......on a reoccuring problem I have. I am a wee (and allegedly cute) woman on a Sporty and, quite often, people tailgate me to the point of it getting ridiculous, and I'm well aware how damn dangerous it is for me. Being a Sporty sandwich really doesn't appeal to me, and to be honest I have been at the point where I have wanted to get off my bike at a red light and slap one of these clowns through their window with my helmet.......so they can see just HOW DAMN CUTE I AM! :frownthre lol.
I drive at or above the speed limit, I don't pull out in front of fast moving cars, or wear revealing "girly" clothes while riding.......a lot of the time I am in town and I'm quite sure the car behind me can see around my gigantic bike to notice the slow moving guy is in FRONT of me....D-UH! Had one old man almost push me through a crosswalk because I had actually stopped and waited before making my turn instead of running the pedestrians down.
I will change lanes if possible, speed up, anything to get the moron off my butt but sometimes in downtown traffic there is nowhere to go, or even better they change lanes and get behind me again :censor .
Funny, when I ride beside my 300 lb ol' man on his Decker, or a patch wearing buddy, no one wants to run up his ass-and I get space I never get alone......they take it for granted and very rarely have to contend with the crap I do...must be nice!
I've heard a lot of suggestions, shoot them the bird (ok til ya get the wrong person who's a nutjob) toss some ballbearings at 'em (eventually I'll get caught doing that, or maybe hit someone else), sometimes I just give them a real nasty look over my shoulder and they'll back off but damn, one day I'm going to spin on one of these idiots........or get smushed by one. Anyone else have this prob and what do you do? I'm not gonna let these :censor wreck my fun!
CraZee

Either pump your arm up and down kind of at a 45 degree angle behind you, or rapidly tap your brake lights...or slow down to like 20 mph for a few blocks..then resume the speed limit, or if you are especially daring, I usually brake check them..then hammer the gas at the last minute. Also at a light, you can look back at them, then your bike, then shake your head, or actually walk up to them and inform them that you would appreciate a little more following distance. I usually use tapping of the lights followed by a quick brake check if they are not paying attention.

I think the bearing Idea is the best!!! :D

Really though, tapping your brake or riding them just so the brake light is on may help!!!!

Truly, just a wave backward and a few brake flashes should do it....

If that won't do it, either increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to compensate...or just pull over...

I do it occasionally myself....

Those are a few of the SAFEST ideas...

YMMV..;)

one thing to remember is that in your mirror the car behind you will seam to be closer than he really is , so it may appear that they are tailgating you but if ya do a quick look over your sholder they may not be as close as you think

but the brake check thing works alot of times , if ya can do it safly

Any chance you can grow a beard? Seems to help me. :D

But I hear ya. The wife was following me yesterday in our Bronco, in heavy traffic. We got to our destination and she's more wound up then I am. She gets out yelling, "That SOB damn near crawled up your ass! And what was up with that lady changing lanes right in front of you?!"

But like the others said, brake lights, trying to change positions, and if necessary, turn off/pull over and start over again. That's about all we can do.

Just to quote what was taught in Motorcycle saftey class, Tap the brake light or slow down enough that they will want to go around you.

I like the bearing thing too, but then I'm a guy..Try this...Pretend you're a cigar smoker and flip a big wad of spit over your shoulder every 1/4 mile or so. A windshield hit or two should keep the tailgaters off your ass.

Thats a real toughie to answer Hun. If you cant keep the ole man with you then the right thing to do is be defensive. Pull over and wave em around. I know it is hard to swallow, but that steel and pavement hurts. I know!

I usually wave em around and then I follow them real nice like. I dont do anything to give em a clue. When I get a light with em I pull up on the drivers door and ask real nice, "Could I interest you in some insurance?" "Cause if you dont stop F@&King with me you are damn well gonna need it"

I have not had to do this in over ten years (not because the cagers are behavin) (cause I was away for awhile) But, I can see it coming! Be Safe!

I like to chew tobacco when I ride... A big old mouthful of brown goo does the trick :D

Gazza

I like to chew tobacco when I ride... A big old mouthful of brown goo does the trick :D

Gazza

Sure, but you're a d**k.....lol

http://www.righthook.com/images/pistol.gif

Any choice of these would do

http://www.righthook.com/images/rifle.gif

Or one of these

http://www.righthook.com/images/rifle.gif

Or one of these

Those would do it :)

I hate tailgaters!
Not to much you can do other than what you been doing. I think pulling over really gets their attention and wakes them up from being an ass but that is a hassle for you and can be dangerous. Any action ya have to take because someone is being an ass, can put you in jeopardy.
Good luck.

