Terror/Stupidity

[Dr. Rock]

so I am riding to catch my ride to my gig today. about a 25 mile ride. I am at ne 36th and kelley waiting for my arrow to go north on kelley. (for those keeping score here in town). one of those new black dodge chargers pulls up behind me and I remember thinking how I think those are awesome looking. Get my arrow make sure no idiot is running a light and am at 45 in the blink of an eye like I always am. Exceeding posted limit mind you.

Here comes the terror section of this story. I remember when I first started reading threads on this site and someone had posted that people are surprised at how fast we can start and stop. I can only assume this is what happened or the guy was just a big ahole. Once going north on kelley there is 2 lanes for like 100 yards MAYBE, so I am hooking it and suddenly I notice a black charger about to hit my RIGHT handle bars on a one lane road. Yep, he was passing where there was no where to pass, no curb there so 2 tires about to kill me and 2 in the gravel, asphalt, trash/ everything bad.

Needless to say this got my attention really quick, and he has the hammer down thru the floor. I hunker down lean left (no oncoming traffic luckily) and start braking. His tires are spewing fist size pieces of asphalt and rocks right by my head and all kinds of crap and I have pretty much accepted death at this point. Now I was scared sh*tless but I didnt panic and dump the bike or anything, and amazingly all I got was dusted up. not a single piece of all that debris caught me, went about an inch either side of my head a dozen times. At this point I should have pulled over had a smoke and said whew I am alive.

The stupidity section: Note I already said it was stupid.

Well my terror instantly turned to rage as soon as I realized i wasn't dead.
What followed was a story of road rage gone amok. Try to never let your adrenaline turn into a rage where you go chasing people or whatever. Be glad you didn't die.

What I learned today:
1. Definitely getting that windscreen.
2. Full face shielded helmet probably a good idea as well.
3. The most rational of people (me) can lose their effing minds at a seconds notice. the nearly 100 degree heat probably didnt help.
If my story offends anyone, sorry, thats how it went down. I think I only survived the terror section from reading everyone elses stories. However I dont recommend the stupidity section cause in calm hindsight that is the stupidest crap I have pulled since I was a kid.

Edited for peace by Dr. Rock

[Quo Vadimus]

Scooter riding in traffic can often demonstrate the power of adrenaline response... what you describe: realizing you're not dead and having all that terror energy flow into a new - stupid - decision is one I've felt come on more than once before.

Glad you're alive to realize it's not the best response in the future. Don't beat yourself up too bad about it - we really do almost die sometimes, and that makes every hormone in our bodies fire. But yes, do work to change it. One little cigarette might be (a lot) healthier than seeing what kind of heat the next jerkwad cager is packing.

[jasondavis48108]

sorry to hear about life raining terror and stupidity on ya today. Something similar happened to me when I first got my scoot only it was an SUV full of idiotic college chicks. I did luckily have the same eureka moment as you did and realize that it was one of the single stupidits reactions to the situation I could have had. The good folks here at modern buddy also confirmed my insight by assuring me that it was a stupid thing to do I'm not quite sure how, but I've managed to keep my cool in similar situations since then. Glad to hear you made it out alive, and the next time, pull over and have that ciggerette

[superseagulls]

I spent a month working in your vicinity recently, there are some serious aholes on the road in Oklahoma!

I say it as someone who would have done the same thing, but after the event you have to walk away, if the cops are ever around they are going to go after you for a premeditated assault. Glad you are OK, get a full face, no sane person is going to fight you with one of those on! Will also make an awesome weapon for flying heabutts!

[agrogod]

That was effing awesome. I bet Mr. Afro Dood thinks twice the next time he see's someone on a scooter. May the power of the scoot be with you!

[kneil67@yahoo.com]

full face helmet many plus sides face protection from dirt rocks and fist
plusyou can add a camera and vid your rides for those just incase situations like you had

[Ray Knobs]

That was awesome, you put the fear of god into an a-hole and made him cause thousands of dollars in damage to his new car and made him a criminal for leaving the scene of an accident.

