Relations w/ motorcyclists

[Darkcyd]

What kind of relations do you have on the road with motorcyclists? I'm a rather big fan of sport bikes and still hope that one is in my future. Usually when I am on the road and I notice one approaching in between lanes, I will pull over to give them more room. Recently I've been given peace signs as they pass or a thumbs up. Anyone else have these kinds of experiences? How do you react to motorcyclists? Any difference in attitude towards Harleys and cruisers?

 

[MvM]

No matter what car I'm in, I always make room for motorcycles. For the rest, motorcycles and I seem to get along very well.
Last Sunday, I was at a traffic-light when a motorcycle came up. I was in front and moved left to give him room. He pulled up to the light and gave me a thumbs up. He had a female buddy with him. When the light changed we both jumped. Of course he was faster but the difference wasn't that big.
Last night I was driving (quick) on the highway and this motorcycle (also with buddy) overtook me on the right side and then held back. I pulled up next to him. At a right turn we were both behind a slow truck doing about 55mph. I switched to third. As soon as the truck moved over we both jumped at it again. The bike overtook me at first but around 120mph I was gaining fast on him. Around 140 he held back and took an exit. We both exchanged thumbs up and I resumed more normal driving speeds.
It's my experience that my NSX is (of course) no match for the average bike from zero but a high speeds (> 120mph) the difference is much much smaller. I don't know much about bikes but how does the suspension on a bike hold up at high speeds on a normal highway. And how much difference does having two people on a bike make?

 

[MAJOR STONER]

I am a rider, and I give sport bikes all the room they want and more. Harleys are another matter, completely. The pass me too close, or give an extra large blip of the trottle, and I run them, and remind them how slow they are.

 

[nsxxtreme]

And how much difference does having two people on a bike make?

Huge difference

 

[Biaggi]

I give all bikes the same respect, unless they start acting ignorant/stupid/wreckless. In those cases, I either let them go ahead or I blast away from them and keep my distance.

Sport bikers usually give me the thumbs up and try to push me, but I mainly cruise because of avoiding tickets- especially being in a high profiled RED sports car whilke riding next to a sport bike.

But it's all fun, because I had been on both sides of the fence. I remember when my buddies in DC were riding together and we tried to play with a Ferrrari, but the most fun was when we were on the back roads of VA heading to the Shannandoah mountains and a single engine propeller plane was racing above us about 200 ft in the air. We had a blast with him for atleast the 30 minutes of backroads we raced through.... ;-D



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Biaggi
92 Red NSX #483
94 CBR900RR

 

[myf16]

Sometimes the Harley riders hog the road. Most are nice, and will return a wave.

Sportbikers are almost always courteous, but sometimes they are not safe. Like the one who almost ate my front bumper by cutting a blind apex in the center of my lane. He somehow managed to miss me and keep the bike upright, while my anti-lock brakes did their job.

 

[myf16]

Also let me insert a plug for www.pashnit.com, which is a Sacramento sportbiker's amazing compilation of California back roads. He also has a very long article describing a road trip to Alaska (on a non-sport bike). And you thought we were nuts...


[This message has been edited by myf16 (edited 11 July 2002).]

 

[nsxtasy]

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[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 11 July 2002).]

 

[cbr600]

I have a Honda CBR600. I have always been as friendly as possible to other drivers or motorcyclists. Most drivers stay away from me as far as possible. However, there are always some bad drivers out there that you just can't avoid no matter you are on the bike or in the car. Under normal circumstance, a decent sport bike will outrun almost any cars from 0 - 100. I remember a car magazine did a test one time, a Kawasaki 900CC finished 0 - 100 - 0 and the fastest car in the test, Porsche 911 turbo had not even reached 100 yet.

Personally, I think a motorcyclist needs a lot of guts to go beyond 120 MPH. Over 120 MPH wind is nerve breaking. I feel more secure and comfortable in the car. However, riding a motorcycle is always exciting.

 

[Michigan NSX]

Originally posted by Darkcyd:
... Usually when I am on the road and I notice one approaching in between lanes, I will pull over to give them more room...

IN BETWEEN LANES!! That's when I would open my door! I give motorcycles the same respect I give other vehicles on the road, but if they want to break the rules (driving between lanes, using the shoulder, etc...) then they get what they get.

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'91 Black/Black

 

[myf16]

In California (probably different from other states in this respect), lane-splitting is legal. This is one of the very few laws that actually values time savings over risk. It is the obligation of the second vehicle in the lane to leave room for the first, but the driver of the first vehicle would be responsible if he caused an accident unnecessarily. On a crowded freeway, you really need to watch your blind spot for motorcycles before changing lanes.

 

[Michigan NSX]

Originally posted by myf16:
In California (probably different from other states in this respect), lane-splitting is legal. .

Thanks for the update...but that's just NUTS!! What's next? Hummers get 1 & 1/2 lanes, Porsches get 3/4 of a lane?