Good replies everyone, thanks!
Midnightwolf LMFAO! I was hit last year (not my fault) and man do I get road rage sometimes........can you picture crazee woman hanging off her bike to undo tool bag and tossing vise grips? Didn't have any ball bearings.........Don't give me ideas!!!! LOL

I like the idea from wolf, but like gary ( as midnite wolf can verify ) I dip copengagen. They get close I let them have it. However, being a cute lady like yourself, that is not a good idea. Your hubby prolly wouldnt like it either! I have a hard time keeping my thoughts to myself. I usually let them have a piece of my mind at the next light. I guess I could run in to a nut job that would pull a gun, but I dont think about that at the time. :smoke

An experienced rider ( i am in no way saying you are not one) can usually be defensive and handle the situation. What scares me is the poor guy or gal learning and some jack :censor is tailgateing them. Thats why I feel it is my duty as an American to chew there ass whenever I can to keep them off the rear fender of a newbie.

I realize I have not offered any new ideas but there are not a lot of options other than scaring the hell out of them. :tour

Hi.

I know of one rider that keeps a small bag a pee-gravel for just such an occasion.

The thing is if you through something at them, most will back off, but you will get the one guy that might just ram you too, so it is not a good Idea to upset them.
If you can't get them to pass youor pull over and let them by because of traffic, I find that when you are stopped, walk overand (In you most diplomitci voice) explain that because motorcycles are smaller then cars, It is very easie to get too close. And then explain that if they rearend you, it will most likely kill you, and you would very much like not to be run over.
I find this to be Informative for them, and you have to do this with a smile on your face, no one gets upset.....except for the cars behind both of you because the light usually changes before you get done, but that's ok, just let them sit a bit.
It seems to drive the point home better for them if they get a bit embarist.

Great point Jeffytune. I too have this problem. Thing is I am also a small stature kinda guy. :o But, I have a major attitude when people lose respect for anybody.

I think I will try your approach next timing.

Hi.

I know of one rider that keeps a small bag a pee-gravel for just such an occasion.

The thing is if you through something at them, most will back off, but you will get the one guy that might just ram you too, so it is not a good Idea to upset them.
If you can't get them to pass youor pull over and let them by because of traffic, I find that when you are stopped, walk overand (In you most diplomitci voice) explain that because motorcycles are smaller then cars, It is very easie to get too close. And then explain that if they rearend you, it will most likely kill you, and you would very much like not to be run over.
I find this to be Informative for them, and you have to do this with a smile on your face, no one gets upset.....except for the cars behind both of you because the light usually changes before you get done, but that's ok, just let them sit a bit.
It seems to drive the point home better for them if they get a bit embarist.

That is a Great idea.....now if only I could obtain the discipline and actually maintain my composure to perform that procedure I would be good to go! Until then.......throw pee gravel!!lol I am kidding :D

......on a reoccuring problem I have. I am a wee (and allegedly cute) woman on a Sporty and, quite often, people tailgate me to the point of it getting ridiculous, and I'm well aware how damn dangerous it is for me. Being a Sporty sandwich really doesn't appeal to me, and to be honest I have been at the point where I have wanted to get off my bike at a red light and slap one of these clowns through their window with my helmet.......so they can see just HOW DAMN CUTE I AM! :frownthre lol.
I drive at or above the speed limit, I don't pull out in front of fast moving cars, or wear revealing "girly" clothes while riding.......a lot of the time I am in town and I'm quite sure the car behind me can see around my gigantic bike to notice the slow moving guy is in FRONT of me....D-UH! Had one old man almost push me through a crosswalk because I had actually stopped and waited before making my turn instead of running the pedestrians down.
I will change lanes if possible, speed up, anything to get the moron off my butt but sometimes in downtown traffic there is nowhere to go, or even better they change lanes and get behind me again :censor .
Funny, when I ride beside my 300 lb ol' man on his Decker, or a patch wearing buddy, no one wants to run up his ass-and I get space I never get alone......they take it for granted and very rarely have to contend with the crap I do...must be nice!
I've heard a lot of suggestions, shoot them the bird (ok til ya get the wrong person who's a nutjob) toss some ballbearings at 'em (eventually I'll get caught doing that, or maybe hit someone else), sometimes I just give them a real nasty look over my shoulder and they'll back off but damn, one day I'm going to spin on one of these idiots........or get smushed by one. Anyone else have this prob and what do you do? I'm not gonna let these :censor wreck my fun!
CraZee

This came up in another thread but not quite the way you put it. It does give credence to the way you look while on your bike. When I wear my leather vest and patches, I get respect from the cagers. When I just wear my leather jacket, I get some courtesy but not as much as when I wear my levi jacket and leather patch vest. There is a difference. The thought of a bad ass biker shooting them in the face or pulling them out of thier car and beating thier ass is not appealing to them.

