He Spit on Me!

[Nic in Western NYS]

Some folks are taking that idea to heart lately... thing is... it isn't making anything better. Plus, a lot of the folks that are taking it to heart... aren't exactly the kind of folks to be making snap judgements.

Yup, lawlessness isn't a good model for a civil society.

[TimmyTheHog]

All the good things I've heard about riding in Canada ... and now all of our Western Canada Guzzi riders are telling us about the kookie rednecks there that will sic a dog on us or run us down with their trucks and put it on Facebook?

That doesn't sound like much fun.

Lannis

Stay on the East Side of the Rockie then you should be fine...

It is the West side that has gone a bit kookoo   

[JeffOlson]

And here I thought Canada was generally safe, civil, and polite. My wife and I have even been thinking it would be fun to move there. What the heck is happening up north?

[Lannis]

Stay on the East Side of the Rockie then you should be fine...

It is the West side that has gone a bit kookoo   

I got a better idea ... I'll just stay on the south side of the 49th parallel.   At least I won't get surprised!

Lannis

[John A]

I got a better idea ... I'll just stay on the south side of the 49th parallel.   At least I won't get surprised!

Lannis

You're forgetting rural Arkansas 

[wavedog]

It is life and stuff happens. Over the years in my riding experience there have been a few instances where I have been the random and unlucky target of someones idea of fun. Spit, coffee, bottles, cans, small bags of trash even automobiles aimed at me while I was riding. During the 70's and early 80's there were a few pranksters that thought it was funny to point a firearm at a motorcyclist. Ha Ha those guys are such jokers. Right.
 Being non-confrontational, my philosophy (reinforced at a young age by my revered Aikido instructor) is to run away. He who runs away lives another day. A twist of the wrist and I am gone. Problem over. It is a beautiful day ahead of me.
 However, I still have some inner conflict as occasionally my military training kicks in and I was taught to run towards trouble. The good thing is I am older and weak and a coward so now I just ride off and away and forget about it.

[yogidozer]

It is life and stuff happens. Over the years in my riding experience there have been a few instances where I have been the random and unlucky target of someones idea of fun. Spit, coffee, bottles, cans, small bags of trash even automobiles aimed at me while I was riding. During the 70's and early 80's there were a few pranksters that thought it was funny to point a firearm at a motorcyclist. Ha Ha those guys are such jokers. Right.
 Being non-confrontational, my philosophy (reinforced at a young age by my revered Aikido instructor) is to run away. He who runs away lives another day. A twist of the wrist and I am gone. Problem over. It is a beautiful day ahead of me.
 However, I still have some inner conflict as occasionally my military training kicks in and I was taught to run towards trouble. The good thing is I am older and weak and a coward so now I just ride off and away and forget about it.

No, I would say you are smarter and more experienced.
All the truck has to do is ram you, crash you or worse. Then he would say "The crazy motorcycles was speeding out of control"
Definitely report the gun, or any threat a driver shows you.
Walking down the street would be a different situation, a bike vs. car/truck is different.

[Mr Pootle]

Really?  Ok then.  I wasn't "dreaming", I was just asking a question.   Regardless of whether there's a truck involved, one person spitting on another is still pretty bad.

Lannis

Could he simply have been spitting out of his window, without taking you into account, and got you inadvertently?

[Lannis]

Could he simply have been spitting out of his window, without taking you into account, and got you inadvertently?

Well, I wasn't there, but the OP's implication:

"A Tundra driver came up fast behind me, so I got over to the right and slowed down to let him pass. Once he had passed me, I pulled over into the fast lane again and resumed my previous speed. That is when he rolled down his window and spit while watching me in his mirror...."


was certainly that it was "on purpose".   Who knows?

Lannis

[Toecutter]

All the good things I've heard about riding in Canada ... and now all of our Western Canada Guzzi riders are telling us about the kookie rednecks there that will sic a dog on us or run us down with their trucks and put it on Facebook?

That doesn't sound like much fun.

Lannis

A couple things to clarify... my comment re: rural crime, is just that. There's an upsurge in rural crime out this way, involving thefts mostly, though not "only", and not enough police to do much about it. This is resulting in some folks taking a "well, I  guess I'm on my own" approach to property protection. We're talking "in the sticks". As for "Mr Attackdog Hangingcorpse", he's a nutjob. They exist in all parts of the world, usually in isiolated places, where they get to exist in an echochamber of paranoia and fear.

Doesn't mean someone is going to shoot you for riding down the highway. Most of the areas experiencing spikes in rural crime are not the types of places any of you are going to head to explore the country... they're grid roads, farm roads, the kind of roads you only drive down if you must,.

 Threads like this call for people to tell the most dramatic and interesting stories they can... so you end up with a thread full of dramatic tales.

Long and short of it is... it's not that bad. And it's a beautiful part of the world. Well worth exploring.

[Lannis]

Plus, in the places where this sort of thing is an issue... you probably wouldn't be riding anyways. Threads like this call for people to tell the most dramatic and interesting stories they can... so you end up with a thread full of dramatic tales.

I know.   I guess I was just getting over the shock of hearing someone, ANYONE, speak of any aspect of Canada as anything but tremendously superior to their neighbor to the South. 

Plenty of places within bike range of home here where I'd coast as far as I could go if my bike broke down.

Long and short of it is... it's not that bad.

Well, there goes your opportunity to become a slogan writer for the Alberta Board of Tourism.

"Alberta - It's Not As Bad As You Think!"   

Lannis

[Toecutter]

I know.   I guess I was just getting over the shock of hearing someone, ANYONE, speak of any aspect of Canada as anything but tremendously superior to their neighbor to the South. 

Plenty of places within bike range of home here where I'd coast as far as I could go if my bike broke down.

