Encounter with Biker

[onfireX5]

Is it legal for a bike to travel in the HOV lane ?

2nd bike almost hit the ride in front of you.

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by Kzang

With the NYC incident it is just gang mentality..

it's stupidity. plain and simple.

[u2b]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUEXftRlgr4[/u2b]

[Kzang]

Yes, and NYPD recently seized and destroy many bikes.
http://www.fox5ny.com/news/116870035-story

NYPD to destroy seized illegal dirt bikes, ATVs

[MattBianco]

I don't ride anymore, but most my friends do. Bad motorcyclist are as common and uncommon as bad drivers, for any given age bracket. The police behavior towards some bikers, however, I find appalling. When they see big bike without mufflers, clearly breaching noise ordinance and muffler requirements, they stare drooling vs. approaching the bike owner and issuing a citation. They don't take the same approach with cars.

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by onfireX5

Is it legal for a bike to travel in the HOV lane ?

2nd bike almost hit the ride in front of you.

Yes, anything less than 4 wheels can ride in HOV lane at anytime.

[Neuera09]

Unless you are packing heat (gun), don't give chase. If you can follow (safely) try to get a license plate but that's it! NEVER CONFRONT THESE GUYS, especially if they are BIKER GANG MEMBERS. You will not win. Its not worth your or your family's safety. These guys are thugs and they act like one in public when there are two or more of their buddies lurking around.

[MattBianco]

Neuera09 even packing heat....not sure what can be accomplished if you cannot get the plate number easily. This guy was a dangerous thug who clearly (post #20) tried to hit the car. Packing heat is only good if you know the other guy is not armed, and even then, try to later justify pointing a gun at someone for hit and run of your mirror.

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by MattBianco

I don't ride anymore, but most my friends do. Bad motorcyclist are as common and uncommon as bad drivers, for any given age bracket. The police behavior towards some bikers, however, I find appalling. When they see big bike without mufflers, clearly breaching noise ordinance and muffler requirements, they stare drooling vs. approaching the bike owner and issuing a citation. They don't take the same approach with cars.

agree on all points... i often complain to my wife or whomever i am with when a harley with straight pipes passes by destroying all noise pollution laws and any other ordinance but if an m3 (insert any modified vehicle) with an exhaust drives past it gets pulled over and ticketed.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

agree on all points... i often complain to my wife or whomever i am with when a harley with straight pipes passes by destroying all noise pollution laws and any other ordinance but if an m3 (insert any modified vehicle) with an exhaust drives past it gets pulled over and ticketed.

Straight pipes save lives Most car drivers don't watch for bikes and are completely clueless on how to share the road with a motorcycle. At least if you can hear an approaching bike, you might see them.

There are bad and good motorcycle drivers, just like there are bad and good car drivers and truck drivers. The bad give the rest a bad name.

Splitting isn't legal here but I always anticipate a bike will split and never change lanes when I see one coming. I've also been caught up in a pack of terrorizing crotch rockets. It is terrifying when 50+ bikes are swarming all over the road in all three lanes weaving in and out. Just give them room and let them go, nothing good can come from a confrontation as is witnessed by the NYC incident with the RR.

I am not saying the OP did anything wrong, he clearly had on his blinker and was already changing lanes when the bike approached.

[r33_RGSport]

MattBianco I have another incident where I notice a bike riding unsafely approaching behind me. So I move to the right to give him a straight way on my left. But since he was riding aggressively, he was taking my right instead of my wide open left lane in a high speed and almost hit me. Then he slowed down and taunting at me.
(Unfortunately I delete this video since it is wasting my hard drive space ).
Another incident, I was under the LAX airplane bridge (where the lane is narrower already) and a motorcycle decided to squeeze in between the cars and put a scratches and dents from the taillight all the way to the front. At some point he got stuck by my driver door and he still forcing it by gassing it and twisting the handle bar. It was under traffic condition to, but I manage to catch up to him since he got totally stuck since (again) the lanes are narrower than regular lanes. So I cut him off and stop in front of him and asked him why he did that and ran away. I asked him to at least apologize to me. He was shocked and after a couple seconds, he apologize.
Oh, I was on my Honda Odyssey picking up my in-law, so I care less on the battle scars and don't want to prolong the situation since I will upset other motorists for causing more traffic and my in-law for waiting at the airport. My then 6yrs old son who loves car, got really upset at me for letting him go. LoL.

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by Neuera09

Unless you are packing heat (gun), don't give chase. If you can follow (safely) try to get a license plate but that's it! NEVER CONFRONT THESE GUYS, especially if they are BIKER GANG MEMBERS. You will not win. Its not worth your or your family's safety. These guys are thugs and they act like one in public when there are two or more of their buddies lurking around.

Of course at the moment you want to chase them down. But, a few seconds later I just decided to be a bigger person and let them go and let others to deal with them.
When I was overseas (Indonesia), the condition are much2 worst. Bikers are everywhere. I drove over someone's foot by accident since he stopped next to me and I guess he put his foot right in front of my tire. When the traffic light turns green, I drove off and felt a bump. Then this guy speed up to me and banging on my window yelling and screaming because his foot got hurt.
Over there, I saw at least 1 biker a day that got ran over by a bus or truck or car with their head split open. Gruesome image, but we got used to it.

