r/motorcycles • u/LowDirection4104 • 8h ago
Speed and control.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but I write this as a rider who understands that sometimes you just need to open up your street bike and let her stretch her legs a little. And what better time than a Monday evening, when the highways are mostly empty?
But just a PSA: when you're blasting by cars at triple-digit speeds, just be aware that those cars don't see you coming. Even if they're doing everything right checking their mirrors, checking their blind spots, being good citizens if you're passing them at 150 mph, you are effectively invisible until it's too late.
I was driving home last night, probably doing 65, in the middle lane, with a car just behind me in the left lane. Suddenly, like a bullet, a bike came through right between us. I don't know if he actually lane-split or if it was more of a tight pass, but whatever it was, I heard the sound, which did startle me. Then I saw his taillight, and he was gone.
If I had been switching lanes for some reason, or even just drifted in my lane I would have never seen him coming. He didn't pause behind me long enough to assess whether I was about to make a lane change. He just went straight for it like it was a video game.
There is no judgment in this post. I get it. It's a choice you make. In that split second, the risk is part of the adrenaline just as much as the speed. I'm not going to get on a high horse and lecture someone about speeding or riding aggressively. I'd be a hypocrite if I did.
But as his taillight disappeared into the night, I wondered: was he aware of the risk he was taking in that one moment? Or did he feel in control of a situation that he actually maybe wasn't in control of?
1
u/ExpressReveal2480 7h ago
People are just idiots. Vehicles in front of you is never the time to do that. Sure, I used to "stretch the legs", but I was usually trying to do it in a place where no one was going to see me or hear me.
And then there is the issue that even if you can see 1 mile in front of you if you're on the highway you can't really tell if a deer is going to dart out in front of you while you're deciding to go 150mph. Never saw a deer on the race track.