Second day on the road - complete nutter experience

Soldato
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Exactly this.
Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk.
I watch loads of biking YouTube channels and it looks pathetic when the biker skulks off after the car driver confronts him.

I have no problem telling someone what I think BUT you are saying it is OK to run over someone in your car?

In my instance, I sulked off nowhere, I sat there waiting, he got in his car and drove off.
 
Man of Honour
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I have no problem telling someone what I think BUT you are saying it is OK to run over someone in your car?

In my instance, I sulked off nowhere, I sat there waiting, he got in his car and drove off.
Don't think that's what he's saying at all, he's saying if you're going to react in a confrontational manor then you've got to accept that you may be dealing with a nutter who will escalate it beyond where you're comfortable with going.
 
Soldato
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Don't think that's what he's saying at all, he's saying if you're going to react in a confrontational manor then you've got to accept that you may be dealing with a nutter who will escalate it beyond where you're comfortable with going.

Definitely not comfortable with being left without limbs because they decide to use their car as a weapon :D

Kind of like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

This was only my second day on the road but was a lesson learnt. You do not know if the "idiot" who nearly killed you is then likely to try and finish the job if you challenge them.

As a motorcyclist, you have to learn to let them get as far away as possible leaving you to get on with your day with all your limbs.

For any new riders, do not watch the videos on Youtube and think that is how to behave, it is not good for many reasons.
 
Soldato
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I have no problem telling someone what I think BUT you are saying it is OK to run over someone in your car?

In my instance, I sulked off nowhere, I sat there waiting, he got in his car and drove off.
No I’m saying if you want to shout and stick two fingers up at people be prepared to fight and roll around in the street.
 
Soldato
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No longer riding an Italian
@SkodaMart

No offense, but from your posts, it seems that you clearly like a punch up on the road – good for you I guess… Ronny Pickering and all that.

Should bikers ‘give the finger’ or whatever, when they have just been involved in a situation that may have put them at risk? Well, no – but I’d imagine that in the split second from possible disaster to the point they’re giving a gesture, it is probably fuelled more by adrenalin than common sense. And these days, most road users take a horn blast as an affront – rather than to the actual meaning of warning them to your presence.

As you get older, and/or more used to being invisible on the road – these things bother you less; but people are far more combative on the road these days, and seem even more distracted from the task of driving. When I passed my car test in 2001 and even when I did my bike license in 2007 – the usual chain of events were you’d beep at an idiot, they’d give the finger, and that was it. These days though, you beep or gesture – they give chase or start offensive driving. Back then, it seemed that most people weren’t so fragile, that they couldn’t take someone flipping them off.

Now, don’t get me wrong – this “giving feedback” achieves literally nothing mostly, at best it maybe gives you a split second of feeling like justice has been done (maybe), but these days the flip-side just isn’t worth it; people will chase you down, tailgate you, try and run you off the road…. all because they felt insulted. Mind you, I’ve had oncoming cars aim at me, and on a few occasions cross the crown, for literally nothing! I can only think that either the driver was fiddling with something, or just hates bikers and wanted to give me a scare.

I’m not going to defend random bikers on YouTube – I too used to watch collections of near misses and whatnot, and found that American riders shouting “oh my god you nearly killed me” when someone pulls out 100s of yards ahead, was just sapping IQ; the same went for some of the scrotes on L-plated bikes purposely causing trouble, or sports/superbikes using the road as their track day. But I do wonder, if some of these “pathetic” riders, were simply taken aback by the drivers response – again, there used to be a time when drivers in the wrong weren’t so fragile…
 
Soldato
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@Scort
I’m respectful and keep myself to myself.
I’ve never given a car driver a finger, but if I got off my bike in an altercation then yes I would be prepared to go physical.
If you’re not stay on it and ride off.
i've said this before but my auld fella told me something years ago that sticks with me today - never tell anyone to **** off unless you're prepared to take your hands out of your pocket and make them. the sentiment holds true in this situation and most others where a confrontation can either be encouraged or discouraged.
 
Caporegime
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Seen too many articles about drivers being stabbed fatally over silly incidents to ever think getting into a road argument is a good idea.
 
Soldato
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Yeah I had a similar experience when still on a learner bike some guy in a big BMW decides to tailgate me then drive alongside withing inches and literally force me into the gutter at which point I have to stop or crash, he stops right in front gets out and waves his fist or gets in my face or something didn't even say a word then proceeded to get back in and drive off at speed. Didn't have a clue what I was supposed to have done to warrant that probably thought i'd dissed him at the last junction by not moving off quickly enough, who knows.

Its alll about intimidation they wouldn't do it if you were in a car its they're behind big walls of metal and you're vunerable on two wheels. I'm starting to notice similar starting to happen if you're in small car and every other person seems to be driving SUV's and massive 4x4's these days and they use their sheer size and buik to tailgate, overtake and cut you up when they shouldn't.
 
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