Modern Vespa

My strategy for dealing with drivers like that is to disengage
and get safely away from them as quickly as possible

Well, that's always my plan...
but sometimes my temper messes with it

Perhaps it's a cliche, but there are a lot of tweakers in the Inland Empire. Meth would be the perfect drug for getting a lot of windows washed, and for feeling really important while doing so. It also leads to completely irrational behavior, including pointless violence, and they don't stop fighting until you've at least tried to kill them. I know how you feel, but be careful. You can't prove anything to a drug.

I think this is a good rule of thumb, too. To remember when we get angry out there we are truly small. So you can turn off, pull over, find a quiet spot. We don't have to act like cagers all angry and pissed off in their cars. Yelling things, cursing. More is at risk for us, as we are exposed.

So we can find a quiet spot to just chill for a second. Side of the road, coffee shop or 7-11, or just a ride down a side road to take it down a notch. And then just keep on enjoying the ride while the idiots can't stop shitting all over themselves about how they got "the best" of a little scooter

Probably the only joy some people have in their miserable lives, sorry to say.

"HONEY, GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TODAY? THIS FUCKER ON A LITTLE SCOOTER THAT SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ON THE ROAD.....AND I SHOWED HIM!!!"

blah blah blah

WASP Yeah rednecks don't have much fun other than harassing people smaller than them.

Hey now! Rednecks love their scooters too!

LOUIS it's a good thing scooters can't reproduce. That pic is so disturbing on so many levels.

oh i could think of loads of ways to get "revenge" you have his number!!! post lots of free adds on websites selling things , dating sites , adds offering free window cleaning would have his phone ringing night and day lol !!! me ??? I would get balloons filled with paint stripper and "do " his van

These incidents are all too common, sadly. glad you got away to tel te tale! I won't weigh in on the retribution side (though I do usually report bad incidents to the police).

My own "calmer" (oh, the puns) is to remind myself:
"I suffer this (expletive) for a few minutes - but he's an (expletive) ALL his life"

If I think I have options to get away cleanly, I sometiems do something that makes me look foolish but holds up whichever miscreant just momentarily ... pretending to miss a gear is good (especially on a scooter) ... and while I smile off through my day, my smile is even wider knowing s/he is fuming all day at a silly old fart who shouldn't be allowed out (I'm only 49 but a little hunching makes me seem older ... )

After reading the OP's story, and the subsequent posts...yes, it's true. PTW riders always lose when any altercation comes to blows with a cage.

As a younger rider, I'd likely have kicked his headlights in; as a, ahem, more mature rider, the recounted incident makes me reconsider how much caffeine I need in a given day.

Cardinal constant: At any given moment in this Universe, there will always be more assholes than asses. This maxim gave Newton fits, but it was just as true in his time as it is today.

Corollary #1: There's nothing anyone can do about it, no matter how right/indignant/superior/smart we are.

Corollary #2: [b]No one[/b] has immunity from the constant.

I concur.

I'm with the karma thing. Not scooter related but... I got a unfairly issued written warning at work for standing up for myself, the next time I went in my boss had got a fine and 48 hour ban selling alcohol for personally serving an under age girl. Karma? I liked to think so. It's not always quite so immediate but everyone gets what's coming to them

You are absolutely correct! I complement you. Provoking one who is pointing a loaded gun at you is not good. One has assess the situation: "What is the safest decision?" "One had to know his limitations."
I am new to scooters. Am looking, don't have one yet.
But in 1970 I had a Honda CB 750 "SuperBike" one of the first ones on the East Coast. I had run-ins with drivers, even with a big bike. I was not doing anything to offend them, except for driving a motorcycle on a public road.
So, I know about all of that. But it is probably worse on a scooter.

My first post, a PM, to you.
MikeM

Angry hah?



Here's some help....
Think of the sounds that came out of his mouth as farts....

Funny hah!?!?




Now, each time you catch yourself thinking of him do the same thing, play the fart sounds in your head halarious isn't it?

WARNING: Don't do this too often in public, people might think you're mad

*Note: If this ever happens again, try it as they open and shut their mouths, it's an absolute beauty and an old school trick we did at school as teaches give you the third degree, it never failed putting every one of your mates in detention for a week!

The person you were refering to obviously want's an angry or timid reaction, DONT'T GIVE IT TO THEM, it's what fuels their energy. Now, you have two choices 1. Throw petrol towards the fire and get involved with an idiot (I call it SUCKED-IN), highly draining and a 100% garantee it will make you feel like SH*T (not worth the energy sap) or 2. Try Vespresso's never fail technique, there is nothing worse, repeat NOTHING WORSE when someone is furious towards you and your there laughing at them in stiches

Anytime anyone messes with you like that from a truck or a car, they are baiting you. They want to piss you off so they can mess with you.

Don't fall for their crap. Rise above it, don't challenge them and move on. I know it is hard, boy do I know it!... But you are not going to win with someone like that.

