People who ignore you on the road.

It's a sad commentary on life that people on the road can be so self absorbed that your safety (and even their own) comes in a distant second to their convenience, vanity, contempt, or downright prejudice. I've seen minor examples so many times that I just expect it from other drivers, but I've experienced three outstanding examples of that behavior while commuting on my Nomad. They just stick out in my mind of how people should NOT act behind the wheel, and I feel the need to recount them.

The first involved a yuppie woman in a new upscale SUV. Hey, she's rich so the world is her oyster, right? We both get to a 4-way stop sign over in Yuppieville, and we both stop at the same instant. I have the right of way in this case, but she doesn't want to know that. Instead, she pretends not to see me. She looks straight, she looks the other way, she avoids looking my way (the direction that by law she must yield) and then she starts to pull out a microsecond after I do. I know she's going to do it because I could tell she was pointedly avoiding a look in my direction, so I simply lurch forward about 2 feet and slam on the brakes plus lay on the horn soundly. Now she's still trying not to see me! I see her head twitch, and she really hesitates before she actually looks in my direction but she does. My horn has broken through to her. When she finally does look it is with a gaze of utter contempt and hostility. How DARE I have the right of way? How DARE I honk at her accusingly when she clearly NEVER SAW ME THERE! The whole unsavory business is clearly my fault because I'm just a slimeball biker, too stupid to realize she had every right not to see me, and I obviously ignored that fact.

The second event involved a lady I've seen many times on my daily commute. She's a few years older than me and drives a beautiful, older, low mileage Sedan de Ville. This woman drives like she's the only car on the road, and the rest of us are just inanimate objects, like traffic cones, to be dodged idly (or not!) as she chooses. She's probably been getting away with this behavior for a long time, because she is so blatant at it. The road we daily cruise is 3 lanes each way, and she is clearly under the impression that they all belong to her.

One day I happen to casually pass this woman in traffic. This is a first, because she usually drives well over the speed limit, but that day there was enough traffic to prevent her speeding. Somewhere after the next traffic light, she catches up with me. She's in the left lane and I'm in the middle as she overtakes me. The car ahead of her slows, and she has to back off a little. I overtake her and pass. She speeds up again until I'm riding just off her right front bumper and I'm watching out because I know this idiot well by now.

She doesn't disappoint me either, as she decides she's been behind another car long enough, and just starts changing into my lane like I'm not even there. She just ignores my existence entirely! Fortunately I never ignore anything, and I get the hell out of her way before she can punt my bike right into the slow lane. I scream and shake my fist, but to no avail as she simply continues to deny my existence and drives blithely onward.

I used to see this woman frequently, but not lately. Perhaps she dodged in front of a truck that ignored her, or more likely simply couldn't avoid her idiocy in time.

The third involved a guy on a Harley. Definitely a Rubbie and no 1% type at all. Now Fresno is (I'll say it again) A Harley town. I see 1 Nomad here for every 100 Harleys. Still, most everyone is friendly and wants to wave, or nod at you. They at least look at you.

This guy didn't. Not only that, but when he approached close enough to realize that I was not on a Harley (!), he didn't simply develop tunnel vision. He seemed clearly insulted that he'd been tricked into almost looking at this Jap bike that was only a vain attempt to mimic a Harley, and therefore get waved at by the truly cool Harley guys. Suddenly something in the empty parking lot to his right became very interesting and he turned away so he wouldn't have to see me. At least, based on the precise timing of everything, that's how I saw it. The unfortunate thing was that, while pointedly ignoring me, he also ignored the car that slowed suddenly right in front of him, and he did not look back quite in time to avoid hitting the back of it.

As I rode on I could see him picking his bike up, so he evidently survived without serious injury. Hopefully he learned something that day, because it was surely an expensive lesson that came his way.

[ronnie]

Four of us were riding the blue ridge parkway, about 2 weeks ago.....I was in the lead that day... Here we go, just riding along, about 45 mph, and, all the sudden, this young girl just cuts across my lane, in front of me, to get into one of the overlooks... I had to lay down on both brakes to miss hitting her. I got a glimpse of her passenger, and her eyes were big as saucers.....A couple of my friends wanted to go back and tell her about it, but, I thought we'd better leave it alone....ronnie

[rewindgy]

I shouldn't laugh - but I do!!! I love it when an H.D. guy waves to me then figures out that the bike he waved to is actually a Ricer - then I get the well you shouldn't put a Harley Fairing / Lowers and Trunk on your Jap bike! at which I say it's not genuine Harley Doodleson it's Premuix from Quebec - only the Trunk rack / rail / windshield / mufflers / front fork deflector & passenger grab rails are H.D. !!!!

