Annoying things people do when driving...

[TLMitchell]

Getting hurt or hurting someone else isn`t something I take lightly these days. I guess having kids and responsibilities changes one`s outlook on life.

I think surviving the stupidity of youth has something to do with it as well. If you live long enough to gain the wisdon of experience it changes your perspective on everything.

TL

[Todd@RUPES]

That`s one reason I went for the heavy sport touring Katana over the GSX-R. While its ridiculously fast and corners like its on rails, its not as wheelie happy or unpredictable at high rpms. Im not sure exacally when or where the term "squid" was coined, but to my knowledge its referring to a rider skidding across the blacktop on their back or stomach in a spread eagle pose, which I guess resembles a squid in a way. I can`t say Im innocent when it comes to speeding or riding twisty roads at double the posted limit, but I`ve never once done something stupid in traffic or on busy roads. I also wear full gear every time I saddle up. Getting hurt or hurting someone else isn`t something I take lightly these days. I guess having kids and responsibilities changes one`s outlook on life.

We always reserved "SQUID" for guys who where either shorts, flip-flops, tank tops, or not helmet. 9 times out of 10 they ride GSX-R`s, at least in Florida. The best is the guy who is profiling in his wife-beater, board shorts, and sandels while hanging his helmet on the side of his bike. Usually it is an expensive helmet (like a custom painted Shoei, Valentino Rossi edition) which is only there to show people (who don`t care) how much he spent on it.

Although slightly off topic, I find most people on Harley`s to be the biggest squids. Decked out in full Harley gear and can barely ride, revving their obnoxiously loud motors at every stop light. It`s kind of like a kid in their Honda Civic, sure the motor sounds loud (and annoying) but when they hammer it... it really doesn`t go anywhere quickly, it just sounds loud.

[Todd@RUPES]

I guess one question does everything think the "flash" to pass to be honored? That is if someone comes up behind you in the left lane and flashes (or maybe not) but clearly wants to move along faster, what is the front driver`s duty?

a, ignore the driver behind because he is a jerk and no one is going to tell me what to do
b. move over to allow him to pass at a safe time (not 30 miles down the road)
c. make gestures at the driver
d. slow down to make him suffer
e. start checking for your gun in case you need it

It`s relative. If I a moving along quickly and waiting for a chance to move over, then flashing me is in bad taste, and more likely to illicet an immature response.

BUT I make it a point, in fact I go out of my way, to never clog up the passing lane. If I see somebody coming up behind me at a good clip and I still have a long line of cars to pass, then I will speed up. By the same token, if I am coming up on somebody in the regular lanes and notice somebody coming up quickly in passing lane I will WAIT until they pass before I jump in the passing lane. I cannot stand when people jump into the passing lane (when there is nobody behind me) and continue along at their normal speed, cutting me off, and slowly pass the person. What is wrong with waiting 10-15 seconds, letting me pass unimpeded, then moving over.

[DJsDetails]

Floridas Turnpike through Orlando.... where everyone fight for the three left lanes of traffic... going under the speed limit.


Also people driving 15 over in 20-30 MPH zones, but then 15 under on 55 MPH highways.

On Florida highways, this is why the most right lane is typically open until an exit because everyone is fighting to get to the left. I see it all the time. 408, 417, I4 (when it is not at a dead stop) and on the Turnpike

[DJsDetails]

It`s relative. If I a moving along quickly and waiting for a chance to move over, then flashing me is in bad taste, and more likely to illicet an immature response.

BUT I make it a point, in fact I go out of my way, to never clog up the passing lane. If I see somebody coming up behind me at a good clip and I still have a long line of cars to pass, then I will speed up.

When someone has come up behind me while I`ve been in the process of passing someone else, I even bump my signal just to show the person behind me that I`m getting over as soon as the next lane opens up. This more often than not gets them off my ass because they know I`m trying to get over for them

[TLMitchell]

We always reserved "SQUID" for guys who where either shorts, flip-flops, tank tops, or not helmet. 9 times out of 10 they ride GSX-R`s, at least in Florida. The best is the guy who is profiling in his wife-beater, board shorts, and sandels while hanging his helmet on the side of his bike. Usually it is an expensive helmet (like a custom painted Shoei, Valentino Rossi edition) which is only there to show people (who don`t care) how much he spent on it.

One of the most incomprehensible sights I see regularly is the dipstick in the shorts and sneaks actually wearing the full face helmet. There`s an awful lot of things that can happen that don`t involve your head and digging gravel out of exposed skin isn`t much fun.

Although slightly off topic, I find most people on Harley`s to be the biggest squids. Decked out in full Harley gear and can barely ride, revving their obnoxiously loud motors at every stop light.

The uhfishal term is "posers", H-D emblazoned head to toe, even on their jammies and stick-on tattoos. Fortunately, most of the time if they`re traveling their bike is in a trailer getting hauled. IMO, there`s only 3 reasons to have a bike on a trailer... it`s broke, snow is a factor or it`s stolen.

The mid-life-crisis posers that think it`s a good idea to buy a 900lb, chrome festooned barge when they`ve never ridden usually aren`t around long enough to annoy many people.

TL

[Paul Sparks]

When I come up on a car runing below the posted limit but speeds up as I pass and ends up running twice the speed limit to keep me from passing.And when I finally do pass them they fall way back quickly.
Clowns that when on the freeway cut in front of me only to slam on the brakes to take a exit ramp when there is no traffic behind me for miles.
Drivers that fly through school zones.