I remember one night coming home from work, traffic was moving at a snails pace for miles, I was filtering making good ground and time with plenty of space between lanes. A truck driver noticed me in his wing mirror and with a wry grin on his face he moved over his lane to close the gap, what he failed to realize was the space he cteated on his other side, I ducked in behind him and before he knew which way I went I chirped the horn and gave him a sarcastic thumbs up, this sparked a reaction as he started blarring his horn and yelling abuse at me as I dissapeared into the distance, I could just sense the tension and steam coming from his ears, certainly not worth the hypertension for him I'm sure.

Moral of the story, we operate a superior vehicle in congestion and many motorists hate the fact that we are smart enough to ride such a fine machine BUT, don't throw fuel onto the fire and don't rub it in when you've out manouverd or outsmarted them. In hindsight my toot and hand gesture was enough to cause a very nasty reaction, even though many of you might think the truck driver should not have cut me off, I should have been mature enough to leave the toot and thumbs up for another occasion and pretended there was a fart coming from his mouth.

Absolutely file a police report!

This happened a while ago now. The thing is I see this ass wipe once a week on the road. Here's the thing.... The first time I saw him after the incident, it was a week after. I was at a stop light and I was right behind him. He looked at me in the mirror and his reaction to me was NADA, nothin, no reaction at all, and he got a good look at me too. Leading me to believe that one of the first comments was that he was an inland empire meth freak. Now, from his reaction, I'm not surprised if he was or a drunk, or what. But I'll tell you what.....he may not remember me, but I sure do!!!

So you never reported the incident? What are you waiting for? until he plows through a market place and kills 20 people?

Its obvious he does not belong on the road.

As soon as someone pulls next to you and tells you, they almost hit you, the first thing you should do is shut up, get a good look at his plates/face, pull over and call 911.

Personally I'm torn between yelp and the Scientologists. Better yet, do both!

Cheers,
Tross

Who cares about his supervisor? Maybe he's the supervisor or it's a family business.

Make an official Police report for reckless driving, road rage and aggravated assault. Stick to the facts and don't embellish your story.

Hey Rufio, we live in the greater Los Angeles area, you should know how thats gonna end up. If he's stupid enough to say something and take a SWERVE at you, then chances are he's dumb(drunk), stupid enough to get you or your buddy or both killed or worse, injured.

Reporting it is also a case of your story vs his.

Be safe on the streets. I like the Inland Empire, long stretches of road, and quiet at night.

Scooter vs. truck = truck wins. At first incident let it be, 2nd incident report it to the police, 3rd incident hunt him down.

Find a new buddy. I would have spent more energy yelling at him for escalating the situation.

This is the moment that this all became a problem and the growing up part comes in.

Stick & stones, dude, sticks & stones can hurt you, but trucks can fricking kill you.

In the battle between Scooter & Truck, Truck wins.

Tell your buddy to keep the anger in his helmet and off the road.

RUFIO it's probably better that he doesn't remember because your small and he's big (scooter vs truck). Living on an island where everybody is related sucks because there are times when you just want to call it like it is and if you do, the person who your talking to is probably related to whoever your talking about. If he does it again, as some one said get his plate number and call 911, Hope he doesn't drive impaired (seems like he was) again. Be careful

Being right doesn't matter if you're dead.
That's what I tell myself when some idiot feels they have to jump in front of me to get 2 seconds ahead. Usually what happens is that I filter past the dude when he next gets stuck in traffic. I don't start confrontations with vehicles that outweigh me, because the laws of physics apply to everyone and can't be ignored.

It sounds like he was impaired in some manner during your run-in, or that it just wasn't a big deal in his life to bother remembering.
Report it to the police or just let it go.

My god this thread is why I don't hang out with most of you people.

Sackless and always wanting someone else to handle things on your behalf. "Police, police, police" The police don't HAVE to do anything other than take your report. They have no obligation to investigate it, and they have no duty to protect you as an individual. Don't believe me? Look it up. You think a police department is going to bother tracking down something that could very well be hearsay or a personal vendetta by some scooterist who came in and filed an unwitnessed report about someone calling them a "fag"? What magical land do some of you live in?

To the OP: Next time throw a brick through his windshield. If you can't get away in traffic you can't ride well enough to be on a scooter in the first place.

As far as him "owning" the company - it very well could be a franchise whose name he is simply leasing....do some detective work.

Also you have his company and number. If he ended up with four flat tires some day, well I don't believe in "karma" but I believe I can make shit happen that sure looks like Karma.

People do this shit because the majority of scardey cats sit back and do nothing, always talking about all the shit they have to protect and how they don't want to get involved.

^ that's great. I didn't want to admit this, but I didn't mention: when I did see him in front of me, I didn't have to make a left hand turn the same way he was going. I actually wanted him to take a look at me and I wanted him to start shit. I come from a family of law enforcement, and you are right. But he didn't start anything, so oh well. Also, he's the sole owner of his shop, no franchise. And no worries, I've been taking care of it every other week with a nice gifts to his work mailbox. I know many of you won't like my reactions thus far, but oh well, I'm having fun.

