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Have you noticed that there are TONS more sportbikes around this year? I wonder if all the "Honda Civic with a giant wing" crowd have finally blew their cars up and opted for riding around on sportbikes in shorts and sandals. I guess it is good that they are getting into riding, but not good when they do something like happened to me the other night.

I just bought a house, so I have been doing a lot of driving lately, and not much riding. I was on my way back from a loop down to Prairie Village, where my new house is, and up by the speedway to Neb. Furniture Mart. On the way back up north, just after dark, I see what looks like a car/truck/semi baring down on me at like twice my speed. At the last minute, while I am bracing to be rear ended (and I mean the last minute, like they could have slapped my tail light) the truck spawns into to sportbike riding jack-a**s. I am 99% convinced that this was a stunt that they do to scare drivers. I can tell you that the one on the right is dang lucky I didn't pull into his lane to avoid being rear ended. The one on the left even had the nerve to turn around and either point or flip me off. It really pisses me off that there are riders out like this that are giving riding a bad name. Most of these 18-21 year olds will eventually wipe out, total their bike, raise our insurance rates, and never ride again.

Sorry.... vent off....

Sorry that happened to you, man. Did they ride side by side right up against your back end then split around on either side?!

That is extremely stupid and dangerous. Like you said, if you made the split decision to move out of the way--and you easily could have--one of those riders--and you--could have been toast. Were you going about 65 on the hwy? You figure they were doing well over 100?

It doesn't take a lot of bad apples to spoil the whole bunch.

Yeah, one went around on each side of me. It was one 435, this happened around the hwy 45 exit. I was doing about 55-60 and they had to have been going at least 90, if not 100. I cringe when I think how close I came to swerving to the right!

I just woulda brake checked 'em and saw how well their noob braking skills have developed.

Ian

P.S. I wouldn't really, but sometimes I do feel like teaching these squids a lesson. I rest easy with the thought that they will either realize how self-destructive their actions are eventually, or will teach themselves a lesson when they misjudge their abilities at 100 mph on a highway.

Granted, some of these guys are fantastic riders with skills beyond what I'll ever have. What so many of them seem to completely leave out of the equation is that they have zero control over the reactions of other people. The best rider in the world is SOL if a deer jumps in front of them at 120MPH.

Professional racers can do what they do on the track not only because of their expertise, but because the other drivers, for the most part, are very predictable and all vehicles are moving at relative speeds.

troy wrote:Professional racers can do what they do on the track not only because of their expertise, but because the other drivers, for the most part, are very predictable and all vehicles are moving at relative speeds.

In the Isle of Mann TT (one heck of a road race) the first-year competitors wear orange or yellow vests to identify them as first-year riders to other riders that may be passing them.

BTW, one of my 16 y.o. students asked me how fast my bike went (F650) ... I replied 110. His reply: "That is slow compared to the bike I am getting in a few months ... " Part of me doubts his story, but part of my experience with parents doesn't put it past them (parents) to buy AND insure a 16 y.o. on a crotch rocket. Other 16 y.o. students agreed with me that 110 was plenty. There are some sane teenagers out there.

A few years back one of my students with ADD (bad ADD) got, from his dad, a crotch rocket for graduation. Plus insurance. He was spotted by many on Metcalf doing 60, splitting lanes, in a wheelie, in shorts, t-shirt, and sandals. Gotta ask just who is the parent in those situations.

And add to this the push by ABATE in MO to ditch the helmet law. ABATE doesn't speak for me. Heck, I can never hear them because they push for loud exhausts as well.

End of rant.

I know what you are saying though. The only thing I like about ABATE is that, while they push for no helmets and loud exausts to "save lives," they also push back against everything else that could be a restriction for the freedom of two wheels. I'd never join them, or even ride a "hog" for that matter. And... I'm sorry to admit it, but helmets look stupid on a Harley. Not that I would ever own one, or ride without a helmet. Have you ever seen how thin skulls really are!!

But yeah, I know there are a lot of honest riders out there enjoying sport bikes, but there are a lot more riders of both of these classes that make me look bad as a motorcyclist. I've never been embarraced of anyone riding a BMW, 'Wing, ST, dual sport, etc. Not even because these bikes are my taste. All these riders seem to get the same thing, and it is something that 90% of these 16 year olds that want to go twice the legal speed limit will never get (or maybe even get the chance to).

I know that there are a couple of guys now down at my apartment that have hot sportbikes that never even seem to ride them. They sure like to start them and rev them at 1:00 in the morning though. I'm moving to my first house three days from now

JaySoy wrote:I'm moving to my first house three days from now

Congrats on that!

Yes, you get the maintain it. But, you also get to enjoy it. The garage, the yard, no neighbors through the wall, etc.

On topic of bitching about crappy riders, bad attitudes and making honest motorcyclist look bad. My brother, best friend and I went to Arkansas this past weekend for a few days of riding and camping. We first stopped off at the Beaver lake dam look out to see the view, fantastic ride and view but riding up in front of us were a group of HD riders from Sedgwick Co kansas. They imediatley got off there bikes at the top of the look out bitched about the weather, fired up cigarettes and open a few cans of Busch beer. Drank the beers left them on the side walk hopped back on their bikes and drove off. These weren't young guys but older middle aged guys with their wives/girlfriend/commonlaw wives/live ins. Think you'd have more appreciation of people, nature or at least your own well being at that age. We picked up the beer cans for them. I wanted to be proud of my kansas sticker on the side on my KLR.