Beware Elderly Corolla Drivers

Hey y'all,

Riding along anzac parade after uni, about 6:30 with a mate (GPX250),
just coming into maroubra jn, spot silver corolla doing about 40 in
the right hand lane, hang back for a bit, then pick up speed and go to
pass it.
front wheel is just passing her wing mirror when driver changed lanes
VERY rapidly. Asked stf after and he said the indicator didn't flash
until her wheels were in my lane (he was riding behind).
Turned very hard left and then back to avoid parked car and somehow
missed everything. Not comfortable with that experience though.

What can you do to help avoid that kind of foolishness?

Chris
1991 RED Spada

 

Aha, I know who you are now.

If you're new to it all, you have to remember Maroubra is notorious for
fuckwits in their cars. I ride up through there all the time and I'm extra
vigilant in trying to anticipate and expect the unexpected. You've got the
whole section there with people turning right into Maroubra road (heading
south) and all the people parking on the LH and RHS of Anzac near
freshpoint/aportos n stuff like that. It's always bad, just do your best and
look sharp. I've had a few close calls there myself. I be the one that parks
the Blade along the side of the mech building.

Cam
'03 954

 

In aus.motorcycles on 10 May 2004 05:04:17 -0700

You realise that when someone is on a big road like Anzac Pde,
especially near a major shopping area, and doing a slow speed in the
outside lane, they are looking for something. And can move in any
direction without looking because they've seen whatever it is and want
to get htere *now*.

So you rein in your impatience, or you sit right in their mirror and
wait for eye contact, and even if you get that you are ready for them to
change lanes into you.

Zebee

 

YOU can pay better attention!
Didn't you see the parked car? Why did you sit alongside and block a car
that was going to have to change lanes?
Stay the hell away from cars and ALWAYS assume they don't know or care if
you're there.
Clem

 

Staying at home is about the only way guaranteed to work! Otherwise, you just have to expect it, and accept it
as a normal part of the everyday life of a motorcyclist. Always expect the unexpected!!

Damien
GPX250 (stolen) -> CBR600

 

What can you do to help avoid that kind of foolishness?

I would continue to 'hang back for a bit' until your 100% sure the car is
not going to change lanes or clip you (i.e. wait till they pull over or
speed up or change lanes).

If this is not possible I would pass as far as possible to the right/left of
the car in order to create the biggest buffer.

 

Assume that everyone in a car is dangerous be it in Maroubra or fucken North
Sydney with those bloody BMWs, Mercs. I got sideswiped while stopped at a
set of lights on Walker street, North Sydney.

I couldn't believe ... thanks to to brand new bike boots I kicks the pricks
head lights in.

 

Big spanner for the windscreen

 

Hmm, I thought it was only in Melbourne where drivers flick their indicators
over as they change lanes in the same action.

I've even see idiots finish changing lanes, look behind to see you there and
then flash their indicators.

I call that "sympathy indicating".

 

Hey Clem, maybe _you_ need to pay more attention... "silver corolla
doing about 40 in the right hand lane" - that car _wasn't_ "going to
have to change lanes" for the parked car...

Yeap, especially if they are already doing suspiciously dickheaded
things like 20kmh below the speed limit in the right hand lane.

You _should_ have taken the parked car into account _before_ you made
your passing move, and either waited until you were past it (so you had
space to use if the car with the dickhead warning did something
typical), or made your pass before the parked car if you could.

The truth is, car drivers _aren't_ all out to get you, but if you don't
treat them as if they are, one day one of them _will_ get you.

(I sometimes think we might be safer if they _were_ all trying to run us
down, an astonishingly large percentage of them seem to be so completely
incompetant at the whole driving thing that having them actively pursue
you would be the action they're least likely to succeed at...)

big

 

X-No-archive: yes
Iain Chalmers wrote in message ...

Bugger! I score a big "F" for reading and comprehension!
Sorry Chris.
Clem

 

Thats *TWICE!*

Clems been wrong on usenet *TWICE*!!!