Brando played it better.

"My old man used to hit harder than that."

The Mild One invades the Inland Empire with his vintage scooter gang... terrorizes redneck pick'm'up drivers, seeking revenge for his bros.

Rated R for ridiculous

TCM at 8:00

@ruflo Only slightly tongue-in-cheek ...why aren't you packing? A reach into your jacket to pull out a pistol should end any difficulties with a**holes. Isn't that the 'merican way?

Note -please don't flame me. This is partly a joke, yet partly a suggestion that this will recur until rube pickup drivers perceive that scooterists might be a threat. So either reconcile to backing off, or give idiots a reason to think you might not be a pushover.

I Busted the Lambretta...

So your approach is what? Give a limp wristed wave and not worry about it and let him go on to terrorize someone else?

What about a thief stealing a purse, don't get involved, give a smile and wave because confrontation may result in something bad happening?

Oh no! Confrontation! I have to go blog about the confrontation I narrowly avoided...I may have just simply died if it had happened.

And confronting a crazy dude who is so enraged he is willing to endanger dozens of people and himself is going to net any benefit for anyone. I think the cops would haul both parties to jail - all the while the innocent folks that happened to be in the area are in danger from an escalating out-of-control dance.

Not at all... there are plenty of subtle ways to get even that don't involve a street fight.

I don't run away from confrontation when it is called for and justified. A few years ago I got thoroughly maced by a store detective while in the process of helping subdue a shoplifter running out of a department store in the mall.

I think both Tom and I were just very amused by the fact that your little rant conjured up images of a Brando-esque scooter tough in a cap and many-zippered leather biker jacket, with a cigarette dangling from his lower lip, and a brick at the ready in his back pocket for heaving through the windshield of anyone who gave him offense.

Gotta admit that is pretty ridiculous...

The Ego will always make people do things that in hindsight appeared downright stupid, irrational, dangerous and hurtful. Have we all not done something dangerous or irrational at some point in our lives (used a mobile phone whilst driving? Driven round a corner faster than we should have with oncoming trffic? Driven closely behind someone to give them the hurry up? etc, etc) Any of these things could have resulted in serious injury to others or worse

Want to improve the world? Let just try improving ourselves.

There will always be confrortations when ego's get involved, that's why men (sorry fellas) have started nearly every war since the beggining of time, women have ego's too but the majority are able to contain it before it becomes dangerous or adverly affects someones safety.

We can make excuses and justify our point until the sun comes down we've had thousands of years of perfecting this that it is now innate. Example: "Mummy, it wasn't my fault I broke the window, Johnny made me do it"!

Just imagine a world with no ego?

Want to improve the world? Take a good look at yourself.

I was in a pick up once and saw a dude in front of me deliberately swerve to run over a box turtle trying to cross the street. I followed him to a stop sign, pulled out half a concrete block from the bed of my truck and heaved it through his rear windshield. Then told him if I ever saw him do it again I'd heave it at his head.

he sat in his truck, probably crying, and I turned around and drove off. he didn't follow...

TYPE a cement block Guess i'm female and don't have the "fight genes". That said i agree that there is thing wrong with defending ones self, but unfortunately these days the bad guys have all the rights. Cops here told a friend of mine who had his MC stolen the name and place where the kid lived. He then proceeded to tell him "just don't be around when you call 911 for an ambulance" Little island justice. RUFIO i've gotten even a few times in my life and they were worse than what your doing Harder to do these days with everybody being so PC all the time. I do find being nice to them works. Now this doesn't work in all cases because some people you can't even go there, but it takes the wind out of their sails when your nice. They have no comeback. VON totally agree and people that could be high on ice are totally unpredictable. If your dead being "right or getting even" doesn't really mean that much.

Sounds like an assault to me -- and you have a witness. Dangerous behavior has to have consequences. I'd file a report.

I am also thinking that something that we can all do is help our lawmakers hear these examples as well. A lot of places outside of the US have a lot more effort placed into driver awareness of bicycles/scooters/motorcycles than we do in the states, so writing letters to local legislators can help improve the long-term issue.

I am still having a lot of reaction to people describing stories about throwing bricks through people's windows or stuffing shit into their mailboxes. We should acknowledge that there is anger and a feeling of helplessness when we experience these situations and read about this stuff, but instead of getting more extreme on the stories of revenge and vigilantism, we should take a moment to reflect on how to break out of the zero-sum activity of extreme response and escalation.

Finally, I would caution about documenting in writing an illegal act that is easily discoverable by prosecutors or opposing legal counsel in a civil trial. If I write some post about how I was speeding and threw a brick at someone for cutting me off and later get into a court case, guess what evidence is going to be coming to light the new case to establish a pattern of behavior on my part.

Let's take a minute and take a deep breath.