Modern Vespa

I am a careful rider, but had I been only 1 second further down the road than I was today, I would not be here to write this.
Four lane road, on my two lanes, there are two cars in the left lane, pulling up to stop at a light that is just changing to red. I am coming up in the right lane to stop at the light beside them. All seems normal.
Suddenly, the 2nd car pulling up to stop went into "fleeing a bank robbery" mode. Raced around the car that was stopped in front of him. and runs the red light at high speed and speeds away. I do not think he knew I was back there ( or cared, probably). I hit the brakes, and all ended well.
It is the totally unexpected things that will take you out. Had I been along side him, there would certainly have been no avoiding being run over. There was also no way to suspect that rampant stupidity was about to happen. I make a practice of always riding with my thumb on the horn, at the ready in case of trouble. I would not have gotten a toot off today, of that I am sure.
MAYBE if I had a Leo Vince pipe, he might have heard me coming up and not acted like a crazy ass. Makes me start to rethink getting one....I like the quiet stock exhaust, but not enough to die for it.
Also, if anyone knows a mod for mounting a heat seeking missile on the MP3, I am interested. I would have certainly enjoyed using one on him today!

Rob,
I know EXACTLY what you mean. I've had a couple of situations already in my fairly short mp3 life that basically it was luck, not skill that got me out of it. That said, I don't ride with my finger on the horn...that POS stock is worthless in my opinion and Piaggio should be slapped for putting it on. My roomies Buddy 125 comes with a Stebel STOCK! Plus her bike even has fairly loud blinker sounds(I can actually here her over my engine coming up behind me clicking left/right!). Anyways, back to what I was trying to say...I think the best thing I've learned is to ride AS IF SOMETHING were gonna happen whenever possible. I can't count the number of times that I've been going down the road and seen a car hauling up on a side street to a stop sign and I just KNEW they were gonna 'look right through me' and sure enough, thankfully I had slowed down to expect them blowing through the stop sign and onto the road in front of me. The official 'law'/license manual says to 'maintain the same speed so that auto drivers can predict your approach'...well the hell with that! I've learned to basically assume they're gonna do whatever they please as if you didn't exist at all. I'd rather a cager be mad and flip me off for going to slow, waiting to see if they're gonna move(even if I have the right away), or watching for autos before going on a green turn signal than do it the 'legal' way and be a pavement smear. Ride safe out there Rob!

Glad you are ok bro. Gets your heart pumping doesn't it? Then that usually followed by rage. I find myself looking at almost every "ordinary" road situation as life threatening and expecting what you think would never happen to happen...surprising how many times it does.

When pro-like riders such as yourselves have these close calls, it makes all the more thankful for my good fortune and training.
Cheers, jacquie...thanks for sharing.

Exhaust sound would not have been heard till you passed him. Just think if you were going through the intersection from the green side as he ran the red....

Clearly we can only do so much to protect ourselves... and in essence we are all just statistics waiting to happen - no doubt something will happen eventually, we just try to ride happily thru to old age and eventual departure from the planet before that occurs. In the meantime, I will take good luck over skill any day of the week (as Luthor says), but make every attempt to maintain a skill level commensurate with the risk of riding AND increase safety aspects of the ride itself (Stebel horn, lights, etc.). You can't be too careful but you have to accept the risks of the choice to ride amongst the caged crazies...

Good that you are OK and were running a second late.

Stay sharp!

Hi Rob, glad you were not hurt. No matter how careful you ride, how well you read the warning signs, sometimes it is just a matter of timing if you emerge unscathed or not. All we can do is try to minimize the risk.

Glad to hear that you escaped unscathed.

I've had SO many of those 'if I was just a few seconds quicker or slower' moments... it's amazing. I've seen crashes happen in front of me, behind me, idiots pulling out from side streets - to be honest, the MP3 has given me the 'if I'd have been on another bike...' moment a few times also - have had to use the brakes in anger a couple of times, and any other bike would not have stopped in time, or the front would have washed out.

