Highway Conjestion ?

[BEER30]

Many of us have no choice but to travel the Highways and when you encounter such a delay in traffic patterns on highways such a road construction or accidents, getting trapped, then engine/clutch getting extremely hot, personal heat fatigue , etc........."Do you ride the shoulder ?".

 

Please , I'm asking your opinion to a direct question, NOT "I only ride the back roads ,blah , blah , blah..............! ".

 

 

Coming back from vacation, Becky and I encountered numerous highway congestion due to traffic accidents to road constructions. Yes we took mainly back roads for scenery and piece of mind. One instance back on the Highway, It was HOT ! Suddenly traffic backed up for over 10 miles, all traffic converted to one lane near end. No explanation was given over the CB from oncoming CBer's from the opposite direction. I was contemplating driving the shoulder of the road to get the wind in our face and cool the scoot. Scoot was getting hot as we were , if not hotter. I hesitated pulling into the shoulder due to maybe some cager might get mad and either swerve into us or open their passenger car door on us. While thinking about it , 4 MC (I think the were 1%'rs) came riding by in the shoulder. So I followed on in line, lagging back about 50 yards or so. Shoulder was clean with a few baby gators and a few beer cans. They weren't mine either.................... 5 miles from where we were , we hit an exit and took the back roads till we got home.

 

I know myself if I were in my cage sitting in line for my turn and another cage came by in the shoulder (other than an emergency vehicle) , I would be pi$$ed. But a MC, I would be more forgiving knowing the extra stress we encounter. So again I ask , "Would you drive the shoulder?"

 

 

BEER30

 

 

 

[Panjandrum]

I am often tempted to use the shoulder, but generally resist. Here in BC at least, it is illegal, and tickets are frequently issued. The shoulder is reserved for emergency vehicles, though a bike could easily get off the shoulder and out of the way of a police car, ambulance, fire truck or tow-truck!

 

For me, this is another argument for lane splitting... common in Europe and permitted in California and some other enlightened states. I know that the cagers would need to be educated about lane splitting if it were to be an allowed and acceptable practice, but worth the effort to encourage two-wheelers on the roads as well as preserving the health and sanity of motorcyclists... particularly those wearing ATGATT and those on air-cooled bikes!

[Sylvester]

Never! The shoulder retains all the garbage that the tires kick up in the driving lanes. Just look at a highway shoulder sometime while walking. There are screws, nails, wires, glass, sharp rocks plus many more items just waiting to keep you from going any farther.

 

[Yammer Dan]

I wouldn't do this as a rule but if caught up in the scene as you were.........??? I would be tempted to do as you did but hop off at the next exit and hope people would understand that sitting in line on a bike is a little different than in a cage with A/C.

[LilBeaver]

Absolutely not. The only time that I have even considered it is when I am stuck, as you describe, and I am on an air cooled bike. BUT, in an instance like that, shutting off the motor and letting traffic move a little, start up, move, then coast with the motor off, works well too.

 

As others have said, the extra junk on the shoulder is certainly part of what I don't want to run over, BUT, between that and cars pulling out on to the shoulder to rubber neck, or emergency vehicles NEEDING to get up to whatever it is, in any of those cases I certainly do not want to be in the way.

 

Yes, on a bike, we endure the heat, etc etc. But what about someone in a car with a broken air conditioner? Should this be extended to them too? After all, they are probably much warmer sitting in the enclosed greenhouse with no air conditioning than we are sitting out in the open on top of our bikes.

 

Bottom line for me, I'll take sitting in the heat over risking running over something, getting hit by a car, or most importantly - getting in the way of an emergency vehicle that really does need to use the shoulder to get wherever they are going. Yea, it stinks to sit in the heat, but, I'll take being uncomfortable in the heat over potentially slowing down help getting to someone that really needs it, or getting my self hurt.

 

There have been too many times that I was in a squad car trying to respond to something running full lights, siren and in some cases the air horn and P.A. system and people that were either too dumb too notice that I was behind them (or trying to get around them), too oblivious to their surroundings or just flat out didn't care and in most cases like that EVERY SECOND COUNTS. So I certainly will not be 'that guy' blocking or slowing the response of an emergency vehicle if I can help it.

 

I hope this addresses your question in the fashion that you were looking. This is definitely my opinion, as you requested.

[CMIKE]

No...I would not take the shoulder or emergency lane.

 

But in some states it is perfectly legal due to air cooled bikes need to be moving to keep from over heating.

 

I would be afraid I would encounter an idiot that did not know that LAW and act a fool toward me cause I was getting ahead of him in line and possibly hurt me or my passenger...then the gunfight would start. (just kidding)

[KarlS]

I get stuck in the mess every other Friday and I do not ride the shoulder for the safety reasons you listed. The only time I did was when my exit was less then a mile ahead and traffic wasn't moving at all, and I went very very slow.