Well, there goes your opportunity to become a slogan writer for the Alberta Board of Tourism.

"Alberta - It's Not As Bad As You Think!"   

Lannis

Well, I submitted:

Alberta: We're in debt up to our eyeballs!

Saskatchewan: Watch yer shit!


...but they got turned down, can't imagine why.

[Muzz]

I have had an orange thrown at me while riding my pushbike. Hit my helmet and stunned me for a bit. I was doing about 26km/hr in city traffic and keeping up with it. By the time I recovered (still upright) I could see a group of young idiots hanging out of the car windows laughing. If I had swerved and gone down the car behind would have been unable to miss me.

[oldbike54]

 Muzz ,

 At about 16 a couple of younger kids who lived in my Grandparents neighborhood launched a large stick at me as I was riding by on an old Triumph . It sort of glanced off my chest and stunned me a bit. The outcome was a bit different ...for them 

 Dusty

[guzzi4me]

Muzz ,

 At about 16 a couple of younger kids who lived in my Grandparents neighborhood launched a large stick at me as I was riding by on an old Triumph . It sort of glanced off my chest and stunned me a bit. The outcome was a bit different ...for them 

 Dusty

Ooohhhhh...

Do tell!!!!

Jeff

[oldbike54]

Ooohhhhh...

Do tell!!!!

Jeff

 OK . In my youth I was a very fast little bugger , and these two geniuses decided that splitting up wasn't wise , so they took off running in the same direction . Now there were no houses behind Grandad's place , just an alley , some woods , and a creek . Now you might think that these two twelve year old kids would have been aware of that , but apparently they weren't , or they thought they were gonna outrun me . They did have a 100 foot lead , which evaporated about 5 feet from the creek . Now by now their mamma was yelling at us , so I pulled up , as she looked pretty upset, but these two junior Einsteins ended up going head long down a 4' creek bank , and the face first into about 6" of water and mud . The really funny part was when the enormous Snapping Turtle (and I do mean enormous , about 2' across and 3' long) who was hanging out just down the creek at a small concrete spillway waiting for dinner decided that one of the boys was looking pretty tasty and came at an amazing speed for a Turtle to check the situation out . His big old ferocious looking snout was open and he had a determined look in his eyes . So now I'm laughing , and mamma is still yelling , and the two boys , being the smart types , are wallowing in the mud attempting to escape from Jaws . Finally they figured out to jump out of the creek bottom to escape the big green beastie, who after all , could really only move about so fast .

 In the end it all worked out , I told mamma what had happened , she asked the two worse for wear boys if that was true , they both sheepishly said "yes mamma" . She asked if I was alright , which I was except for the pain in my sides from laughing , and we all went on about our day .

 Dusty

[John A]

now That is a good story! When I was stationed at Barksdale in Louisiana there was a contest at someplace in Shreveport to bring in the biggest snapping turtle. My drinking buddy Dan swiped the winner out of the pool it was in late one night. He said he carried it by the tail and dropped it once before he got it in the back of his pickup. the next day he called me to help him butcher this thing, it was tearing down his shed and he liked turtle. It was huge, about 200 pounds and was angry and a dinosaur. Ill look for the pictures and scan them, its unbelievable. it didn't taste too bad but it was tougher than dog no matter how I cooked it but I wasn't much of a turtle cook back then. I think those kids were scared shitless, I've seen them things bite stuff and its a sight to remember.

[Bill Owens]

Many years ago, a good buddy of mine had an interesting encounter. First you have to picture him. Today if you saw him from 20 Ft. away he would look like a 5'6" stocky Jay Leno. Back 35 or 40 years, jet black hair in a braid almost to his waist, maybe 180 pounds,no fat, full beard, a BSA guy, nicest guy you would ever meet.He is driving to work in a 2 stroke Saab on a short ride on interstate. On the single lane off ramp this guy passes him on the right. He is like WTF, and continues to work. Next day, same exit ramp, my buddy looks in his rear view and no sheet, here this guy comes again and vrooms right by again. Now we have a pursuit until the first stoplight in town. My friend gets out and walks up to this guys door who saw him coming and had locked his door. My friend grabs his windshield wiper and put a good 90 degree bend in it , looked the guy right in the eye , cocked his head and gave a nice grin, and sauntered back to his car, light turned green and everyone went to work.

[Scott of the Sahara]

I am glad you are OK. That could have been alot worse. You are smart to stay in control of yourself.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

yall are a bunch of saints, I would have fallen way back and followed incognito until he made his exit and then he'd be in for quite a surprise at the next light he was stuck at, or his destination

[Lannis]

yall are a bunch of saints, I would have fallen way back and followed incognito until he made his exit and then he'd be in for quite a surprise at the next light he was stuck at, or his destination

I think where we're getting off base is in equating "Dealing with aggression and bullying" and "Being out of control and stupid".

You can accomplish the first without the second, and if more people did, there would be less of the first.

Lannis

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I think where we're getting off base is in equating "Dealing with aggression and bullying" and "Being out of control and stupid".

You can accomplish the first without the second, and if more people did, there would be less of the first.

Lannis

I never lose control or get stupid....  Now spitting on another man, a stranger unknown to you...  THATS stupid

[JeffOlson]

^ Yes, the trucker was stupid, but he could have driven me off the road or shot me dead if I had responded in kind. So, instead, in effect, I turned the other cheek, went on my way, and lived to ride another day.

Now, if my wife and I had been walking down the sidewalk or sitting in a restaurant and he spit on my wife, I would indeed have responded, physically and not just with words (and probably ended up injured, dead, or in jail).

[John A]

You did the right thing and some small part of his brain should recognize that he is an arse. things can spiral so fast if a guy chooses to react. Never let 'em see you coming if you think you can apply some corrective consequences. 99.9% you'll never see them again