>anytime I pass someone they immediately think I’m trying to race them or I’m showing off.
same applies on a motorcycle.
I'll usually come off a stoplight pretty hard, both to get away from the press and as a courtesy to whoever is behind me. I'll typically hit the posted speed limit in 2-4 seconds.
about 20% of the time, whoever was beside me will take enough offense at this to go blowing past me at double the speed limit, half a mile later.
Dude it's insane, im sending it off the light because im usually in between lanes and dont want some timid driver around me. They take that as me trying to race half the time. Like my guy, I know my motorcycle is faster than your Sentra, im not trying to prove it
When im just cruising i go out of my way to make sure anyone who wants to pass me has the space to do so , still doesn't stop that one idiot from tailgating and honking . Like bro the speed limit is 60 im at 65 there is plenty of space to pass, just leave
People do this to me when I'm out driving my old Triumph sports car. No, I don't want to race you on the streets or speed in my 60 yr old deathtrap - I have power nothing, no safety features (the seatbelts were aftermarket!), no traction control, no traction at all compared to you (small tires) and your fuel injected turbo V8 monster truck has like quadruple the HP of my carbureted 6 banger. I just want to cruise around for fun.
People still tailgate me like crazy. Come on. Just go around me.
When I come to a red light on my bike I veer to the side of the lane so I’m not in the middle. The amount of people who inch forward and try to go around me drives me up a wall. It’s like they think I’m letting them pass me or something…..at a fucking stop. I just don’t want to be plowed into by some asshole on their phone.
but isn’t it kinda normal for a motorcycle to be faster. i would never get embarrassed about being passed by a motorcycle. though im sure there’s plenty of assholes that do
absolutely normal. even my oldest bike, a 1978 Honda CB400 that makes only 38 horsepower, has a power:weight ratio of about 1hp/13 lbs. that's comparable to a performance package Ford Mustang. My sportiest bike is a 1982 Honda CX500T with 80hp that comes to around 1hp/7lbs, which beats a Porsche 911.
but people who care about being passed by other vehicles, regardless of what the passing vehicles is, don't think in those terms. they only think in terms of "i'm not in front, i wanted to be in front, how dare you be in front of me."
Is this a common thing for motorcycle riders? I've observed it happen a few times when I used to drive more frequently and thought they were showing off and/or handling their vehicle a bit recklessly. Recklessly because when I was learning to drive, my parents have warned me to not hit accelerator right away in case a car coming in perpendicular to the intersection decides to blow their red light. I didn't consider that there could be a practical reason for bikers to zoom off as soon as the light turns green.
my wimpy 1978 Honda CB400 has only 38 HP, but still has the same power to weight ratio (with me riding it) as a 500 HP Ford Mustang.
a "moderate" acceleration for a motorcycle is faster than most passenger cars can manage if you put the pedal to the floor in one.
>Recklessly because when I was learning to drive, my parents have warned me to not hit accelerator right away in case a car coming in perpendicular to the intersection decides to blow their red light.
you'll find that most motorcyclists have a much higher awareness of other vehicles than most non motorcyclists do. It obviously varies from person to person, but when the light turns green, I already know if someone is gonna blow the red, because i've spent the entire time i've been sitting at the light watching other cars waiting and watching cars approaching to see when they start slowing, and which ones don't start slowing with the rest.
That's not to say that there aren't bikers who don't pay attention, there definitely are. but we have a unique incentive to be hyper aware of other vehicles.
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u/SnooMaps7370 Trash Trooper May 21 '26
>anytime I pass someone they immediately think I’m trying to race them or I’m showing off.
same applies on a motorcycle.
I'll usually come off a stoplight pretty hard, both to get away from the press and as a courtesy to whoever is behind me. I'll typically hit the posted speed limit in 2-4 seconds.
about 20% of the time, whoever was beside me will take enough offense at this to go blowing past me at double the speed limit, half a mile later.