Commuting: The strange. The Odd. And the FUN

As long as you don't mind the PoS quitting about 6 weeks after you install it...even sooner if you even think about riding anywhere near any water or mud (regardless of how well you position it).

Had 2 fail under warranty. They simply won't last on an ADV bike that's actually used in wet and dirty conditions.

Did you run a hose from the intake up and under the tank and mount it upright with the two horns pointing down in a place where the front wheel can't throw mud and water on it?

Don't forget those damn spinning rims. Glad to see their popularity is declining.

Yeah, now they're being replaced with the 22 and 24 inch rims....though now that putting spinners on THOSE is getting cheaper, they're becoming a little bit more common. At least in my part of the neighborhood, which...isn't a good part of the neighborhood.

Up here, they used to kill each other for their sneakers. Now they do it for "rims". It was a busy weekend, 17 shot, 7 dead in Detroit.......

People killing people for such arbitrary things. And they think that they're significant in this world.

I like the "Rent to Own" wheel shop on one of my regular routes. :huh

nothing like $3,000 worth of wheels and tires on a $1,000 car.

Buddy of mine flipped a couple cars, but it took him a bit to figure out how to get them to sell.

He would buy something in half-way decent shape, do some body works, change fluids, and generally clean the thing up.

But the cars wouldn't sell. Until someone suggested he put the gaudiest rims he could find on it. The car was then gone the same day he listed it, and the buyer didn't even want the original wheels and tires. I forget the numbers, But he MORE than covered the cost of the cheapest big wheels he could find.

Had a motorcyclist pull out in front of me yesterday on my ride home. I was traveling down a busy four-lane road (two lanes in each direction with a double yellow) right after work. I was in the left lane and saw him at a stop sign to my right, about to enter the roadway, up a ways. As I typically do when I see someone that might be entering, or making an oncoming left, I do a little lateral movement SMIDSY thing. He appeared to be looking right at me, but I didn’t want to assume he was. So, he pulls from the stop sign into the right-most lane, pretty slow going as I’m approaching. I’m watching both oncoming traffic and him, while in the left side of my lane to stay out of the oil in the middle of the lane and give him room in his lane. Then, he makes a slow long diagonal across his lane and into mine, with no signal, and then stops completely across most of my lane waiting for traffic so he can continue across to a grocery store parking lot. At this point we’re pretty close, as I’m going roughly the speed limit. I made a little swerve to the right and around him, trying to stay mostly in my lane due to traffic. It wasn’t overly dramatic, but closer than I ever want to get to someone riding on the street.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o> </o>
After thinking about it, at no point do I think he heard or saw me. He was an older guy, with an open face helmet, riding an older bike. I think if I was driving a Mack truck he still wouldn’t have seen or heard me and he pulled right across my path and stopped. The way he was angled didn’t present his front or rear lights to traffic as they were diagonal to traffic. So I wondered about traffic behind me seeing him well enough, but they probably saw him come across the lane(s). It was a weird thing to see someone basically pull across a lane and stop, especially considering the road and time of day (closest thing we have to rush hour).<o></o>
<o> </o>
I picture him driving a big old car 25mph in a 35mph zone not knowing there are other cars all around him.

Ugh, I hate that type of rider. I tend to give too much trust to other riders, but I'm starting to knock it out.

A few weeks ago I was riding with my uncle on a 2 lane road, and we were stuck behind two minivans and a car I think. Here comes Hardly Ableson behind us, tailgating the crap out of me. No gear, no baffles. You know the type. We're coming up to the next road we need to go on, and put on our left blinkers. One of the minivans ahead also is turning left. The minivan turns...my uncle turns....I begin to move over to the right side of the lane so I can make a wide and smooth turn onto the road, when all of a sudden I hear the moron revving up his engine, and he zooms past me on the right. Ugh.

I think I've told this other one before, but I saw another big cruiser (probably a Hardly, not because Hardly riders are idiots, but because idiot riders mostly ride Hardlys) coming down the oncoming lane on a long and straight two lane road. As I'm approaching I notice that he's slowing down, but think nothing of it, and instinctively stick out my left hand to wave. The second my hand came off of the grip, his left blinker came on, and by time my hand was sticking out he wasbeginning to turn left in front of me....and I guess when he saw my hand for the wave, he locked his rear (luckily straightened the bike up first) and skidded forward in his lane. Moron. Now I have to SMIDSY for other riders >,>.

You should not have moved to the right in your lane. Slow down enough to make the turn tighter. You're lucky he didn't try to pass you on the left as you were turning.

"SMIDSY" is not the thing you do to get someone's attention, it's the type of wreck that happens when you fail. "Sorry Mate, I Didn't See You!" It's been a well-known phrase in British motorcycling circles since, well.. at least since the 1970's but probably before that.

I apologize for using the SMIDSY in a confusing way, or incorrectly. I may use the term differently than others (although I speak with others that use it similarly), but what I mean by it is to make a move that creates a situation less likely to have the other guy say Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You. A “lateral movement SMIDSY thing” is meant to describe I weaved in such a way that my front headlight moved to give the other person another perspective when looking at/toward me.

I think we need to start calling it the "anti-smidsy."

I knew what you meant, FTR.

Maybe this is a newb question, but why shouldn't he have moved to the right in his lane? Doesn't the motorcyclist have the right to use any part of the lane that he wants?

I understand that it is generally safer to ride in the left-hand portion of the lane, but sometimes I ride in the right-hand portion of the lane to avoid potholes and large cracks (roads in Wisconsin suck).

Just because you can doesn't always mean you should. There are good reasons to be in a particular part of a lane at different times. Most have to do with visibility, some for strategic reasons.

when people see you moving to the right, they might assume you are going to turn right and pass you on the left.

if you are actually turning left, that could cause you and the person behind you to attempt to occupy the same space at the same time...not good.

it's not a question of riding in the left portion of the lane or the right portion of the lane. it is a question of starting out in the left portion, moving to the right portion (especially while slowing down), and then immediately coming back to the left portion. this should not be an issue as the person behind you should not assume you are going to turn right and start passing you, but "should not" does not guarantee "will not".

Never put on a right signal and move left or vice-versa, in any vehicle. If you need to adjust lane position to make the turn, do so before signaling, rather than attempting to fake out everyone behind you.

Of course, it's also best not to be entirely trustworthy of someone else's turn indicators.

Due to the video below it seems that some have taken up using the term SMIDSY as a way to convey a lane weave or lateral motion to help drivers brains see them.

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eqQBubilSXU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Turning Left... Stage yourself to the Left. A rider should telegraph their intentions as much as possible to help other motorists. It is simple non verbal communication.

Moving to the right before making a left makes no sense.