Riding Skill Series...

Husky23
Exalted One

Posts: 522

Riding Skill Series... May 23, 2006 9:56:57 GMT -8

Quote

Post by Husky23 on May 23, 2006 9:56:57 GMT -8

Pick your poison and refresh thy two-wheeler mind

Political Compass

Economic Left/Right: +3.08
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: +0.41

FightingFalcon Exalted One Posts: 1,962	Riding Skill Series... May 23, 2006 11:01:21 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by FightingFalcon on May 23, 2006 11:01:21 GMT -8 Looks like I've got my reading material for this weekend
	I am an American Airman Guardian of Freedom And Justice My Nation's Sword And Shield Its Sentry And Avenger I Defend My Country With My Life. -- Airman's Creed

Husky23
Exalted One

Posts: 522

Riding Skill Series... May 23, 2006 12:15:04 GMT -8

Quote

Post by Husky23 on May 23, 2006 12:15:04 GMT -8

Just another commuting day on two wheels.

Ok, I haven’t been on my bike in over 7 days…shitty weather throughout the last work week, and then I took a 4 day weekend and went to NE Tennessee to hang for a few days in a remote cabin on a lake in the Appellation Mountains.

Anyway, Tuesday morning...time to face work and the pile of phone and e-mail traffic I know has built up over my days out. But hey, it a clear morning, a little chillier than I wished but I cannot turn down mounting my wheels.

Its typical DC area commuting traffic at 7 AM but all is smooth although crowded on the various divided highways circling in greater and greater circumferences around the capital. The air is crisp and the rising sun is bright in the eyes as I transit on the divided highway 7100 northbound, pondering the notion that I should have maybe opted for the heated grips for my fingers in my non-leathered sport gloves are feeling the effects of the chill; contracting and feeling tight to movement. I’m again, typically, defensively/aggressively slipping left and right legally through traffic at a slightly faster pace to avoid cager blind spots and get to the front of the pack of the horde of mind numb morning drivers sipping their coffee’s and chatting on their cell phones off to their respective jobs.

I’m nearly at the head of this pack with about a mile spacing between another pack of cagers ahead. I just finished passing the head vehicle in the right hand lane cruising 70+ MPH with a black BMW 5 series abeam me in the other lane to my left. I can see for about 2 miles after cresting the rolling hill with the road beginning its long soft sweeping left-handed down-slope then just after a big wide 4 way intersection beginning another sweeping and slightly banked right-hander. The intersection is about three-quarters of a mile away and the light is green for our traffic with a tractor trailer truck at the intersections left only turn lane awaiting to cross our traffic…he knows he cannot make it and appears to desire to hold. There’s a white car with a few others on the right at the intersection wishing to join our traffic northbound…it’s edging forward little by little as if trying to decide to make the turn or not…hmmmmm. I speed up slightly too about 80 MPH, to put my bike a 3-5 feet in front of the BMW and glance quickly in my mirrors to see how close traffic is on my ass…fair enough distance there. Eyes back to the truck…its gunna hold as now we are rapidly closing the distance to the intersection. Then the white car for some reason makes the turn into my lane about 300 feet in front of me and lazily begins accelerating…fuck’n cagers! I got about 2 to 2.5 seconds; simultaneously, I confirm truck is will not turn (or it will destroy my other escape route), no other dumb ass cagers are going to right turn, rapid downshift twice to 4th gear, snap of the head left to verify the Beemer is clear, roll throttle on, and countersteer positively left to maneuver into the left-hand lane quickly and verifying this dumb-ass wont decide to jump in my lane again as I zip left of her then continue my evasive back to the right wanting to give her front quarter panel a swift kick in passing. Oh well…let it go…it’s such a wonderful morning out.

Last Edit: May 23, 2006 12:18:03 GMT -8 by Husky23

Political Compass

Economic Left/Right: +3.08
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: +0.41

FightingFalcon
Exalted One

Posts: 1,962

Riding Skill Series... May 23, 2006 13:42:15 GMT -8

Quote

Post by FightingFalcon on May 23, 2006 13:42:15 GMT -8

Wow Husky........wow.

I can't believe you ride your bike in DC traffic.....obviously you have tons more experience than me but DC traffic is CRAZY.

Congrats on avoiding almost certain doom. I would have crapped my pants and dropped the bike

I suffer from the same problem though - Jersey is the most densly populated state in the country and so cagers are everywhere. I need to find some wide open curvy roads....I don't think they exist in Jersey though. Maybe somewhere in the southern part....

I am an American Airman
Guardian of Freedom And Justice
My Nation's Sword And Shield
Its Sentry And Avenger
I Defend My Country With My Life.

-- Airman's Creed

Husky23
Exalted One

Posts: 522

Riding Skill Series... May 23, 2006 15:23:35 GMT -8

Quote

Post by Husky23 on May 23, 2006 15:23:35 GMT -8

fightingfalcon said:

I can't believe you ride your bike in DC traffic.....obviously you have tons more experience than me but DC traffic is CRAZY.

Congrats on avoiding almost certain doom. I would have crapped my pants and dropped the bike

I suffer from the same problem though - Jersey is the most densly populated state in the country and so cagers are everywhere. I need to find some wide open curvy roads....I don't think they exist in Jersey though. Maybe somewhere in the southern part....

Ya well traffic can flow at 70-75 (when its not damn near dead stopped)...better to flow at traffic speed, yes?

Even possible greater hazard well below traffic speed.

Yes...sometimes I hate the commute...and go west on the weekends for some country road.

Political Compass

Economic Left/Right: +3.08
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: +0.41

101ABN Administrator "Be just, and fear not." Wm.Shakespeare Posts: 7,791	Riding Skill Series... May 23, 2006 21:34:32 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by 101ABN on May 23, 2006 21:34:32 GMT -8 Good Stuff!
	These are the times that try men's souls." ~ Thomas Paine

Post by Husky23 on May 23, 2006 9:56:57 GMT -8

Post by FightingFalcon on May 23, 2006 11:01:21 GMT -8

Post by Husky23 on May 23, 2006 12:15:04 GMT -8

Post by FightingFalcon on May 23, 2006 13:42:15 GMT -8

Post by Husky23 on May 23, 2006 15:23:35 GMT -8

Post by 101ABN on May 23, 2006 21:34:32 GMT -8