[mrclean81]

We have 2 high volume Harley dealerships here that are owned by the same guy. I talked to him one day about a truck he had taken in on trade, and the topic came up about new riders and their choice of bikes. He made the statement that 1/3 of the bikes that he sells to noobs are dropped before they get out of the parking lot. That`s scary considering they still have to make their may through down town traffic no matter which way they want to go, on a bike they can`t ride.

[Addicted2Bling]

[Nth Degree]

HELL YEAH!

Does he have contact info?

[Paul Sparks]

We have 2 high volume Harley dealerships here that are owned by the same guy. I talked to him one day about a truck he had taken in on trade, and the topic came up about new riders and their choice of bikes. He made the statement that 1/3 of the bikes that he sells to noobs are dropped before they get out of the parking lot. That`s scary considering they still have to make their may through down town traffic no matter which way they want to go, on a bike they can`t ride.

When I had my bike shop we had a warning sign hanging that said " 90% of motorcycle accidents happen in the first 30 days of ownership". Scary but very true.

[C. Charles Hahn]

HEY! That`s not Chuck Norris!

[Todd@RUPES]

The uhfishal term is "posers", H-D emblazoned head to toe, even on their jammies and stick-on tattoos. Fortunately, most of the time if they`re traveling their bike is in a trailer getting hauled. IMO, there`s only 3 reasons to have a bike on a trailer... it`s broke, snow is a factor or it`s stolen.

The mid-life-crisis posers that think it`s a good idea to buy a 900lb, chrome festooned barge when they`ve never ridden usually aren`t around long enough to annoy many people.

TL

Agreed on all counts. I remember taking my motorcycle endorsement test in Chicago when I was 18. My brother, his friend, and I were all on our `rice rockets`. Half the group was on rice-rockets and other group was on cruisers (of which about 80 percent where Harelys).

The Harely gang looked serious, older guys with leather everything, orange T-shirts, and beautiful chrome rides. Ya know, SERIOUS looking bikers.

One of the tests was set up so we had to zig-zag through a series of cones, make 10 of them about 6 feet apart. This is quite hard on a rice-rocket because (as you know) at low-speed your steering with the wheel and they don`t you cannot turn the wheel very far, maybe on 30 degrees to each-side. Most of us got 7 out of 8, I think another guy and I got 8 out of 8, but just barely. Rice-Rockets, with your weight up high, and lack of turning radius are simply not comfortable with at parking lot speed.

The Harely guys come up and at least half of them do terrible. I mean fully chrome, bad-azz Fat Boys getting 3 out of 8, 4 out of 8, and so on. They had been (playfully) talking junk the whole day and it was right there I realized that they (half of them) where posers.

Another person we knew has a Honda Shadow and let me do a trial run through the slalom and I was amazed at how easy it was, with wide handle bars that turn and a low center of gravity, while sitting upwards.

There was also a test where we had to do a panic stop from 15 mph and stop between two cones. This guy on an Enduro blew past the cones like 3 times in a row, and when they asked him why, he said he was legally blind. The tester was like, "How did you get here."

The legally blind rider,"I rode."

The tester, "On public roads?"



My other Harley story was when a group of us when riding with my friend (who also owned a Honda Shadow 750) and his in-laws who all owned Harleys. His sister`s husband`s dad had just bought this full dresser and it was sweet. The whole day he kept making snide comments about ricers and how they don`t know how to ride.

Finally we go to get gas and then all park in a row at the front of the gas station. My YZF-6R next to my brother`s brand new CBR-600 Euro. The old guy drops in Harely Full-Dresser and it starts a domino effect that wipes out every bike (minus mine) ending with my brother`s CRB, which tour the lower panels up.

When I had my bike shop we had a warning sign hanging that said " 90% of motorcycle accidents happen in the first 30 days of ownership". Scary but very true.

Saw a dealer talk an 18 year old kid into an R1 while I was trying talk him into buying a used Honda Rebel 250. The dealer was like,"its only 140 a month, this bike is FAST, you will get chicks." Kid goes for it. Found on later on the news that the kid died that day (shortly after driving it off the lot). Panicked making a right hand turn (didn`t know how to lean) and accident (they assume) twisted the throttle, sending 180 horsepower to the ground and propelling the 390 lb bike (better power to weight ratio then an F1 car) into an oncoming police car. DOA.

[Old Pirate]

Here`s one...........taking a nap...........

[Nizmo]

I could probably go for days listing all the things, but I`ll only do two.

One: People who cannot maintain the speed limit. Either they are driving a vehicle that should be off the road or something else it annoys me to no end. It`s a never ending thing on my route to work. Speed limit is 55, of course people will go 35-40mph. I`ve even now gone to the point of leaving an extra 20 minutes to get ahead of the morning slow traffic.

Two: Tractor trailers on the highway. I know we are supposed to respect them, but that`s a two way street. I really noticed this on my 2500 miles roadtrip this year. It was 4:45AM and I barely got out of my county when one almost sideswipes me not paying attention. Also, going up a hill. Big rigs need to stay in the right lane, there are even signs that say this every mile through, especially Tennessee and Virginia. No, what do they do? Stay there in the left lane.