I know I can't post this on BARF, but I thought you guys might get a kick out of this...
Let's just get this out of the way right now: no Harleys or Harley riders were harmed in the telling of this story.
Riding on the Bay Bridge into work this morning I see a guy that I've seen several times on one of the sportier model Harleys coming up behind me at a good clip. He's a very aggressive rider/splitter. Just to put it into perspective I usually bop along at about 10-15 mph faster than traffic on the bridge. That means that I was doing about 70 today. At that speed and with the traffic density it meant that I didn't have to split lanes too much and could mostly just pass people "legitimately". I was riding faster than most of the other bikes which chose to do the limit on the bridge.
Given that I know this guy's style I made sure to stay out of his way because I saw (and heard) him coming through the tolls. He rev's his engine constantly as a way of telling people--be they cars or bikes--to move over. If you don't do it quickly enough you get an additional rev to let you know that you're being a douche bag. His bike is
not quiet, and I've gotten the little F-U rev myself once. Waving is not something he does to other bikes or cars. I quickly moved over and he sailed past.
He was probably a 100 yards ahead of me and going about 80-90 between cars. Honestly, I'm a bit impressed because he does this with a pretty wide pair of quasi-ape hangers and dressed in jeans with and a hoodie topped with a beanie helmet. I've never seen him have a problem--his bike is just as shiny and unscathed today as it was the first time I noticed him a few years ago. Today, however, his luck nearly changed.
As he was coming up the gap a car decided to switch lanes and nearly side-swiped him. Had there been a wreck I could honestly say that both were equally at fault--the car didn't look/see the bike and the bike was just going too fast. They narrowly avoided one another, but the bike decided that the car needed to be taught some manners. He got in front of the car, despite the car trying to get away, and slowed up to about 30 mph. Keep in mind that the rest of traffic is coming up at 50-60 mph. A bottle-neck formed behind the car/bike combo and now cars behind the angry biker/car started whipping out into other lanes to get from behind the mess. I'm trying to figure out a way to change lanes myself without getting creamed.
I pass the disaster-in-the-making and the car driver is fist-waving while the biker is turned around and delivering his own gestures. It made me wonder if this is how the hearing impaired argue in sign language--while on meth--and on fire. The exchange between the two took at least a couple of minutes and then I heard the normal revving and saw the headlight of Rambo-on-two-wheels approaching again. I moved over two lanes this time. I didn't want to be anywhere near the rider who was apparently firmly in the grasp of "red-mist" mania. He flew by me and continued on revving at cars and forcing the slower bikes splitting in front of him to move over.
I never saw the car again that he'd "assaulted" despite my being in a slow lane for quite some time. He should have passed me after a few minutes, so I'm wondering if he pulled off at the Island to get in touch with police. Some very interesting times out there, folks...
