//Dan, you and I are on pretty much the same page. I worry about 'safe', and disregard 'legal' for the most part. I don't split traffic for the most part, I do signal my intentions, and I'll even open a place for someone to get over if they need to from time to time. I leave plenty of room between me and the vehicle in front of me. I don't pass on two lane roads unless I have a copious amount of space to do so. But if I do have a copious amount of space to pass in I will pass at a high rate of speed. If I have a deserted road where I have 2 or more miles of visibility I will run the speed up. There's one stoplight between work and home that if I happen to be the first one in line at I will take off HARD and run it hard through 3 gears. There's over a mile to the next possible entrance to that highway and you can see clear road in front of you right up to that point.dmdan said:
//In curves I go at a speed where I can stop in the distance I can see. Anything more than this and the first brokedown vehicle just beyond the bend will have you plated to the bumber.
//Nobody beeps at me, or makes obscene gestures, so I must not be offending everyone. I have never had a ticket in 60k miles of riding a motorcycle.
//On a side note, there is a hard and fast rule for lane splitting in Cali. Traffic must be 40mph or slower and you can't exceed the speed limit, IIRC. It's been a while since I lived there, so my numbers may not be exact. While there I usually only split traffic that was stopped at lights. I didn't trust them not to change lanes unexpectedly otherwise.
//I've been a lot better about wearing protective gear since I got the new bike. Used to be I'd go jeans, t-shirt and helmet, with gloves and leather jacket if cool enough for it. These days, the very least you'll catch me in is Phoenix jacket and pants, Hard Drive boots, SPS gloves, and of course a fullface snellrated helmet. When temps don't make it miserable and I don't have to wear specific attire for my destination I wear a Speedmaster onepiece leather. Fashion statement be damned - skin grafts suck.
//Motorcycling for me is about fun. A little fast here and there adds greatly to the fun factor. There's a difference between calculated risk and blatant recklessness.
// If safety is really your highest priority, drive a volvo. No matter how you slice the numbers and what precautions you take and how your ride, motorcycling is inherently about 8 times as risky as 4 wheeled transportation.
98G