It is indeed roll the dice and take your chances out in the traffic. And I am usually on top of most situations, but the sad fact is, you just can't be on top of them all.
I do a few things in city traffic ( such as ride with thumb on horn--hey, my thumb is not doing anything more important when I ride now is it?). If you have to "look" for the horn, it could be a bit late. Micro seconds can matter.
I also invariably flip on my hi beam modulators if anyone is in a position to turn in front of me, then flip them back off when the situation passes. It might be just the little mental nudge someone needs not to absentmindedly turn or pull in front of you. Can't depend on it of course, but it is not a big deal to do it either. And on the 500, there is hardly much to it-kinda like christmas tree bulbs blinking, thats about it. Might be enough though.
Bright clothes, and an eagle eye on it all, what else can you really do?
None of that would have helped me the least bit today. Hey, it just wasn't my time to go! Glad to be sticking around.

Good to hear you are ok Rob...I am a relatively inexperienced rider and I think the best thing I have learned on these boards is to "ride like you are invisible." That little lesson has already saved my butt a few times.

Can understand the situations. There were many a times when trucks, cars and vans(UPS, DHL) came too close behind me maybe to have a better look at the 2 upfront. And many a times I have to switch on the hazards lights to warn them ' You are too close for comfort!' And most of the time they just stay further back.

I'm commuting daily into the center of London these days and SO often see folks switching lanes without indication of any kind - I'm thinking it's probably the most dangerous thing that a cager can do, basically, especially at high speed. On most occassions spidey sense and skill could get you out of a mess, I think, but yes, sometimes it's just pure luck. If I get killed out there it'll be from someone randomly deciding to violently change lanes into a tiny gap that ordinarily would really piss off the drivers around him, but that day would smash a filtering me into the surrounding drivers.

On Thursday, someone did change lanes on a busy London road without indication and were right alongside me. Yes, they hit me. Was a minor glance (crushed LV pipe - scrapes and gouges to panels - split topbox, oddly) and I stayed upright, but if she'd pulled out like the person the OP described, it would have been worse with no spidey sense or skill helping.

One of my many pet peeves is someone hanging in another driver's blind spot. I see it all the time and it happens to me regularly. I don't know why, I guess people like to drive in formation. Make sure they other guy has every opportunity to see you. Don't count on them being a competent driver.

Thanks! I never thought of turning the hazard lights on to warn some one to back off. What a great tip! I just have to make sure it's not a redneck with a gun rack in his truck.

Amen Rob you're still with us! Thank goodness for the experience you have and ability to use it.

I too flash my high lights if I have any doubt what-so-ever. I did so the other night, it was nearing dark, a truck pulling out of a left side road, he looked at me (I at him too) and immediately flashed my lights at him. He sat patiently, and waved as I passed him very cool....I gave him a thumbs up. I will remember the hazard light technique now too (thanx 4 that one).

Too many close calls coming in now. I'm constantly driving as far ahead as I can and having tried a number of traffic cases where someone did something stupid I am very aware of what people can do. If I even think they are about to do something dumb in front of me I give them a short blast on the Stebel. Better they get a little pissed than me getting a lot dead.

Geez, this is getting waaaay too common lately. Glad you didn't get creamed.

Great riding weather in Georgia today. Rode up north of Atlanta for the motorcycle show. Met an MP3 250 rider there with his son and told him about MV. On the way home went by SAMs to pick up some dog food (cashiers are always amazed how much I buy wearing motorcycle gear. Can't believe I am taking it all on a bike) then took a long cut back through Juliette. Had home made chocolat ice cream in Juliette across from the Whistle Stop Cafe of "Fried Green Tomatoes" fame and rode home. 230 miles on the bike. No close calls. Yeah I had a close call on Wednesday too, but I have riden 4500 great miles in the last 5 weeks with only one close call.

We share all the problems and close calls, but only some of the good times.