ahem....my ducati is air cooled...alot of street bikes are still air cooled, especially cruisers. motocross bikes, no. but many cruisers and even some sport bikes, or "crotch rockets."

After your out here driving 11 hours a day instead of one or two and deal with all kinds of idiots on a regular basis, just wait and see how you look at things...

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

i've driven a pickup trucks and vans for 3 days straight, up and down the east coast, nevada and back. i've driven, just not a cdl drive. i used to travel the country going to races and had a national newspaper. i've driven for more than an hour or two.

there is so much more to complain about. this topic (other than the speed demon/inexperienced/wheeliers) about squeezing bikes through stopped traffic should not exhist. this is completely retarded.

lets complain about all elections are rigged democrats and republicans are the same so it doesn't matter who gets elected anyway voting doesn't fix anything and we live in a police state, which is why everything is illegal. it doesn't make you a bad ### that you break laws everyday. in a police state, that is what happens. you get arrested or ticketed for breathing or whatever.

i'm rambling. thank you america for the free speech you give me (because if i used my voice box that nature gave me a cop would arrest me for disturbing the peace). sorry.

just for the record the government ran most of the drugs in this would during the height of the drug war and our government is the main cause for world terrorism but anyway american idol is coming on next so for forget about it.
i'm gonna complain about some dude on this little contraption that squeezed by me when i was trapped. i want him dead.

From about the mid 80's on; 90% of all street legal bikes are water cooled. My ride is a dual sport and is water cooled.

Mark

War and Peace: Unabridged version.

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Slowdown there Scarecrow.......SOME states allow motorcyclists to pass stopped traffic on the shoulder or even between traffic lanes; LEGALLY. Better not get caught "blocking" them in those states.

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Only California allows lane splitting or passing stopped traffic in the lower 48, don't know about Canada.

