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What's your biker rage story?

I've ridden over 40,000 motorcycle miles in the last 6 years, and have not become road raged yet, and don't plan on it, if at all possible. Have I been cut off? Of course, many times. Have things happened that were totally the drivers fault? Every damn day.

Just remember, we are surrounded by idiots; terrible drivers; very low skills; inconsiderate people; those who can't see a motorcycle; those who have such poor judgment of speed and distance that they will turn right in front of you; distracted drivers on cell phones; people who have a thousand things on their mind other than driving; those who think a car has more rights to the road than a motorcycle; inebriated drivers; drivers who's vehicles are poorly maintained; very young inexperienced people; very old people with slow reactions; people who do not know the rules of the road; many drivers have never given a moment's thought about the bodily injury that they might cause to a motorcyclist; to them, it is just a "fender bender"; etc., etc. It's a jungle out there.

Do not ever ride based upon what drivers are "supposed" to do. They will make numerous mistakes, some absent mindedly, some without knowing what they are doing, and some intentional. I try to ride constantly anticipating the wrong actions that drivers might take, and have an escape route or a plan for avoidance. Stay out of being sandwiched between two cars, or a car and the curb - just avoid being overlapped with a car beside you, period. Keep lots of space all around you. Don't let cars get close to you. So many conflicts can be avoided. Read books on motorcycling safety. It can become an interesting mental challenge, rather than a frustrating, dangerous event. My rant is now over.
 
Do not ever ride based upon what drivers are "supposed" to do. They will make numerous mistakes, some absent mindedly, some without knowing what they are doing, and some intentional. I try to ride constantly anticipating the wrong actions that drivers might take, and have an escape route or a plan for avoidance. Stay out of being sandwiched between two cars, or a car and the curb - just avoid being overlapped with a car beside you, period. Keep lots of space all around you. Don't let cars get close to you. So many conflicts can be avoided. Read books on motorcycling safety. It can become an interesting mental challenge, rather than a frustrating, dangerous event. My rant is now over.

Agreed. When I was in my early 20's I used to get raged all the time driving in LA. But I slowly started to realize that my getting angry did nothing to help myself or anyone else, and I certainly am not going to teach anyone a lesson from behind the wheel of my vehicle.

Because I grew up riding dirt bikes I have always kept an eye out for motorcycles on the road, and my story is actually from before I had a Street Bike.

I was sitting in traffic in my truck(number one lane) on my way to work one day and noticed some jerk in the number two lane swerve at a motorcycle who was approaching from the rear while lane sharing (perfectly legal in California). I was shocked and appalled that someone would do something to deliberately harm a motorcycle rider who was doing absolutely nothing to deserve it.

Being the person I am I could not allow that to stand so I rolled my window down and yelled out to the guy and told him he was being a jerk.

His response? I used to be in law enforcement and that guy was traveling too fast to be lane sharing.

What? Used to be in law enforcement...... If that was even true this guy obviously had no clue what the California Motorcycle Handbook states on lane sharing. I was pretty angry that some random person would do such a thing, and I hope I never have him try to run me off the road when I am riding.

Since I have been riding my bike for the last year and a half I have seen plenty of people do stupid things, but I trained myself to think that 99% of the cagers out there do not see me approaching so I do my best to ride with that in mind so I have plenty of room if something happens. I have yet to see a cager try to hurt me directly and knowingly, and some of the stories from above are pretty dang scary, especially that one with the truck in texas, yikes.

Also, to the second poster who said they at least look before they toss the cig out the window, I hope your local PD catches you doing that and slaps a huge littering fine on your butt. Tossing anything out of your car is so rude, there is no excuse for it, none.
 
I get the rage quite often in my town, mostly because it's idiot tourists that don't know where they're going and end up cutting me off. Buuuuuut...
There was one time, I was riding with my girlfriend a warm summer eve, we were going out for ice cream. Then some kids in a SUV where the driver thought he was a real funny guy decided to haul ass past me (I know I hadn't cut him off or done anything, I ride very sensibly with my girlfriend on the back.) and cut me off. That's not the good part though, then he decided to dump a 42oz soda out of his window on us and tried to speed away. Well, obviously he didn't understand how fast a liter bike can be, because before he knew it he had a smashed mirror and a good scrape down his entire passenger side and a big dent in his fender. I carry a collapsible baton in my tank bag, which his SUV got to say hello to.
Usually when I have rider rage, I just turn off somewhere and wait to cool down and let the idiot get far ahead of me. This time though, I felt like some punk kid decided to have his night ruined to teach him a lesson.
 
idiot tourists

They have tourists in MO, for what? I thought that was a fly over state. hahaha. Just kidding. I kid, I kid

I carry a collapsible baton in my tank bag, which his SUV got to say hello to.

