Gone in 60
Road warrior
Thread starter
I've had the same Monday-Friday commute for many years. Besides street traffic on both ends, a ten-mile slog down one of the most traffic-choked freeways in our county. Four lanes of gridlock, with a car pool lane to the far left moving a bit faster.
If the weather is clear, I'm riding. Standard California riding practice is to move to the far left lane, and if lane splitting is called for, split between the far left and next lane over. So, I'm riding in the car pool, moving faster than the main lanes, and splitting as needed to the right of the cars in the car pool. Easy peasy, and I get to work in less than half the time in a car.
If the weather is bad, I'm in my car, sitting in the traffic, usually in one of the middle lanes. They're all slow, so just pick one and crawl. In bad weather, there won't usually be any motorcycles on the freeway.
Toward the end of last year, Mrs. G took on a new work assignment that put her along my same commute route, about 15 minutes past my office. I told her that the commute would be misrable, and threw in a "hey, this would be a great time to learn to ride" pitch, which didn't go far. I waited for the shoe to drop, and when it did, she suggested "Hey, we should car pool!"
She knows that my motorcycle commute is the only real time I get to myself, I enjoy it, and the mind-erasing level of concentration I need to do it safely is mentally therapeutic. Conversely, I know that she's not happy sitting in traffic in her car. We compromised, and I ride a few days per week, and we car pool a few days.
When we car pool, I'm now driving a car in the same lane that I normally ride in, at the same time I ride, and motorcycles are splitting past me when I'm moving slowly. I have the perspective of the people I'm riding near for the first time, and it's been quite educational.
Darth Vaders in black helmets and all-black gear don't catch my eye until they're either right up on me, or passing me. Guys in light or white helmets and bright gear are easy to spot in the right mirror further back. Hi-viz gear particularly so.
I've always worn white, bright or hi-viz helmets, nothing dark, so I've got that box checked. I have worn hi-viz jackets, but have gotten lazy in the past few years, with much of my gear tending to brown, grey or dark green. I have one hi-viz jacket that I'll wear if it's foggy, or if I'm out the door at the crack of dawn. I'll probably invest a few bucks in a hi-viz vest to wear over whatever jacket I want to wear that day, that I can keep in my top box all the time.
I've been driving instinctually toward the left side of the lane to give bikes room whether I see them or not since I ride myself, but it's interesting to observe other riders' behaviors from the wheel of a car. A few times, I've seen riders hugging the right rear corner of the car in the mirror, and have muttered "Come on, either pass me or back off". I can see how this would freak out someone not familiar with riding. I don't think I ride this way, but I sure won't now.
And I usually wave if a car moves over for me when I pass them. I'm over to the left, and nobody on a bike has waved at me. Where's my freakin' wave!?
If the weather is clear, I'm riding. Standard California riding practice is to move to the far left lane, and if lane splitting is called for, split between the far left and next lane over. So, I'm riding in the car pool, moving faster than the main lanes, and splitting as needed to the right of the cars in the car pool. Easy peasy, and I get to work in less than half the time in a car.
If the weather is bad, I'm in my car, sitting in the traffic, usually in one of the middle lanes. They're all slow, so just pick one and crawl. In bad weather, there won't usually be any motorcycles on the freeway.
Toward the end of last year, Mrs. G took on a new work assignment that put her along my same commute route, about 15 minutes past my office. I told her that the commute would be misrable, and threw in a "hey, this would be a great time to learn to ride" pitch, which didn't go far. I waited for the shoe to drop, and when it did, she suggested "Hey, we should car pool!"
She knows that my motorcycle commute is the only real time I get to myself, I enjoy it, and the mind-erasing level of concentration I need to do it safely is mentally therapeutic. Conversely, I know that she's not happy sitting in traffic in her car. We compromised, and I ride a few days per week, and we car pool a few days.
When we car pool, I'm now driving a car in the same lane that I normally ride in, at the same time I ride, and motorcycles are splitting past me when I'm moving slowly. I have the perspective of the people I'm riding near for the first time, and it's been quite educational.
Darth Vaders in black helmets and all-black gear don't catch my eye until they're either right up on me, or passing me. Guys in light or white helmets and bright gear are easy to spot in the right mirror further back. Hi-viz gear particularly so.
I've always worn white, bright or hi-viz helmets, nothing dark, so I've got that box checked. I have worn hi-viz jackets, but have gotten lazy in the past few years, with much of my gear tending to brown, grey or dark green. I have one hi-viz jacket that I'll wear if it's foggy, or if I'm out the door at the crack of dawn. I'll probably invest a few bucks in a hi-viz vest to wear over whatever jacket I want to wear that day, that I can keep in my top box all the time.
I've been driving instinctually toward the left side of the lane to give bikes room whether I see them or not since I ride myself, but it's interesting to observe other riders' behaviors from the wheel of a car. A few times, I've seen riders hugging the right rear corner of the car in the mirror, and have muttered "Come on, either pass me or back off". I can see how this would freak out someone not familiar with riding. I don't think I ride this way, but I sure won't now.
And I usually wave if a car moves over for me when I pass them. I'm over to the left, and nobody on a bike has waved at me. Where's my freakin' wave!?
