Yard sales and cell phones. (rant)

[Farmwithjunk]

I must say, I'm pleasantly suprised at the consensus of opinion, ESPECIALLY from the fellow bikers, in agreeing that "noisy" and "loud" isn't as popular as some would have us to believe. It's very refreshing to read how many regular riders don't feel the need to "conform" to the "non-conformist style" of dressing and acting like the stereotypical "biker".

Funny....That "pudgy little woman with a cell phone stuck in her ear" that got me to start this thread has turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

 

[Gatorboy]

The best revenge though...He blew by me just as we hit the city limits & **** near rear ended a cruiser. I actually pulled off the road to watch & cheer when I got to where the officer pulled him over. (The officer grinned at me...)

Great story!

 

[turnkey4099]

Hopefully you are not in the left (passing) lane -- for the rule "Slower Traffic Keep Right" applies and you should get over. The speed limit has no bearing, if someone is coming up on you, then YOU are slower traffic.

So if I am over the limit but cruising with the "flow", -I- am the the one in the wrong vice the guy trying to drive faster than what what everyone else is doing? Here is a clue. It is the buy behind that is forcing his way through traffic that is in the wrong. They are know in diving circles as MFFY (Me First *** You)

By the way. Another clue. There are a lot more roads with just two lanes (one in each direction) than there are freeways. If getting there faster than anyone else is your goal in life, up your Prozac.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

Quote:
Re: DMccarty: I was getting groceries today. The checker, who had a Yamaha key chain, was talking to a customer who was bragging about how loud his bike was. "If you hear me in the parking lot, come out and check out my bike", was what he said. Safety was not a part of their conversation. It was Look At Me.
Unquote:

Yep, that is it. "Look at me" Somehow they, and the ones with the boom boxes think that observers somehow admire them. Don't they realize that the immediate reaction to everyone around them is "what an a**"?.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

So if I am over the limit but cruising with the "flow", -I- am the the one in the wrong vice the guy trying to drive faster than what what everyone else is doing? Here is a clue. It is the buy behind that is forcing his way through traffic that is in the wrong. They are know in diving circles as MFFY (Me First *** You)

By the way. Another clue. There are a lot more roads with just two lanes (one in each direction) than there are freeways. If getting there faster than anyone else is your goal in life, up your Prozac.

Harry K

I forgot to include this:

On multiple lane roads, I will be in -a- right lane except when I am passing. I will be passing at a 'reasonable' rate of speed. If you catch me while I am passing and start riding my bumper, you are going to be back there a long, long time.

Harry K

 

[Bird]

Harry, I can understand your anger, but with the road rage incidents that we have now-a-days, it sounds as if you're trying to become a statistic. And I wonder whether anyone could explain to me what satisfaction you get from blocking someone else from getting by . . . even if they are idiots. I always heard two wrongs do not make a right.

 

[patrick_g]

RobertN, My old physics prof (upper level acoustics) testified as an expert witness in San Diego on a case where a fire truck ran down a civilian car after topping a hill on a city street. The City argued that they had lights and sirens and the driver SHOULD HAVE HEARD THEM.

Unfortunately the facts are that the high frequencies basically go out like the beam of a flashlight and do not follow the curve of a hill and the driver was not exposed to the sound of the siren until a fraction of a second before he was hit. City/FD lost... Big settlement in favor of dead guy's estate.

City/FD hires the physics prof as consultant. Now all the fire trucks in San Diego (and some other enlightened places) have super low freq and loud "tug boat" kinda horns in addition to any other sirens. The sound follows the contour of the land, penetrates into a closed car, blasts right through your loud acid rock with super thumper bass kickers and rattles the fillings in your teeth. These horns nearly wake the dead. Deaf people probably FEEL THE VIBRATIONS! Elephants respond from miles away.

If your rigs don't have these, they should. It is better for the FD and the public.

Pat

 

[RobertN]

I'm not sure what we have; I mostly ride the older second out "volunteer" engine. I'll have to ask what the newer 1st out staffed engines have.

This does match up with old expierience with JBL horn tweeters that were very directional. The 12" woofers were very much omni directional.

I wonder what range a typical air horn like those found on Engines, big rigs etc would be in? 1500-2khz maybe?