I actually just learned that the long nylon or leather braided strap on the HD's the MC guys ride is called a "get back". When a driver is doing something stupid or pissing them off, the unsnap the "Get Back" and thump the car. For the really mean guys they have some type of hard end to it, to smash out windshields, etc.
 
Twice in one day

Two Thursdays ago, I decide to ride to work at lunch, for the first ride in a month. Near my work, the 30 year old to my left on her phone decides she needs my off ramp. I could have knocked on her right front window. I slam on the brakes and the horn as her right rear fender is a foot from my front tire. SHE NEVER LOOKED BACK.

Later that day I am coming home from a visit with Mom at her nursing home. The light is red for my right hand turn. A 30 something on her phone decides she will go thru the parking lot to avoid the light. As she turns she sees it is a dead end. Our right turn lane moves up one car length. She makes a U-turn right on the driveway into me. I am waving my arms at her, so she cuts in front of me "on the sidewalk" to get back in front of me as the light turns green. I could hear her Civic muffler scraping the curb. Heading east on this very busy rush hour(now 20mph) street, I lane split to pass her. She is STILL YELLING into her phone mashed up to her left ear. The light turns yellow up ahead. She is NOT on an FZ1, so she has to stop. I fly thru the light with ease. (nice reward) :retard:
 
Last night I was on my way home. It was a little after midnight. I was going my usual route through old town Scottsdale via south bound on Scottsdale Road. Well this Town Car/Cab driver gets in front of me in the left lane and I'm gong easy. It's 40 through there and the cops are crawling at that time of night because of the people that are out. Well this bastard is timing the lights to block me off so I can't get to through before it is red. About 100 yards from the light he starts brake checking me and swerving in his lane a little bit. As soon as the opening for the left turn lane opens up I pop over and stay back off him a bit as he speeds up to get through the left turn light (in Scottsdale they are backwards, left turns happen after straight greens). There are two lanes that go left, I am on the outside lane and he is on the far inside. I figure whatever I'm making it through the dam light, there is next to nobody on the road and I don't want to run the risk of sitting there and my bike not having enough magnetic pull to trigger the left turn signal next go around. We are mid way through the left turn in the middle of the intersection where this MF'er decides to cut across my path of travel over into my lane. So, I have to brake a little bit, finish the corner and then as soon as I'm through the intersection, I watch him for a second drop down in to second and jump on it as I overtake him on the inside. I get up in front of him about 20 ft and I am livid as I turn around on the bike to look back it this MF'er. I look into this guys car and he has a cell phone in one hand, the wheel in the other, and he looks at me and gives me the what's up nod like what are you going to do about it. I sanely decided to ride away but by god I have been saving up for a small concealed carry 45 and I would fantasize about going Sons of Anarchy on that POS MF'er. I almost wanted to ride slow and wait to get caught at a redlight up ahead, but I've seen too many youtubes where the biker gets Effed up because people just ram them with their cars. I would understand if I was riding like a dick, but I was following this guy at a safe distance after he already got into my lane of travel in the first place.
 
I say if anyone actually pisses you off while you are on your bike... if anyone does something stupid that you don't already expect then you are not in the right frame of mind to be riding a motorcycle.

A wise man once told me that "No one can make me mad. I can only allow people to make me mad." Lets just say I don't allow myself to get mad and I expect people to do stupid shyte. That is why I am alive and uninjured after 25 years of riding. Well that and the fact I don't do stupid shyte either.
 
I say if anyone actually pisses you off while you are on your bike... if anyone does something stupid that you don't already expect then you are not in the right frame of mind to be riding a motorcycle.

:+1: :ditto:

Totally on board with that. Yes, I get pi$$ed off at some drivers but I never act on it. Every car out there can ruin your day (or life) so it's not worth being upset about it as long as you're not forced off. If you're still up on two and there was no contact, then it's all good.

You cannot forget:
  • We are invisible.
  • Expect the worst ALWAYS.
  • Head-check, head-check, HEAD-CHECK!
  • Avoid the driver's blind spots!
  • Never follow too closely.
  • ALWAYS have a planned escape route.
  • Never sit in neutral while in traffic.
  • Stay hydrated!
  • All drivers are out to kill you. Drive with this in mind.
 
