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Well, it didn't take long...

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by Hack, Sep 13, 2008.

  1. Hack

    Hack Member

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    I got my Maxim 750 yesterday, and I'm just grinning. Took it for a short spin last night, and for a longer ride this morning. I went into town and bought some gas. I was headed out of town when a car pulled over to the right and started to make a U-turn in front of me. I saw it coming and eventually the driver saw me, and it wasn't all that bad...but it sure didn't take long for my first close call and for me to be reminded in a concrete way that we are invisible. I'm glad it happened so soon so that I have that image in my head as I get back into this after a while without a ride.

    As Sarge said in Hill Street Blues, "Let's be careful out there!"
     
  2. maz43

    maz43 Member

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    Glad you are ok. Their is definitely no shortage of careless cagers out there.
    I do a 34 mile round trip commute to work in the metro Detroit area on my XJ and learned quickly to drive defensively with a capital "D".
     
  3. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    Drive Offensively!
     

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  4. stormothecentury

    stormothecentury Member

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    I had my first close call on my first highway ride - I was in the left lane in moderately heavy traffic, and a car nearly moved his rear door into my front wheel from the middle lane. I 'stood' on the brakes, and he saw me and moved back. Then I blew by him - I'd rather have a guy like that behind me than in front of me.

    My wife (who was following me in the car) later told me that she knew the guy who almost hit me - and had a serious beef with him from when they formerly worked together. So now she had an extra reason to want kick his ass.
     
  5. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    Revisiting this thread, because despite my cheerful advice, I apparently didn't ride "offensively" enough.

    Long story short, an SUV tried to merge into me from an onramp/transition lane. I hit the horn, he dropped back and clipped my rear fender. Then he veered across four lanes of traffic and ate the center divide.

    After the initial contact, the rear end wobbled a bit, then straightened out -- I was actually kinda pleased with how the bike reacted. I didn't even go down. I pulled over to check for damage -- a broken turn signal stay and a bent license plate frame that I was looking to get rid of anyway.

    And don't bother asking if I'm okay -- I'm sad to say that I was mortally wounded, and bled to death on the side of the freeway waiting for the ambulance to arrive. :wink:

    Here's the aftermath:
     

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  6. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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    Schmuck, glad you're okay!
     
  7. bill

    bill Active Member

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    Those of us who have been reading your posts were already convince you are not OK :lol:

    Glad you survived your mortal wound, had to have been scary!
     
  8. WesleyJN1975

    WesleyJN1975 Member

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    Loud pipes man! Loud pipes! They may not be able to see you, but when cruising on the big roads at 5-7K rpms they hear you and usually look for you if they can't see you. Loud pipes may be annoying to some, but they do save lives. As they say on Speed TV, "Keep the shiny side up".
     
  9. ricklees

    ricklees Member

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    Schmuckaholic,

    Glad to see you made it through that in good shape.
     
  10. xjrat

    xjrat New Member

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    It's the same in the UK. Many Car drivers have had my left boot in their door. it seems to make them wake up!.. Blind and comfortable! thats their problem!
     
  11. grimreaper169

    grimreaper169 Member

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    [quote
    . I pulled over to check for damage -- :[/quote]

    I know what you pulled over to check and it wasn't damage. To check the same thing I would have. My underware!!!
     
  12. Ease

    Ease Member

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    Daum... More than a close call there.

    I'd be checking my boxers too... and, like XJRat, I'd be inclined to give the DRIVER a good kick. ;)
     
  13. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    Schmuck, glad you survived!
    From the Hurt Study: Motorcycle modifications such as those associated with the semi-chopper or cafe racer are definitely overrepresented in accidents. (this includes loud pipes!). Key here is being able to hear what is going on around you, not to overwhelm the environment with noise precluding that (the car stero effect).
     
  14. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    P.S. I've got replacement parts for ya!
     
  15. kontiki

    kontiki Member

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    Glad you survived safely.... but your rear tire looks kinda bald. Hopefully it is just the lighting.... I don't mess with bad rubber on my bike.
     
  16. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    I figured if you didn't, Len would. And he does. :)

    It is -- I took that pic late at night, and the camera flash washed out the details some. I'm nowhere near the tread bars.
     
  17. Gamuru

    Gamuru Guest

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    8O




    Glad you made it through unscathed. Bikes and such are replaceable. You, on the other hand, are not.
     
