ever noticed this?

[rwilli1228]

Do you frequently encounter cage operators who drive like they want to race you?  Or when they see you coming they start driving a lot faster than they were?  Or even start trying to follow you in traffic?  Weaving...etc...?  I do not understand this phenomenon.  My best explanation is that these people are complete assheads that need a swift kick in the teeth.....

[JordanA]

Yeah that has happened to me a few times.  I find that more often than not it's a teenager or a group of teens together.

I can't decide if they're trying to be cool and "race" against the bike, or if they're just trying to see what it is.

[Bumblebee]

It's called me-first-itus. Everyone has to be first no matter what even if it's to the next redlight. IMNSHO, the behavior is typically caused by low self esteem thus the need to be better than someone else.

It's hilarious when I'm cruising along at a steady 50mph and they pull that routine on me...while I'm driving about 11,000 pounds of motorhome with a trailer. It's..just..pathetic.

[coffee_brake]

Riley it's the blue leathers. They can't handle your blue leathers.

 

 











 

[BeerGoggled]

Its those pink tassles on the handlebars.

[green427]

Happens to me quite frequently.

75% of the time it is usually a redneck in a large pickup truck. I usually accelerate rapidly from a stop to get away from everyone, and it is usually that big-assed Ram with a raised suspension that eventually catches up with me and passes me.

The most bizarre 'race' I've encountered was an older Altima with a family of Hispanics, and the driver kept staring at me at the light. As soon as the light turned green, he took off and obviously was trying to beat me. I had to laugh and 'let him win' and get the hell away from me.

The trick is to ride normally and the other party will eventually realize that you are not interested.

[skramer360]

I was sitting at a light last summer and this old guy (no offense to the experienced riders on here  ) in a Cadillac in the other lane looked miffed at me for going by him from an on ramp, three lanes merged into two. He gunned it from the light and I gave it a little extra and pulled away then I pulled off at the next exit that was only about 1/2 mile. I figured that cheesed him off. 

[piscatorial_phd]

With most 20 something males, it seems like they are trying to get a look at the bike so they either slow down to let me catch up, or they speed up to catch me. I forget who made the Dodge Ram comment, but whenever I see one of those Rams with a lift kit, I know they are either going to try to spin gravel on me, or if it is a diesel then they gun it to try to lay a smoke trail in front of me. 

By the same token, I have seen some punks on 600 gixers pissing everyone off around them and the rest of us riders pay a price for it. I was behind some of these youngsters who were racing light to light and then doing "stoppies" within inches of the rear bumper of this 60 something guy's new F150. After about the 5th light the guy had had it and he hit the brakes a little early and two of these kids rear ended him. Their bikes weren't much of a match for his rear bumper - bent forks, cracked plastic and headlight. The kids seemed to be OK, but they were taken to the hospital anyway.

While I don't agree with the driver's actions, I also can't blame him either. I didn't see what might have transpired before all of this, but these kids had singled this old boy out for some reason. As a witness, I had to stick around and the driver seemed like a pretty nice guy who had been pushed too far.

In recent years, I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who seem to go out of their way to be more considerate to riders.

[Brittles]

I have seen some punks on 600 gixers pissing everyone off around them and the rest of us riders pay a price for it. I was behind some of these youngsters who were racing light to light and then doing "stoppies" within inches of the rear bumper

I've seen the exact same thing that thankfully didn't result in an accident. It's a shame the acts of such a small minority make it worse for all of us.

[Snoopy]

My father and I were doing 65 on a two lane with mostly no passing and some gal in an explorer was in a big hurry and kept trying to get around us. We stayed at our speed of 65 (posted limit was 55).  She would get half around us and then not beable to pass so she would slam on the breaks and get behind me again and continued this for a while.  Then she goes on the shoulder and tried passing me on the shoulder a few times.  Upon coming to a stop sign in a small town she pulled up next to us saying we HAD to pull over for her because she has a child in the backseat and was MORE important then us.  My dad got off the bike as did I to see what the hell was going on with her.  My dad and I are 6' 1 and im 280 and he's bigger. So her husband just kinda sank in his seat and she started wanting to call the cops.  Well we exchanged words and we got back on the bike and took off and about 150 ft later we pulled into a gas station and she started to follow. As soon as my dad pulled out his phone to call 911..bam she was gone.

