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As Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limits."
So many of you live in or near huge metropolitan centers with massive traffic flows so I respect anyone giving it all up for the safety of a cage and air bags.
No shame in that whatsoever. #1 always comes first.
It's not that bad around here, and I don't have any fear of being in traffic, but every year it seems to get a bit worse as the city grows and expands.
I think (hope) I'll have the same good sense to know when to quit. I've had these old bones a long time and I want to keep them as they are
All the best LouA
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(04-02-2019, 04:12 AM)Flynrider_imp Wrote: (04-01-2019, 09:41 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: (04-01-2019, 06:51 PM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: Thanks for the reply, LouA. I understand. I'm a bit younger than you, but I'm finding the business of getting past the cars and out of the city is increasingly painful. I think many of us older blokes do very well, but we also have to face that our reflexes and ability to deal with the aggravation of heavy traffic are gradually fading. If it's no longer fun, it's time to hang up the helmet. I hope you get to hang on to the bike a little longer and ride it a bit more. If not, best wishes for the next adventure. Drop in and tell us about it.
Part of my motivation for adopting a lower power stable mate for the CB1100 stable was in large part of the same issue described here. I get a spectrum of ride options, but the mule provides a margin of flexibility and economy for routine days. It doesn't solve negligent drivers - by no means.
For that you need mini-guns.
![[Image: 8210fc29e81cc84066ad1efebdee03fa.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201904/8210fc29e81cc84066ad1efebdee03fa.jpg)
For that you need mini-guns.
![[Image: c63917308e1dde81ceb42a876fac0bb5.jpg]](https://cb1100forum.net/forum/uploads/imp/201904/c63917308e1dde81ceb42a876fac0bb5.jpg)
Lol - the fact that this exists, whether it works or not, is disturbing.
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There are a million people in the Ottawa area, but I avoid riding in the city. I live in a suburb on the south edge of the city. A five minute ride through our quiet neighbourhood brings me to two 80 KPH rural roads with very little traffic on them. They are my escape routes to the country. If I had to put up with rush hour traffic, I would not own a motorcycle either.
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(04-02-2019, 06:17 AM)Nortoon_imp Wrote: There are a million people in the Ottawa area, but I avoid riding in the city. I live in a suburb on the south edge of the city. A five minute ride through our quiet neighbourhood brings me to two 80 KPH rural roads with very little traffic on them. They are my escape routes to the country. If I had to put up with rush hour traffic, I would not own a motorcycle either.
Ottawa/Hull must be pretty cool on a scooter.
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In the eighties people referred to Ottawa as a town. The Queensway (an east/west expressway) actually moved traffic at highway speeds. Now during rush hours it can be a parking lot.
During the summers in those years Penny and I would ride our Goldwing to and from work. It was a pleasant ride home on the Ottawa River Parkway.
Now it's another parking lot during the evening rush hours.
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(04-02-2019, 07:50 AM)Nortoon_imp Wrote: In the eighties people referred to Ottawa as a town. The Queensway (an east/west expressway) actually moved traffic at highway speeds. Now during rush hours it can be a parking lot.
During the summers in those years Penny and I would ride our Goldwing to and from work. It was a pleasant ride home on the Ottawa River Parkway.
Now it's another parking lot during the evening rush hours.
Too bad. I visit Capital Oh often and I am lucky to never experience rush hour there. Pleasant visits to Kanata/Nepean/Ottawa and, um, Hull. But, I get my lumps around Toronto.
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Just saw on cnn.com (click on U S news) a guy/AH ran down a motorcyclist because he was taking too long at a burger drive-thru. This is whats out there
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Penny and I were on our Goldwing in a turning lane waiting for a green light. An old geezer in a large Oldsmobile pulls up beside us and decides he is going to take our place instead. A quick boot on his door with the heel of Penny's cowgirl boot made him change his mind.
Even back in the 80s there were selfish drivers who though their time was more important than your life.
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Wish to burn through your Nine Lives? Ride in Mississauga, Ontario. Neighbouring Brampton could be worse since red light running is common.
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I gave up bikes many years ago after a crash. There are days I'm tempted to do it again. Not many nice places to ride near Phoenix and to hit some good places you need to take one of the expressways out of town - none are fun; even in a car.
While I consider another bike (after selling one or two more) one avenue I'm considering is a 250 dual sport and explore more dirt roads. But there you have wacko's on UTV's.
