A Turkey riding a GS

I was at the vista on the north end of Beartooth Pass getting ready to leave. A rider next to me asked if we were going up or down. We were going up. He asked if you could go first as he liked to "ride the corners hard." He was riding a CVO Roadking and my wife and I were on our Ultra classic, packed for a couple weeks. I told him that we wouldn't hold him up, but he insisted, so I let him go first. I blew by him about a mile later and didn't see him again that day. Even my wife was wondering why he was taking it easy. The next day I saw him at a gas station and he walked the other way!

Now I like to roll through the corners and I know I am not the best or the fastest rider out there, perhaps better than the average, but I have yet to go up to a stranger and insist that I needed to go first as my ego was faster than his!

Hmmm. Maybe this thread title should be “Came upon a much slower GS rider on a twisty road”.
“Turkey” is a pejorative term implying he was intentionally blocking your road by not pulling over.
Instead, the rider may have been totally focused on the path ahead and riding at the limits of his abilities.

Sometimes it’s best to just chill and chuckle at the slower pace until a safe passing opportunity.

OldCamper said:

Hmmm. Maybe this thread title should be “Came upon a much slower GS rider on a twisty road”.
“Turkey” is a pejorative term implying he was intentionally blocking your road by not pulling over.
Instead, the rider may have been totally focused on the path ahead and riding at the limits of his abilities.

Sometimes it’s best to just chill and chuckle at the slower pace until a safe passing opportunity.

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Nah. Turkey is being generous. I have no doubt he was intentionally being difficult to pass. He didn't just do it to one rider, he did it to our whole ride group. After the lead rider, I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. He gets passed again, and yet still he persists, challenging each additional rider to pass him.

PoorUB said:

I was at the vista on the north end of Beartooth Pass getting ready to leave. A rider next to me asked if we were going up or down. We were going up. He asked if you could go first as he liked to "ride the corners hard." He was riding a CVO Roadking and my wife and I were on our Ultra classic, packed for a couple weeks. I told him that we wouldn't hold him up, but he insisted, so I let him go first. I blew by him about a mile later and didn't see him again that day. Even my wife was wondering why he was taking it easy. The next day I saw him at a gas station and he walked the other way!

Now I like to roll through the corners and I know I am not the best or the fastest rider out there, perhaps better than the average, but I have yet to go up to a stranger and insist that I needed to go first as my ego was faster than his!

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Love Beartooth Pass! Took this video 3 years (on my Hexhead) my first time over - wow what a great ride! And yea, I show the stall - it's good to be able to laugh at yourself (and let others laugh at you too). I love how the terrain changes depending of which side of the mountain you're on.

indycar said:

And yea, I show the stall...

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Flame suit on!

OK! I'll be the odd man out. Or maybe I have just followed too many cruisers through Spearfish Canyon in August; or mentored too many very new riders. This guy's lines are 95% straight out of David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling." And yes he is slow. And yes he is preoccupied. And yes he is not real attentive to what is behind him. And yes, he is slow in the turns and accelerates out like every credible riding school teaches. But he is riding his level and didn't crash causing the hot shoes to stop and take care of him and the crash scene.

And he is entitled to the full width of his lane. He does not need to share it. He is not obligated to pull over for the hot shoe riders. The following riders are fully capable of deciding whether and when to pass. Many of you see a Turkey. I see the possibility of emerging road bullies. And as always YMMV!

PGlaves said:

OK! I'll be the odd man out. Or maybe I have just followed too many cruisers through Spearfish Canyon in August; or mentored too many very new riders. This guy's lines are 95% straight out of David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling." And yes he is slow. And yes he is preoccupied. And yes he is not real attentive to what is behind him. And yes, he is slow in the turns and accelerates out like every credible riding school teaches. But he is riding his level and didn't crash causing the hot shoes to stop and take care of him and the crash scene.

And he is entitled to the full width of his lane. He does not need to share it. He is not obligated to pull over for the hot shoe riders. The following riders are fully capable of deciding whether and when to pass. Many of you see a Turkey. I see the possibility of emerging road bullies. And as always YMMV!

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Paul’s post has caused me to finally look at the video. I see nobody complained about the double yellow line pass. I agree that antagonizing someone in front of you, whether a car or bike leads at least to bad feelings.
It is his lane as he was there first.
OM

Omega Man said:

Paul’s post has caused me to finally look at the video. I see nobody complained about the double yellow line pass. I agree that antagonizing someone in front of you, whether a car or bike leads at least to bad feelings.
It is his lane as he was there first.
OM

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I threw out the bait on the double yellow in post #3 but nobody bit.

Which is worse? The rider riding his speed and obeying the laws or the rider pissed that he was blocking the road, then passes on a double yellow?

Not saying I would never pass on a double yellow, but I surely wouldn't post a video of me doing it.

I hope things haven’t devolved to where BMW riders start bitching about how other BMW riders ride their bike.

[url]https://juliekuehl.com/ride-your-own-ride/[/URL]

OM

PGlaves said:

OK! I'll be the odd man out. Or maybe I have just followed too many cruisers through Spearfish Canyon in August; or mentored too many very new riders. This guy's lines are 95% straight out of David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling." And yes he is slow. And yes he is preoccupied. And yes he is not real attentive to what is behind him. And yes, he is slow in the turns and accelerates out like every credible riding school teaches. But he is riding his level and didn't crash causing the hot shoes to stop and take care of him and the crash scene.

