Motorcyclist's Creed.

[gemfyre]

Just something I came up with as a sports bike roared off at a set of lights clearly exceeding the speed limit withing 2 seconds.

Motorcyclist's Creed

Now that I own a motorcycle...

• I can ride along the white lines in the middle of the road because that is the lane specially reserved for me.


• I can sit in your rearview mirror so that you only see me at the last minute and have to practise your avoidance tactics.


• I can travel at dangerous speeds on any road because the speed cameras cannot catch me. I only have a number plate on my rear end because one's on the front may prove lethal if I have an accident caused by my travelling at dangerous speeds.


• I have the right to do all of these stupid things and still blame car drivers when I am in an accident.

Comments

the smell of sex

[jet-ski.livejournal.com]

there's nothing sexier than a woman on a motorcycle

Re: the smell of sex

[gemfyre.livejournal.com]

lol.

I love 'em too. I used to ride pinion with my dad all the time. He had just started to teach me to ride it and he went and sold it!! (rego was too much for the amount he was using it).

However I see too many assholes on motorbikes around.

[lotus79.livejournal.com]

>I can ride along the white lines in the middle of the road because that is the lane specially reserved for me.

You're just narky because you're stuck twenty cars back at rush hour and the guy on the bike gets to speed ahead of everyone else. But that said, those who do this *after* the lights turn green and the cars start moving have a death wish.

>I can sit in your rearview mirror so that you only see me at the last minute and have to practise your avoidance tactics.

There's a word for motorcyclists who do this. No, actually, three words: "mashed up corpse".

Having ridden pillion, I can say the thing you learn first if you want to stay alive on your MC is NEVER BE IN SOMEONE'S BLIND SPOT. The second thing you learn is to expect to be cut off constantly because people don't see you. You gotta know the most dangerous thing the drivers around you could do, and expect them to do it.

>I can travel at dangerous speeds on any road because the speed >cameras cannot catch me. I only have a number plate on my rear >end because one's on the front may prove lethal if I have an >accident caused by my travelling at dangerous speeds.

The first their stupidity... the second is actually true, though. Luke's Auntie sliced of half her foot on a numberplate in an accident (it was the car's numberplate, though)

>I have the right to do all of these stupid things and still blame car drivers when I am in an accident.

well, it depends if you were doing these stupid things at the time of the accident (obviously). Luke's had one moderately serious accident (on the road) on his bike. He was riding down Clayton street, behind a slow-moving ute, which was travelling along the right side of the road. He followed the letter of the law, and pulled further to the right to overtake. Ute was turning right, and not indicating. Ute cut him off in a big way, and he came off the bike and broke his wrist. Could have been worse.

He's the first to admit he should have been patient and not tried overtaking, but it was the ute's fault in my book; he was not indicating. The irony is that if Luke had just overtaken on the left, as you are not supposed to do on a non-laned road, he would have been fine.

failure to indicate

[firvulag.livejournal.com]

a friend of mine a few years back (prolly many now since i'm old and time flies) lost his liscence cos a car turned right into him. He was on his P's and passing a car on an open bit of the open road and doing under the speed limit cos this other car had been putting along at about 60 in a 100 zone. he indicated and pulled out and accelerated to pass and the other car turned right just in time to be hit in the side by my friends car, which was written off. The driver of the other vehicle freely admitted that he didnt indicate, yet somehow it was still my friends fault because he was on his P plates! it was just a stupid decision, but he still lost his liscence for causing an accident on P plates and the other driver got off without a penalty. My friends insurance even had to pay for the damages to his car!

On the topic of motorcycles and their numberplates, plastic is good! as are magnet/sticker type plates for the front. Just cos its a motorcycle doesn't mean it should be immune to any road laws, or at least alot less likely to get caught. (they still get done by being pulled over)

And lastly, Car numberplates are dangerous in accidents, lets not have them :)

Re: failure to indicate

[lotus79.livejournal.com]

Stories like that make me very angry. *seethes*

Why is equality and fairness still a pipedream?

easy way to avoid traffic congestion

[jet-ski.livejournal.com]

Don't drive! =)

And it is possible to get by without a car, just takes planning.
My lawyer friend has never owned a car. I got rid of mine, and I am benefitting muchly both psycologically and budget-wise.

Just so I sound as anti-car as possible, cars by their very nature are dangerous. It has alot to do with the laws of physics. Is it really safe to be careering around at 80 kilometres an hour encased in over a tonne of metal/plastic and rubber? No. And why do we call it the road-toll? Like it's acceptable that so many people die and are injured on the roads? Inevitable? Aren't we doing something wrong here?

Re: easy way to avoid traffic congestion

[gemfyre.livejournal.com]

The problem is I live one hour's driving distance from uni for starters(over 2 hours via public transport). And I often find myself needing to take lots of stuff with me to places.

Hence a car is extremely useful for me as well as being dangerous, polluting and downright expensive.

Re: easy way to avoid traffic congestion

[jet-ski.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I know the feeling. I used to live in Mandurah!
I was quite happy catching the bus, until my parents insisted it was silly and that I should drive. I started to driving to uni in my little green mitsubishi colt. With all the extra k's, extra stuff started going wrong with it. I spent ridiculous amounts of time driving, and started to seriously suffer from driver fatigue. That, and pressure from my parents who didn't appreciate my lifestyle, led me to do some calculations. Turned out I'd be better off financially if I moved closer to uni.

I moved to Success. I was still stuck with my car, as the nearest supermarket at the time was 4 kilometres away on uncyclefriendly streets. The ride to Uni was okay, but a little yucky. One day when I had run out of money I was forced to walk home. It was an interesting experience. After that I moved to Como, and dittohed my car. My finances looked so much better all of a sudden. There was no Canning Bridge interchange in those days, so to get to Uni I had to catch the 106 into the city and the 185 out again. After my flatmate's folks bought her a new bicycle, I decided it was a worthwhile investment, bought a nice blue Malvern Star and got rid of my Toyworld bike. I cycled to Uni. I had never been so fit. I could run from bush court to the guild and back, without even puffing and gasping for air! After Como, I moved to Kardinya, and bought another car, and then to a duplex across the road from Murdoch. I got lazy and unfit cos I didn't have to ride anywhere. Then I had a problem, my new gf lived in Wilson. I drove to her house alot. I tried to ride there a few times and ended up exhausted. I moved to Wilson eventually, and drove alot until I gave my Mazda the flick because it was about to require major maintainence investments. Bought a Gemini Panny, it was cheap and rusty, I just wanted it for moving big stuff and to go camping in. I started cycling to Uni again in preparation for my cycle tour to Europe. Was a tough ride, and at first I couldnt do it more than once a week, but by the end I was doing it 3 or 4 times a week and beating the Circleroute to Uni. I still had to drive to work though, as I did nightfill (11pm-3am) in Thornlie. Then I broke up with Fi and moved to Maylands. I sold the Gemmi because it needed money spent on it and the rego was up. So now I catch the train/bus to uni, and cycle almost everywhere else. Not as fit as I used to be though. =(

So yes, I understand that it depends on what stage you are in in your life. But I maintain that there's a certain amount of control you can exert on circumstances...