Why Drivers Don't See Us - Featuring the CB1100

[Nortoon_imp]

When I was in collage, driving my Kawasaki Bushwacker, I was hit head on by a station wagon, that was on my right, at a stop sign from a road coming towards the road I was on from an angle. Using this swerving technique would have saved me from a lot of pain and suffering. The driver never saw me.

When I took a motorcycle driving class, to get a California motorcycle license, this technique was never mentioned? It should be taught everywhere! It just makes sense. Watching wheels works fine when it takes a change in direction for the auto driver to hit you, like in traffic, but does nothing if they only need to move straight ahead to get you, at an intersection.


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When approaching a vehicle stopped to the right or left in front of me, if the wheels start to move or don't stop I start taking emergency measures immediately: down shifting, braking, etc.

I also slow down or speed up to use oncoming traffic as blockers when approaching vehicles on a side road to the left.

The wheels on an oncoming vehicles are impossible to see, as are the drivers eyes because of the glare on the windshield. You would probably see the change of direction of the vehicle first. Unfortunately its an impatient driver that's not going to signal and turn in front of you, whether they see you or not.

I instinctively move from away from the center line as a vehicle approaches, or I am approaching the top of a hill.

The most dangerous oncoming vehicle is the one behind the first oncoming car, as they may be waiting to pass. They can't see you and you can't see them unless you move over.

I stay closer to the center line if there is no oncoming traffic. I want the car behind me to pass me like they would a car, not half in my lane.

Nortoon this is intense wisdom! These are some very fine but crucial points about the craft of riding safely, obviously honed over years of experience and attentiveness. I learned a lot from this post and it is going into my safe riding archive.
One thing I would add to the discussion, related to the left turner (US/Euro road rules) who doesn't see you: sometimes the optimal evasive action is to brake and swerve left, passing behind the vehicle as it violates your right-of-way. The problem, of course, is if they see you too late and slam on the brakes, stopping in the path of your attempted evasive maneuver. Time + distance + position + path = collision.

Good video of an evasion in this situation. Don't watch or turn down the sound if you are offended by intense profanity in English. This moto vlogger is from Portugal and is rather entertaining most of the time. However on this occasion he got a wake-up call that can serve as an example to us all.

I love Cager on Two Wheels' videos because he gives an honest opinion of the borrowed motorcycle's good and bad characteristics. In the video he did the right thing by aiming for the rear of the car in the left turn. But like most of us caught suddenly in an emergency situation he did lock-up the brakes TWICE.

I also don't think it is a good idea to ride up beside the driver's window, especially if you are angry. In a bike versus car battle there can only be one loser.

Cager is enthusiastic about motorcycling. But I as I remember he is fairly new to the sport and rides a smaller motorcycle. In his latest videos on larger motorcycles he gets excited almost giddy about their power and tends to ride too quickly. It takes a few incidents like that to remind us that you have to respect the power of any machine especially on an unfamiliar bike in urban traffic.

Having been lent a Yamaha FZ-09 by my dealer for the day, I spent the first hour or so slowly getting use to the machine. It has more than twice the power of the CB500X I currently ride. But as the day wore on I became more enthusiastic riding on one of my favourite twisty roads. Then it happened. I doe bolted out of the bush right in front of me. Fortunately the FZ-09 had good brakes and the road only allowed me to use half of the bike's potential power. If we live, we learn.