RobertN, My old physics prof (upper level acoustics) testified as an expert witness in San Diego on a case where a fire truck ran down a civilian car after topping a hill on a city street. The City argued that they had lights and sirens and the driver SHOULD HAVE HEARD THEM.

Unfortunately the facts are that the high frequencies basically go out like the beam of a flashlight and do not follow the curve of a hill and the driver was not exposed to the sound of the siren until a fraction of a second before he was hit. City/FD lost... Big settlement in favor of dead guy's estate.

City/FD hires the physics prof as consultant. Now all the fire trucks in San Diego (and some other enlightened places) have super low freq and loud "tug boat" kinda horns in addition to any other sirens. The sound follows the contour of the land, penetrates into a closed car, blasts right through your loud acid rock with super thumper bass kickers and rattles the fillings in your teeth. These horns nearly wake the dead. Deaf people probably FEEL THE VIBRATIONS! Elephants respond from miles away.

If your rigs don't have these, they should. It is better for the FD and the public.

Pat

 

[patrick_g]

I wonder what range a typical air horn like those found on Engines, big rigs etc would be in? 1500-2khz maybe?

The tug boat kinda blaster I refer to is way down below a KiloHertz. Age tends to delete your high freq hearing first and worst. The super low freq blasters are way below that.

The "A" note to which the orchestra tunes is 440 Hz. The highly penetrating sound I mention is way below that.

Pat

 

[ocaj11]

So if I am over the limit but cruising with the "flow", -I- am the the one in the wrong vice the guy trying to drive faster than what what everyone else is doing? Here is a clue. It is the buy behind that is forcing his way through traffic that is in the wrong. They are know in diving circles as MFFY (Me First *** You)

By the way. Another clue. There are a lot more roads with just two lanes (one in each direction) than there are freeways. If getting there faster than anyone else is your goal in life, up your Prozac.

Harry K

Sorry Harry, but I think Gatorboy is right on this one. The law states that slower traffic should keep right. It doesn't say that slower traffic should keep right unless you arbitrarily decide that driving in the left lane is keeping up with the flow of traffic. I pulled this off the Internet for the State of Washington:

(1) Upon all roadways of sufficient width a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, except as follows:

(a) When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing such movement;

(b) When an obstruction exists making it necessary to drive to the left of the center of the highway; provided, any person so doing shall yield the right of way to all vehicles traveling in the proper direction upon the unobstructed portion of the highway within such distance as to constitute an immediate hazard;

(c) Upon a roadway divided into three marked lanes and providing for two-way movement traffic under the rules applicable thereon; or

(d) Upon a street or highway restricted to one-way traffic.

(2) Upon all roadways having two or more lanes for traffic moving in the same direction, all vehicles shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, except (a) when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, (b) when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow, (c) when moving left to allow traffic to merge, or (d) when preparing for a left turn at an intersection, exit, or into a private road or driveway when such left turn is legally permitted. On any such roadway, a vehicle or combination over ten thousand pounds shall be driven only in the right-hand lane except under the conditions enumerated in (a) through (d) of this subsection.

(3) No vehicle towing a trailer or no vehicle or combination over ten thousand pounds may be driven in the left-hand lane of a limited access roadway having three or more lanes for traffic moving in one direction except when preparing for a left turn at an intersection, exit, or into a private road or driveway when a left turn is legally permitted. This subsection does not apply to a vehicle using a high-occupancy vehicle lane. A high-occupancy vehicle lane is not considered the left-hand lane of a roadway. The department of transportation, in consultation with the Washington state patrol, shall adopt rules specifying (a) those circumstances where it is permissible for other vehicles to use the left lane in case of emergency or to facilitate the orderly flow of traffic, and (b) those segments of limited access roadway to be exempt from this subsection due to the operational characteristics of the roadway.

(4) It is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic.

(5) Upon any roadway having four or more lanes for moving traffic and providing for two-way movement of traffic, a vehicle shall not be driven to the left of the center line of the roadway except when authorized by official traffic control devices designating certain lanes to the left side of the center of the roadway for use by traffic not otherwise permitted to use such lanes, or except as permitted under subsection (1)(b) of this section. However, this subsection shall not be construed as prohibiting the crossing of the center line in making a left turn into or from an alley, private road or driveway.