From: ericm@microunity.com (Eric Murray)
Subject: Bicycle vs motorcycle flame war, part XXXVII
Organization: MicroUnity Systems Engineering Inc.
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 21:51:26 GMT

In article <1992Oct13.172537.18786@megatek.com> randy@megatek.com writes:
>In article <1992Oct12.232739.23488@microunity.com> ericm@microunity.com (Eric Murray) writes:
>|[I wrote]
>|>  Just *whose* idea is it to hold bicycle races on public roads, especially
>|>considering how dangerous it is for the bicyclists on the roads they were
>|>on (north San Diego County roads, in this instance).
>|
>|Dangerous because of testosterone-crazed ZX11 riders, no doubt.
>
>  No, actually NOT, numb-nuts...

I love you too, Randy.


Excellent flame.  I'm sure you burned some disk blocks with that one.
Unfortunately, you missed my point.  Maybe I was too terse.  Let's
try again:

If you want people to tolerate motorcycling, what with all the stupidities
of the 'loud pipes save lives' crowd, the 105-on-skyline crowd etc.
you need to be willing to tolerate the stupidities of other road users.



>  I was doing about 30 mph, came around a blind
>corner, and found 5 (count-em, FIVE) bicyclists across BOTH lanes of traffic.
>I suppose I COULD have popped a wheelie and blazed in-between the two that had
>left the most space between them (about two feet), yet I didn't think that
>would be very nice...  Nor am I much up for court costs...
>
>  This was on a very narrow road in the middle of the mountains.  Since I was
>going fairly slow, I had no problems dropping to the indicated 15-20 mph that
>they were traveling on the 40 mph speed limit road - California mountain roads
>often have some good speed limits...  In fact, I was INTENTIONALLY traveling
>slow enough to stop for a complete road blockage should I encounter one - but
>to encounter one from fellow two-wheelers really made me wonder about their
>supposed intelligence, or lack thereof. 

So they're stupid wobblers.  So what?  Intelligence and courtesy to
other road users isn't required to ride a bicycle, or a motorcycle or a
car.  (It should be, but that's another rant).  Our society is built on
the premise that if you've got the money to buy a vehicle, you can use
it.  You were able to buy your ZX11 without passing a qualifications
test.  Those wobblers were able to go and buy whatever bicycle they're
riding, and get out on the road.  It's the American Way Of Life.  So
tell me, were you a perfect rider when YOU started motorcycling?  Or
did you do some dumb things before you figured it out?  If those people
keep bicycling, some more experienced bicyclist will tell 'em that it's
a Bad Thing to get out in the middle of the road.


>|Have some fuckin' tolerance, will you?  The road's not your
>
>  Only if you learn how to read...   While you are at it, please try to learn
>how to deal with that stereotype you seem to have..  

Wern't you bragging at the last Joust about doing super-legal speeds
on the way to the Joust?  And your original post talked about
"kicking some bicyclists over".  Sounds like a major attitude to me.


>|personal playground, there's other people with different hobbies
>|than you.  Deal with it, or you lose the right to complain when they
>|try to take away _your_ hobby.
>
>  You really ARE an idiot, aren't you, Eric?

Great debating tactic.  Next you'll call me a Nazi.

>  If you would read my posting a
>little better, you might notice that I wasn't so much complaining about having
>to slow down for them, rather, I was concerned about the cars I had already
>seen on the road (locals, I assume, who knew the road by driving it every day)
>taking it a bit faster than I was and running over the more stupid bicyclists.

Funny that you didn't actually SAY that in your posting...
trying a little revisionisim, eh?


In any case, that's the car drivers and bicyclists's problem.  Not yours.
Or are you suggesting that they not hold rides out in north
San Diego County "for the bicyclists safety"??  Gee, that sounds an awful
lot like the folks who'd like to ban motorcycles because they're "unsafe".
Just because YOU don't do it, you're all ready to restrict SOMEONE
ELSE's activities.  How can you do that and expect any sympathy when
the government comes down on YOUR sport?

Northern San Diego county is a pretty empty place from what I remember.
They're ALREADY holding the ride in a 'safe' place.

>The sad thing is that the car driver would have had to deal with the police
>and probable litigation, even though it would not have been his/her fault, in
>my opinion.

That's the fault of the courts and legal system, not the dumb bicyclist
who wobbles out in front of someone.


[lots 'o ranting deleted]



>|Eric Murray   ericm@microunity.com   Ride fast, die young, wear black leather.
>
>  Oh... Good advice, Eric...  Either you are a hypocrite, or all that is meant
>as sarcasm?

No, the .sig is sarcasm.  The posting was for real, if a bit strongly worded.
I tend to jump when people post about how they want to "kick some bicyclists
over"- I've been used for target practice by motorcycles before.

>  To overuse a phrase, "Get a life, Eric"...

It's overused all right.




--
Eric Murray   ericm@microunity.com   Ride fast, die young, wear black leather.