[Jambo1]

It's such abhorrent behavior. I've always ridden sportbikes (and currently own a BMW S1000RR), but I'm always ashamed and feel embarrassed when other bikers behave stupidly. Makes us look bad and definitely holds up a negative stereotype, only for us to become a cop magnet.

I too would have done exactly what that Range Rover driver did, and peg it. Those guys were downright thugs. Good on you Ben for not giving chase. Unnecessary headache, heartache, potential harm to yourself, and with the possibility of an aneurysm.

[Alan l.]

For those that didn't see the NYC incident...

Listen to this idiot try to change the story about how it all started

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

Straight pipes save lives Most car drivers don't watch for bikes and are completely clueless on how to share the road with a motorcycle.

i am more annoyed at the pd for not issuing summonses in a fair and balanced manner. a harley will pass by and pd will do nothing, a modified vehicle passes and the sirens light up but i do have a gripe with harleys and similar bikes with straight pipes who decided to detour through residential areas late in the evening and set off car alarms and rattle windows and dogs disturbing the peace etc. it is completely unnecessary.

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

There are bad and good motorcycle drivers, just like there are bad and good car drivers and truck drivers. The bad give the rest a bad name.

this is true and i agree completely however i have yet to see illegal or unregistered vehicles by the hundreds drive on sidewalks or ignore traffic signals or barricade other motorists and antagonize individuals and police.

[MattBianco]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

i am more annoyed at the pd for not issuing summonses in a fair and balanced manner. a harley will pass by and pd will do nothing, a modified vehicle passes and the sirens light up ......

Not true . Like 8 years-olds outside of a candy store, they drool and watch in envy. I have never seen a bike pulled over for violating noise ordinances.

[onfireX5]

Did anybody from the NY mob scene go to jail? The cop ?

[shodanusmc]

I am an old Biker, 65 and been ridding for over 50 years. With a new Hip, I am now on a Harley Trike which I love. I also have problems on the Bike, which includes crotch rocket riders driving like idiots, and people driving their cars that pay no attention to Motorcyclists. The cut you off, pull out in front of you, turn when you are going straight, etc. Every 5 years I take a 20 hour refresher class basically to focus on Safety. Wish everyone did

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by shodanusmc

I am an old Biker, 65 and been ridding for over 50 years. With a new Hip, I am now on a Harley Trike which I love. I also have problems on the Bike, which includes crotch rocket riders driving like idiots, and people driving their cars that pay no attention to Motorcyclists. The cut you off, pull out in front of you, turn when you are going straight, etc. Every 5 years I take a 20 hour refresher class basically to focus on Safety. Wish everyone did

I hear you on the behavior on car drivers. Trust me, in LA, we have plenty of them.
It frustrates me when they make a turn or lane change without using their turn signal.
I had a plan to start a petition for car manufacturers to remove the signal stalk since it is almost never been used by many drivers.
When I was on my west coast road trip last summer, I noticed that oregon and washington, also british columbia, Canada doesn't allow lane splitting. And the drivers have better manner than in LA. Mostly used their turn signals.

[shodanusmc]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

I hear you on the behavior on car drivers. Trust me, in LA, we have plenty of them.
It frustrates me when they make a turn or lane change without using their turn signal.
I had a plan to start a petition for car manufacturers to remove the signal stalk since it is almost never been used by many drivers.
When I was on my west coast road trip last summer, I noticed that oregon and washington, also british columbia, Canada doesn't allow lane splitting. And the drivers have better manner than in LA. Mostly used their turn signals.

No lane splitting in Illinois or most states. To me, it should be stopped.

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by shodanusmc

No lane splitting in Illinois or most states. To me, it should be stopped.

I couldn't agree more. It is safer for everybody.

[MattBianco]

shodanusmc (wish they all rode like you). r33RGSport

Everything you always wanted to know about lane splitting safety but were afraid to ask in the attached PDF.

In summary, it appears to be safe, and other studies show that accident and injury rates are lower than some states where it is illegal. In fact, the study attached shows other jurisdiction are leaning towards or implementing CAs splitting laws, namely NSW in Australia.

The idea is that there are fewer rear-end accidents in sudden slow downs by allowing a lane split at such times, and in traffic, provided you follow the following rules:

• The motorcycle cannot be traveling at a rate faster than 50mph

• The motorcycle cannot be traveling more than 15mph faster than the speed of traffic moving in the same direction.

Safety Data: Motorcycle-Lane-Splitting-and-Safety-2015.pdf

I don't have a problem with splitting provided the rider follows the above rules. I have a problem with no-muffler bikes, wheelies, trying to split lanes where there is no room, side by side riding (very common in CA), and deliberately nicking mirrors (post #20) as this guy did.

[Samurai of 2day]

Sorry you had to deal with this, Ben.

I too, would like to apologize to you on behalf of all bikers, like others have already done in this thread.

I agree with what has been said a few times here, already. there are people that operate all kinds over vehicles poorly and in a inconsiderable manner, just as there are those who show respect and courtesy while on the roads.

Don't get me wrong, there are time when I want to see what either of my toys may be capable of, but never at the risk of others safety, or never just to be an ass hat.

Over the years, you have proven to be a very knowledgeable and helpful and humble person on this forum I must commend you on your patience and calm demeanor.

I wish you and your car well during the recovery process.