I have been with a couple of guys who kicked a driver's side door and a few driver's side mirrors have hit the pavement but one incident stands out pretty clearly. I was riding to Austin with a friend of mine and we were about 2 hours out and we cruising at about 80 mph. There was not much traffic at about 6 am as people were just starting their day.
We were in a rural area where there were lots of ranches and very few homes. The homes we did see were all about 300 yds from the hiway. If you haven't seen this part of Texas I want to describe it so you can get a picture of what I'm talking about. One rancher was in a HUGE Dually Pick Up had driven down his long drive way and was stopped perpendicular to the hiway waiting to merge with traffic. Well actually there did not seem to be any traffic in front of him as he was just parked there. Something about it got my attention. As we started to approach I flashed my brights once just to make sure he saw my friend and I. Well I guess (because I can't figure out what else happened) this made the rancher angry and he pulled out RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. I mean it appeared to be deliberately. As we got closer to this HUGE pick up truck our lights shined on the truck and eventually the driver. This is the important part - The driver made some kind of weird face and seemed to be taunting us. He seemed to be shouting and mouthing some words that I couldn't understand. Then he STOPPED - RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIWAY!!!! That forced us to both slam on our brakes and as I was nearest to the shoulder of the road. I veered over on the shoulder and went a little wide hoping I could make room for my friend to follow. Well Scott did not follow and locked up his breaks to come to a complete stop.
The truck then accelerated and went into the north bound lane and continued on his route. I was furious and shouted a few choice words but Scott was even more angry than I was. As soon as the truck pulled into the north bound lane Scott shot out after him. I had not stopped - in fact I had accelerated as I hit the shoulder to make room for my friend so I had traveled a pretty good way down the road so it took me a minute to catch up to them. In fact the truck and my friend had traveled over a hill and I couldn't see them as they went over a hill. When I came over that hill at over 100 mph I saw Scott and the Dually driver in the scariest thing I had seen. Scott had pulled up even with him and was shouting and making hand gestures. The driver of the truck actually was swerving back and forth at my friend. This was a really scary sight to see. I mean I had NO idea what to do!!! There is a video that shows a motorcycle driver confronting an agressive cage driver and the cage drivers punches the gas!! Lets say the motorcycle driver doesn't win this one.

Angry Women Hits Bike In Brazil - YouTube


So I am absolutely in shock of what I'm seeing! It's like it's a bad dream! Well I had only caught up for what seemed to be a few seconds and then Scott peeled away and turned back south bound. I had NO idea what to do but follow. I figured Scott would pull over and we kind of regroup, talk bad about the driver and listen to my friend describe what he would have done to the truck driver if he pulled over but that is not what happened.
Scott was driving pretty slow when I fell in line with him and then he punched the throttle. LOL I was thinking WTF are you doing? Well we didn't have intercoms and I'm kind of glad because I'm sure I would have been looking for the volume switch anyway. Once I catch up to Scott and his Gixxer he as driven up to the man's driveway, parks his bike and walks toward the man's front gate WITH PURPOSE! What I mean by that is I could tell he was PISSED!!! and it would be a good idea to let him walk it off. Well he has other ideas.
Scott walks up to the front gate (it's real common for Ranchers to decorate their gates). Since no one can see their homes, a lot of ranchers will build big archways over the driveway and very ornate gates with their names on it. This rancher had done that very thing. So Scott is walking toward the front gate and suddenly veers to the left. He picks up the HUGE trash can that the trash service comes and gets and he throws it as this decorative gate. I won't go into so much detail since this is getting long winded but Scott dumped some trash, kicked over a mail box (a custom job also) and kicked over a little bust of a horse's head that was part of the decoration and tried to bust it by body slamming it repeated at the front gate. LOL I will end this craziness by telling you what he did for an exclamation point. He found some kind of chord in the trash that he dumped and hung the horse head on the ornamental gate. During this time I had parked my motorcycle but left it running. I was pretty worried that the driver would double back but he didn't. So after the horse hanging - Scott was still in full gear, full face helmet on and he made a real made a short gesture for us to get back on the road. LOL Now that is what I'm thinking. :smokin2:
So we drive on into Austin without stopping. LOL That was a tense drive but he kept driving moving without looking back. I was CONSTANTLY checking the rear view mirror looking for that HUGE truck. I never saw the truck again and we arrived at Scott's GF's apartment. We parked our bikes and we unload our bags. We don't say a word until we get to the front door where my friend asks me not to say anything to his GF. HAHAHA!!!! I died laughing - after all that - that is what he is worried about?!?!?! :noworries:
Later that night the girls go do girl things and my friend and I are hanging out. So we finally get a chance to talk about it. Scott said he was so mad at that guy that he is glad he did NOT pull over. I was also because it's pretty common for ranchers to carry a gun in their truck. Guns are something I respect. I understand 2 men fighting occasionally - that happens but guns are a conversation ender. I'm NOT opposed to them - in fact I am a gun advocate but I don't want one pulled on me and especially NOT in that situation.
Sorry the story was so long....the whole incident seemed to take about 5 seconds. In reality I think it went pretty quickly because my friend was moving at a fast pace. :spank2: You know I have had some people ask ME why I didn't do one thing or the other. Either go after the guy or stop my friend. IDK is the best answer I can come up with. In the heat of the moment you react. Secondly - I'm not real sure I could have stopped my friend and more importantly - I'm not going to wrestle with one of my good friends to stop that. The third point is I understand that my buddy destroyed some property but I can assure you that that rancher would have had a very angry - very trained athletic man coming after him. I have worked out with my friend in both boxing and BJJ and after thinking about it and talking to Scott - I think the rancher is extremely lucky that he didn't stop. I cannot even begin to think of why someone would endanger two motorcycle riders like that but one thing is clear - the driver of the truck thought it was funny definitely was mocking us when he passed me. A broken gate is much different than broken bones :deal: I still shake my head thinking about that morning. It all seemed to have happened in about 5 seconds. Sorry it was so long winded but that was a story I have never told on these forums.

