how would you handle this gang of bikers
i know my car would become a weapon real fast
http://tinyurl.com/32z8ag
(Maryland Heights, MO) Large groups of motorcycle riders continue to frighten drivers on area highways. Over the past few several weeks, police have received numerous calls from motorists who are being harassed by bikers. Drivers have reported incidents involved being run off the road, surrounded by motorcycles, mirrors broken off, and even a brick thrown through a window. These gangs are comprised of as many as 75 bikers who are able to slow down major interstates as the stretch across the highway.
Officials with the Missouri Highway Patrol say that it's best to call *55 instead of 9-1-1 because they are better able to track you down with GPS and can have an officer on your location quicker. They also suggest you slow down, but not stop. It's also important to try and get a good description of the bikes, including license plate numbers if they have them.
http://tinyurl.com/32z8ag
(Maryland Heights, MO) Large groups of motorcycle riders continue to frighten drivers on area highways. Over the past few several weeks, police have received numerous calls from motorists who are being harassed by bikers. Drivers have reported incidents involved being run off the road, surrounded by motorcycles, mirrors broken off, and even a brick thrown through a window. These gangs are comprised of as many as 75 bikers who are able to slow down major interstates as the stretch across the highway.
Officials with the Missouri Highway Patrol say that it's best to call *55 instead of 9-1-1 because they are better able to track you down with GPS and can have an officer on your location quicker. They also suggest you slow down, but not stop. It's also important to try and get a good description of the bikes, including license plate numbers if they have them.
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Just hit them; problem solved. THUMP, THUMP; hey hunny, I think we just hit a cat. 0 -
"Live to fight another day" [:)] 0 -
36" long broom handle to the spokes.[}:)] 0 -
I guess we're lucky in these parts. We have our fair share of bike riders but I've never heard of them bothering anybody. It seems to be the other way around. These old farmers look both ways before they pull into the highway, and if there is nothing coming but a bike, they pull on out.
If I did come across a gaggle of these vermin I'd try to maintain course and speed. If they got in front of me, I'd try to avoid running them over, but I wouldn't stop. When they start throwing bricks at my vehicle, or when the chains come out, the rules change. I would probably demonstrate some "road rage". Oh yeah, I'd call the law, but I don't know how much help one Trooper or Highway Patrolman would be with a hundred or so vermin.0 -
Shucks, if you think bikers are rough with John Q Citizen, you ought to see the things they do amongst themselves.
There's this highway in East Tennessee and Northwestern, NC, called The Tail of the Dragon. It's actually just an 11 mile piece of Highway 129, running from Maryville, Tenn, down toward Robbinsville, GA, but in that 11 miles are 318 curves, many of them severe switchbacks. There are no side roads coming in, no houses, and only a bare few pull-offs and one or two scenic overlooks. A sign at the beginning of the road cautions 18 wheelers and larger vehicles to find an alternate route.
So Sahagan, intrepid and brave sport-touring motorcyclist that he is, decides to ride the Dragon's Tail. On Mother's Day, last May. My well considered plan was to get to Knoxville on Sunday afternoon, get a motel room, spend the night, then head on down to the Tail of the Dragon on Monday morning, ride it down and back, then on back home. The road is incredibly busy on weekends, and I didn't want to face the traffic. So I had planned on doing the ride on Monday.
However....I arrived at Knoxville about 3:00 p.m., too doggoned early to set the rest of the day in a motel room without Mrs. Sahagan. So I headed on down. It was only about 54 miles to the Dragon, and I figured since it was afternoon, the traffic would be lots less dangerous.
When I hit the Tail of the Dragon stretch, my very first curve, minding my own business, riding my own side of the road; imagine my surprise to find a crotch rocket coming right at me, on my side of the road, the rider leaned over so far he was dragging his gloved left hand and fingers on the pavement.
Right away, I knew I was in trouble. But no turnaround presented itself, and I figured if one did I'd manage to drop the bike trying to turn around, right where about 200 other riders, all of them younger and better than me, would see me.So that was out.
So I set my mind, lowered my speed, and went through 11 miles of what can only be called Fear and Danger with a capital F and D. When I reached Deal's Gap, the Tail's southern terminus, there were hundreds of bikes and riders mingling around and talking about the wonderful riding.
So I rested a few minutes, took some photos, then looked around to find some group looking as if they'd be headed back up the road soon. I figured I'd be safer following a group, even if I didn't know them, given the horrid traffic and total lack of riding discipline. Shucks, on the ride down I'd been pretty much run off the road no fewer than a dozen times.
The only group I saw that seemed to be almost ready to saddle up, was a bunch of Harley riders. Looking a little closer, they seemed to have an expression on their faces such as little boys get when the realize they've just wet their pants. I might of seen the same if I'd looked in my mirror.
So giving up on those guys, who obviously were pretty much in the same boat as I was, I noticed a black Navigator pull out. It seemed as if it were driven by a local, so I figured to tag along behind. And did. And managed to more or less keep up with it.
Of course, we were being passed on almost every blind curve (aren't any other kind on that road) and in the most dangerous ways possible. It was frightful.
But it was also humiliating. For on one curve, a sport-bike growled its way very dangerously around us, passing on another blind curve, only to be followed by what appeared to be about a 19 year old, pimply-faced jerk, ON A SCOOTER, dragging his left hand, and taking time to wave at me with that particularly infuriating alternate up and down finger wave, as he passed the Navigator and me as if we were sitting still.
At a turn-out immediately around the curve, some leather-clad sport bike riders were pulling a rope, wrestling a bike up from down the face of a cliff. I couldn't see what kind of bike it was, but a hope passed my mind that it would be a bloomin' scooter.
And what is it? It's the same thing that made us drag race as teenagers in muscle cars. It's playing chicken with motorcycles. It's Russian Roulette at high speed and large lean angles.
All generations go through it. And all the generations who have gone through it, watch it and say, "Whatever happened to good sense?"
Anyhow, 675 miles from the time I left my drive, 12 hours and 20 minutes later, I pulled back into my drive, a wiser and sadder man. And determined never to ride the Tail of the Dragon again.
Sahagan0 -
All a rider has to do is see the "Tree of Shame" on the tail, and they know there are a lot of unskilled riders doing the dragon.
Do the Cherohala Skyway. Fun road!0 -
quote:Originally posted by 1911a1fan
and for for those that do not know the area fire arms is almost out of the question, you miss your hitting a house, school, store, etc, and the speed of traffic would make it almost impossible to be accurate, true, true, good point0
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