[DesignFlaw06]

I've been saying this for a while.

Cruise control should have been mandatory 25 years ago. This behavior has nothing to do being on a bike or not. It's just simply being at a different speed than the drivers around you. I can't even begin to count the number of times you go out to pass someone and they speed up. Just plain stupid.

And if I come across a situation like this, I figure I don't want to be around it. So I do what I can to just get away from these types of drivers.

[Burgi]

Considering I normally filter up at lights you might think it would be common but it has been rare for me to run into folks that want to "race" me for position off a light (or anywhere else).
On those rare occasions that I have run up on it I easily pull ahead and that is normally the end. If they catch up and want to go faster they pass. I'm going to be ahead of them at the next light anyway. 

[Brittles]

My favorite situation is the asshats at the toll plazas. I frequently cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and driving from the Western Shore to the Eastern Shore 3 or 4 lanes of traffic spread out to go through about 12 toll booths (depending on traffic)........total mayhem. Friend of mine actually got rear ended on his motorcycle awhile back and suffered permanent injuries. After the toll, and approaching the bridge, is like the start of the Indianapolis 500 as 12 lanes are trying to get into 2 and everybody thinks they should be first........again, total mayhem. I just try to keep my cool, but damn if it ain't hard at times.

[green427]

My favorite situation is the asshats at the toll plazas. I frequently cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and driving from the Western Shore to the Eastern Shore

 

Curious, how bad are the crosswinds on the bridge? I thought about making a trip down that way, but a few folks said that riding a bike is nerve-wracking?

[muttstang]

I haven't experienced it with the nighthawk yet (as I haven't ridden it yet)

I did have some kid in an old honda civic hatchback try to race me when I had the 1985 VT500 shadow.  Not all that fast of a bike but it pulled on the civic without breathing hard

[Brittles]

Curious, how bad are the crosswinds on the bridge? I thought about making a trip down that way, but a few folks said that riding a bike is nerve-wracking?

It's fine 98% of the time. There are electronic signs, before you get to the bridge, warning of unsafe conditions.

[rwilli1228]

My favorite situation is the asshats at the toll plazas. I frequently cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and driving from the Western Shore to the Eastern Shore

 

Curious, how bad are the crosswinds on the bridge? I thought about making a trip down that way, but a few folks said that riding a bike is nerve-wracking?

I took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge home from Maryland last August on a 93 CB750.  The winds weren't that bad...not any worse than a wide divided highway in an area with little trees. 

[Brumbie13]

I laugh when people want to race me.

I'm a commuter, I use my bike to get me to where I need to go, that's what I like to do.
I don't have any desire to prove anything to anybody.
I just ride.

When I'm at a stop light, and the light turns green, I usually start out slower than the rest of the cars so that they know I've not no interest in racing them.

When ricers rev their engines, I'll usually look over at them, rev my engine back, then when the light turns green, let them peel out while I slowly proceed.

Good for them if it makes them feel like all the work they put into their car (ie. fartcan, K&N, and empty gauge pods) makes them fast enough to win a race against a bike that (theoretically  ) goes 0-60 in 3.6 seconds.

 

[flynrider]

When I'm at a stop light, and the light turns green, I usually start out slower than the rest of the cars so that they know I've not no interest in racing them.

  About a month ago I had this annoying kid next to me in his slow, fartcan equipped Civic.  I was on a road that I rode everyday and knew that there was about a 90% chance that a cop was hiding in a parking lot about 1/2 mile up the road. 