EDIT:
After I posted I thought that I would post a pic of what a Dually Truck looks like in case they don't have them internationally. These things are MASSIVE!!!! I mean they take up a lot of space!!!


DuallyTruckStory_zps0f3f7af2.jpg



EDIT:
Here is an idea of what I mean by ranchers having an ornate gate and archway. This is NOT the property but just to give you a general idea:


RanchGateway_zpsd3f665ca.jpg



" As we started to approach I flashed my brights once just to make sure he saw my friend and I. Well I guess (because I can't figure out what else happened) this made the rancher angry and he pulled out RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. I mean it appeared to be deliberately"

In my area flashing your brights is the universal signal for the other driver/rider to proceed. Understood by just about everyone in these parts that your signaling the other driver to GO and that you will yield to them.

Maybe the rancher thought you were giving him the ok to pull out ???
 
I always keep in mind that being on the bike I'm already starting out on the "losing" side of a confrontation with another vehicle so I avoid that. The only thing that can come from road rage is make a bad situation worse.
 
" As we started to approach I flashed my brights once just to make sure he saw my friend and I. Well I guess (because I can't figure out what else happened) this made the rancher angry and he pulled out RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. I mean it appeared to be deliberately"

In my area flashing your brights is the universal signal for the other driver/rider to proceed. Understood by just about everyone in these parts that your signaling the other driver to GO and that you will yield to them.

Maybe the rancher thought you were giving him the ok to pull out ???

It makes me wonder. What if that truck was just someone visiting or maybe a plumber that provided a service at the residence. He may not have even lived there.
 
In my area flashing your brights is the universal signal for the other driver/rider to proceed. Understood by just about everyone in these parts that your signaling the other driver to GO and that you will yield to them.

Maybe the rancher thought you were giving him the ok to pull out ???

This is also universal here... flash the brights is a signal that you're yielding and letting them go. If a rider flashes the high's here, he'd best already be on the brakes. : oops:
 
" As we started to approach I flashed my brights once just to make sure he saw my friend and I. Well I guess (because I can't figure out what else happened) this made the rancher angry and he pulled out RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. I mean it appeared to be deliberately"

In my area flashing your brights is the universal signal for the other driver/rider to proceed. Understood by just about everyone in these parts that your signaling the other driver to GO and that you will yield to them.

Maybe the rancher thought you were giving him the ok to pull out ???



I'm glad you mentioned that. I had never heard of flashing lights to let someone go in front of you. I think (could be wrong) but in Texas it's universal to flash your lights for two things: 1) You have high beams on. 2) There is a policeman behind me so beware of a cop.
Well it's something to think about because I will flash my lights like this sometimes if I am worried that someone won't see me coming. Ex) I'm going down the hiway and someone is merging onto the main road from a stop sign....if they keep rolling and don't come to a complete stop, etc. I will flash my lights to grab their attention and be more visible. I hope that farmer didn't think I was going to stop on the hiway and let him pass but I suppose he may have. I never knew that flashing my hi beams had that meaning so I suppose I will have to come up with something else.
 
I just want to state I would never seriously consider unloading a clip on someone while riding. I just was imagining the DVD cover from Sons of Anarchy Season 1 with Jax with 1 hand on the throttle and the other shooting behind him.

The other crazy imagination thing that I thought of was how cool it would be to be Ghost Rider and use his chain to chop the car in half. I know it may sound crazy but really imagining that stuff is a pressure/stress release. I think because it is so ridiculous it allows me to just sit back and realize how dumb the situation is.
 
This is also universal here... flash the brights is a signal that you're yielding and letting them go. If a rider flashes the high's here, he'd best already be on the brakes. : oops:

So, what does it mean when you just turn on the high beams?

I will come upon a car that looks like they are attempting to enter the street in front of me I will just flip on the high beams and leave them on. Most often it will freeze people in their tracks. I've only managed to piss off one person so far who was pulling out of a driveway from Starbucks and taking a left to go northbound across the southbound lane I was in. I had to get on the brakes pretty good and the guy just honked at me as he squeeled his tires to speed away.
 
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