, following behind, stalking...etc your bike to Back Off :bash:. Nothing serious, it will just blind them enough into a safer distance.

P.S. Just an opinion, do it at your own risk :woohoo::gob::whocares:

lol they wouldnt know if you were coming or going, not being red at the back and all.... would be a pain to change it back for a wof

[Swoop]

Well... the only way to survive as a rider in Auckland, is to assume that everyone is out to get you.

You are the bullseye to the dart.
Whew! With my darts playing abilities, I'm well safe!:yes:

[skidMark]

Weaving around in your lane a lot keeps them away :shifty:
Also, having my L plate on has gotten me out of 2 fines so far...


I got pulled over 42 times in 2 years on a learners with no L plate...

Never ticketed for it.

[DarkLord]

Yup. It's heaps of fun.

Look at it this way - it gives you a golden opportunity to develop ninja-like senses on the road which will serve you well for years to come (and may just save your life someday), help you get in touch with any repressed rage or frustration you carry within yourself, plus helping you to develop the courage to tell these pricks what you think of them.

[Blackshear]

I got pulled over 42 times in 2 years on a learners with no L plate...

Never ticketed for it.

Not sure whether or not to take a negative approach to that number.

:mellow:

[skidMark]

Not sure whether or not to take a negative approach to that number.

:mellow:


lol shit happens.

[FJRider]

I got pulled over 42 times in 2 years on a learners with no L plate...

Never ticketed for it.

No L plate would be the least of their worries... and yours...:zzzz:

[Ooky]

i guess one of the perks of a 2 stroke down a gear and a handful of gas = cloud of smoke for car following!:lol:

[FJRider]

Run from the cops and they follow the trail of smoke...

[breakaway]

I got pulled over 42 times in 2 years on a learners with no L plate...

Never ticketed for it.

Yeah never ticketed for the L plate, just for other shit like reckless use and dangerous driving etc aye?

[Katman]

I think of riding a motorcycle in terms of a knight riding a horse in battle.

Maybe that's the problem.

Too many motorcyclists think far too highly of themselves.

[FJRider]

Maybe that's the problem.

Too many motorcyclists think far too highly of themselves.

Their "Lance" is more of a "toothpick" you mean ...

Sort of like the L plate rider, that said he couldn't run from the cops 'cos he was only allowed to do 50 km's /hour

[samgab]

Maybe that's the problem.

Too many motorcyclists think far too highly of themselves.

I chose a poor analogy. Perhaps it's more like a soldier trying to stay alive on a battlefield with dangers coming from all direction. That's more what I was trying to imply.
Nah, that's not really it either.
Forget the analogy.
What I was trying to say is that riding on the road in the city is dangerous, there are many hazards, and a rider needs to be very alert.

[Tubbsy]

Yep, on much advice I treat every single car as if it's going to do something stupid...unfortunately...too often they do.

"I got pulled over 42 times in 2 years on a learners with no L plate..."

42 times? WTF???

[kro]

I commuted for years in Auckland, and often riding from west to east, and whilst perched on top of my various bikes, I saw some of the most incredible acts of selfish, impatient and insanely idiotic driving from people who should have had their licenses revoked, or be made to pillion to work with a seasoned biker for a month as part of their education on how to share the road, and not use it as the physical manifestation of their lack of self control.

Needless to say, I dont live in Auckland anymore.

[RocKai]

Good choice of relocation man :D

[Fub@r]

Had a complete fuckwit nearly kill me this morning on the northwestern near Patiki Rd interchange.

Minding my own business filtering through the traffic as is typical for rush hour, doing about 40kph. Indicator running, high beam on. 99.9% of vehicle drivers see me and give me room etc and this this complete prick changes lanes about 2 car lengths in front of me without even looking!!!!!!!!!!! To make it worse traffic was a near standstill and he didn't even have enough room to move completely in to the other lane.

Full on emergency stop, back wheel locked up, front shocks bottomed out and starting to slide sideways, while this is going on time slows and all I'm thinking is I'm about to go through the back window of a stationwagon and was bracing for the impact.

Don't ask me how but the bike pulled up with millimeters to spare. During this time there was another rider behind me not sure how hard he had to brake. As I went past this cager I looked at him and he seemed completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Carried on and got to a clearing in the traffic and moved over to let the other guy through. He pulled up beside me and seemed as surprised as me that I had actually managed to avoid the crash