Mark

Geez, did I hit a nerve or what? I expected a few responses but not this many. First off, I respect most of your opinions, the ones that make some sense anyway. May not agree, but that's what makes this a great country. Lots of ground to cover. Ok here goes. As far as being illegal, like I said before, I'm not interested in a legal opinion. I'll take the chance of a ticket. That's why state troopers have a job.. Not your job to block me. Not my job to ride 57 mph. in the passing lane to make sure no one breaks the speed limit. I'm also not expecting to convert anyone. Just want folks to understand where I'm coming from. Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly the first time. I'm not talking about sitting in normal, everyday, stoplight to stoplight traffic. I'm talking about a traffic backup of 5 or 6 miles in 90+ temps. No shade. How hot do you think that asphalt was? 1000+ lbs of bike and gear. Move 10, 15 ft., stop. Sit for a minute or 5. Repeat about 50 times. As for stopping and starting the engine every time, how good is that for the starter or the battery? Continuously starting the engine with out running it to recharge the battery? Don't think so. You try pushing it. I guarantee you'll be going down the e-lane too. I have removed the lowers from my bike. I have an oil cooler. When I say the bike is overheating, I mean the oil pressure drops to zero and the engine light comes on. If you ride a Harley, find someone that went to the 95th anniversary reunion in 1998 in Mil. WI. Ask them how many bikes overheated during the parade. If you find yourself in the same predicament, I guarantee you, your bike will overheat too. This situation has happened to me only twice in 15 yrs. of touring, once on 80 near Chicago, so from then on I avoid 80 and go west on 70. Twice in 115000+ miles ain't bad odds. Buy a jap bike? Doubtful. Buy American. The job you save might be your own. Any posters who brought up the legal aspect who have NEVER, EVER, broken a traffic law or violated a company reg., raise your hand. Traveled above the posted speed limit?.....BZZZZZZ, ..D.Q.'d. Driven more than the legally allowable hours? See above. Kept more than one set of logs? Ditto. Bypass a scale cuz you're overweight? Seeya. Disobey a wgt. limit sign on a bridge or road? Outtahere. Knowingly driven a truck with faulty equipment? Adios. Radar detector? Buh-bye. Why do drivers keep up a running commentary over the CB on the location of cops, state troopers etc.? So you know when it's less likely you'll get a ticket for speeding. I don't fault any of you for doing what you feel you have to do to get paid. I'm sure that 99% of the time these things cause absolutely no problem for anyone. Everybody does something illegal everyday and everybody has their own justifications for doing them. Not my bidness, pard. Weighing the positives vs. the negatives. Trade-offs. Now,... before somebody gets their panties in a bunch, I'm not talking about murder or rape or drugs or crap like that. As for cutting back in, when traffic is absolutely stopped and the 4 wheeler in front of you moves, how long til you catch up? A butterfly fart would be more of a hindrance. Anyway, I promise if I get stuck again, I'll cut in in front of a car. Next topic: "Pain don't hurt". "You had me at hello". "This is bad". See, I can quote sappy lines from movies too. "It is also illegal for a trucker to block or restrict lanes using his truck alone or in cooperation with another truck". If anyone was talking smack, hoss, it was the dudes talking about shooting out my tires. I'm just stating facts. I do not "want to shot someone" but will defend myself with force if necessary. Umm,.. lets see now. Oh right. IMPRACTICAL????? I just returned from a 6 day New England- Canada trip and averaged over 40 miles a gallon. My insurance runs about 300 a yr. And since I ride the bike almost exclusively from April til Nov., my PU is exempt from emissions cuz i drive it less than 5000 miles a yr. I can fit about a weeks worth of groceries in my hard bags and tourpak. I probably do about a 1000 times less damage to a hiway than a big truck. Pollute about 1000 times less too. Yup, sounds mighty impractical to me. I have accepted the fact that in a collision between my bike and almost any other vehicle, I'm the one who will take the brunt of the damage. Like I said, trade-offs. "We talked to a cop in CA and they said when the bikers spilt the lanes like that and either hit or get hit by a car, then it is automatically their fault and the insurance can't fight or something along those lines. plus, the bikes that are sold in CA are smaller and built for splitting traffic... Can't say one way or the other about the insurance but, I'm not sure where you get the idea that bikes in Cali. are different. The only difference I'm aware of is pollution control devices. Don't complain when you get the dirty looks when you're doing something that's obviously illegal. And don't cry about the lack of sympathy from your fellow road users, either. What you're doing boils down to being a selfish prig. Dirty looks never bother me, get'em all the time. Hell, I enjoy 'em. Not asking for sympathy. Name-calling don't rile me either. It's the threats of violence that irk me. And last but not least this private message from snowman and fred:
Typical stupid biker. It wasnt the fault of anybody but yours that you bought a harley. I think they're cool. But dont use 'my bike will overheat' as an excuse to drive in the emergency lane. I am willing to bet, that if you came upon a car broke down in that same emergency lane, you'd expect someone to just 'let you back in', yeah?? Of the posts i've seen you put in this thread, all of them, ALL of them mention you staying running. How about doing something you would do ANYWAYS once you reached your destination......TURN IT OFF. So what if your on a bike on the interstate with traffic not moving. Oh, so nobody will get to hear the rumble of your engine?? Sounds like more of an ego thing than anything. Yup, you got me, it's my ego.. Why not post it here instead of privately? What do you mean by fault? That implies I've somehow made a mistake in purchasing a Harley. Yet in the next sentence you say they're cool. Make up your mind. As for the rest, dude, you lost me. Try again before drinking a 12 pack.

You do realize that the threats made by truck drivers are about as good as the words that come out of G.W. Bush's mouth, yes? Stuck in the truck 20 hours a day, some drivers turn to the radio to just ####-chat, instigate, or listen. Near any major city, you'll find several instigators just looking to cause a problem, and then I no longer fit in the "listener" category, as I turn my radio off. Don't take their threats seriously. But if one were to pull out in the emergency lane (trucks do have emergencies, and it IS an emergency lane) and you were in it for a non-emergency, I wouldn't have much sympathy when I read about the Swift truck getting new trailer doors (with "Award Winning Drivers" sticker and all).

Well, lets see,,,, this is a truckers board... Here is an idea if you want to complain about politics, how about going to the political thread????

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!