Author Topic: Tailgaters  (Read 19980 times)

Offline rodekyll

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #60 on: March 06, 2015, 02:22:41 PM »
A 'safe' way to do the back-off is to badly adjust your windshield washer spigots to pee up and over the roof.  Your choice of liquids.  It's like the bad kitty sprayer made large and doesn't break anything.

Offline NCAmother

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #61 on: March 06, 2015, 02:23:19 PM »
Interesting bit of footage on the TV news here a couple of days ago taken from the Go-Pro or similar helmet cam of a bloke who was rear ended at a set of lights in Canberra. He gets up and turns around and the driver of the car that hit him/her still has her phone in her hand in front of her face!

God help us!

Pete
yep.

Offline Pasta Hog

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #62 on: March 06, 2015, 05:18:21 PM »
Assertiveness and motorcycle riding make a pretty poor mix. When I ride, I accept the fact that I am going to be mistreated. After all, I live in Miami, where I am constantly reminded why Hispanics could not break into NASCAR until 2003. No one here cares about safety, and even if they did, they are utterly devoid of driving ability.

When I'm on a bike, I just get out of the way and get over it.

If tailgaters get you down, do what I did. Get a giant diesel pickup. I can't even see people who tailgate me. They're back there flashing the lights and giving me the finger, and I don't even know it until they zoom around me.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2015, 05:37:31 PM by Pasta Hog »
People who claim they don't have ten seconds to answer your stupid questions can always find several minutes to criticize them.

Offline normzone

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #63 on: March 06, 2015, 05:30:52 PM »
Chain lube. I like that - cheap. I just need a convenient dispensing method. Who makes an electronically activated spray nozzle depressor ?
That's the combustion chamber of the turbo shaft. It is supposed to be on fire. You just don't usually see it but the case and fairing fell off.

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #63 on: March 06, 2015, 05:30:52 PM »

Offline Lannis

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #64 on: March 06, 2015, 05:58:18 PM »
I have not been a professional trucker but I have driven farm trucks and truck/trailers with 30+ tons of honey bees on board cross country. Every car driver should have to drive a large truck or semi a few times in traffic, etc. and I would guess from then on they would be a much better more attentive and polite driver. Maybe tie a bee hive onto the bike of your bike as I don't remember having much tailgating even though in a vehicle the windows were all up. ;D
GliderJohn

I'm not generally down on truckers, but I've noticed something lately both in my car and on my bike on big highways.

Sometimes, whether I'm in the fast, middle, or slow lane, and I'm boxed in, can't change lanes to either side, and I'm as close to the car in front of me as I feel safe, a giant truck will tailgate me worse than anyone has ever done in a car.   I mean 60 or 70 MPH and ten feet off my bumper, a single bar on his grill filling my mirrors.    And it wasn't like it slipped up on them and they back off; they get there and  STAY there.   I don't know what they're doing or why they do it, but if I was ever wishing I could shoot a big something (load of "00" buckshot, etc) into their grill, that's when it is.

This happens more often with big commercial trucks than it does with cars.   Why would someone who is "supposed" to be a "professional" driver do something as dangerous, as threatening, and and as non-value-related as that?   He can't possibly get anything out of it ... ?

Lannis
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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #65 on: March 06, 2015, 06:11:02 PM »
Beep, Beep! Much to my surprise!

 :D

Offline AMGeneral

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #66 on: March 07, 2015, 04:32:13 AM »
Too many times it is another truck I have to deal with. I do my best to just let them go. Sooner they are by, sooner they are gone. I put up with the other drivers sh!t enough, so I really don't want to on the Jackal.

And those drivers are not the professionals. Just because you have a CDL and can drive the truck, doesn't make you the professional. I have seen many drivers with a few years behave and drive more professional than drivers with thirty years. If you really want to do something about it, snap a pic of the name and DOT number on the side of the truck, I bet their safety officer would like to know.

It's not the type or size of vehicle, it's the brain operating the vehicle.


I'm not generally down on truckers, but I've noticed something lately both in my car and on my bike on big highways.

Sometimes, whether I'm in the fast, middle, or slow lane, and I'm boxed in, can't change lanes to either side, and I'm as close to the car in front of me as I feel safe, a giant truck will tailgate me worse than anyone has ever done in a car.   I mean 60 or 70 MPH and ten feet off my bumper, a single bar on his grill filling my mirrors.    And it wasn't like it slipped up on them and they back off; they get there and  STAY there.   I don't know what they're doing or why they do it, but if I was ever wishing I could shoot a big something (load of "00" buckshot, etc) into their grill, that's when it is.

This happens more often with big commercial trucks than it does with cars.   Why would someone who is "supposed" to be a "professional" driver do something as dangerous, as threatening, and and as non-value-related as that?   He can't possibly get anything out of it ... ?

Lannis
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Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.

"Just think how stupid the average person is,
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are even stupider!"
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Offline Nic in Western NYS

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #67 on: March 07, 2015, 04:59:50 AM »
I'm not generally down on truckers, but I've noticed something lately both in my car and on my bike on big highways.

