Commuting: The strange. The Odd. And the FUN

This was when I was a bit more naive, and a bit less paranoid. Besides, I was only half a block from my apartment, and there were neighbors outside. I didn't even realize what he was doing until pulling into my parking space, I looked into my mirror and saw him do a u-turn, plow through the grass, and then run his minivan right up behind my car. Which I also believe is entrapment, so another point against the fuckwitted cop.

My friend who was also in the car suggested for me to not go home right away but I was all "Nahh, no reason for him to be mad at me. All I was doing was driving slowly, he's the one that ran the damn red."

The cop's excuse was that "Oh, well he doesn't live far from here, he didn't really 'follow you home' he just stopped as he was on the way to his home."

See, now I always try to lose people who so much as seem to be following me when I'm close to home, especially since I'm a fairly fast rider, though I don't ride aggressively when there are other cars involved. I usually ride "assertively" though, which is enough to set off some of the local rednecks trying to compensate for their undersized penises.

Even if I'm in a cage I activate "escape mode" and it is on. I think only once since then I've truly had someone try to follow me home, but I always will do some creative things to lose people ever since that incident, especially if I have a family member in the car/back of the bike.

I know that it's a "car story" but it applies to my opinion on cops, and I think that it's interesting enough for a thread like this. I also

Yep... I've always been a little more aware of my surroundings than most other people seem to be... been followed a few times now.

Nothing's ever come of it, but yeah, on the bike it's pretty easy to do a U-turn on a side/neighborhood street. Usually do it where I can jump on the sidewalk and put a car between them and me when I pass them.

There's a dirt two-track between the fields that my office is in and the next street over, i've been known to go the other way when I pull into the parking lot at work and hop on that two-track, then swing around the neighborhood and come in the back way.

The safety training that I had to sit through at work a few years ago told us to be aware of surroundings, leave yourself an out... a lot of things you should do on a moto anyways... then things like doing a walk-around of your car before you unlock it, making sure locking doors are closed behind you to prevent tailgaters, and carrying some sort of self-defense spray.

Our squadron truck automatically unlocks all the doors every time you put it in park, and locks then when you put it in drive, drives me absolutely crazy. Of course when I get in my car, I do things like you say, and if it is dark use a flashlight to look around/inside the thing. Of course that's also because I don't drive it very much, and need to make sure no tires went flat.

Also in the commuting department, if I'm on night escort (which is rare), I will drive far out of my way to go to the good side of town for fast food, instead of stopping on my conspicuous bike in a bad neighborhood, especially at night. If I find myself in sketchy areas, I'll check for traffic/cops, and proceed through red lights depending on the circumstances.

Heck, we just had a MSgt (I think) get shot at by some jokers in a former police interceptor just off base, after flashing their headlights trying to pull him over. And just a couple weeks before, a black and white got shot up at a red light in the wee hours of the morning. As in half a mag of some sort of Kalashnakov rippoff.:eek1 Hence my reluctance to stop anywhere for too long. Which is really too bad.

The day after Christmas, 1997. It was a balmy 60 degrees in VA and I decided to go show my Dad my latest toy: a brand new, bright red VFR750F with Two Brothers full exhaust.

I had been at my folks house for some time and the sun was starting to set. It was well before I knew about quality MC clothing, so I wanted to head for home before it got cold.

It was dusk when I hopped on the 55 mph rural 2-lane for the 40 miles to the house. I come up on a guy in a beat up F-150 with huge Harley wings in the back glass. He's rolling about 40 mph with no one in front of him. As I approach to do a legal pass in a passing zone, he really starts eyeballing his mirrors. I signal to overtake on the left and he starts coming over in my lane, so I back off and fall in behind him. I can see his head bobbing up in down in delight from effing with me.

I try again with the same response from the F-150 driver. At this point, the passing lane is gone. A short piece down the road, there is another passing zone and I downshift 2 gears and zoom past him. At this point he goes from his normal 40 mph to tailgating me @ 70. No problem. I twist the grip until I can no longer see his headlights. It is now dark. I'm at least 2 miles ahead of him, so I drop down to 60 mph.

I'm enjoying the ride home at this point and have been looking all around at my surroundings. I didn't notice the headlights on my ass until they were RIGHT ON ME! Again, I just gave the throttle a quick twist, and I was GONE! Stupid fecker.

The headlights were very tiny now. As I was studying the tiny lights in my mirrors, I noticed a tiny blue light on top of them. What? Really? Oh, COME ON!!!!