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'91 Black/Black

 

[tmeekins]

It's LEGAL???!! Dang, this happens to me about once a month, and I just figured that the CA motorcyclists were just nuts. I grew up where it's illegal and assumed it was illegal everywhere. It freaks me out when I'm doing 75 mph on the freeway along-side another car, and suddenly a bike appears between us. If I even flinched when they go by I'd probably hit them. Oh, I've had the CHP split lanes on me once at 55mph.



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Tim Meekins
1997 Yellow NSX-T
http://tmeekins.com

 

[nsxxtreme]

IN BETWEEN LANES!! That's when I would open my door! I give motorcycles the same respect I give other vehicles on the road, but if they want to break the rules (driving between lanes, using the shoulder, etc...) then they get what they get.

If you were joking or just venting your frustration then cool. But if you would purposely try to injure someone because they broke the rules then you have issues. Purposely trying to hurt someone because they did something you didn't like is not cool. Regardless to who was wrong. People on bikes do not have the luxury of having a dinged door or damaged fender. Personally I hate it when I see people do this. I think they are the ones that need to be removed from the road.

[This message has been edited by nsxxtreme (edited 11 July 2002).]

 

[NSXY]

Yes, lane sharing/splitting by motorcycles is legal in CA.

I get a thumbs up from virtually every "cafe' racer" I see in the mountains. They seem to identify with drivers who are obviously out to enjoy the roads... When they come up behind me, I move over to give enough room to pass.

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NSXY
95 NSX-T, 5 sp, Red/Tan, Tubi exhaust, Dali street anti-sway bars, Dunlop SP9000s

 

[Hiroshima]

I like to give bikes room, and go out of my way to do so. Lane splitting as I understand it is only legal when traffic is going less than 25 mph. I do not ride bikes so I may be misinformed but lane splitting @ 75 is definately illegal seeing as how it is above any CA speed limit I am aware of.

Since I have grown up in CA I am used to lane splitters so don't mind them at all. I only mind when they get way too close or when they do it at stop lights where the line is short.

About the Harley crowd,... for the most part they are just noise makers. JMO.

One occasion I was at a stoplight on surface streets behind two Harleys and an american muscle car. They were revving on each other so I figured I would join the fun. I could not make the jump since if I got a good jump on the light and the bikes did not (I was behind the bikes) I would over-run them and that would not be good. They probably had 2-3 car lengths on me before I took off (gently) I caught up with them so fast I had to get on my brakes! I honestly thought they were faster than that???...

Most of my exeperice with the Harley crowd is that they like exhausts that make a REALLY loud popping note. They like to rev on surface streets where there is usually lots of foot traffic, and they like to get next to you with your window open on the freeway and jump on it. Scares the be-jesus out of me when I don't see them. And this has happend MANY times. I honestly was minding my own business and just zone'n.

How loud do you think those things are? Are they legal???

Sport bikes many have mentioned are almost always positive and cool. Same goes for the Gold Wing crowd.

 

[Slingshot]

Originally posted by MvM:
It's my experience that my NSX is (of course) no match for the average bike from zero but a high speeds (> 120mph) the difference is much much smaller. I don't know much about bikes but how does the suspension on a bike hold up at high speeds on a normal highway. And how much difference does having two people on a bike make?

I guess I am qualified in answering since I have had a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R Sportbike, a Harley-Davidson Softail, and the NSX all at the same time. First, the Ninja is 150 MPH in the quarter and 194 MPH top end; I have had the Ninja up to 165 MPH indicated alone, and felt more confident than in the NSX at 150 MPH, or the Harley at 90 MPH (80 MPH in the quarter and 110 MPH top end). Outside of the concern factor for safety, I noticed very little difference in a straight line with a passenger on either bike. Acceleration and twisties is a different story with a passenger on the Ninja, and twisties is always a confidence crusher on the Harley. All biker's are grateful for any recognition/consideration a cager gives them on the street and you will have gained a friend for life.

 

[John C]

I own a VFR 800fi Honda Interceptor, technically it's a sport cruiser, but 0 - 60 in 2.9 seconds...those bars are there for you to hang on. Objects in mirror become small very quickly.
I've raced several types of cars at 100+, as long as you have the riding ability and understand your motorcycle and its limitations, your only gonna lose do to fatigue.
Splitting lanes? You are asking to be spam in a can. A fender bender in car will send you to the body shop, on a bike, it's either to the hospital or worse.
Most cars are very respectful and courteous, but the worst offenders are soccer moms on the cell phone in their Ford "Excuse"/monster van doing 5 mph below the speed limit in the left most lane of a four lane highway...IMHO.
P.S. I'm trying to sell the bike to help fund the impending NSX purchase, wish I could keep both, but insurance alone would be monstrous.

