From: randy@megatek.com (Randy Davis)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Bicycle vs motorcycle flame war, part XXXVII
Date: 15 Oct 92 18:03:42 GMT
Reply-To: randy@megatek.com
Organization: Megatek Corporation, San Diego, California

In article <1992Oct14.211112.7675@microunity.com> ericm@microunity.com (Eric Murray) writes:
|No, you were an idiot.  And your original post reveals your feeling
|that bicycles don't belong on the roads.  You must only ride bicycles
|on bike trails.  Try riding the city streets for a while, with cagers and
|motorcycles who try to run you down.  Then we'll see if you don't get
|annoyed when someone talks about kicking bicycles.

  Strange... I ride my bicycle to work every now and then...  Where I ride
sure looks like city streets to me, but what would *I* know, I'm just a
"testosterone crazed ZX11 megolomaniac", right?  Although perhaps I don't
ride a bicycle as much as you (since you are so insanely defensive on the
subject), but your attempt to stereotype me is typical of all your posts on
this subject thread.  You felt it was appropriate to swear and whine at me
when I state something I *felt* like doing, yet had no intention of doing.
(While riding a bicycle, I've felt like kicking a car or two, also - but that
doesn't make me a rabid car hater, you moron).  Your choice, but quit trying
to justify your juvenile reaction.  

  My viewpoint about the bicyclist(s) I was discussing was clearly justified
to everyone *else* I've communicated with, which includes people that are more
die-hard bicyclists than probably you...  You seemed to fail to figure it out
I was talking about a few particular people who happened to be riding bicycles
- not bicyclists in general, and that a *race* was being held on roads that
were *still* open to the public.  Unless you haven't figured it out, it is
stupid to hold a race on a road that is still handling traffic - racers tend
to get caught up in the competition and do very unsafe things (I've seen
motorcyclists that get into races on public roads, and that is MORE unsafe) -
if you are contending this point, I think you will find yourself in the
minority.

  If you want to view the world through your own little petty stereotypes,
have at it, I can't stop you.  But trying to defend someone who was clearly
in the wrong is really making you look more of a fool than you usually do.

|Then you went on to say:
|>>>   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
|
|Which implies a willingness to see bicycle races banned from public roads.

  You left out the "closed-course" part of my quote on the next line.  If
they are going to hold bicycle races on public roads, they ought to close
the road to public use.  Simple enough for you?  (Probably not, I know).  I
*do* have a problem with seeing the stupidity I saw last Sunday, and the
stupidity I'm seeing exhibited in your postings on the subject.

  However, if you get your jollies misquoting me, I'm happy to be able to
entertain you...

|I see.  Anyone who disagrees with you is stupid.  How long have
|you had this megalomania?

  Oh, YEARS and YEARS - except its only come out with you...  I guess you
are just SPECIAL... :-)  But, you've already proven this about yourself to a
number of others that have emailed me about this subject, it seems.   So...
Just how do *you* define megalomania?  Remember, just because everyone DOES
think you are a moron does not mean you aren't also a paranoid... :-)

|What state do YOU live in that has a motorcycle (or car) liscense test
|that actually means anything?

  Oh, sorry...  You must have had to pass a test to ride a bicycle on the
road...  Silly me.

  Lest you jump to the wrong conclusion yet one more time, I'm not suggesting
that legislation be introduced to license bicyclists - I'm just showing the
idiocy of your intentional misquoting and misinterpretation of my words, and
your inability to defend the statements you are making.

|  To get your california motorcycle
|liscsnse, you rode your ZX11 (or a small bike you borrowed for the
|purpose) at <10 mph around a circle in the DMV parking lot.

  Wanna bet?  I took my riding test in Texas, which involves city streets
and the examiner following you in a car.  Not a very exhaustive test by any
means, but more than many people take (I personally think it should have
involved actual traffic and highway speeds, also).  Did you take a test to
ride your bicycle on public roads?  Do you have ANY license?  Do you KNOW
what a double-yellow line means?  Did you ever read that passage that states
that slower traffic must yield to faster traffic if conditions permit (and
they did)?

|  Maybe you
|spend lots of time riding circles in parking lots.

  Not really.  Oh, sometimes when I'm bored and not flaming complete morons on
the net, I'll go out and just go ROUND, and ROUND, and ROUND the parking
lot until I get dizzy, but, you know us megolomaniacs...

|  Somehow I doubt
|it.  I also doubt that riding a circle in a parking lot has much
|relation to riding on a real road.

  I agree with you there...  Some of the bicyclists I saw in this group
probably needed to practice the parking lot stuff a lot more, though.  A lot
(the majority) were riding perfectly fine, IMHO.  At the very least, the
majority of the pedalers were aware that they had to share the road with
other vehicles.

  Since you seem to be getting the feeling I'm picking on bicyclists, you
probably need to have this spelled out to you: be aware I feel the same
way about a lot of car drivers and motorcyclists (such as yourself?), too,
but the subject was "bicycles", so I didn't think I need to constantly include
the obvious assertation that idiots drive all sorts of vehicles - you are proof
enough of that.

  BUT, PLEASE don't lose sight of the stereotype you've applied to me.

|  The motorcycle test is quite easy
|to pass, and is a minimal test of skill.

  You should know, since you show minimal mental skill...

|  Since nearly everyone can
|pass the test, the ability to buy a motorcycle is the determining
|factor of who will ride.  Therefore, my statement "if you've got the
|money to buy a vehicle, you can use it".  I'm sorry if you can't understand
|something that simple.

  Poor baby... Nice try.  Since you've already proven your first statement
wrong, your way of trying to back out of it is interesting.

|There's lots more of your foul, insulting post that I'd like to
|address, but I'm leaving on vacation shortly and I don't have
|time.

  Can't stand proving yourself an idiot in public?  I would guess you are
used to it by now, though...

|  Maybe we can pick it back up in a few weeks when I get back.

  If you feel the need...

|Until then, have a lousy day you vile bag of puss.

  Well put.  Probably one of the more intelligent things you've said.  You
are improving, at least (perhaps there is hope).  Have a just peachy day,
yourself.  I'm having a wonderful one...  Just bought a convertable cage,
the bike is running great, and I ran over a couple of bicyclists this morning
while riding *my* bicycle.  Awesome day.

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

  You left off "prove yourself an idiot in front of everybody and take it
like a whining little boy", didn't you? :-)

  Have you looked into getting that life, yet?

Randy Davis                            Email: randy@megatek.com
ZX-11 #00072 Pilot                            megatek!randy@uunet.uu.net
DoD #0013                                     ucsd!megatek!randy
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles