*bumping this to the top*

Please, no more downed riders.. No mas...

Frank_W wrote:
Yesterday, on a long ride, I had two incidents that could have cost me my life. The first one, a jackass in a truck was in too big of a hurry, yanked over to pass, and passed two cars behind me, and then nearly swept me off the road as he jerked his truck back into the lane in front of me. I leaned on the Stebel. He probably thought, Why is that jerk of a biker honking at me? Hrmph...

The second happened almost immediately after that: I opened up some space between me and the jerk driving the truck, because he was erratic and in such a hurry, I figured it wouldn't be long before he did something else unsafe. Instead, some idiot of a cager made a left turn right in front of me, right behind the truck. I did an emergency stop (from 65mph) and let the driver know that they were "number 1," and I yelled a choice epithet at them.

Had I not been riding in a vigilant manner, and had I not been riding with my front brake covered, I don't think I would be here, right now. I would be in the hospital or the morgue.

Ride safe. Ride like you are invisible. Keep learning. Even if you've been riding for thirty years or more, there's just no way you can know it all. If you've stowed your bike over the winter months, go out and practice in a parking lot. Practice your emergency stops, U-turns, swerves, weaves, and rapid deceleration. When you hit the road after that, ride more cautiously than you are used to for the first 50-100 miles.

I read a statistic that 90% of motorcycle accidents happen within the first six minutes of riding. I don't know if that's true or not, but even if you're on roads that you are well familiar with, keep your head in the game. Complacency kills.

Glad you avoided trouble,,,,,did you pull over and have a cigarette?..... I even though i've been riding throughout the winter to work and back on the same roads, it never fails that I meet someone in a hurry about once a week, I just give them room......Good pointers on the swerves, and curves also. We don't have alot of tight curves here in south Alabama, so on trips like the Helen Ga ride I will be taking it easy in the mountain area.

My problem is people merging over on me as I pass them on the left. A week ago it was a Ford Exploder driven by a soccer mom too busy talking to her passenger. I haven't got the Stebel on yet but from the reaction I got from blowing the stock horn the Stebel would have killed her. Maybe I should fit 2 Stebels.

Naw, man... No cigarettes.

My Stebel is loud. My voice is pretty loud, too! "HEY!!!"

I can still bark like a sergeant when need be.

I'm going to check into these Stebel horns, All I hear is how people like them. The wife's Suki has a very week (should be on a Vespa) horn. I'm definetly going to replace it and maybe just order 2 so I can replace mine also.

I'd like to put another switch somewhere on the bike, and mount up a train horn.

I already looked into it Frank. Train horns require at least a 5 gallon air tank to operater effectively. I do wish that the Stebel had a lower tone. I like that they're loud, but a train, or even big rig tone would suit me better.

Aw, bummer... (Although a 5-gallon air tank could probably be fabbed-up and made to fit into a barrel-bag. )

Good Call
You got to think about safety all the time.
You've got double and triple duty riding a bike because not only do you have to watch out for yourself but you have to watch for everyone else too. When in doubt roll out(the throttle)

Stebel horns are expensive---Harbor Freight Tools has a similiar one called a PoorBoy by Wallyhoo --I think it's called ---from about $30 or if you want chrome, order online for about $40--even comes with a relay. I got one and I think I'll put it in my wife's Landcruiser--which has a little Toyota Corolla horn--like beep beep--please get outta my way--in a big 5900 pound truck--just to see how it sounds---Question for those that have installed them--can you run the wires from both horns (front and rear) to the airhorn and have enough voltage and amperage to make it sound off??

And I agree with Scotty--ride like you are invisible and always give yourself a way out--next lane over--either side--and be ready to use it.

ride hard but safe--VROOM VROOM--and my prayers go out to the families of the ones we lost this past week--and the ones that survived---heal quick and hop back on that horse.

Ronnie in MD VROOM VROOM