You’re right in that I did not want to fall back and get behind the long formation. In retrospect, doing that would have ended up with much less drama and antagonism from the riders. But the crazy-fast idiot drivers I was trying to describe cut over and squeeze into barely enough space between cars waiting to pass the truck - at 70 or 80 that is very dangerous. That wasn’t the case here.
There was plenty of space in the formation for my car. It’s just that the riders took umbrage and quickly accelerated and got next to me when I was in “their” lane, closing off (or attempting to, anyway) a space that was generous enough for me to be there.
Yes, I fully admit that I could’ve handled this situation better, and I will the next time.
You crunch the ones in front or to the side that are trying to stop you.
That being said, I wouldn’t have pulled into the group without signaling to ask permission. I really don’t like trying to pass aggressively so I tend to drive pretty mellow so I probably wouldn’t end up in the position of having to pull back in abruptly. Call me lazy, but I find it easier to lust leave for an appointment early so I don’t have to hurry. I hate being agitated because I am running late for something. If I do find myself running late, I call and explain I will be late and reschedule or we just deal with me being late.
So, bunch of cyclists make you feel uneasy, you figure it’s OK to murder or maim one or two of them to make the rest back off? It’s times like this I’m grateful for a nice broad ocean (plus IIRC the width of a continent) between me and the likes of you.
Plus, yeah, the very guys you most need this to work against - the truly violent thugs who’re likely to be armed and really dangerous - are the least likely to be scared off by this, and the most likely to make you hurt really, really badly for the next few hours or days, although probably not after that.
If I am surrounded by a bunch of goldwings with weekend warriors on them, not so much. A bunch of un bathed gnarly looking bikers with leathers and colors riding harleys, I am going to be a bit twitchy if I am all alone with no other cars in sight and they are surrounding me and slowing down and trying to stop me.
<— handicapped female. Though I will admit to traveling frequently with a weapon and a cell phone.
And say what exactly? “I was trying to overtake a group of motorcyclists who were already going 10mph above the speed limit, and they got a bit pissed off”?
If the funeral procession is in the right lane of the freeway, you are not, and your exit is approaching and the only way to exit is to break in, and the next exit is five miles away; do you break in to take your exit?
Actually no. They do usually have a knife which follows local legal guidelines. Maybe a chain which you can’t prove is a weapon. The real weapons are usually in a vehicle following close by. The vehicle is mechanically sound, the driver is clean and they drive the speed limit. They have been dealing with police for a long time.
They also rarely bother ‘civilians’ if they aren’t given provocation. It sounds like the OP did the right thing - let them do their little show of force and move on without escalating things. Same thing you do in pretty much any situation you’ve annoyed someone, unless you’re the one who wants to escalate it.
Maybe you should put your cred’s on a bumper sticker. This way the next time you pull into the middle of a group of riders they can see how well trained you are. They will read your bumper sticker, nod sagely in your direction, and let you pass. It will be obvious to them that you are not just some random moron in their formation.
Instead of being pissed, they will realize the awesomeness that you are bestowing upon them and will buy you a beer or maybe some biker’s coffee at the next exit.
It will save you a lot of trouble and probably help your wife’s nerves too. Maybe you won’t end up on the wrong end of a padlock next time.
Naw, he should paint a Hells Angels logo on his trunk. They love that kind of recognition.*
Not. Not not not. Even the most worthy associates are only allowed to wear “81” insignia. (H=8, A=1). There’s a story about Sonny Barger’s first book - some publisher flack printed up a bunch of bandannas with HA logos on them, to be given away at book signings and the like. Barger leaned over real close to the flack and rumbled, “We beat people up for that.”
Depends on the reason for the run/ride and where. A group of Angels crossing CA or out for a charity ride probably has no need for anything above the usual knife or oil spout and probably isn’t going to bother with a sweeper sleeper. Crossing PA and another large rival clubs territory ------ there their mileage could vary. But even there it isn’t a sure bet. Look at the big dust-ups in Vegas - lots of knives and hammers and very few guns. Besides, you have enough 1%ers out there with clean records and perfectly legal CCWs that should a sudden dust-up happen there are brothers there to handle it. And they will.
Now back to the OP:
I’ve ridden too many miles and too many years. I’ve known folks from most of the clubs out there one time or another - both “1%” and “Riding Clubs”. Bust a HOG chapter out for the weekend and you have almost the same potential of dirty looks and maybe a broken headlight and if you bust a pack of Angels or Outlaws. Bust a pack of Blue Knights and I can almost promise you that you are going to see at least one gun butt. As bikers, we’re all liable to turn mean when we feel threatened – and since we do indeed make crunchy noises passing under some idiots cage we take moves like the OP made as threatening until some evidence comes along to show us otherwise. In short, the bikes responded appropriately and about as I would expect. At least IMHO.
Or sue - check the CA court records if you don’t believe me. There is such a thing as “support gear” but all that is tightly controlled for the financial betterment of the club.
I have a Tucson 81 Support hoodie signed by Sonny Barger ( I would have loved to talk to him but he doesn’t do much talking anymore). I decided to stop wearing it after someone recognized the insignia. I didn’t realize how known the 81 was. I’m in SOS territory; I like my bones just the way they are.
Yeah, me too. I tried to figure out how many miles once, and conservatively came up with something like 400,000 miles. Not too bad.
So I’ve seen it all too. And known people from all kinds of clubs. Was president for a couple of years of a decent sized (150+ members) club. Shared garage space with a couple of HAs in NYC, got to know them and spent time with them over the years.
So, my experience is you’ll have waaay more trouble with a HOG chapter than a HA chapter. Weekend warriors, at least the ones who dress up like outlaw bikers, seem to have something to prove, and, when in a group, discover that they’re pretty courageous dudes, way more than they are during the week.
Blue Knights, well, mostly OK, but they are cops. And they won’t let you forget it.
The outlaw clubs generally won’t bother you unless you bother them. They simply don’t care about you or what you think of them.
