Careful Whom You Flip off.

[Saul Goode]

Nope.

Having a helmet on significantly hinders one's ability to make defensive moves and provides one's adversary a great hand-hold.

unless you strike preemptively with a header, I think, I mean how would I know?

and how could you let a cager catch up to you

 

[Hooli]

Ive been shot at for less. If you feel the need to flip someone off or knock off their mirrors as i used to. You must be ready and willing to defend yourself because you will need to eventually. My advice would be to take off your helmet.

My advice would be not to do that shit at all. Keep a cool head, and leave yourself an out.

Taking out mirrors just pisses off cagers and odds are they'll vent their spleen at the next motorcyclist they see. And that victim may be me. So don't do it.

 

[EarlyApex]

Carrying a baseball bat around is a felony. Shoulda called him in for the assault.

Good thing i carry a blade on my person and a massive flathead in my car. Both, perfectly legal

Edit: OP, How did you not notice him following you?

 

[russ69]

...That is a bad idea. How are you going to grip something you can't see let alone grab at when you are force down by the helmet and probably beaten. Break his thumb, he has your HEAD. ...

Maybe the Harley guys got it right. A good Nazi helmet is perfect for combat!

 

[Shaggy]

Who is the bigger fool? The guy who parks it in the HOV lane with no traffic or the guy who lets it ruin his morning?

 

[sv848evo]

I thought you were going to say the guy in the car was your boss or something.

 

[BURNROPE]

I spit on a cabbie once who cut me off, this was befrore the helmet law. It took me about 20 minutes to lose him, he was pissed and he had a fare in the cab. I've calmed down since then.

 

[DaveT319]

To me, this was not a situation that deserved a flip-off. It was just an annoyance. If he had actually done something dangerous - like changing lanes into you - THEN I would flip him off. But just clogging the HOV lane by himself? This happens so much in the Bay Area during the rush hours that you should just ignore it.

 

[SlideSF]

Zen and the art of moto war.

Execute the pass and be on your merry way.

Wasted energy/karma flipping him off.

This is the best advice. However, sometimes reactions happen despite our best efforts. I don't doubt we've all done something similar, even the finger-pointers.

When it happens, though, that we do succumb to our baser nature, it's always good to keep the flipped-off vehicle in our mirrors until we know that we've lost them. And especially not lead them to our homes or place of work!

 

[sanjuro]

Love the thread title.

 

[VicTim]

First of all I have definately flipped people off before, I'm not perfect. I really try not to do it. I'm a local contractor, that person may be a customer or potential customer. If someoe flips me off I usually figure they think I'm #1.

 

[sanjuro]

I usually try to keep the asshattery down as I am closing into my destination.

Other than that, the rest of my advice is how to increase the hostility level, which is probably not a great idea in your workplace parking lot.

 

[Marcoose]

Jim, 7:45am and you're already flipping someone? That's makes for a long day.

You're on your bike, you have a job, the weather is great ... smell the roses.

 

[Coastal Coyote]

I'm glad it didn't escalate. When I notice that the behavior of other people is starting to bug me, I know its time for me to find a meeting.

 

[Feanor]

Am I losing something in translation? He said "If I was another kind of guy I would beat your ass!"

So what he was saying was he was just the type of guy who yells alot and chases people only to then leave? The comment kind of sounded askew, like "I have a match, your butt and my face!", or "I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!" Wait... you eat shit for breakfast?

Having a baseball bat in your car is not a felony, wielding it is.

I specifically ride a motorcyle so I can easily GO AROUND things like that person... not so that I can go headlong into confrontation with them

 

[rumpofsteelskin]

I just pass and try to convey my frustration with their presence by making a big "move over next time" gesture. This consists of a sort of chopping/ pointing/hand jive mtion that I think is quite straightforward but which probably resembles somebody pointing to themselves and saying "I'm a little teapot!" In either case, it makes me feel better. And it gives me a chance to show off my spout.

 

[RRrider]

Zen and the art of moto war.

Execute the pass and be on your merry way.

Wasted energy/karma flipping him off.

+1
Peace Love Happiness and the joy of riding

Nope.

Having a helmet on significantly hinders one's ability to make defensive moves and provides one's adversary a great hand-hold.

+1
When Peace Love Happiness and the joy of riding fail, then the last thing you want is whopping great hand hold by your head and neck. Helmet would work better as a bludgeon than as head gear in a street fight.

 

[fast4d]

I see at least 10+ cars a day in the carpool with driver only and we have double yellows b/t the carpool and #1 lane here in so cal.

 

[corndog67]

(I know what I did was wrong but I guess we should all just bury our heads and do nothing when we see people breaking the law even if it’s a minor one.

Breaking the law. Hmmm. Do you speed? I do, all the time. I do wheelies. I go across double yellow lines. I use the carpool lane when I'm by myself in my truck if I feel I can get away with it. What makes you any different, and what makes you the police?

Plus now he knows where you work.

 

[Marcoose]

now he knows where you work.

That by far is the biggest penalty of this incident.