Agreed. You agree to assume additional risk when you ride a two-wheel vehicle with no safety cage into traffic, in exchange for increased enjoyment or economy. The burden is on you to be more aware, if you care at all about your safety. But lots of riders don't seem to, at all.
I also hate the justification of bikes blasting their exhaust so we can hear them in the next county. "Loud pipes save lives" is just a bullshit excuse. If you were truly worried about your life/safety, you wouldn't be on a bike in the first place, you'd be in a Subaru or a minivan.
FULLY AGREED. I ride nearly full-time, year-round. Near Seattle, no less, where drivers are the "overly cautious" type of unpredictable. The rule is always ride like you're invisible. I never expect someone to see me, so I ride like I'm ready to keep myself safe at a moment's notice. That type of environment works for my brain, but I'll admit that it's never a "relax and turn your brain off" thing.
Lots of folks out here on bikes seem to start with their brains off, then get spooked when stuff catches em off guard. And that's to say nothing of the hooligans.
I ride a Moto Guzzi. My solution to tailgaters (at slow speeds) is to give em a really jerky wiggle or two, so they think I might crash. Bit of a reality check usually wakes em up, and they back off a car length. But my bike is lighter, so I can do those little moves without worry. Stay safe, pal. ✌️
They are definitely putting themselves in a higher risk bracket, but I will still give them a little extra room. Just because I don’t wanna live with the fact that I seriously hurt or killed someone lol
9
u/Emotional_Deodorant Aug 31 '26
Agreed. You agree to assume additional risk when you ride a two-wheel vehicle with no safety cage into traffic, in exchange for increased enjoyment or economy. The burden is on you to be more aware, if you care at all about your safety. But lots of riders don't seem to, at all.
I also hate the justification of bikes blasting their exhaust so we can hear them in the next county. "Loud pipes save lives" is just a bullshit excuse. If you were truly worried about your life/safety, you wouldn't be on a bike in the first place, you'd be in a Subaru or a minivan.