Sometimes, whether I'm in the fast, middle, or slow lane, and I'm boxed in, can't change lanes to either side, and I'm as close to the car in front of me as I feel safe, a giant truck will tailgate me worse than anyone has ever done in a car.   I mean 60 or 70 MPH and ten feet off my bumper, a single bar on his grill filling my mirrors.    And it wasn't like it slipped up on them and they back off; they get there and  STAY there.   I don't know what they're doing or why they do it, but if I was ever wishing I could shoot a big something (load of "00" buckshot, etc) into their grill, that's when it is.

This happens more often with big commercial trucks than it does with cars.   Why would someone who is "supposed" to be a "professional" driver do something as dangerous, as threatening, and and as non-value-related as that?   He can't possibly get anything out of it ... ?

Lannis
Over the years, I've found truckers to be the best category of driver, which isn't surprising.  When I see a trucker acting irrational, I assume it is because he is overtired trying to make his deadlines, and is probably on a stimulant.
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Offline tris

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #68 on: March 07, 2015, 12:31:06 PM »
I actually followed all of that, and I feel your pain. It reminds me of driving in Italy: Everyone on the roads is either a beat-up old truck (full of chickens in cages or whatever) poking along at 55 kph, or an Alfa Romeo wanting to zoom past at 180 kph.

Meanwhile you just want to drive a nice, normal 130 kph (about 85 mph), and everyone hates you. You can't win..

Been there and seen it!

Old giffer in the middle lane doing 55 clicks and me in the Alfa GTV on the inside lane doing 150

Whoa says I (or words to that effect) what do I do now??? Stayed on the inside lane and didn't lift - as in Italy drive like an Italian  ;)
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guzzipete

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #69 on: March 07, 2015, 05:45:54 PM »
It's worse than ever. Some of them get closer when I politely give the back off hand wave. Yeah, I know it's illegal to do but dammit, I'm thinking of adding smoke or flames from the exhaust. A bit of diesel through the emissions test bung at the header. Viberider shows a flame set-up. About 5k and hit the switch. "Bubble the paint for you sir?"

This has worked for me every time. If someone is riding my ass, I start weaving back and forth in the lane. The tailgating driver always backs off. I only do this on the bike.

Most of my tailgating experiences have occurred when I am in traffic behind a line of cars. There have been a few times it has happened on the freeway and for whatever reason the person tailgating did not want to pull into the left lane to pass.

dilligaf

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #70 on: March 07, 2015, 05:49:28 PM »
South Carolina legislator pass a Bill requiring the left lane to only be used to pass.  Governor Stanford, of Appalachian Trail fame, yep that Mark Stanford, vetoed every bill that came before his desk and the Legislator would override all his vetoes except the one requiring folks to drive in the right lane except to pass and $100K for SCDOT to study motorcycle safety with out any USDOT strings attached.  :BEER:
Matt

Offline AMGeneral

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #71 on: March 07, 2015, 06:34:50 PM »
Wow, went for my first ride this year and had an eventful day. Didn't make it a couple miles and had to darn near stop for some turkeys. The real ones! With feathers! Split the group so I was tip toeing through it. Got going and went on into Wichita. Stopped in a few places. Did some helmet window shopping. Started west on Douglas after a stop at a bicycle shop I visit regularly, and wanted to stop at a great fish place and get one of their catfish plates but before I could get through all the downtown traffic lights, there was an individual in a new mustang behind me who thought I needed advice on how to ride by driving up my left side and yelling at me, 'Your going to get hit riding that way' and I thought 'riding what way?', I hollered back that I had a red stop light in the way! He slowed down again and I hollered again that I look farther than just to the light in front of me. And he took off and had to stop at all the same lights I did. Go figure!

So I decided to just finish my shopping and head home. Skipping the catfish. Dammit it's a good place too.

Gee get yelled at for paying attention. Son of a..........

Hey Dusty is it time for Cedarvale yet!

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Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul.

"Just think how stupid the average person is,
and then realize that half of them
are even stupider!"
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Offline Gliderjohn

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #72 on: March 07, 2015, 07:43:36 PM »
Quote from AMGeneral:
Quote
Started west on Douglas after a stop at a bicycle shop I visit regularly, and wanted to stop at a great fish place and get one of their catfish plates
Know exactly which place you are talking about. If I had not just had a grilled locally grown and processed T-Bone I would be mouth watering again. ;-T
GliderJohn
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Offline 1Sourdough

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #73 on: March 07, 2015, 10:06:23 PM »

I think a mounted camera and a flash trigger would be effective.

That reminds me of something which only shows my age:

A trucker I once knew had a bare bayonet socket mounted under the back of his trailer.  Into the socket went a flash bulb with a scratched surface.  Two screws mounted to fiber insulators on the dash made a switch to fired the bulb, which would shatter when it heated up as the filament burned.  It was for tailgaters and people without enough sense to dim their headlights as they closed behind his truck.  A couple of times people complained but the police who inspected the arrangement couldn't find enough evidence to cite him.  Pro'ly couldn't find a flash bulb any more.
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redrider

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #74 on: March 09, 2015, 08:09:30 AM »
I'm starting with a set of Hyperlights. Any one with experience?

Offline Bill929

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Re: Tailgaters
« Reply #75 on: March 09, 2015, 09:30:27 AM »
The other day I was tailgated by a young woman who was texting, emailing, whatever, in rush hour traffic.  I pulled off the road to let her by.  She was going to hit someone, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't me! 
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