Highway craziness..2 very close calls

[Pearldog]

OK 2 stories form tonight-

1. Late today (around 4:30) I was driving south on 495 near Lowell... 2 riders blow by me (in the fast lane) doing about 85 (me @75)..one had a passenger and all were wearing t-shirts, etc.. Suddenly , they ripped across all lanes to the slow lane to make an exit....then the one rider lifts the front into a pretty good wheelie..suddenly a Ford Exploder need to exit too and almost swiped the guy in mid-wheelie.

2. A little later @ the 128/Mass Pike merger...another rider blows by me...this time he was going around 90 (I was @ 85)...I saw him coming b/c he had been slicing thru all of the traffic...just as he goes by me he cuts from the fast lane all the way to the slow lane ....at the same time..an SUV was merging on to 128 S from the Pike and almost took this guy out right in front of me....the guy in the SUV was on his cell.

2 very close calls....crazy

Pearldog

I hope it was no one here..

[jsven007]

Make that 3 very close calls. Someone on a sportsbike was lane splitting on 495 near Franklin, doing 90+ and he almost lost control over the concrete speed bumps.

The concrete portion of 495 near N. Attleboro is very bumpy!

Justin

[Gangsta SV]

Originally posted by Pearldog
OK 2 stories form tonight-

1. Late today (around 4:30) I was driving south on 495 near Lowell... 2 riders blow by me (in the fast lane) doing about 85 (me @75)..one had a passenger and all were wearing t-shirts, etc.. Suddenly , they ripped across all lanes to the slow lane to make an exit....then the one rider lifts the front into a pretty good wheelie..suddenly a Ford Exploder need to exit too and almost swiped the guy in mid-wheelie.

2. A little later @ the 128/Mass Pike merger...another rider blows by me...this time he was going around 90 (I was @ 85)...I saw him coming b/c he had been slicing thru all of the traffic...just as he goes by me he cuts from the fast lane all the way to the slow lane ....at the same time..an SUV was merging on to 128 S from the Pike and almost took this guy out right in front of me....the guy in the SUV was on his cell.

2 very close calls....crazy




Pearldog

I hope it was no one here..

umm , what color bike was the dude on 128 , I might know em

[TheIglu]

I did nearly 450 miles last night and today up from CT to Vermont and back, without a single close call.

Get off the highways!!! They are death traps!

[Gangsta SV]

Originally posted by TheIglu
I did nearly 450 miles last night and today up from CT to Vermont and back, without a single close call.

Get off the highways!!! They are death traps!

Thats cuz you ride a big yellow bike , everyone sees you . lol

[beet]

Originally posted by TheIglu
I did nearly 450 miles last night and today up from CT to Vermont and back, without a single close call.

Get off the highways!!! They are death traps!

but theres no fooless place did about 450 this weekend high way + back road , no trouble

[TheIglu]

?

I need my E-Bonics language dictionary!!

About the yellow comment:

Yes, it is hard to blend into the scenery with my bike. Though I did pass a schoolbus and nearly dissappeared....

[Pearldog]

The guy who almost got clipped by the cellphone SUV was on red bike (missed model) with a little brain bucket on his head and amber sunglasses.....hmmmm.

[Gangsta SV]

Originally posted by Pearldog
The guy who almost got clipped by the cellphone SUV was on red bike (missed model) with a little brain bucket on his head and amber sunglasses.....hmmmm.

haha , good thing I don't wear amber sun glasses , I was on 128 , but I guess it wasn't me you were talking about , I didn't get into any trouble tho

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by TheIglu
Get off the highways!!! They are death traps!

Is this really true? I know that, for cages at least, a divided limited access highway is pretty much the safest place you can be as far as fatalities per mile travelled. The worst, IIRC, being multilane undivided highways with unrestricted access like 28 in Salem, NH. Or route 1..gah...anywhere.

I'll grant, however, that this might not be true for motorcycles, given that the chance of the other driver not seeing such a small vehicle is a bigger danger on a bike and that danger increases as you add more lanes and higher speeds.

Regardless, I'd agree with avoiding the highways because they're just no fun. As far as fear factor though, I'd prefer untravelled side roads but I'd take a highway over a busy center of town with lots of entering traffic. Entering cages scare the hell out of me with their constant rolling forward at stops and I don't see you glazed eyes.

[TheIglu]

Highways tend to allow people with less experience on motorcycles to go WAY faster than they should. The wind also has a lot to do with it, as some people don't know what is happening when they get blown halfway across a lane on a windy day.

Backroads are much better, and there are fewer "variables" that have people trying to do their makeup or eating or talking on the phone in.

Not that I drive as safely as I should on highways.....

[Gangsta SV]

blue hills is the safest place for riding , I go there alot , it's fun

[Razor]

I rode from Enfield, CT to the cape Saturday (still at the cape) 90 to 495, etc.. it was the most boring ride ever (wife in dog in SUV following). Stopped for gas and noticed my poor rear tire, only about 2" of it contacting the pavement

Give me the twisty backroads any day.

[Honclfibr]

Originally posted by Razor
wife in dog in SUV following

[twrayinma]

Originally posted by Razor
(wife in dog in SUV following).

"SPOT, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

[Red Sox 6]

Originally posted by jsven007
Make that 3 very close calls. Someone on a sportsbike was lane splitting on 495 near Franklin, doing 90+ and he almost lost control over the concrete speed bumps.

The concrete portion of 495 near N. Attleboro is very bumpy!

Justin

Ugh!! I hate those! They've been doing work on 495 for a year now and I thought all those stupid little bumps would be gone by now but they're still there. Boooooo to the highway department on that one.

[Red Sox 6]

Originally posted by TheIglu
Get off the highways!!! They are death traps! [/B]

I'll have to disagree with that. In both my car and bike I feel far more safe on the highway then on side streets. With highways there is much more room to maneuver and you do not have to worry about anything entering from your side such as people backing out of a driveway, child chasing a ball into a street, a stupid dog chasing you, etc... I've never had any close calls on the highway but have had plenty of close calls on side streets ranging from some dump truck flying around the corner and crossing the yellow line opposite to me, to some random person backing out of a driveway irresponsibly while me and other motorists are going down the street.

As far as safety concerns, I'll take the highway any day. As far as fun riding, I'll take the side streets...the twisty ones of course!

[SVixxer]

All these close calls happened from bikers that where screwing off. If you ride with some tact, the highway is definently safer. There are no side streets for people to to blow stop signs, or turn left in front of you.

[RandyO]

No, on the highway, you just have cages changing lanes without checking blind spots. traffic moving faster without leaving any separation for reaction time... more traffic, more idiots period.

I will stick with back roads thank you, highways make me nervious,

[TheIglu]

I agree Randy, people tend to be less attentive on the highway than they do on backroads.

[jsven007]

No, on the highway, you just have cages changing lanes without checking blind spots. traffic moving faster without leaving any separation for reaction time... more traffic, more idiots period.

A vast majority of accidents happen on the backroads. The Highway is very safe compared to other types of roads.

Don't make me look up and post the statistics...

[RandyO]

stastistics lie.. no doubt, Route 95 is safer than route 1, that's not the type of non highway roads were talkin about( at least me.), take for instance riding from Tilton, NH to Plymouth, NH you are much safer on route 132 than Route 93... you are much safer on blue ridge parkway than I-81. I am not talkin about congested areas like Massachusetts or Conneticut to begin with and general vehicle stastics are not motorcycle stastics...

please dig out the stastics that say it is safer for MOTORCYCLES. but while you dig the stastics out make sure you dig out the methodology of gathering the stastics. more than likely you will discover the stastics are flawed and meaningless