a few things i dislike...

...about cars when i'm on a bike. i'm trying to get up to 10, to make it a proper list, but we'll see how it goes.

1. merging. people should learn how to merge. it's not that hard. bikes tend to know how to merge better than car. you continue to drive at a constant speed UNTIL THE MERGE POINT, and then merge every other car as needed (i can also include turn-signal use in here, but that's not a bike specific complaint, everyone sucks at that). everyone who reads this and drives a car, you should keep this in mind. this also leads right into the next one...

2. not being seen. this seems like an obvious one, but i need to point it out nonetheless. i've had my fair share of swerving, none of which was my fault, and almost all of which happen at merge points. i have several spots where i make sure i am not in the merge lane, simply because i've had to take evasive action too many times from cars not looking. look. please. it's not hard.

3. jokes about chaps. OK, this one is technically when i'm not riding (unless they really shout), but it gets a little tired. yes, i wear chaps. yes, they are assless. if they weren't assless, they wouldn't be chaps. they would be pants. and yes, they are comfortable.

4. going extremely slow up hills. this one shouldn't need explanation. seriously. i shouldn't be stuck in first gear. use the damn accelerator. it's right next to the brake pedal.

5. slowing down in a turn. i don't mean that everyone should bomb through turns like they're in the motoGP, i mean that you shouldn't slow down IN a turn. everyone who rides a bike (properly) knows this, and everyone who is a race fan (car or bike), or knows how to drive well knows this as well. when you are making a turn, you drop your speed as much as you need BEFORE ENTERING THE TURN. you then keep constant speed or accelerate throughout the turn. this is the most efficient and safest way to negotiate and significant turn. on both cars and bikes.

6. improperly attired bikers. this is the one complaint i'll make (here, anyway) about other bikers. you're going upwards of 80mph on basically an engine strapped to two wheels. i'm not saying you should be wearing leathers all the time or anything, but at least weag long pants. not short. not t-shirts. oh, and gloves are a good idea, too.

7. using my brakes. again, this doesn't mean i'm bombing around all the time. as i have explained before, i generally use throttle control and gear shiftin to control speed while i'm riding. unfortunately for me (and fitting into several other catagories above), when i'm riding in traffic most cars aren't paying enough attention to the vehicles directly ahead of them, or the general flow of traffic, to notice when i'm slowing down unless they see brake lights. or at least i don't trust most people enough to believe they are. for the most part, i have to remind myself to hit the brakes, at least as a token effort, to notify the cars behind me i'm slowing down.

well, that's seven things. 7 is close to 10. we'll call that a good list.

this has been a nice break from trip prep. i hope you enjoyed it. tune in next time for my itenerary.

rftc,

scott