On Motorcycles

Here’s a list:

  • We will share your lane, whether you like it or not. It’s not personal, just give us some room. (At least in LA. It’s legal here, an old air-cooled bike in traffic just doesn’t work)
  • Some of us are jerks. We wear ugly jackets and put acrylic mohawks on our helmets.
  • Jerks also tend to ride with way too under-dressed hoochie passengers. In heels.
  • DO NOT EVER TAILGATE US. Someone was tailgating me after I shared his lane and didn’t FLY OFF THE LINE at a left hand turn. I brake checked him, he got the SUPER PISSED and then after that I out maneuvered him and my fear turned into laughter and his rage turned into, well, more rage. Lesson? Don’t tailgate a motorcycle.
  • We know we are mostly invisible. Do your part to make that less of a reality.
  • Sometimes we think we are super cool, that’s usually when we miss a gear and over-rev up. We aren’t trying to be loud and cool. Whoops. Blushface.
  • We over-rev at stop lights to check our idle speeds, sometimes adjusting. At least I do.
  • Most hand gestures are a wave, you will be absolutely sure when it’s not.
  • Friendly honks are little beeps. 
  • “Fuck you, you fucking blind motherfucker” is usually a series of long honks followed by a graceful shift (left hand and foot) into the new appropriate gear while using your right hand to accelerate and your left to flip the bird.
  • Motorcycling is less like motorcycling in movies and more like pod racing. I.E. the cars are never spaced that far apart, you won’t be doing 86 or 103 in km/H or MPH on a wet street at night, the truck won’t honk at you cause he won’t ever see you.
  • Grooved highways at 85MPH are interesting.
  • GoPro. Cool.
  • Motorcycles are really fun, there’s just too many damn cars.
  1. miketobia reblogged this from krispayne
  2. drivenbyvisions reblogged this from krispayne
  3. olycam said: Damn cagers ruin everything. I’ve really begun to understand over the years why some riders carry ball-bearings or buck-shot in their pockets.
  4. krispayne posted this