Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I fail to see your logic, jfeaz, for the single lane road. If they are following you correctly, why would you think they want to pass you? That makes very little sense.

Besides, you are being the bigger "O Ring" by not letting people pass even if they are tailgating you. You are the driver most people complain about. If you know the guy wants to pass you, let him pass. Don't think you are the king of the roads.

i'm talking about single lane roads (most roads where I live) where there is no way to let someone pass. when they pass in the passing zone, i don't resist it or try to keep them from passing, but I'm certainly not going to courteously pull over in a turnout for some "O Ring" who thinks he's the king of the road just because he wants to go faster when I'm going the speed limit.


nobody ever has any obligation to exceed the speed limit, i don't care how much faster the tailgating jerk wants to go.

jfeaz wrote:nobody ever has any obligation to exceed the speed limit, i don't care how much faster the tailgating jerk wants to go.

I do agree with this point. You have no obligation to speed up for someone in a no passing situation. In that case I'd be looking for a chance to let the guy pass for safety reasons. If he rear-ends me, it isn't just his problem, but mine too. He may wreck my car (or knock me off my bike) or he may be an agressive enough jerk that when he does hit my car, he may want to shoot me or some stupid thing like that - not worth it to hold him up - even though I admit he would be a criminal and jerk. Maybe I let him pass and record his plate number and make a citizens report of wreckless driving. Just an idea.

On the highway the "I have no obligation to speed thing" is not a good excuse though. Anyone in that passing lane is exceeding the legal speed most of the time anyway. I see people that seem to get over there and slow down, or barely pass. If you get in that left lane, move up and get out of it and slow back down if you need to do so.

scanevalexec wrote: If he rear-ends me, it isn't just his problem, but mine too. He may wreck my car (or knock me off my bike)

yeah, on a bike pride isn't worth getting hurt to spite a tailgater. I'd maintain my speed in a car, but definitely find a way to let the tailgater pass on a bike.

Chris is right. If slow-poke (someone going less than the speed limit) doesn't see someone close behind him, how will he know that he is being a jerk slow-poke?

psmorgan wrote:Chris is right. If slow-poke (someone going less than the speed limit) doesn't see someone close behind him, how will he know that he is being a jerk slow-poke?

I'm so confused by this comment. How could you not see someone behind you? If you're going slow, and you have mirrors and a back window, I'd assume you'd be aware a car was behind you. Unless I'm missing your point, that doesn't make sense.

I meant that if you come up on someone going 35 in a 50 mph zone and just ride along way back behind them, they won't realize they are in the way and should speed up. Then in a minute someone else comes up behind you and then they sure as hell can't pass if there are two vehicles going along at 35. Then before you know it, there is a line of 15 vehicles poking along at 35 because the guy in second place (you) wasn't aggresive enough to move the front slow-poke on or pass. So, what I have determined is that it's the guy in the second vehicle who is compounding the problem caused by the first guy. It's the duty of the second guy to tailgate, flash lights and blow horn to get the first guy to move on down the road before someone tries to pass from say, 5 cars back, and increase everyones chance of being in an accident.......which all started with the slow-poke and was compounded by the non-aggresive 2nd place driver (follower). Understand?

Yeah, I get what your saying now, and I agree - sort of. I don't hang way back, but I don't tailgate, blow my horn, or flash my brights. At first I will ride up (or drive up) and get rather close, making my point clear that I am going faster than them. Then if the passing oportunity does not surface in a minute, I will back off to a couple car lengths and basically match their speed, watching for a chance to pass. I do not back WAY off, but I won't stay on their tail, mainly for the reasons some guys were complaining about here. If you tailgate someone, they may have a bug up their butt and try to make it harder for you to pass. I don't know about you, but I've run into a lot of folks in my life who want to play silly games to achieve some sort of personal power. I don't get that myself.