Motorcycle Riders?

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Buzzed into Muncie after work one day last week to pick up some prescription sunglasses I'd ordered.

By the time I'd put that town in my rearview I was scared to death. Idiots tailgating me, one turned right to go into the planet fitness on east McGalliard from the LEFT LANE. That one caused me to have to lock 'em up.

I thought I'd put them behind me when I turned onto the bypass, only to have a thoroughly distracted idiot tailgate me all the way down to 32. I do believe she did something to warrant a trooper's attention at 32 and Country club, though. Thank you, sir.

Once home I read on the book of faces that someone had bought it in Parker City just an hour or so after I'd passed through. The correspondent seemed to think the rider was deceased. Jeez oh peeminy.

 

[JettaKnight]

Ural Motorcycles are a copy of a 1945-ish BMW design. There is also a Chinese knock off that looks the same, but is lower quality.

I have a friend with a Ural and a friend with the Chinese knock off.

The Ural's come in 2 configurations, either 2 wheel drive with the motorcycle + sidecar wheels powered. Or 1 wheel drive with only the motorcycle's rear wheel powered. The 1 wheel drive is apparently faster than the 2 wheel drive. And 55mph is roughly the top speed. Ural has recently updated their engine and apparently the top speed has been improved. I don't know anyone who owns one who can confirm the new engine actually goes above 55mph.

For the Chinese version my friend can't get above 51mph.

Ouch. Even my scooter can easily top that.

 

[harleymac1]

I’m trying to get my dad to ride full gear, but he at least has helmets. He has two right now, a half helmet and 3/4 helmet with shield (almost full faced. I bet he gets a full faced eventually also. He is in the “I’m a safe rider so I don’t need all that riding gear” category. It isn’t you you have to worry about, it is everyone else. Yes, I know it is a personal choice. I just like my skin and want to keep it on me.

If it helps, I have been riding 37 years. I have been teaching motorcycle safety for ABATE and Harley Davidson the past 17 years. You can't control your surroundings and being as safe as you can does not stop things from happening. I hit a deer in 2004 and I was hit by a hit and run driver September of 2018. I am considered a safety professional and that did not stop either of my incidents. It happens fast and there are things your safety can not avoid. Glad he at least wears the helmet. Road rash sucks too.

 

[Nazgul]

I am probably repeating myself, but I hate tailgaters. Most of the time you can look in your mirror and see them on the phone!!!

Don

 

[JettaKnight]

I am probably repeating myself, but I hate tailgaters. Most of the time you can look in your mirror and see them on the phone!!!

Don

Really? Usually I can tell if they're on the phone by the big gap between them and the car in front - they typically "overpad" to compensate for reaction time increase.

 

[melensdad]

P

Really? Usually I can tell if they're on the phone by the big gap between them and the car in front - they typically "overpad" to compensate for reaction time increase.

That only applies to the idiots hogging the left lane who hold up traffic. The tailgaters are usually in the right lane

 

[bwframe]

I guess I'm pretty lucky, but I haven't had a lot of problems with tailgaters. Maybe it's because I ride a sport bike, that likes to get where it's going?

The rare times I've had issues with tailgaters, I pull over and let them by. Just like the kind folks in slower vehicles that do it for me on odd occasion.

 

[indytechnerd]

Almost got squeezed between a F250 and some little focus/civic/??? yesterday headed south on Emerson. Fortunately, I was able to back off and the guy in the F250 noticed me and went back to his lane. He was trying to get from far left to far right. When he finally got over, he pulled up next to me at a stoplight, rolled down his window and apologized for cutting in on me. I was pretty hot right up until that moment, but the fact that he apologized cooled me off pretty quickly.

I've decided that I'm not riding the bike until 465 is done. I had to make a quick stop near Emerson and Washington, coming from 56th and Keystone, on my way to my house near Southwestway Park. Took me almost 2 hours to make that trip, and all of it in stop and go traffic. Screw that, if I'm gonna be sitting for that long, it's going to be in air conditioning.

 

[Sigblitz]

It's happened to me. And unfortunately I've also squeezed a guy. I knew he was 2 lanes over when I checked, and didn't see him when I was getting over. Thought he took the exit but he came over in my blind spot. Been on both sides of that one.

I did have a guy try to force me over at the 70 65 split yesterday. We're the only 2 on the road, he passes on the left and wants to force me out of the center lane so he can take 65. I don't want to be forced onto 65 so I held my lane. He gave up and slowed down. There's accidents, and there's idiots.

 

[chezuki]

Been on both sides of that one.

Me too. And when I did it, I was the guy profusely apologizing.

Now that I’m ninja-assassin silent, I have to do even more to make sure I’m noticed. There may be something to that “loud pipes save lives” thing.

 

[melensdad]

...I have to do even more to make sure I’m noticed. There may be something to that “loud pipes save lives” thing.

