Really? If people fail to keep up with other traffic on the commute they should be shot.
Who isn't keeping up with traffic?
I'm doing 40, car ahead is doing 40, car ahead of that is doing 40. Car ahead of that was doing 50 but has pissed off through the next set of lights and is now long gone. Old Doris does not realise but by failing to keep up with the flow of traffic in front of her she has become a bit of a moving chicane. I always thought it was just the fact that we all get more timid as we grow older, I never realised she could just be trying to extend the life of her brakes until pension day.
Doris's husband lives round here, he goes everywhere between 60 and 70 kmh (apart from passing lanes). He must spend a lot of time driving and have a few different cars, I see him a lot. The oblivious chicane I can just about live with, everything Zen. What rips my nightie is continuing at 60 - 70 kmh when he passes the 50 kmh signs coming into town, past the school.
He's a worry.
This braking lark, I try to avoid it. Watching lines of car brake lights come on one after the other always makes me chuckle. Summit I've noticed is that a vehicle following me, often within butt sniffing distance, tends to increase it's gap when they realise my brake lights seem to be broken. I'm very rarely tail gated.
Manopausal.
I'm still here for now. Of late I've been riding like an asshole (more than normal) and I'd be the least surprised to see my luck run out. I love life and it would be a total rip to many to go "the meat crayon" just because I ride so stupidly. Each day I think to be safer, then I start to ride and mostly it just doesn't happen.
Frankly I'm an idiot often pushing through the traffic. I'd say I'll stop doing it but I know its BS. I don't have an actual need to hurry. 750 kms a week makes it hard to cruse. I rode my KR150R for a bit to try a smaller bike but I think I'm more dangerous on that! It is not so much speed that is my issue it is passing everything everywhere all the time and in narrow spaces. You get use to it, habits form. How do I even keep my license? I hope they take it before I kill myself and cause horror for other people.
Perhaps I should get a cruiser (to the amazement of anyone who knows me). Or really wide mirrors (I fold mine in on the fly to squeeze through the gaps easier).
Wow, a real live Idjit! You'll live and you will slowly but surely become a respetcable bike rider, I watch the young guys doing the stupid shit (100K's filtering in 30 K traffic) and I think, you fool, no sorry, I usually think, you young fool, butt, sometimes I'm wrong, they're older ( But not old enough to have gained a grasp on experience ) Young fools, you never got older fools with experience, they die through lack of experience.
Keep posting wont you, love to watch the transition and to be about when you realise you've not passed everyone today!
Every day above ground is a good day!:
Thanks. I'd say your are right, but I've determined to make some changes to help that along.
I Micheal Jackson'd the mirror for a while after that having read some of the comments here again.
FlangMasterJ with that image of Patrick S looking bewildered sticks in my mind (thanks). But GazzaH comment.
Quote Originally Posted by GazzaH View Post
I think he knows it.
Just a matter of time before his luck runs out.
Let's hope he has enough time and working appendages to tell us.
That hit me quite hard. So what to do I thought as my odds narrow. So I just slowed down and made room. I start when I get there but even so I left early to mentally give myself more time. I just road with the traffic, if there where two lanes I used the faster one but just in the better spaces. It was actually quite relaxing, today there was little traffic and my time was average. I split where I needed to just a little slower.
Sort of an 80% of normal in terms of maneuver danger / space / polite. Any half to two thirds of the speed I might generally do in excess of, you know, the law. If the traffic flowed reasonable I more often sat in it rather than work through it. I considered ideas in terms of speed such as:
If I travel 15% average slower it would cost me 9-11 minutes each way being 18-22 minutes per day and 90 minutes to two hours a week. That is not insignificant. However if I have a better chance of living and am more relaxed it is probably worth it. I figured if I really try I can stay the course and I'll even go do some gold courses because even thought I've ridden regularly for over a decade all up (starting more than 20 years ago with 4-5 years straight to now). Really should do the training I know loads of people who have and regularly do.
I remembered why I go fast. Really why. Its fun. Rather than time in transit. It occurred to me (plenty of time to think on the way in and out given the relaxed pace) it isn't as much fun anymore because increasingly I'm aware of the reality it could cause. There is another reality mind where I slow down and irony kills me whereas if I'd been hammering on it would have been fine but lets work with averages and not parallel universes (at least for now). The near misses keep adding up in my brain and I like math especially the bell shaped curve. I don't gamble which if done regularly is really just a predictable loss. So no hurry + no fun in hammering it all the time = I just don't have to, in fact I can just stop (some exclusions may apply, see in store for details).
Things I need along this journey all of which seemed obvious today (BTW someone took the time to lay out my original email better which was nice so I will try better)
1 - Music, as I started riding harder I stopped listening to it, all brains to the job of pace and survival. But sitting back more I missed it immediately. I must sing loudly, often and sometimes make up funny lyrics. In the past lots of self laughs have been had doing this.
2 - Track time! Weekend after next Mainfield GOD I MISS IT winter is rubbish, I long to get back to the track. At the track you can actually go fast as you dare, it is not only not illegal but you've with mates and it is down right encouraged. It is a pattern in part I think as going FAST makes me conscious that on the road you barley go fast so why hurry, save it for the track (will be my fourth year just doing lots of play days).
3 - There will be pain as I adjust. My body is set at speed so sore wrists today and back a little. The Blade is better than most super sports at long distance but changing riding stile means I have to wear into it again like changing bikes. Or (good god no) I could get something comfy for commuting at 'regular' speeds. A friend has a Honda Cross Runner that was stupidly comfortable and had that awesome V4 engine.
4 - I really liked audio books too, definitely some of them. Some will be thinking "no you need to concentrate" bitch please given how I've ridden for years I could read a book if it was on heads up riding at regular* speeds.
5 - Look for things to add to this list but remember though art mortal, remember thou art mortal, remember thou art mortal. I can see why people out their kids names in view on their tanks. Its a good idea, like the fighter pilot in movies with the picture on the dash (I'm thinking Top Gun but Tom Cruise is a douche and the other guy died so I guess I'd choose maybe Ice Man?)
I'm sure there is more, much more. So thanks really for faith in my existence caseye. Thanks GazzaH for faith in my non existence (don't think your getting out alive buddy .
Cheers everyone else.
I'm gunna need a lifetimes supply of Popcorn for this thread.
Good on ya Pawz, relax, have some fun, there are plenty of places where outright speed is bloody dangerous, butt, there are quite a few where, with no one else about you can indulge the need occassionally, just don't keep the wrist over and go off the end like so many idjidt do aye.
Be happy to have you along anytime you'd like to go for a pootle.
Every day above ground is a good day!:
My advice is, you have two choices, 1] Adjust your attitude to save yourself and OTHERS. 2] Sell your bike and buy a Prius.
"Statistics are used as a drunk uses lampposts - for support, not illumination."
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