;-)

big

 

damn..

Greetings from the lab building.
I've been admiring that bike for a while.
When'd you get it? You know who's responsible for the yellow 998?
What are you doing at uni?

 

aight thanks,

I've been trying to make eye contact but 'driver tunnel vision
syndrome' is making life hard, particularly at big roundabouts when
fools just charge into the tiniest of gaps without even looking
sideways or checking their mirrors.

Thanks for the advice everyone

Chris
*determined not to become a statistic*

 

X-No-archive: yes
Iain Chalmers wrote in message ...

Yep; 1998-2003 and now I'm into the second one.....
Clem

 

In aus.motorcycles on 10 May 2004 20:34:06 -0700

I really think I ride in a different place called "sydney" to everyone
else.

I see people seeing me allthe time. I do sometimes, like maybe once or
twice a year, get people cutting close or moving into me, but it really
isn't common. And most of the time it's because I wasn't awake.

So why is it happening to everyone else, but I can do 400+km a week on
the streets of Sydney (including twice a week at the 5 ways roundabout)
and not have this homicidal car driver problem?

Big oily battered old Guzzis look like they'll leak on the paintwork or
something?

Zebee

 

Re: parked car...

I accept these '..foolishness, grasshopper!..' comments with a grin.
I WILL learn to avoid these situations better but unfortunately this
might involve a little practice.
I know I should have looked for a gap in the parking lane but it was
night so I didn't notice the parked car till I was swerving into its
lane. (SPADA= PISSY LIL HEAdLAMP) and it was before the big street
lamps.

Yo Big...
can you please send me that workshop manual?!
I'll pay you!
or you could email them to me in two goes (i have a 20MB inbox)

I need to do my timing chains pronto they are real noisy for about the
first 5-10 minutes of running then they tidy up a bit.

Needs valve clearances done too..

 

I sometimes practice my non-sympathetic counter-move in those conditions.

It involves actually having seen and predicted what they are going to do -
i.e. change lanes without looking, downchanging (so I can get some decent
accelleration out of the 250) and then blasting past/forward so that they
only miss you by a tiny amount. The gap should be big enough by you --- with
practice it doesn't really need to be _that_ big --- but normally put a bit
of a swerve to the left/right in also for the effect that they made you take
evasive action. You should keep accellerating just in case they try & foot
it. To be followed up by a raised fist, shaking head and or usage of horn -
a tap tap is probably better than a long one. If horn: Wait till after
you've passed so that they can see where it is coming from, otherwise you'll
completely freak them out.

I expect half of you to say "d-head" so I've already donned my teflon suit.
Point is that ever so often, people deserve to be waken up - rudely if that
is the only thing that helps. I don't normally do it but if someone has just
tried taking me out by changing lanes on me then I tend to run out of
niceness for the next one.

I had a close call with a big 4wd the other week - the closest in a couple
of years I reckon - who decided being stuck behind the right turning car on
C*nt road sucked and thought it ws ok to change into the left lane and
indicate and start turning in one 0.1second maneuver was completely in his
right. I was going north just after Toorak road and my 250 wasn't at 12k RPM
so I couldn't just blast past and couldn't really remember if there was any
traffic behind - it was dark and my mirrors picked up light from
everywhere - so I didn't jump on the brakes but just held my horn and
luckily the dude was awake enough to jerk back to the right (those 4wds have
massive bodyroll).

I decided there and then to go and finally get a 600 upgrade.... Sucks not
having engine power in the sub 10ks.

Just had a snooze so sorry about non existing grammars in this post.

Cheers,
Jørgen

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 11 May 2004 23:55:13 +1000

REally?

Me, I don't think some kind of petty up yours is worth losing a leg for,
but hey, everyone's got their own priorities.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 11 May 2004 11:06:31 +1000

What, and motorcycles always have the indicators flashing for at least 3
flashes before changing lanes?

Or is it only cars that are supposed to give proper warning?

Zebee