.... motorcycle safety?
 

Seems like you really need to look twice for a possible motorcycle coming your way when going from side road to main road. Seems like the support columns in your car between the windshield and the side doors have become a lot wider with the addition of the side column air bags, and your line of sight has a larger blind spot than in older cars without side column air bags.

Just say'n ..... had a close call about a week ago....and it got me thinking how I never even saw the motorcycle.....but fortunately....he saw me and nothing happened..... but it was a close call.

The cars I have owned lately have a more sloped windshield. The A pillar is angled in such a way as to obscure my view of smaller things like bikes, peds and motos.

I suppose the wind tunnel and quest for greater mpg's will continue this trend.

Moving my head sise to side to see better has become a new habit.

When riding I consider each vehicle waiting to enter from a side road and each in the opposing direction waiting to turn to their left.

While I glance at the driver, the vehicle front wheel tells the story. For the side street driver a front wheel starting to rotate and I am ready on the brakes. For the opposing direction driver waiting to turn to their left, front wheel turning left means going right now. So I brake right now as they turn in front of me and suddenly see me. Ride to live.

Always assume they can't see you

Bottom line when on the bike................you have to be on top of your game. 100% focused. You have a day you wake up and don't feel 100% leave the bike the home. First rule I taught my son and still mention it to the day.

They've had these stickers (or similar) for many years. So true. I do, always. You're instinctively looking for a car with the left and right glance. Maybe it's just my eyes but many times I don't see a bike until the second look so I have learned the habit of always doing the second check. I admit as I'm older now,
I'll take a third check especially down town to make sure there isn't a pedestrian crossing out of my line of vision. So always "check again." You may save a life.

I agree, I'm currently teaching my 2nd (and final) kid to drive. He and his brother drove dirt bikes and atv's for a while, so they get the concept all right. I'm trying to get them took look at the other driver's face, you'll see right away if they're paying attention or not. They both want bikes, We are shutting that down Immediately, As long as they're in school or college, & reliant on us, we have the power. Of course they know I had a bike at 16 so I'm a complete hypocrite. I can live with that.

Question
 

I followed 2 bikes for quite a while yesterday. One guy was riding right on the yellow line, basically requiring an oncoming vehicle to move over. Seems like a death wish to me. Why do they ride like this?

As a life long rider, I dont know. If you cant ride side by side without riding the line, you shouldn't be riding that way.

None Harmed, but an Uncomfortable "Close Call"...
 

Turning onto a main road, I had ample time to pull in front of a pickup truck, who had his headlights-on "for safety". What I hadn't seen was the motorcycle in front of him, whose one headlight had visually displaced the left headlight of the tailgating pickup truck.

:eek:

Ever notice the driving "style" of motorists displaying this bumper sticker?

:rolleye1:

http://winnipesaukee.com/forums/atta...1&d=1463759455


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Twice yesterday I saw Harley guys texting (or reading text) going about 50mph on 102 in Londonderry. That stretch is very dangerous if you're doing everything correct.

To be real clear, you were the driver who did not see the motorcycle in front of the truck. The bumper sticker is aimed at you.

Bikes are great fun but I won't allow my kids to ride them nor will I ever ride a bike again. The advent of cell phones has made riding a bike way too dangerous in my opinion. The risk reward no longer makes sense. Just say no to bikes.

It's not just car drivers that are not paying attention. All too often I am tailgated by bikes while I'm working. The blind spots on trucks are huge and very easy for bikes to fit into and the driver has no idea they are there. I watched one get on the highway behind me and promptly disappear. After a corner and the sun was at the right angle I could see the shadow of the bike and rider, who was about 20 feet from the back of the trailer.

He Without Sin...
 

​​​•​ At 17, I bought a bike, and immediately upon learning of it, my folks bought me a car! :o

"Just say 'bike'"? ;)

​​​•​ The above warning is justified. This winter, my NH-seacoast neighbor trailered a new bike to his Florida place, looked around and decided, "Too much alcohol, too much dope, I'm selling this bike, though I enjoy riding it".

​​​•​ Funny, I thought the bumper sticker was aimed at all of us—although seemingly not including the truck it's on. Those with that bumper sticker are most often poor-handling trucks or vans with the usual habits of following too closely and "cutting off" others after passing.

The irony is rich.

:rolleye2:

​​​•​ As a passenger, with a neighbor driving, we had a very close call simply by pulling out onto a quiet two-lane highway at the exact moment a biker did the same thing from the opposite side. The Toyota's "A-pillar" was a modern wide one, and blocked the dirt bike. It was to have been a head-on collision, if the front seat passenger hadn't yelled,
"STOP! STOP!", we would have had the helmetless biker through our windshield. It was the closest call with a biker I've ever been witness to.

:eek:

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You
 

Funny, I thought the bumper sticker was aimed at all of us—although seemingly not including the truck it's on. Those with that bumper sticker are most often poor-handling trucks or vans with the usual habits of following too closely and "cutting off" others after passing.
In this case it seems as though it was aimed at you who did not see the motorcycle.
What kind of poor handling truck or van do you drive? Be nice to know so those on bikes can keep a look out!

That is beyond stupid............those guys will someday get whats coming to them.