I have no answers for ya really. Just ride like everyone is out to kill ya and you will be alright.

Loco
SoCal

Truthfully, it really doesn't matter how "cute" you are or how "not cute" you are. All motorcycle riders deal with this type of situation at one time or another. Also, cage drivers deal with it too, but when you are in your car, you probably don't notice how close behind you someone is the same as how you do when you are on your bike. Even in my truck, I've had people stop right up on my tailgate many times (and I know because I keep my tailgate down most of the time and I can see them back there).

You can't change cage drivers, so don't let it bother you so much. Its nothing personal on their part....just blind stupidity. Just blink your brake lights a few times when you are coming to a stop or when you are stopped and a cage is coming up behind you. Then go on your merry way and enjoy your ride.

I always leave *plenty* of room in front of me - at *least* two seconds, usually 3. This does a couple of things. It allows me to gracefully slow down even if the car in front of me slams on its brakes. And it allows me to speed up in front of a tailgater (increasing distance), and then drop back slowly. Usually after a couple of cycles of this, the tailgater lets me have some additional space. Doesn't always work, but it doesn't infuriate anyone, and still sends the message.

I also always leave a good car length in front of me when stopped behind a car. This gives me at least a *chance* of getting out of the way quickly if something isn't stopping behind me. This saved my bacon once when I was a young whippersnapper - I stopped my truck a good 15 feet behind the car in front, and then a few seconds later (in my rear view mirror) I saw the third car back hit the next guy, who hit the next guy, who would have hit me, but I jumped forward 10 feet just before impact.

I get on the drivers side door and let them hear my loud straight pipes for a while or so and they usually pull ahead and I let em go.

I have had the same problem. it seems if I speed up...they speed up...change lanes...they follow.....so...slowing down seems to be the best for a response. I just slow down and usually they will choose a different lane.

The ones that really scare me have a cell phone shoved into their ear. I usually try to get behind them if i can. I think cell phones are more dangerous than low levels of alcohol. (I am not minimizing drunk driving...)

be safe folks

Cell phones in vehicles are the most dangerous thing happening on the roads today. As soon as the State of S.C passes a law banning the use of a phone while driving, I will actually sign out a ticket book again. I haven't carried a ticket book in 11 years....that's how strongly I feel about the issue. Granted...not everyone is an utter moron and the folks that can talk AND pay attention to the road will end up suffering because of the actions of the dickweeds who can't.

Four out of the five close calls I've had on the bike since the first of the year have involved drivers (3 female, 1 male) yammering away on a :censor cell phone.

I've had the same problem when riding by myself. It's taken me awhile to feel comfortable riding alone. I used to only ride when my fiance was riding. But now I don't wanna wait when I feel like riding.
I tried the brake tapping before. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I guess it depends on whether the moron behind you is actually paying attention, or is using their last braincell for their phone converstaion or fixing their makeup.

One of these will do fine too.
https://www.justhammers.com/images/hbtool.jpg

My best bud is a nut job. Whenever we ride together and some stupid as :censor le tries to pull some s :censor t like that, we just let him pass and at the next traffic light, my bud pulls up to their car and starts kicking it! It's soooo funny, the first time he did it, I think the guy in the drivers seat s :censor t his pants.

You can't change cage drivers, so don't let it bother you so much.

Thats the stupidist f :censor g statement I've read in years. Don't let it bother you so much? What about when your in the middle of the road laying in a pool of your own blood with your red-hot bike on top of you....should you let it bother you then?

I CAN change cage drivers. I can change how many teeth they have left in their mouth.

[QUOTE=Kath]Truthfully, it really doesn't matter how "cute" you are or how "not cute" you are. All motorcycle riders deal with this type of situation at one time or another. QUOTE]

True ...very true....that said how about a girls on Sportsters picture thread :laugh I'll bet there's enough "cute" Sportygirls here to make a fine XL forums calander :wonderlan I know I know... wishfull thinking:D
:toungelau Y2K