Am I a target?

[derf]

Ever since I nearly got taken out just down the road from TWO I feel like I am a target. First was the Vstrom in GA that came around the corner in my lane, I missed it by a foot or so. Then twice last week I had cars change lanes into my lane. One surprised me completely and I kicked on his door and he shot back into his lane, then earlier this week someone again tried to merge into my lane, but I was able to hit the brakes and let him pass me. Then today just riding down a street some guy pulls out of his driveway forcing me to panic brake as hard as I could not to hit him. I was able to stop in time, but the guy, an older lady just sat in the middle of the street and looked at me like it was my fault

[Dave]

You need to swap exhausts with me. I never have such problems

[Mr Lefty]

I've had two close calls since I've been back... kicked the bike completely sideways once when the rear tire locked up in a panic brake (fuck'n dual sport tires lock up EASY)

hope this shit changes... I'll be on two wheels for a long time to come...

[tached1000rr]

all of us on 2 wheels are targets

[azoomm]

all of us on 2 wheels are targets

I am amazed when people don't believe me when I tell them this...

[Particle Man]

all of us on 2 wheels are targets

Totally. Even to some others on 2 wheels.

[derf]

Totally. Even to some others on 2 wheels.

By far the closest I have ever come to another vehicle that would have really put the hurt on me was the Vstrom leaving TWO. Tigger was behind me and he said I missed it by a foot, I really have no clue, I just remember seeing wheel/headlight and steering away from it hoping I could still dive back and make the turn.

[Mr Lefty]

There did seem to be an a lot of shitty riders up there ( outside our group) this year :no:

[Particle Man]

There did seem to be an a lot of shitty riders up there ( outside our group) this year :no:

It's not just there man. There are a bunch of blind corners and a few switchbacks around here that are part of my commute (okay, I take the long way when I ride :lol:) where there's a bike in my lane coming the other direction at least once per week.

They're almost always in full lean, in shorts, t-shirt, sneakers, gloves, and helmet (:skep:) thinking they are Super GP Rider blowing the line and movin' waaaaaaaaay too fast for conditions and/or rider skill level.

Not sure about there, but what seems to have happened here is that a ton of people bought new bikes a couple years back when gas prices were sky-high. They then kept the bike for a year and sold it either because A) they didn't really use it, B) they used it, had a close call, and scared the crap out of themselves, C) it was what everyone else was doing at the time, D) their wives told them to, or E) some combination of A, B, C, and D. (There are also those who lost their jobs as a result of the economy and had to sell their bikes because of that)

As a result, in the past couple years the market has been flooded with a bunch of cheap used sportbikes (some with crazy low miles and some fairly current models to boot) so the young squids can drop a little cash and get an almost new litre bike or other fairly large displacement bike.

As a side-effect, this is the main reason I stopped going to bike nights around here. You can now count on at least 6 state troopers nearby pulling everyone over for just about anything because the super-squid population is pissing everyone off. You can also count on at least one or two drunk riders racing through the twisties and wrapping themselves around a tree or another vehicle.

[Uma]

It's not just there man. There are a bunch of blind corners and a few switchbacks around here that are part of my commute (okay, I take the long way when I ride :lol:) where there's a bike in my lane coming the other direction at least once per week.

They're almost always in full lean, in shorts, t-shirt, sneakers, gloves, and helmet (:skep:) thinking they are Super GP Rider blowing the line and movin' waaaaaaaaay too fast for conditions and/or rider skill level.

Not sure about there, but what seems to have happened here is that a ton of people bought new bikes a couple years back when gas prices were sky-high. They then kept the bike for a year and sold it either because A) they didn't really use it, B) they used it, had a close call, and scared the crap out of themselves, C) it was what everyone else was doing at the time, D) their wives told them to, or E) some combination of A, B, C, and D. (There are also those who lost their jobs as a result of the economy and had to sell their bikes because of that)

As a result, in the past couple years the market has been flooded with a bunch of cheap used sportbikes (some with crazy low miles and some fairly current models to boot) so the young squids can drop a little cash and get an almost new litre bike or other fairly large displacement bike.

As a side-effect, this is the main reason I stopped going to bike nights around here. You can now count on at least 6 state troopers nearby pulling everyone over for just about anything because the super-squid population is pissing everyone off. You can also count on at least one or two drunk riders racing through the twisties and wrapping themselves around a tree or another vehicle.

Truth.

[Mr Lefty]

Yeah to be honest... (I even posted a thread last year about it) I find my self shying away from most motorcyclists (really cruisers and sport bikers)because there are so many idiots out there. I ride my own ride, wave to all (that I see), but with the exception of with those of this forum... ride alone. I'll shoot the shit with anyone who comes up... but I don't initiate conversations anymore... the vast majority of them end with me thinking... fuck another idiot.

I have changed my tune a little when it comes to dualsport and Touring riders... cause lets be honest... no one rides a dual sport or tourer because it's sexy or looks bad ass! (even with a pink cock on it) so they're USUALLY a bit more focused on RIDING (though there are those that get DS's because they can be a hooligan bike and they're cheep in town transportation) but for the most part (in my limited experience since changing my stance) they seem to be sources of good conversation and stories...

but the mainstay of bikes down here are the stretched out busa's and cruisers... may be stereotyping... but I just don't go out of my way to talk to them... and interesting enough, they don't give me the time of day on the DRZ... :lol:

[Smittie61984]

Nah. We Georgia folks just hate you New Jersey types.

The Loop is fun but in the summer time all the flip flop wearing douchebag stunting throttle jockeys from Atlanta come up along with the weekend warrior badass harley guys who get drunk in Helen (a fake German town) then cruise around and try to race those "ricer burners" through off camber torn up roadway sharp turns.

The real fun was when they first put the tar snakes down on GA60.

[LeeNetworX]

The real fun was when they first put the tar snakes down on GA60.

:lol

I remember when this was the talk of the local boards for some time.

[101lifts2]

People aren't trying to target you, it's just "traffic" and your a dot in comparison to a car.

You guys need to spend a few years in California splitting and sharing lanes with cars. We will realize that you only need 3 feet to clear cars. I constantly have people turning into my lane, panic braking etc. etc. You just move over and share the lane with the car. I do it so causually now that it doesn't bother me at all. Most cars just don't see you because you create a large blind spot or you're traveling much faster than the flow. Instead of trying to stop behind the car who panic stops, think of way to go around it. It is much easier on a bike to swerve, then to try to stop behind a car who locks up the brakes. Granted this takes alot of simple reactionary experience to go around it instead of stopping behind it.