Topic: What is it with some people in traffic?

[gregwaits]

It seems that everytime I am out riding the 750 I encounter some bozo in traffic who feels compelled to try and prove (to me, or maybe himself) that he can drive his car as quick as a motorcyclist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not twisting the throttle all the way, racing from one light to the other. I am simply riding the bike.

Sure, a CB750 is quick and responsive. That is part of the charm. But I am not out here trying to attract car drivers into drag racing me.

Absurd. I do what I can to ignore them, but there are times when I just have to put them in their place. Once you hunker down and really twist it,  they realize their POS car ain't all that after all.

[333]

When I was a lot younger and at least felt like I had something to prove, I had one of those situations.  I had just gotten my first SOHC4, a 550K4.  It was a POS, and one of the issues with it was an extreme need for chain and sprockets.  If you goosed it in first gear, the countershaft would spin in the chain.  The Nissan of the day was still a Datsun, a 240Z.  And I pulled up to a stop light next to one with a guy like you describe, wanting to beat a motorcycle.  And mine looked as rough as it ran, so I guess he thought he had me.  Except that if I held the throttle just low enough to not spin the sprocket, I still walked away with no problem.  I will not forget that day.


Of course, I'm a lot older and wiser nowadays.  And nobody messes with a 350F!

[scondon]

 All it took was one speeding ticket for me to give up on "putting people in their place". I don't mind speeding tickets so much, just hate getting one while entering a "stupid" contest.

    Flip it over. Remember when you got your first car and "smoked" that dude on a bike from the stoplight. Now you can give that feeling to a complete stranger by letting them smoke ya

[333]

Well now I let them go and just wave "bye bye"!  Like "How's it feel to win over someone who isn't trying?".

[Shenanigans]

The best is to sit there and watch the light like your down to race with them and when the light turns green (Assuming there is no one behind you) Just sit there and let them take off.

Never give them what they want

[fuzzybutt]

last time i tried proving something to a punk in another car, i was driving my mustang. it was an 85 lx notchback with a 351 stroked to a 408. i launched it at around 4500 rpms, hopped the front tires off the ground....................went right past a richland county deputy sitting behind a damn bush. got nailed for reckless driving that day. i was lucky to not be charged with racing as that was a 995 dollar ticket and a 6 month suspension. i DID dust his little turboed honda though 

[bzr]

Get a Harley, then nobody's going to bother racing you. 

[dustyc]

You're thinking about it too much.  Ride and don't think about if they're thinking about racing you, watch for people trying to kill you. 

If they're gunning it off the line, they'll eventually run into(literally) someone that drives like them that is running the light the other way. 

Be safe.  Leave racing for the track.

[DarkRider]

There have only been a couple times that someone has attempted to race me on the Interceptor...first time i deliberatly hit the kill switch to make it look like i stalled simply because i had no use for that type of crap at the time...later that same night same kid in his civic thinking that he was gonna get a second win from me "stalling it"...Figured...ok let him know his place once and for all when it comes to a bike...Reved it up to about 6 grand and dumped the clutch which given there was loose dust and road debris on the pavement at the time caused the rear wheel to just start spinning like crazy...started this just before the lights turned green and held the front brake letting him realise that once it went green he was screwed...only let myself get about 3 car lengths ahead of him before i shut it down...it was enough to make him respect bikes from that point on.

[754]

greg, maybe you should not ride a ..superbike...


i get nightmares about the ones that did get by..
 71 transam, with a W-30 olds mill, with 3 people in it against my stock motored 73..

 A turbo Saab on the highway at 85 -115mph

 an 8 cylinder Prsche in Calif.. .. actually we were prety even..


I know a guy right now has a 6 sec Mustang, dont bother racing him, even if you have a turbo Busa..

Hang around the drags..plenty of cars that can make you look real bad...

[tramp]

just laugh at them
that really get them going

[ColinMc]

I do the good old fashioned, act like i'm gonna race then put put put off the line and casually motor on lol. Love it, they put all this hard work into concentrating and getting a good launch and I just kinda pick my feet up and cruise down the road as relaxed as can be. I'm not wasting my time with that crap on the street.

[dusterdude]

Get a Harley, then nobody's going to bother racing you. 

dont be too sure,and i love it when i put em in the weeds when they do.

[754]

Yeah it is funny when you get the jump on them, cuz they dont realize some bikes can pull that hard without shifting down a few gears..

[74cb750]

Haven't done this in years.

Now in Massachusetts if caught drag racing you get 2 years in jail.    There are just too many laws in Mass. for me.