I was approaching a small town where the speed limit dropped to 35. There was a little pull off before the town, and that's where I pulled over. When the cop pulled up behind me I already had my helmet off and my papers on the seat.

He had his flashlight out and was studying the bike. "What size is this?" I told him a 750, but it's slow for a 750 because I had a ZX-6R at the house that could absolutely smoke it. He said "well, I think it's pretty fast because I clocked you at 120 in that last turn!" My response? Shoot, I was doing 145 on the straight!

The cop was asking why I ran. I told him I thought he was the asshole in the truck. At that very time, said asshole drove by and I pointed. See? The cop said "Yep. I have a Honda. I know all about it."

I asked him how he got on my ass so fast. He said he heard me way before he saw me, so he thought his radar was malfunctioning because he clocked me at 60 mph. He then proceeded to pace me for a mile. So then I asked, so you followed me for a whole mile with no headlights? How legal is that? Was I speeding when you got behind me? No. Did I pull over when I saw your blue lights? Yes. Okay, how exactly did I run, then?

Ultimately, the cop was cool, and let me go. So I basically got a warning for doing 120 on radar and 145 by my own admission.

The last thing the cop said?

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Merry Christmas.

Here's one... Not on the bike, but funny! My cage is a Mini S -- small, fast, fun... about as much so as you can get on four wheels.

Anyhoo, there's a two-lane service road which merges onto the highway. At one point, the service road merges down to one lane, and then opens back up to two. The classic New Yorker move is to delay merging until the last second, so you can race up the open lane. Naturally, that's what I do.

So, I commute on the bike just about every day. As a result, I have a pretty good sense about how much room I need to fit -- the bike OR the car. So, I see a spot sized just right for the Mini, and I merge in right before the road goes down to one lane. Well, the guy in the Jeep behind me musta not been expecting that, so he suddenly tries to gas it, and lays on the horn.

For the next half mile, he's riding my ass. As soon as the road opens back to two lanes, he pulls out to the right, and races right next to me. Then, he starts weaving into me. :eek1 This idiot is so angry that I got 10 feet in front of him on the highway, that he's going to try to run me off the road.

He keeps trying to merge between me and the truck in front of me. I decide, I'm just going to drive like he's not even there -- straight and steady. If he hits me, that's what the police and insurance are for.

One problem with HIS plan: Remember when I said the service road merges with the highway? Well, the merge is rapidly coming up, and this idiot is in the WRONG LANE because he's been so intent on trying to merge into me. By the time he realizes that the road is about to split, there's not enough time for him to drop back and get into the left lane.

I was polite, though. I made sure to wave as he veered off to the local roads. :fyyff

Playing games like that is just plain DUMB!!! Do yourself a favor and don't do it any more.

Hey wiseblood that kinda crap pisses ME off to no end also, so in your story I view you as the dick.

Just this weekend in boston some douch tried that at the toll booths except no one let him in so he just sat there blocking the speedpass lane like the idiot he was. If you know you have to merge why make it dangerous for the drivers that are already in the proper lane so you can save 10 feet.

Which part? There are at least three parts where I was a dick.

Well, it was more like, saving 300 feet. There were two lanes. The left one, which was filled with traffic, and the right one which was empty for 300 feet, after which point it merged into the left.


Anyhoo, in just about all these stories (including MINE) there are TWO dicks involved. At any point, either one of us could have backed off. But, then there would be no story.

...And it did fit the thread title I posted... The Strange. The Odd...


Thank you for sharing.

Yeah it does fit the thread and i had nothing to contribute, sorry.

But it was fresh in my head and it annoys me, hahaha.

So to redeem myself here is my story- I was about 1/2 a mile from my exit after work and traffic was backed way up, i was on my x challenge. The guy ahead of me on a harley has the same idea i have and pulls out into the breakdown lane to pass and get off the exit. Well that pissed off jonny be good in the suv ahead and he pulled out after the harley and blocked me. He thought he was so bad ass blocking my way in his big truck. I just flipped him off and went down the embankment into the woods along the highway. There are trails there that i ride and knew i could connect with. I saw everyone in their cages mouth wide open like WTF is this retard doing. I actually ended up getting a little turned around and probly lost time in the woods but it was way more fun than sitting in the traffic.

I avoid the breakdown lane for two reasons:

1. Usually, it's filled with all sorts of tire-killing debris.
2. The penalty for driving in the breakdown lane is more than the penalty for lane splitting.