  18. WesleyJN1975

    WesleyJN1975 Member

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    Robert,
    When I say "loud pipes" I don't mean to the point where it is obnoxious or deafening to the rider. About 100 Dbs. I have always been able to be fully aware of what's going on around me even when listening to my MP3 player along with the loud pipes. I just like the sport bike sound and people looking for me instead of not hearing me and running me over. Now my bike was extremely loud without restriction at the end of my muffler, even I couldn't take that much loudness. Take care.

    WesleyJN1975
     
  19. NursePadawan

    NursePadawan Member

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    Schmuck,

    Glad you're alright. If the cage hit you then crossed 4 lanes of traffic and hit the divider, was this a DUI case?
     
  20. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    Dunno. I do know he was in the welcoming hands of the CHP shortly after the incident. As I was leaving he and one of the officers were standing near the back of one of the cruisers, and the officer had just pulled some sort of plastic case from the car. I imagine he was getting ready to run some sort of field sobriety test; I'll know more in about a week, as that's when the accident report will be ready.
     
  21. Kickaha

    Kickaha Active Member Premium Member

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    Does anyone have any actual proof of that, I know driving in my company ute with the windows up and radio on (not loud) I dont hear bikes no matter what pipes they have on until they are right at the rear quarter or alongside

    Personally I think it a myth that people use to justify having them because
    I also have a Ducati with conti pipes and it make no difference to how the traffic behaves when I come up behind them, if I relied on loud pipes to save my life I would have been dead a long time ago
     
  22. Robert

    Robert Active Member

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    WesleyJN1975,
    No worries amigo. I worry about the notion that the louder the pipe, the better! Sure you get noticed but you lose out on hearing what is going on around you, a vital piece of the safety picture. 100db over time will cause hearing loss as the damage is cumulative (it adds up over time). Be sure to protect your ears with some ear plugs ("foamies"). They don't block the sound entirely, they attenuate the higher amplitude waves and in the process save your hearing. They don't do squat for low frequencies.
     
  23. WesleyJN1975

    WesleyJN1975 Member

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    It only takes one person to hear you and avoid hitting you to be worth it. Just like at night time, I have my bike covered in red LED lights to keep it from disappearing on the dark roads around here.
     
  24. flash1259

    flash1259 Member

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    I can hear a harley with drag pipes 4 mins before I see him. tell me it don't help others know you are around and I will laugh.

    You have to be heard as well as seen.
     
  25. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    Start laughing -- when I'm in the car, I don't usually hear a bike that's splitting lanes until they're right next to me.

    Aaaaaaaaaaanyway. Finally got around to getting the incident report on the accident that left me with a whopping $30 in damage. In short:

    He fell asleep at the wheel. At 1 in the afternoon.

    Seems he told the nice CHP dude that he'd gone to sleep about 3am, and got up a few hours later. Still tired, he decided to drink a Red Bull in an effort to stay awake. He wasn't sure how he lost control of the vehicle...
     
  26. switch263

    switch263 Member

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    That sucks schmuck .... i hate it when careless cagers dont get what's coming to them. There was a case locally where a semi driver DROVE OVER a biker while pulling a way from a stop light. Dragged the poor soul nearly 400 feet before he even noticed. Obviously, the biker didn't survive, and the trucker didn't even get a slap on wrist. It was a clear cut case of negligence. The biker was stopped at the light, and the trucker did that standard crap of nosing up on him while waiting for the light to change. He was talking on his cell phone, and when the light changed, he "forgot the biker was there" and killed the poor kid as a result.

    As for the loud pipes thing ... I'm pretty sure the Doppler effect makes it so that you don't hear "loud pipes" any sooner than "regular pipes." Especially while driving, since most people have their stereos up way too loud for safety anyway.

    I for one do rock my pipes rather loud, as I like the sound, and when you get CLOSE to a car, it can make a difference.

    One of the guys I ride with regularly has a Harley softail with screamin eagle drag pipes. Pipes so loud that they shake my house windows as he drives by. When we're out riding, if I pull 5 to 10 feet ahead of him, I don't hear his pipes any more, at all.
     
  27. xj650ss

    xj650ss Member

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    glad to hear you are ok sorry about your bike but glad it wasn't worse
     

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