And he is entitled to the full width of his lane. He does not need to share it. He is not obligated to pull over for the hot shoe riders. The following riders are fully capable of deciding whether and when to pass. Many of you see a Turkey. I see the possibility of emerging road bullies. And as always YMMV!

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Well... perhaps I didn't phrase the question well enough at the onset, and we seemed to be straying away from the subject; and I re-framed it, asking what do you do when this happens to you, both when quicker riders come from behind and when you're being held up. That was the point.

But since you brought up lines - I'd take exception to his lines. He has a bad habit of hugging the center line, and he's riding in NC, here you delay your apex to avoid the type of accident Hough opens his first book with. People down here (cars, trucks and bikes) routinely cross the center line.


It may be his lane. Just as it's YOUR RIGHT to drive 55 in the passing lane. But you don't do it (unless you're passing) because you know better. Or if you do, you're a Turkey!

And Yea, I (we) all passed him on a double yellow line. For a year or two, I would not pass on a double yellow - and looked down on those who did. Until i rode with some guys who 'splained it to me. They pointed out that on these roads, the double yellows go on and on for scores of miles or more. And that the road engineers have to account for the lowest common denominator when making a passing zone. Bikes are on the far other end of the that equation - and with a high power to weight ratio - bikes can easily and safely pass in many of these double yellow line areas. I, and many, haven't looked back since. Maybe I'll get a ticket for improper passing, so be it. If you ride the Appalachian roads (and many, many other areas) very often, you understand this. I continued on this road for 16 more minutes, until it T'd, and there was not one passing section.

But you and I digress. I'll quote an earlier post of mine: "I think we can probably make some *assumptions* about the GS rider. And yes, to restate the obvious, we all started somewhere. Fair enough.

But .... .. .. This rider isn't the only one who does this. Riders of many skill levels seem to be clueless and do this. I would bet that all of you who have responded to this have had the exact same thing happen..... many times.

I don't know about you, but when a when quicker rider (or group) come up behind me, I make it easy for them to move on past and continue on their way, often waving them by to let them know. I don't feel pressure to speed up to keep them behind, and my ego is just fine letting those folks on by. But let's face it, there are riders out there that play by a different code. And, if you talk to these riders afterwards, most times you can tell they have an ego problem.. I have heard "Where does it say I should let riders behind me by?" These are the same riders who on another day, when they run up on a rolling chicane, will be complaining loudly about the rider who held them up. Or "I saw your lights behind me, they are really bright and they distracted me!" EDIT: Thereby acknowledging they knew you came up behind them, they noticed you, and then proceeded to keep you behind them.


It seems to me that recently, this rolling roadblock scenario seems to be more common. And this guy did this to each person in our group - made them earn each and every pass. This dude was a tool, and dare I say, a menace.

Do you pass these guys? Do you allow quicker riders to go by unchallenged, or do you make them 'earn it'? "

That is the question and focus of this thread.

Visian said:

Flame suit on!

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Is that you riding?

I agree, the road lines are for the lowest common denominator. I too pass wherever I have room to pass, I don't care what the lines say. That being said I don't do it close to home so as not to piss off people who might know who I am or where I live as they probably wouldn't understand. My bike is way too recognizable.

skibum69 said:

I agree, the road lines are for the lowest common denominator. I too pass wherever I have room to pass, I don't care what the lines say. That being said I don't do it close to home so as not to piss off people who might know who I am or where I live as they probably wouldn't understand. My bike is way too recognizable.

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Nice if that works for you.

The police and the insurance investigators usually have a different view....... Many times after the crash.
OM

skibum69 said:

I agree, the road lines are for the lowest common denominator. I too pass wherever I have room to pass, I don't care what the lines say..

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We're the same way.
We pass when we feel it's safe and have good visibility.

I too will pass on a double yellow, but I consider more than just the length of blind curves when I do. There are times when a double yellow isn't just about seeing around a corner, but rather because there are numerous blind side roads where someone might pull out into the passing lane. Those can be the ones that will get you.

powwow said:

I too will pass on a double yellow, but I consider more than just the length of blind curves when I do. There are times when a double yellow isn't just about seeing around a corner, but rather because there are numerous blind side roads where someone might pull out into the passing lane. Those can be the ones that will get you.

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There is also another issue with dips in the roadway. It is possible to see a straight stretch ahead and not recognize that there is a dip in the road that can hide an oncoming car.

indycar said:

Is that you riding?

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Yeah, on my Honda CB500X.....

In Europe this guy would have been smoked within seconds, with riders passing within inches.... mainly because they assume you're paying *attention* !!

(sorry you're getting grief.....)

PGlaves said:

There is also another issue with dips in the roadway. It is possible to see a straight stretch ahead and not recognize that there is a dip in the road that can hide an oncoming car.

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I've seen a lot of passing zones where the dip is low enough and long enough to hide a car.
I don't pass in spots like that. Sometimes I'll stand and if can see all the road surface I go.

Sometimes a double yellow is a safe place to pass and sometimes a passing zone is unsafe.
It up to the ride to be aware of possible hazards.

Indycar,


Just wondering, how far back did you have to go to get your right glove after you took off with it on your tankbag after the stall?