| Author | Message | ||
     Jerseyguy |
So I'm motoring to work on my Ss this morning at maybe 30 mph and as I'm approaching a "T" intersection I see a suit in his anycar approaching the stop sign. Looks like he's in a hurry and the alarms go off in my head. Sure as shit he blows through and then stops in front of me. I eased on the front brake and executed a perfect stoppie - almost to the balance point. It came back down hard but I somehow did it gracefully. So now I'm almost nose to nose with the jerk. He's looking sheepish and I just shake my head. He drives away and I continue on to work thanking GOD for all those times I goofed around trying stoppies. I'm not good at it but I've messed around enough to know how to save my ass. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Good save, man! "Ride like you're invisible and everyone is out to get you." | ||
| Jaimec |
Actually, you'll stop quicker if you can keep both wheels on the ground. Same principle (in reverse) as to why a dragster tries NOT to wheelie when he launches his vehicle down the strip. Helps to throw your body weight backwards while braking. (Message edited by jaimec on June 13, 2008) | ||
| Xl1200r |
I agree with Jaimec - the more you can keep the bike level, the more stopping power you can apply to the front wheel. That said, sounds like this was a panic situation, and right or wrong, you had the ass in the air and knew how to handle it. Good save, glad no one is hurt. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Yeah, but the story would be pretty boring without the stoppie. | ||
| Zane |
Stoppie or no stoppie, we're just glad you're in one piece. | ||
| Jaimec |
If nothing else, it was a DRAMATIC demonstration to the idiot who cut him off of what MIGHT have happened. Maybe next time the jackass won't be so eager to blow a "Stop Sign." Then again, maybe not. I blame this all on the 55 mph speed limit. People have gotten so used to ignoring that law that they've gone on to ignoring other traffic laws with the same impunity. I can't count how many times in my car I'll start slowing when I see a yellow light WAY up ahead and I'll come to a safe, controlled stop at the red light only to have the ARSEHOLE behind me swerve around me into the RIGHT lane and hang a left turn in front of me ACROSS the traffic whose light has turned GREEN. What is WRONG with these idiots??? That's also a warning to everyone here that just because you've got a green light DOESN'T necessarily mean it's safe to proceed through the intersection. The arseholes are multiplying faster than sensible drivers, it seems. (Message edited by jaimec on June 13, 2008) | ||
| Ratbuell |
Next time, side-stoppie. Pull it up, hook it around to the side, and bring it down so your passenger peg takes a gouge out of the door of his anycar (love that term). | ||
| Djkaplan |
"That's also a warning to everyone here that just because you've got a green light DOESN'T necessarily mean it's safe to proceed through the intersection." I very rarely ride a bicycle in traffic, but the last time I did, some moron almost nailed me when he blew through a red light. Had I been able to accelerate from a stop faster when the light turned green, he'd have gotten me for sure. | ||
| Greenlantern |
Next time, side-stoppie. Pull it up, hook it around to the side, and bring it down so your passenger peg takes a gouge out of the door of his anycar (love that term). Ah the "Power Hoochie", how I miss the ol' BMX days.  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Nice going, Steve! Don't want to scratch up the Ss, that would leave you with only the 1125R to ride.  Seriously, the thing that saved you was anticipating that the guy was going to blow the light long before he did it. Otherwise your beautiful stoppie would have been more like a tee bone. | ||
| Freezerburn |
'anycar' is my new favorite word of the week. I will practice using it in conversation. Jersey - nice to save it in style! | ||
| Hughlysses |
I blame this all on the 55 mph speed limit. People have gotten so used to ignoring that law that they've gone on to ignoring other traffic laws with the same impunity. Jamie- I think you hit the nail on the head. Traffic seems to be pretty damn close to anarchy lately. Double yellows, red lights, and yields signs are all viewed as "suggestions". | ||
| Miamiuly |
+1 on that 55mph thing, never thought of that before but I remember how up and arms we were about that from the start. Artificially slow speed limits in general I suppose help create the 'tude. And seeing a cop blow by you with no emergency lights, probably on his way home since he's out of his jurisdiction, doesn't help people want to obey the law. Uhm... lead by example maybe? Nah be above the law. Can't rent a car until your 25 but we have 19 year old cops in some parts of the country if not all. And I was just saying yesterday that I don't really feel safe on my bicycle anymore compared to riding a motorcycle. And that isn't even riding in a high traffic area- just my modern neighbors, most of whom have kids, blasting down the street so as not to be late to soccer practice or to pick up the kids. The one lady backs her suburban into the drive and leaves like it's a firehouse. I always look twice even walking the sidewalk by her house. | ||
| Jerseyguy |
Jon, We've probably got 100 years of experience between us riding motorbikes. If we haden't developed that defensive 6th sense, we'd have never made it. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Jersey - Gentleman Jon nailed it above, and I've said it in a number of the "loud pipes" threads too. What saved your skin (and John Q Moron because it sounds like you would have planted your ZTL right in his lap if you'd hit the car) was that you were paying enough attention for both of you. He obviously wasn't holding up his end of the deal (surprise). I don't even look at the drivers anymore. I look at the front wheel of their car. If there's a car at a cross street, I cover the brake. If the wheels are turning on that car - at ALL - I'm on the brakes and planning my route outta there with minimal damage. Sidewalk? Oncoming? Oncoming sidewalk? Room to stop? Most times I see it early enough I have room to stop. Sometimes....well, to quote Ron White: "they were stopping everyone driving down that particular sidewalk...and that's profiling!" | ||
| Brumbear |
I tried that both wheels on the ground shyt it's a little difficult when your worried about that last thing going through your mind . AND IT HAPPENS TO BE A FRIGGEN CAR the stoppie may have saved my life I cleared the handlebars and DARK HELMETED the roof of the car | ||
| Brumbear |
Glad you are ok you seem to be sittin witt de Angels as well this year see GOD does love NJ  | ||
| Ratbuell |
Well, Dark Helmet...if you hadn't been travelling at the speed of plaid you may not have had to stoppie...  | ||
| Thumper74 |
"No, SIR! I did not see you playing with your dolls, SIR!" | ||
| Jaimec |
I see your Schwartz is as big as mine. Let's see how well you handle it! | ||
| Nevrenuf |
jersey, unfortunately you get those everywhere you go. the best advise i was given was always assume that your invisible and that no one can see you. i've passed that one and what ratbuell said about the front wheel on to my kids because they both ride and just hope like hell that nothing happens. | ||
| Ratbuell |
....I hate when my schwartz gets twisted..... | ||
| Firebolt32 |
That's also a warning to everyone here that just because you've got a green light DOESN'T necessarily mean it's safe to proceed through the intersection. That's the damn truth. A couple weeks ago at the same intersection a biker was killed, I was behind a car at a red light. Light turns green, I looked to my left as the car in front of me starts to go and a semi comes flying through nearly smashing the car. People just don't care. | ||
| Igneroid |
Loosely related joke: My Pollack uncle Nick picks me up at the airport when Im going to visit him. When we are driving back to his house, Im scared cause Unckle Nick, he's be driving like a loonatic. Every time we comes to a red light, Uncle Nick floors the gas pedal and goes though red light accellerating alla the way. Im say-it to him,"Unckle Nick, you be a dam-god lunatic. Who's be teach it you to drive anyways??" Uncle Nick say "Cousin Orist teach-it me to drive." Finally we comes to a green light and Uncle Nick slows right down to a crawl as he goes through green light. Im say to him "Uncle, why you slow down now??" Unckle Nick says " Cousin Orist is in town." |