[Marcarl]

What???????????????/ you weren't pulling the beer cart, excuse me? what are beer carts for and just when IS the best time to use it. You should have pulled over, opened the cart and set up shop,,,, you could have sold out in no time and made many many friends. then when you're sold out, you would have the real reason to use the shoulder, and everybody would have cheered you on>>>>>> go get more BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DUHHHHH do we have to tell you everything???????:stirthepot:

[BEER30]

What???????????????/ you weren't pulling the beer cart, excuse me? what are beer carts for and just when IS the best time to use it. You should have pulled over, opened the cart and set up shop,,,, you could have sold out in no time and made many many friends. then when you're sold out, you would have the real reason to use the shoulder, and everybody would have cheered you on>>>>>> go get more BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DUHHHHH do we have to tell you everything???????:stirthepot:

 

I tried to do this with SleeperHawk and the Mechanic when we got stuck in Atlanta in 100+ degree, not counting freshly paved road and engine heat. I tried to sell BEER and also to have the Mechanic strip down to her underwear and give sun tan lotion massages on top of the BEERCART. She didn't really understand how much we could had made nor to think about how much Safety Chrome she could have bought SleeperHawk.

 

I beleive lane splitting is legal here in NC. But most cagers do not know about it and would freak out more so than riding the shoulder. Also to add that I have already gone down twice due to heat exhaustion. Not fun at all for those whom have not experienced it. Luckily it never has happened on the scoot. Another reason I considered riding the shoulder. As far as the debris in the shoulder, I too watch very carefully even when pulling off the road to re-adjust the underwear........wait don't wear any......anyway for any other reason that may need too. I know most trucker watch over us scoots and if possible I pull along side of them in the stop and go 2 feet frog hops. Usually the pavement cools down under them and gives some relief, even if your still in the sun.

 

Again, I too would not ride the shoulder unless it was extremely a good reason to do it for example as such as extreme heat that would affect the health, not just to get ahead of the line. Just the night before coming through DC on 495 and then onto I-95 , Becky and I experienced 5 spots where we stood still for miles. It was night time after 9:00 pm. Took us till after midnight to get to the cut-off where RiderDuke lives. I would have called him , but it was to late at night or shall I say in the mourning and we all know he needs hid beauty and Studly sleep. Though I did try to call him in the mourning to get no answer. ...

 

BEER30

[Sandbagger]

No I wouldn't do it.

I also ride a bicycle a lot.

Doing stuff like that exposes you to dangers from unhappy people and gives the activity a bad name. We need more people on our side not against us. It can help us for the moment but hurt us and our brothers in the future.

[Jerry W]

Nope, I feel that the same laws apply to bikes as to cars. I have read many rants about "cagers" not respecting rules of the road etc. I don't feel that there are two sets of laws of the road. I was in Branson last summer on the bike and it took me 2 hours to get 4 miles and it was hot but, it took the cars on either side of me the same time. Owning a bike doesn't make me special.

[Venturous Randy]

The trick is to go by doing a wheelie and when you get to the end, do a big "stoppie" on the front wheel. Oh....sorry.... I see you are not on a 1st gen.

RandyA

[jfoster]

I could see putting on ur flashers and maybe easing up slowly to a shady spot and STOP to get out of the heat. If anyone asks your engine overheated. I wouldn't ride more than a mile to find that shaddy spot.

[BEER30]

The trick is to go by doing a wheelie and when you get to the end, do a big "stoppie" on the front wheel. Oh....sorry.... I see you are not on a 1st gen.

RandyA

 

 

Randy.....Overloaded by carrying spare 1st Gen parts does not simulate a Wheelie ! Nor does the front wheel falling off an old relic institute a "Stoppie", though they do stop pretty suddenly that way. Yes I'm on a 2nd Gen .........there more dependable !

 

 

Maybe I should have stated more clearly now my question. It was not to just get up front fast. Only to ease down the shoulder just fast enough to keep the scoot cooler and also more importantly myself from extreme heat fatigue. If it were a cool day or even in the rain, I would wait my turn. Only to proceed with caution and to especially look out for emergency vehicles. Each instance of road congestion will constitute what one may or may not do. If there is shade trees off the side of the road , I would get under them. But out into the HOT sunlight, heat rising from the pavement and engine, dehydration, heat stroke or even the possibility of collapsing is somewhat of an emergency situation within itself.

 

BEER30

[midnightventure]

Nope, I feel that the same laws apply to bikes as to cars. I have read many rants about "cagers" not respecting rules of the road etc. I don't feel that there are two sets of laws of the road. I was in Branson last summer on the bike and it took me 2 hours to get 4 miles and it was hot but, it took the cars on either side of me the same time. Owning a bike doesn't make me special.

I have been there too on a bike and my clutch hand was pretty tired by the time I made my trip up and down the strip. After that my wife let me get off on the side streets but we had to make that one trip just to see if there was any thing different.

[midnightventure]

If I was on my DR I would sure be studying the possibilities.

[Condor]

Here in Ca. lane splitting is legal since there isn't a law that says it's illegal. That said I've never split lanes.... no guts. 'Specially with a big body sitting on top of another big body cruiser. And damn those gaps look like a tight squeeze.. Then I got caught up in a traffic jam on a major street last week. Two lanes merging into a double left hand turn lane, and one of the turn lanes was closed. Traffic was backed up a half mile. After sitting for a bit, and thinking it's going to be a bunch of red lights before ever getting to the turn, I swung out to the outside with the idea I'd take a detour around the mess. As I got closer to the light I could see breaks in the traffic, and so said what the heII and dove back into line and made it through the light. Man did I feel guilty.... Would I do it again or ride the shoulder.... you bet!! Anything's better than sitting on a hot bike in traffic...