  The thing I've noticed about these kids is that they get very embarrassed when a bike leaves them in the dust at a light.   To make up for this, they'll almost surely blow by me at 25 mph over, after I've settled at the speed limit.

   When the light turn green, I took off at about half throttle.  More than enough to leave the kid behind.  Then I leveled off at the 45 mph speed limit.  True to form, 5 seconds later the kid blows by me at 70-75 mph, right into the path of the law's radar gun.   I couldn't help flipping up the visor and chuckling as I passed him pulled over on the side of the road.  I'm pretty sure he knew he'd been had 

[piscatorial_phd]

That's fun...

[darian]

This is funny.  I've never had this happen to me on the Nighthawk, but I took my dad's Buell out one day and everyone in town wanted to race me.  It also used to happen when I was 16 and drove a Z28... of course, that lead to a bunch of races and didn't end so great.

[ariwhiteboy]

My buddy and I rode to Savannah one sunny afternoon. ( Me on the CB1000 He was on an RC51 ) Since it was nice all the trailer queens were out tearing up the open road leaving their otherwise menial lives in the wind.  At a stop light this guy on a Victory looked us up and down and peeled out (almost dumped it) when the light turned green.  My buddy looked over at me as if to ask permission but I just shook my head no and we rode off nice and easy.  I guess my point is, sometimes I get more satisfaction knowing I can smoke someone than the actual act.

[drdubb]

My father and I were doing 65 on a two lane with mostly no passing and some gal in an explorer was in a big hurry and kept trying to get around us. We stayed at our speed of 65 (posted limit was 55).  She would get half around us and then not beable to pass so she would slam on the breaks and get behind me again and continued this for a while.  Then she goes on the shoulder and tried passing me on the shoulder a few times.  Upon coming to a stop sign in a small town she pulled up next to us saying we HAD to pull over for her because she has a child in the backseat and was MORE important then us.  My dad got off the bike as did I to see what the hell was going on with her.  My dad and I are 6' 1 and im 280 and he's bigger. So her husband just kinda sank in his seat and she started wanting to call the cops.  Well we exchanged words and we got back on the bike and took off and about 150 ft later we pulled into a gas station and she started to follow. As soon as my dad pulled out his phone to call 911..bam she was gone.

Be glad she didn't pull out something.

I tell kids....you don't what their breaking point is and you don't know what's in their pocket. I bike can't outrun a bullet. It' not always about being right. Sometimes you have to be smart.

[82CB750SC]

Just last week, two guys in a Honda S2000 were tailing me way too close on a two lane road.  I accelerated to put some distance thinking they would get the hint.  I even flashed my brakes.  They stayed permanently up my a** so I pulled over and let them pass.  I jumped back on the road and I got caught behind them doing 10 below speed limit!    

Not much further the road split into four lanes at a red light.  I pulled up next to them because we were the only ones on the road at the time.  I flipped my visor open to say something when the kid in the passenger seat beat me to it...

"Hey man, how fast does you bike go?  It's a honda?  Wanna race?"

I said No Way and put it in neutral, and cross my arms.  The punks, spun tires any way and took off.  I pulled over and got a cup of coffee (sitting where I could see my bike) called a buddy to meet me.  We rode our bikes together the rest of the way home.

Why does this kind of thing happen?  

[Lurfadur]

I think part of the tailgating thing is that some (a lot) of people don't follow the 2-second rule, or they believe you need to be at 2-seconds and not any further back.  When I see someone waaaay up ahead of me I don't accelerate to catch up, I stay my speed.  Some people just want to catch up.

The first couple of years after I learned how to drive I was checking my tires at the local gas station when some kid pulled up along side me.  "Hey, you the guy I'm supposed to race?" he asked.  I was driving a 1989 Subaru wagon that got up to 60mph going down hill and somebody pushing...my answer was "uhhh...wtf?"  After the kid realized I was the wrong person he still asked me to race anyways