Great story

[Skootz Kabootz]

Wow. What a story! First, I am glad you are OK. That is most important. Second, wow! What a story! I love the twist at the end. It is a shame the guys door got all f'd up but I guess that's just a bit of instant Karma. I hope the other guy gets his car fixed OK. Amazing what can happen. Never underestimate the power of adrenaline! And +1 on the peripheral benefits of wearing a full faced helmet. You should have seen the size of this one bug it saved me from today! Huge!

[bigbropgo]

Wow dude. That is a great story. I'm glad you ended up ok. Most of that story made me laugh. I have also felt like I was gonna die, then anger when I didn't. Not that I want to die. Just able to collect myself and realize what just happened.

You did what most think about but don't have the chance to do. Glad that guy wasn't packin.

[lmyers]

I've got Ativan. Need me to bring some down the next time I'm in the city? All I can say is you're super lucky the guy didn't have a concealed carry permit and you should remember where you live the next time road rage takes hold. Glad you're still alive, see you at the end of September

[Stormswift]

Drivers, pedestrians - they just do not notice scooters. No matter what - we are invisible. I can ride with horns on my head and no one will notice. Your dude sounds like he stole the car he was driving and did not want to get stopped no matter what. Or he had a record a mile long and when you came after him it finally registered that he may end up in deep s*** if caught

[JoshuaTree]

Man are you crazy? That guy could have shot you down in the street. Better to let people like that go and let karma catch up with them. You reap what you sow.

[Dr. Rock]

puppies and rainbows. I can't figure out how to delete this. BTW you missed censoring this part.

[laxer]

Ummm...EFFING AWESOME!!

[Syd]

Terror section = Illegal pass
Stupidity section = Assault

Sorry Doc, you screwed up way more than Charger dude.

[Lostmycage]

I'm not gonna condone what you did, but I'll digitally high-5 you for the story!

Incredibly stupid, yes. Friggin awesome, though. I hope I have better sense than to do what you did should a similar situation arise; but if I don't, I hope to hell my outcome is similarly awesome and not catastrophic!

[Cheshire]

...Wow.
My take:
The good news: You lived through the terror moment. You lucked out and the stupid moment worked for you...and you owned up.
The bad news: Mind your p's and q's for a WHILE. You burned a good chunk of luck in that stunt.

I agree with Lostmycage and I can sympathize. I've had a few moments myself on the scooter where someone's driving made me see red instantly: several moments last summer where people in cars were gunning for me. One I'm definitely NOT proud of (that will probably never be put to print) made me wake up quick. One helluva story though, mate. Learn the lesson, proceed with life.

FYI: opening a car door (or reaching through an open window) is (at least in my state) considered breaking and entering as well as assault. For future reference. *edit* On the third read-through, it occurred to me this sounds like I learned the hard way. I'm pleased to report: nope, got that tidbit from casually talking to a police officer in a college class.

[Oli]

don't kick yourself too much. you learned a lesson and know how to react the next time because (unfortunately) their will be more. I'm glad you are okay and that your actions didn't cause harm to yourself or any innocent bystanders. saying that..that was some charles bronson, grade A, superhero sh@t you threw down. wish I had that kinda cojones. And then the Jesus line is the icing on the cake. can't wait to ride soon with you.

[JHScoot]

sounds like good times, actually

if something like that were ever to happen to me, i'd do the same

only the "what are you gonna do about it" part would see me pointing the Buddy into his window and BLOWING the Stebal horn long and loud

[synaps3]

I had a similar terror / stupidity situation with someone passing me on an onramp. A guy in some sort of luxury sedan cut me off, passing me in the gore zone, sending broken glass flying at me. He got stuck behind a semi, so I slipped back in front of him. He got furious and started screaming obscenities, then tried to pin me between him and the guardrail. I twisted the throttle, shot forward, stuck my foot out, and drop-kicked his front headlight with the back of my shoe. It made a nice crunch. The semi in front of us had left plenty of room between him and the guardrail, so I went around and lane-split until I was confident the asshole wouldn't catch up.

I never heard about it again. It was easily the most terrifying moment I've ever had on the scoot.

The a$$ that was driving the car had a paper tag too; my guess is the paper tag is the reason I never heard from the cops -- I'm sure he could have easily taken down my plate and tried to get me in trouble.