[racinchef]

It is too true what you say CMQ. Many times we have to keep our emotions in check and ride the more difficult road because of our vulnerability and a negative reputation. Perhaps, a viable recourse is to equip our bikes with air horns (like these)
[flash=350,287:c2qm5sxy]http://www.youtube.com/v/zTNlIH7OXAU&hl=en&fs=1[/flash:c2qm5sxy]
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[schoeney]

Maybe I will stop waving at Harley guys.....since they are just trying to imitate Kawasaki's

But they still haven't made them as reliable!

[superduty]

As dangerous as it is, I think when I saw the snob coming again, I'd take both hands off the bars and wave them over my head.

Makes me sounds like an old fogey, but it seems that courtesy is totally dead any more. I stopped to pick up the Sunday paper yesterday at a local gas station. Was backing my truck out of the parking space. I had limited visibility off to my right, but could see at least two pumps down there was no one coming. I was more than half way out when someone who had since left the pumps pulled right up behind me and just laid on the horn continuously. Not a "Hey, someone's back here" but a "How dare you make me wait even one second ". 99% of the time I would have stopped or pulled back in, but my temper got the best of me and I continued backing out to within inches of their bumper. Then slowly pulled foward and left the lot. All the time with them continuously on the horn.

Racinchef, I can't seem to find a flat surface large enough to put those on my bike.

Originally Posted by superduty

As dangerous as it is, I think when I saw the snob coming again, I'd take both hands off the bars and wave them over my head....

I haven't seen him on the road since AFAICT. After he wadded up his bike his wife probably made him sell it.

As for the courtesy thing? It is pretty dead. Once in a while people will surprise me and do something really nice. It's never someone in a yuppiemobile though. This is why yuppies are all against concealed weapons. Their manners would get them shot at.

[skeeter]

Every time I travel thru Austin, somebody tries to run over me. Today was no exception.
A lady ramping onto the freeway talking on her cell phone proceeds to cross the line. I had to lay on the horn and there was nowhere to go. She acknowledged me but never hung up.

[racinchef]

Originally Posted by caddmannq

Racinchef, I can't seem to find a flat surface large enough to put those on my bike.

Sorry, you were being serious, but can you imagine the reaction people would have when you sound these off right beside them. They'd still be crapping in their pants while you nonchalantly pull ahead.

Originally Posted by skeeter

Every time I travel thru Austin, somebody tries to run over me. Today was no exception.
A lady ramping onto the freeway talking on her cell phone proceeds to cross the line. I had to lay on the horn and there was nowhere to go. She acknowledged me but never hung up.

Here we have clear proof that cell phones cause brain damage. Next we'll have people getting away with murder because they were suffering from the psychological effects of cell phone deprivation.

[jussmatt]

CQ...like you, I commute on my Nomad....to the tune of about 200 miles a day. I see ALL KINDS of stupidity, so I know what you mean. For the most part, I haven't had any issues with waving. It might just be a Texas thing, but people around these parts are usually pretty friendly. Every now and then, I'll come across a "Snoobie" or something and I usually just give them the "1 Finger Wave"!!! LOL!

As for the cager idiots...they're EVERYWHERE!!! I've been cut off, ignored, and damn near run over....but like you, I do my best to pay attention and observe everything cause I know they're sure as hell not!!! Where I find that I usually run into the biggest idiots is on the "highway" and not the back roads.

Regardless....of who's got the right of way, we're the ones who would come up on the loosing end in a tangle with a cage, so everybody, be safe out there and watch out for the idiots!!!

[Yellow Jacket]

Originally Posted by racinchef

Sorry, you were being serious, but can you imagine the reaction people would have when you sound these off right beside them. They'd still be crapping in their pants while you nonchalantly pull ahead.

Bruce, I loved the video of the train horns on the trucks! Man, I wish it were possible to put one of those on a bike. It wouldn't cure the stupidity we encounter on the road but the heart attacks we could cause might diminish the amount!

[jussmatt]

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

Bruce, I loved the video of the train horns on the trucks! Man, I wish it were possible to put one of those on a bike. It wouldn't cure the stupidity we encounter on the road but the heart attacks we could cause might diminish the amount!

I've got the next best thing on mine...the Stebile Air Horn!! It's not a train horn, but it sure get's their attention!!! Not to mention beating the hell out of the stock horn! Well worth the investment people!!

I loved the video too, actually. We've been goofing around the office playing those train-horn-on-a-car videos and cracking up pretty good.

I do have this big electric trumpet I though about putting on the Nomad, but it's not chromed.

It's a 6 volt monster from a '48 Chrysler and when you run it on 12 volts that thing is loud as hell.