The doom of beginning to commute to work

M

madelyn:)

New member
I bought a new Suzuki S40 I love it. Took the BRC MSF rider course 1/2 a month ago. This last week I started commuting in to work. Every day I get to here How I'm going to be killed! I try to explain that I'm aware of the risks and how you really need to be a defensive driver..... And I just get a responce of what kind of flowers I want at my funeral. Very frustrating!! :mad: So I usually have to relax a bit before I get going. Did anyone else out there go through this? How did you cope?
Thanks,
Rami
 
I got the same crap around here at first. It seemed that every person in the work place that had never rode a bike new it all and had something smart to say. Don’t let it get under your skin, they'll back down.

And if they dont back off tell them to suck your rooster and shove the flowers up thier donkey.
 
Rami,
Welcome to the forum, I hope you find a lot of useful information here.

As for the critics I always respond with humor
Where should we send the flowers? To your wife (or daugter, or mother.)
You could be killed! Everyone dies of something , not everyone really lives.

Have fun with it, when they realize they aren't getting to you they will back off.
 
I got the same thing at work too. After a couple of days of commuting in on the bike, they all want me to take them for a ride at lunch now. I think that a couple of people I work with are actually thinking of getting into motorcycles now. It will blow by. Don't get discouraged. Just tell them the gas milage you are getting and they will shut up.

Jim
 
I agree with bostonjim. I told a guy the other day I was getting 62mpg on my GS500E, and that shut him up. With the price of gas it's worth the risk! My M50 won't get that, but it's still better than my Blazer.

I liked the "send the flowers to your wife". Gotta remember that. Thanks for the laugh!
 
:welcomes: killrami.
At last count we have at least 10 guys who commute to work. Fortunately our plant manager is one of them. The growth has caused a bit of a parking issue. After pointing out the problem to him, and sitting down with pen in hand, we have a plan to create a parking area for MC's.
Hang in there killrami, you're a pioneer of sorts. My guess is soon others will be parking their bikes alongside yours. :D
 
when i first started riding to it seemed like everybody had to take their turn telling me how stupid i am and a horror story about somebody. after a couple months it all stop after everybody got used to it.
 
Just wanted to thank everyone for the replies!! I almost got in an accedent Target fixation is REAL you have to look away from what your going to hit and where you want to go I kept looking at the car I was trying to avoid an it flet like the motorcycle was being attracted to the car like a magnet. Fortuantely the car got out of the way. I practiced in a parking lot the same situation at lower speeds of course and found that that was my problem. When I looked at the object in the parking lot I would go to it, and vise versa.
Well lesson learn : look away where you want to go and DONT PANIC!!
Thanks all
 
If you are that shaken about riding then it is probably not for you. Sorry for the bluntness. But your first post is "How you keep hearing about how you might die".

Your second post is "I almost got in an accident". I think riding is not your fortay. Maybe stay close to home, develop your skills, and leave the commuting to on down the road.
 
"Forte".

Rami, I'd give it more time, but if you don't get over your anxiety with practice and study, consider other forms of transportation. You can't be a safe rider unless you can relax and focus.

Welcome!
 
Just dont let what others say affect you to much because your feelings may affect how you ride, the one thing I have learned is that your loves ones care for you that is why they do what they do. Imagine if your kids wanted to go bungy jumping on vacation wouldnt you tell them no?? Its the same way ppl view motorcycles they know how they themselves drive, have been in close calls or know somebody that knew somebody that got hurt on a motorcycle. I would say just take it with a grain of salt but understand thats why they call them LOVED ONES they care no matter what we say espiecally if you are married would put out the flames of your wife who loves you just as much as your mom they just dont want you to get hurt, So in closing recoginize that you are doing something that requires alot of risk and there is really nothing that will calm them but TIME itself. Once they see you riding for years and years than they say oh thats just Jimmy with his harley and its not a big deal.
 
ditto ditto. S83 -just purchased and planning 15 mile commute through town. Gas st is just going to ge worse. I can fill up my 25 gallon truck ans siphon for a month if necessary. Traffice, however, concerns be also. So does being out of gas....
 
My advice is to not let the close calls shake you, and accept them as part of riding a motorcycle. I can say that I've had just as many close one's in the car as on the bike because of stupid people on cell phones, etc. I almost wrecked my GS500 on the way to trade it on my M50 because a lady ran a stop sign at a "Y" in the road, and even with my laying on the horn and looking down at her front bumper, she still kept coming. Luckily the 500 had enough zip to get ahead of her, but if I was in a car I would not have been able to avoid it at all.

My theory is that once you accept that there will be close calls, you get more alert to them and consious of them. I look at close calls as a way to keep you on your toes. I'm also a private pilot, and had a few close calls on landings, but look at those as the best learning experiences I've ever had. Nothing like facing death to stick a lesson in your head. I bet everytime you go out you remember what you did wrong in fixating on that car and are very aware not to do it again. Count it as a blessing in disguise.
oh - maybe this is coming from my tag line below from Theodore Roosevelt!
 
Howdy! Commuting on a cycle is a greater challenge, and you can stack the odds in your favor... Know your usual route well. Have alternate routes if possible. Be observant of any construction, and learn where the bad surfaces are so you can always avoid them. Learn where the car drivers always make mistakes with merging, etc. Take charge of your lane space, and don't be timid about it, just be smart. Wear white or bright/reflective gear, and all your protective gear, all the time!

You are right not to fixate on other vehicles. Rather, give them only enough attention from the corner of your eye so you see if they will impede you, with your main focus being where you are going.

Do not pace other vehicles or allow them to hang out in your blind spots. Keep working up through traffic, or be letting it overtake you.

Try to work earlier or later hours to avoid the heavy rush hours, as stop and go traffic is very tedious on a cycle... The list goes on...

Have fun!:D
 
All good advice, I have a red helmet and red jacket (all matches the red M50) It stands out to others much better then a rider in all black. Next time riding and you see other riders take notice of what their wearing and how it blends or stands out in traffic, you'll be very suprised by how much all black blends to traffic!
 
Red is the hardest colour to spot in one's peripheral vision, its the last colour identified. All red definitely stands out in traffic, but keep aware when close to blind spots and riding next to people, it takes a little bit longer to strike the nerves than say yellow, which is one of the first colors identified.
 
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