Got a couple similar. Start with me being stupid.
Cruising through town on the DR, guy pulls out RIGHT into me. (completely blind spot, big sign "NO EXIT" "One way entrance" something like that, aka it's an entrance only, he was going the wrong way) Somehow I swerved ACROSS oncoming traffic, (2 lanes each way yellow in middle) shot back across in time to get beside him at the light where he was SUPPOSED to have come from leaving that parking lot. He yells and flicks me off, I smacked his mirror and broke it off. Realized, he was in a car, i'm on a bike, uh oh. I goosed it, made a u turn on red, and got out of dodge.

Now right near my house the road goes through a stop light then the right hand lane ends. So I'm in the left lane on the DR, (not quick, but not car slow either) and a guy races up in the right after the dots have shrunk showing it's ended, and shoots into my lane, I go sailing off into the field to the left, (NO one was coming, figured that was easier and less painful than hitting him)
So a week after that, I'm still pretty testy about that incident, and I'm at the light again, in the left lane, BUT in my lifted Jeep (35" tires, all steel fab'd rock protection on sides/back etc) I'm the third car, and there are multiple cars in the right lane as well.
Light turns green, front left car takes off, front right car tucks in behind, second left goes, second right tucks in behind, I go, the f150 to my right tucks in behind me, and then an ass hat in a Nissan Murano decides he's going to smoke us all. The lane has ENDED by now, he's beside me, I honk, there IS oncoming traffic so I have no where to go. There is a SUV of some sort in front of me, f150 right behind me, and the Murano forces his way into me.
"RUB" well, it shifts me towards oncoming traffic, so I say "HELL NO NOT AGAIN" It's amazing how far to the right off the road he ended up with a set of NICE NASCAR donuts on his side. We pull over, I get out to look at my tire (It sticks out, only thing that contacted him) He comes up yelling and threatening me.
It ends with us going to gas station 100 yards ahead, (I'd left my phone at home) and him finally backing down after threatening me in front of the worker (a buddy of mine) and an off duty cop.
Once he realizes he will get the ticket, and I'm not going to "stop being a bitch and admit I hit him" he says "I guess we don't need to call the police"
Oops, off duty cop called his buddy who was already pulling in.
Several tickets later and a VERY VERY stern written warning (so it will be on court documents etc) for threatening me after the wreck, we went on our way.
I got my alignment checked (It wasn't off by much) so I would have something to submit to his insurance so he couldn't not tell them.

On the CBR I just disappear. Either with brakes, or throttle. Either way, I'm not near idiots if I can help it.

I have one I still haven't figured out. I was on my way home, in my lifted Expedition, 70 mile commute. Ended up in a traffic jam running about 10/ 15 mile per hour. Noticed a VFR in the left lane with a guy and girl on it. Also noticed a Mazda Six behind them, that would drop back about 3 or 4 car lengths, then gun it and slam on the brakes just short of the bike. This happened 4 or 5 times. I waited for the car to drop back, and start to accelerate. when he did, I jumped over between him and the bike. He just about drove under my Expedition. I could see in teh mirror hos eyes were the size of saucers. When traffic started moving I passed the rider gave me a big thumbs up, and mouthed teh work thank You.

wiseblood-Yeah i know, but it was hot and i could see my exit and amost taste the Jack waiting in my freezer. I did contemplate whether to do it or not, probably why the cager had time to block my path.

:huh

As always this depends on where you are at. In Oregon the State Troopers were telling riders on air-cooled bikes to go ahead and ride the side lanes at 15 mph when it was above 95 degrees out and traffic was backed up. They didn't want the bikes or the riders to over-heat.

The best part of my commute is the off-road riding to be had when cutting around heavy traffic

People that pass on the right, in lanes that end, I would love to shoot if I had a gun.

If you cut in line on foot, you (should) get a punch in the face, no different with a car.

You get wadded up into a pole, I am not going to be on YOUR side!

Maybe they own stock in tire companies?
That is where all the nails and screws end up.
No thanks.

People that can not wait and use the shoulder get bad karma and nails in their tires....

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=old+h....061893,-86.904379&spn=0.000587,0.001321&z=20


I'm at the point now I feel with gas prices so high I feel I need to do my part...

...And try my best to make every stop light around-a-bout. My goal is to make every coffin driver feel as dumb as they can while they ponder just how bad a round-a-bout is as I ride away.

We bitch and moan about fossil fuel consumption and we stop 60 cars for the sake of one that has to run the yellow to get through... I don't understand it... Nor care for that matter when I'm on my bike.