I'm not convinced that loud pipes save lives.

The doppler effect seems to disprove it.

People behind and to the rear/sides can hear those pipes rumbling really nicely but not people in front or front/sides. It's just the way sound travels. Until you can get the pipes to exhaust to the front and front/sides, there is no real way to get noticed using loud pipes. Doubly true if the other vehicles have their windows closed, radio on, AC or heater fan, etc.

 

[JettaKnight]

I'm not convinced that loud pipes save lives.

The doppler effect seems to disprove it.

People behind and to the rear/sides can hear those pipes rumbling really nicely but not people in front or front/sides. It's just the way sound travels. Until you can get the pipes to exhaust to the front and front/sides, there is no real way to get noticed using loud pipes. Doubly true if the other vehicles have their windows closed, radio on, AC or heater fan, etc.

True.


The loudest spot is right behind the bike.... which means I want to do everything possible to get my car in front of that bike! (assuming it's like straight pipe, painfully loud) The reality is, many drivers are less courteous to loud bikes.

 

[bwframe]

I live and ride rural 90% of the time. I have watched a lot of deer turn and run away from my loud exhaust. In town, a blip on the the throttle has turned more than one oblivious student with earbuds jaywalking into the roadway.

Sadly, my sweet exhaust disintegrated on the highway last year and I had to go back to factory.

 

[chezuki]

I live and ride rural 90% of the time. I have watched a lot of deer turn and run away from my loud exhaust. In town, a blip on the the throttle has turned more than one oblivious student with earbuds jaywalking into the roadway.

Sadly, my sweet exhaust disintegrated on the highway last year and I had to go back to factory.

Yep. I frequently used a throttle blip rather than the horn to get attention of drivers or animals. Vance and Hines on a Harley will get even Canadian geese to move.

 

[k12lts]

Ural Motorcycles are a copy of a 1945-ish BMW design. There is also a Chinese knock off that looks the same, but is lower quality.

I have a friend with a Ural and a friend with the Chinese knock off.

The Ural's come in 2 configurations, either 2 wheel drive with the motorcycle + sidecar wheels powered. Or 1 wheel drive with only the motorcycle's rear wheel powered. The 1 wheel drive is apparently faster than the 2 wheel drive. And 55mph is roughly the top speed. Ural has recently updated their engine and apparently the top speed has been improved. I don't know anyone who owns one who can confirm the new engine actually goes above 55mph.

For the Chinese version my friend can't get above 51mph.

I've had a couple Urals, a 2005 one wheel drive and a 2011 Patrol (2wd). The secret to any sidecar rig is proper set up. There is a spec for toe in and lean out on the bike. My 2005 wasn't set up very well and didn't handle great. The 2011 I bought from a well respected Ural shop and it drives straight down the road and handles much better. They went to fuel injection in 2013 or 14 but the rest of the engine is the same. Mine will run 60 easy enough but they are very low geared and the engine is a 750 opposed twin that only puts out about 42 hp and the transmission is a 4 speed non-syncro, so speed is not expected. A buddy and I rode ours to the Bean Blossom Bikerfest last weekend and needless to say, were the only two there.

They were built for the Russian army in WWII. Russia copied the 1939 BMW and a lot of the design is still the same today. You can still get a machine gun mount for the front of the sidecar.

[/IMG]

 

[Sigblitz]

A throttle blip on the Rineharts is louder than the horn. I'm in the LPSL camp.

 

[Sigblitz]

I'm not convinced that loud pipes save lives.

The doppler effect seems to disprove it.

People behind and to the rear/sides can hear those pipes rumbling really nicely but not people in front or front/sides. It's just the way sound travels. Until you can get the pipes to exhaust to the front and front/sides, there is no real way to get noticed using loud pipes. Doubly true if the other vehicles have their windows closed, radio on, AC or heater fan, etc.

[video=youtube_share;xeSNVxJKJ2g]https://youtu.be/xeSNVxJKJ2g[/video]

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

The only time I use my pipes is on tailgaters. Downshifting and vibrating their windshield for a couple of blocks SOMETIMES helps.

 

[t-squared]

So, need some opinions. We’re down here riding the Smokies and have run into a few instances where we need to pass someone on roads like the Cherohala and the BRP. Everywhere is double yellow basically. A few cars have been great and pulled off onto the overlooks and we go by and give them a “thanks wave”. However, we’ve had a few cars and bikes that passed up multiple spots to pull off and let us by. We eventually passed them in the safest spots possible but I’m wondering if I’m better off not following them for so long and just pass them ASAP when we come up to them.

Just to be clear, we’re not playing Kenny Roberts out here but just doing a few miles over the speed limits to keep things fun.

 

[chezuki]

It’s your life, but in my experience those double yellows are there for a reason.