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...And ever and anon the wolf would steal
The children and devour, but now and then,
Her own brood lost or dead, lent her fierce teat
To human sucklings; and the children, housed
In her foul den, there at their meat would growl,
And mock their foster-mother on four feet,
Till, straighten'd, they grew up to wolf-like men,
Worse than the wolves...
Lord Tennyson

 

[huckster]

i used to ride harleys; my most recent was a 91fxrsp. its been five years since my baby was stolen from me back in stlouis. Anyway, i was fairly deep into the culture and would like to clear up some misunderstandings;

drag pipes or lightly baffled pipes are considered to be the best way to warn motorists that the biker is there---and most importantly it diminishes the likliehood of bambi meeting the front fender. So LOUD pipes are justified.

lane splitting is for the outlaws and idiots. most bikers dont do this intentionally, except for see above. i didnt know it was legal in california but would bet my nsx it is speed regulated(if it is even legal at all).

every biker i met, and i knew some right out of the hollywood stereotype, had brothers who had been wiped out by cagers who just didnt see them, or maybe they did in some cases. i knew very well a women whose husband was run off the road, and he threw her off the bike with his arm as they went down. she survived, he didnt. she was convinced that the truck caused the accident intentionally.

lastly, i expect that the 'they get what they deserve' comment be retracted and apologized for, or clarified. Yes, idiots lane splitting INTENTIONALLY at 55mph plus are asking for an accident. I personally have lane split at 75mph on a freeway, UNintentionally. on four lanes, i had a semi box me in next to another semi. i had no choice but to brake or accelerate out of the situation. i could have touched either semi with my hands. i DID touch the semi that swerved over on me and took my lane.

So please understand that the motorcycle culture in general doesnt ride stupidly, but very very defensively. the cagers are the stupid drivers. and the harley or cruiser culture in general doesnt have the sport bike 'racing' attitude. the harley segment trys to 'live' to ride among the cagers. i mean, hey, have you ever tried to go over 100mph on a harley??? its not what theyre designed for.

to the person who made the 'they get what they deserve' comment, this is not an attack on you. i've made my share or misplaced comments and the occasional stupid comment. just clarify what you meant, or apologize for the comment if it was in fact unclarifiably stupid.

peace and SAFE motoring to everyone, especially those who need it most...

 

[Michigan NSX]

Originally posted by huckster:
...lastly, i expect that the 'they get what they deserve' comment be retracted and apologized for, or clarified..

I can't retract that comment because I never said it. There is a world of difference between people getting what they deserve (which I did not say) and getting what they get (which I did say).

Here is the clarification: If someone breaks the rules (in Michigan-lane splitting is illegal as is passing on the shoulder, etc...) then they get whatever happens to them. In my opinion the above is reckless driving and has all the risks associated with it. This is "getting what you get" (sometimes you win, sometimes you lose). Losing your license and being fined heavily would be "getting what you deserve" (note that I didn't say crashing and being hurt - I don't wish injury on anyone).

I have no problems with motorcyclists (as I stated in my previous post) as long as they are not engaged in dangerous driving (and I don't necessarily consider 10-15 mph over the limit dangerous - it's lane splitting and shoulder riding I'm talking about).

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'91 Black/Black

[This message has been edited by Michigan NSX (edited 12 July 2002).]

 

[nsxtasy]

I was poking around the California DMV website to verify the rules about lane-splitting. The only reference I could find in the California Driver Handbook was here, where it says, "Although it is not illegal to share lanes with motorcycles, it is unsafe."

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 12 July 2002).]

 

[ChopsJazz]

I was disappointed to read this entire thread and not see anything about having relations with motercyclists! Personally, if they're not too skanky, I'd have relations with them!

 

[MvM]

ChopsJazz
The question was about relationship on the road (emphasis).
Personally, I'm not that much into leather anyway but I see your point ;-)

 

[Darkcyd]

Wow, I didn't expect for the discussion to turn in this direction. It IS in fact legal to lane-split in California as is for motorcycles to use the carpool lanes. Freeways in California were designed with a width to accomodate a car and a motorcycle at the same time. I was actually surprised to find that it is NOT legal to lane-split in other states. =) Because I have friends who ride and I have long sought to get a bike myself, I know that riders are taught to drive extremely defensively. I would venture to say that most are courteous and safe. You would be too if you and the bumper were synonymous. =P Very seldom is it that I see a biker use the shoulder or lane-split in an unsafe manner, although I do see it occasion. Much more frequent would be the drivers (or cagers if u please) who shouldn't be on the road for various reasons.

IMO, although cruisers may like to justify their loud pipes as safety precautions, I think the majority of the non-cruising population still considers them horribly obnoxious sounding and irking. Especially when they rev for no reason.

In any case, the bike culture is growing and we're just going to have to learn to live and play together. =)

 

[lemansnsx]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
I was poking around the California DMV website

The CHP site says:
Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible but must be done in a safe and prudent manner.



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Andrew Henderson
The NSX Model List Page

"We have long acknowledged that enthusiasm for things automotive is a sure
sign of emotional instability if not outright dementia" - Brock Yates