Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique loud pipes DO save lives

Turning out of a side street this mornin onto main artery and it is kinda wierd there in the sense that the main road has 3 lanes 2 have lights that stay green all the time and the inner one changes to red to let traffic out of the side street. i know its hard to believe but i am telling you i did not see this guy comeing and when i pulled out and into the main drag i needed to get over real quick to then make a right turn onto another side street. if it hadnt been for his pipes i would have been feelin real bad right now for killing another biker. i dont know how i didnt see him but he must not have seen me either cuz he never moved over and there was no one in the next lane so he could have, he didnt even speed up to get past me quick he just rode by like nothing was going to or had almost happened. so they cant nobody tell me loud pipes dont make a difference. they werent loud like Sceptre or something but they were after market of some king, this bike was a dualsport of some kind and was louder than stock. man i made that right turn and pulled over till my knees stopped shaken. i dont know if i could live with myself if i hurt a biker with a cage, i was on the job in a van, there are some trees there and a sign to tell drivers to watch out for people comeing out of that side street and a warning about how the lights work there. so i guess he was behind one of those but i always look twice or 3 times. i think the only excuse i can come up with to justify is the new blood pressure meds, they make me feel weird. but really i feel as if there is no excuse for not seeing anything comeing, thats why god gave me eyes. i felt very bad and still am haveing a hard time, i cant stop thinking about it. like i said, if it hadnt been his pipes i would have hurt him.

Newt, I think we've all been there. We all ride bikes and therefore would consider ourselves to be more 'bike-aware' than most but I bet we've all, at some point, 'not seen' a bike. Like all things in life, learn from it but don't worry about it.

neill

PS I still believe that the driving test for cars should include time on a motorbike/scooter to show people the capabilities and limitations of a 2 wheeler and also, demonstrate how vulnerable they really are. (I'd also extend it to include a pedalbike and a 7.5 ton truck, but that's another story)

I'm glad you didn't kill the guy but I just have to wonder. If loud pipes save lives, how come people get killed at rail crossings? Do trains need to be louder?

Can't be helped Newt. As bikers we try to be more aware and watch for other bikers and any vehicle for that matter. But were all human. Everyone who has ever driven has made a mistake and not seen someone or inadvertantly cut someone off. You don't need an excuse bro, these things happen.

We need more people like you who realize thier mistake, why they made it, and then try to correct it as to not be a repeat offender and hurt someone.

The other rail worker....

The trains I work take 1.25 miles to stop at full speed. Full speed is 125 mph. If someone jumps a level crossing the train has no chance of stopping.

Or swerving.

I've known drivers who've hit a person on a crossing never return to work. Hitting a car...they've not drawn another breath.

Crossings have warning means for a reason.

I've done it twice.
Both times I was turning left from a stop and the bike approached from my right.
I had a talk with the rider in both cases and apologized all over myself.
The first time was 1/2 block from St. Joe HD, & we were both headed there at the time!
2nd time was just the other day & I had to turn around and follow the guy into a parking lot.
These incidents were years apart, & I sure hope I'm done with that now.