Do you all get “challenged” at stop lights?

I often get asked. "Is that a BMW?"

Is that a challenge?

fastpappy said:

I also use caution when approaching intersections. Back in the day I was coming home from work on my 1980 750 Suzuki. Enjoying my ride, familiar road, nice curves, road straightens out, intersection in the distance, I'm watching the light, turns green for me, I settle in I'm cruising. All of a sudden out of nowhere a guy blows the red light not even slowing down. Comes right across my path. I grab all the break I can, ass end is wiggling (no abs in those days) (a true pucker moment) with the grace of God I manage to haul it down and stay upright. I catch up with him at the next light. I'm irate.We have words.He takes off. Catch him again at the next light where there also 4 cops in a car stopped for the light. I pull up next to the cops and ask them did you see that? This guy blew the light and almost killed me. Cop says to me that's why I don't like motorcycles. True story. My blood pressure went up just typing this.

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Years ago I was stopped at a red light waiting for my green. As my light turned green I mismanaged the clutch and stalled the motor. My restart took a few seconds and that same dump truck roared through his red light at full speed. Nowadays, I too wait those extra seconds. Might even get a toot from the car behind me.

Several years back -- actually several decades -- a customer at the local Yamaha shop where my wife worked was killed when he took off at a light just when it changed. The light changed, he went, and the person trying to make the yellow from the other direction hit him. I know that at least a few times a year someone will come flying through the intersection from the cross street just after my light turns green.

I had gone to lunch with a friend at work a few years back. We were in my car. We were stopped at a light just needling each other as buddies will do. The light changed, and when I didn't immediately go he said "Hey, Ed. The light's green; that means you can .........", and before he could finish a car came flying through. After it cleared the intersection I took off and told him "I usually like to let everyone finish running the light before proceeding." He was uncharacteristically silent for some time.

At any rate, I'm in no hurry to go as soon as the light turns green. People behind me can honk all they want.

I treat green lights like a 4-way stop. Before I move, I'm looking both ways to make sure any cross traffic has stopped or is obviously stopping. Any doubts and I'm not moving. Doesn't matter if I'm on the bike or in a car, once you develop a solid safety practice, using it makes it stick.

My first trip to West Virginia was an eye opener. Literally. All over, every town, there was at least 1 billboard saying "RED MEANS STOP". We knew we had to be extra careful. And we'd be dead if we hadn't been. Worst place for running reds I've ever been to.

A habit I learned while living in Miami - count to 3 then go. On my bike I even go one step further to make sure the car on my left goes a little ahead of me to absorb anyone coming from that direction. It's a habit now.

I used to do that too. See above about the dump truck and why I wait longer now.

I don't know that I've got a specific amount of time. I just give it a good look in both directions and make sure it's safe before going. I stopped at a light near my home a few months ago, and the guy behind me passed me to run it. Like vzhq16 said above, I treat it like a 4-way stop.

I agree. Where I live I see vehicles running red lights (green on my side) almost daily. It is very common in two intersections nearby where a driver has to wait 2-3 light turns before he can make it through. Yes, it is sad that red lights are now merely “suggestions” to stop. So, expect that before you release your brakes and clutch. Stay safe!

RiderJoe said:

I agree. Where I live I see vehicles running red lights (green on my side) almost daily. It is very common in two intersections nearby where a driver has to wait 2-3 light turns before he can make it through. Yes, it is sad that red lights are now merely “suggestions” to stop. So, expect that before you release your brakes and clutch. Stay safe!

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I blame the southern border crisis (and the preceding few years) where people are in-country without country-specific vetting for DLs and old habits from places like France (and like I saw in S Korea) use traffic controls as loose suggestions; to be ignored more than obeyed.

Bounce said:

I blame the southern border crisis (and the preceding few years) where people are in-country without country-specific vetting for DLs and old habits from places like France (and like I saw in S Korea) use traffic controls as loose suggestions; to be ignored more than obeyed.

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I got a dash cam for my car a couple of years ago just for situations mentioned. To keep the record straight.

RiderJoe said:

I got a dash cam for my car a couple of years ago just for situations mentioned. To keep the record straight.

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I wish I felt more comfortable with techno stuff like that. I'd love to have one in my F150 and on the bike but I don't understand shite about them.

rbentnail said:

I wish I felt more comfortable with techno stuff like that. I'd love to have one in my F150 and on the bike but I don't understand shite about them

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You don’t need to be concerned with the “techno” side for your truck. My wife got the cam for the car for me. All I had to do is press the suction cup it is mounted on and the GPS module to the windshield behind the rear view mirror. Then I routed the power wire at the top and left edge of the windshield to the fuse box and piggy backed to a terminal that powers on/off with the ignition key. After that, you can even forget about it. The unit records about 12 hours of video in segments onto an SD card before it starts overwriting the oldest segment. You can view the footage with an app on your mobile phone, or take the card out and view the video on your computer.

On the bike the camera is a bit trickier to install, but the ones that are made for motorcycles record forward and back views with two cameras. That is awesome, but I don’t have one on my bike yet.

It's not the installation that concerns me, it's the other stuff. I'm one of those people that unless I have very detailed specific step-by-step instructions to make an app work it doesn't work. About half the time on my cell I have to turn it off to end a phone call b/c I have yet to figure out how to get the correct hang up button to show up once it disappears.

And no, I am not kidding. I just went through this yesterday with an app. After a couple hrs I just deleted the damn thing.

I understand how you feel. I am a Web User Interface developer, and I too, have trouble with some mobile apps. The number of junk apps out there is mindblowing. Many of them are published by manufacturers of products we buy to work with their products. There is very little incentive for them to improve the apps since it is just a “feature” and most of the money they make is coming from selling their products.

Raider!! ZX14R! I guess no one challenges! The FJR hardly feels like it’s moving after riding one of those! I had the opportunity to ride my friend Ryan’s before he sold it. What an amazing machine! I was blown away. Most things on wheels vanish well before so smoothly and confidently arriving near the near the 300kph speed limiter!! Tempted as I am to enjoy the adrenaline that bike provides, I have disciplined myself to never get one to ride occasionally as a second bike! Like not dating a supermodel at the same time as enjoying a female partner that you enjoy spending all your time with. You are living a fantasy! I love the FJR to enjoy hours and hours of performance and comfort riding year after year on my 04 FJR….in a nice cool Yamaha blue, luggage, handlebar risers, and a grin because I still have a valid operator’s license…..

Like not dating a supermodel at the same time as enjoying a female partner

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Filzy, Thanks for spelling it out in a word picture.