[BootScootin'FireFighter]

Great story, I can say I've had my run-ins, but not quite that exciting. The best one that comes to mind is a luxury range rover tailgating me aggressively, and when I pulled up along side him at the next red asking him what his f*C&ing problem was, why he was tailgating me... "get off the road in that puny little thing". I went on to kick a small dent in his door and he came out, middle aged guy about the same thin build as me, but we exchanged a few punches (I still had my full face on). Not sure why he would punch my helmet, but he quickly realized it wasn't going anywhere, then he got back in his car and tried chasing after me. I realized I'd lose in a race and potentially end up road-kill, so I took an alley short cut and slipped under a parking gate arm to lose the prick.

I've come to the conclusion that

1.) I can never truly understand what the other person is capable of doing or how far they're willing to go.
2.) I have too much to lose by taking on someone who may have nothing to lose.
3.) For every a$$hole driver out there that I tried to change, there are only thousands more.
4.) The cops will almost always side with the driver. Unless there is a collision, it's your word against theirs, and when the cops go home, they go home in cars too, so forget about sympathy points.

it's a lot of the same issues cyclists deal with, so the best approach is remain vigilant, on guard, and an advocate for other scooterists and their rights. It's nice to see karma come around in the now, but more often the risks are too high.

We're all glad to hear you're ok and able to share that encounter.

[Tocsik]

I would never, ever encourage or endorse anyone from doing anything like this. Ever.

But it's a frickin' great story.

Glad you're OK. Glad the dude was "all talk".

Lesson learned.

[slusher5]

that's the worst story and then the best story I've heard in a while,

a helmet with a face shield is a great investment, and remember don't get in a fight with a car because it wins every time

[siobhan]

Bump for a freakin' awesome story. Get yerself a full-face; you'll be surprised at how much aggression you can get out, all while the other party has no idea and no harm can come to you. Although I've been told by friends they can hear my tongue-lashing...

[ericalm]

anyways the nice african american gentleman he hit with the door got out and said to me, his words not mine, "what did you say to that N-word?" and for whatever reason in my insanity I told him I said, "I told him you dont f*@k with the Jesus." ( yeah, lebowski, I know. why? no idea.)

Sorry to hear about the incident. Not too sorry that this part made me laugh.

Glad you are OK, get a full face, no sane person is going to fight you with one of those on!

But the world is full of insane people! At SF Classic (rally with a couple hundred scoots, at least) a few years ago, a guy jumped out of his pickup and, with no provocation, punched a rider (Curt Fargo) right in his full face helmet. The attacker was then set upon by an angry mob of scooterists… It wasn't pretty from what I hear. Sadly, the video of this incident is no longer on YouTube.

[Lostmycage]

Sadly, the video of this incident is no longer on YouTube.

Now that would be entertaining.

[iMoses]

Hey your actions messed up a brand new Charger... LOL

I'm glad you didn't get hurt... you are lucky he didn't pull out his 9mm or some sort of weapon...

Reminds me of the dumb MFer in an on-coming pickup who swerved into and out of my lane, just to get my reaction... he was looking directly at me laughing and pointing at me as he did it...


scoot safe... scoot smart

[ed85379]

I would bet against odds that he would swear up and down that you had a gun. People will see the things they expect to see, and from his reaction, I bet he thought he saw a gun in your hand.

[JSharpPhoto]

i can't lecture you too much....

i once ripped off the driver side mirror of a suburu outback driven by some highschool girls that thought they were "having fun" with me, by trying to run me off the road.

glad you're ok.

[evilsearat]

Just reading this has made me nervous. Seems like you took away the right lessons and will have quite a story to tell for a while.

[michelle_7728]

Great story! You were very lucky--please don't repeat it!

I agree with the others that say to get a full face helmet. I'd also be tempted to err on the side of caution and remove the seat cover so your scooter isn't as recognizable for a while (getting a windshield would help in that regard too), in case that guy comes looking for you.

Thanks for sharing your story.

[celbii]

Thats crazy man, I noticed you were in okc right when I read the street lol, I went to the highschool on kelly. My friend has a buddy and stella and I ride the buddy sometimes when we go out cruising for fun. So I know what ya mean in that area, being the only white guy at the highschool for 4 years lol it can be pretty crazy in that area. Definitely one I would stay away from when riding, then again I only ride about once a week Glad your okay.

[Dr. Rock]

I do not fear areas. I am an urban pioneer!

[BootScootin'FireFighter]

I do not fear areas. I am an urban pioneer!

well said!

[Ray Knobs]

Man are you crazy? That guy could have shot you down in the street.

An argument between two males on Lake Avenue ended with a shooting last night.

According to Rochester police, two vehicles — a motorcycle and a van — were southbound on Lake when the motorcyclist and a passenger in the van started arguing.

When they stopped at a red light at Lyell Avenue about 9 p.m., police said the passenger got out and punched the motorcyclist in the head, knocking him off the cycle.

The motorcyclist, whom police said is about 50, is then accused of getting up and shooting the passenger, 30, once in the torso. Capt. John Koonmen of the Rochester Police Department said that the motorcyclist was taken into custody.

The victim was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was undergoing surgery Tuesday night, police said. His condition was unknown.

biker 1 - cager 0

[cheez37]

An argument between two males on Lake Avenue ended with a shooting last night.

According to Rochester police, two vehicles — a motorcycle and a van — were southbound on Lake when the motorcyclist and a passenger in the van started arguing.

When they stopped at a red light at Lyell Avenue about 9 p.m., police said the passenger got out and punched the motorcyclist in the head, knocking him off the cycle.

The motorcyclist, whom police said is about 50, is then accused of getting up and shooting the passenger, 30, once in the torso. Capt. John Koonmen of the Rochester Police Department said that the motorcyclist was taken into custody.

The victim was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was undergoing surgery Tuesday night, police said. His condition was unknown.

biker 1 - cager 0

Sorry man. Can't count getting hauled to jail a win.

[ericalm]

Okay, folks, I don't do this often so please don't get into a snit about this but I've cleaned up this thread. The OP edited any potentially offensive material. All the commenting and bickering on those points was no longer relevant. Honestly, it quickly got out of control and rather unpleasant in a way that doesn't happen often here and I'm happy to sweep the whole thing under the rug and move forward.

I didn't want to trash the thread because it's interesting, entertaining, and an example of what can happen to even a rational person when road rage sets in. We all know better (well, most of us do) but under the right circumstances could easily get ourselves into a heap of trouble by reacting without thinking.

For the sake of posterity, I did provide some insight into policy and how the forum is moderated that may be useful in the future. So here's that bit:

We (meaning the members as well as the Moderators) have to deal with a variety of sensitivities of here. That doesn't mean that we cater to the most (or least) sensitive. It does mean that, as in real life, we sometimes have to be tolerant of things we might find bothersome as well as being considerate to those who may be a bit more sensitive to certain types of comments or remarks than we are.

The moderators and I have the role of trying to maintain a balance between political correctness and permitting comments on the site that some members may find offensive. Either way, someone's going to be unhappy because we went one way or another. It's a no win situation.

...the following topics and types of content are not permitted on Modern Buddy:
• Racism, sexism, homophobia or any other type or hate speech

While I understand the premise behind the rule, I think that what's lacking is a clear-cut definition of what constitutes an instance of "ism". How many people need to be offended before the taboo is violated? Do those taking offense need to be members of the group that's allegedly being disparaged? If something's borderline, but nobody's offended, is it then OK?

There's no threshold or clear-cut definition, partially because as soon as we draw a line, we'll see an instance that's clearly an "ism" but may not fit. I will give some things that will always be considered an "ism" here: blatant disparaging of another group; name calling based on race, etc.; use of or pandering to various stereotypes.

On occasion, comments may be made casually or without malice but others may consider them racist or otherwise inappropriate. These are the most difficult ones for us to have to moderate.

I have my own opinions of what types of comments are racist, but like everyone else here, I sometimes need to set my values aside.

Okay? And let me remind everyone: If you take issue with a thread, please use the report function. Thanks. Let's move on.