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Back in '79 I was riding a '73 RD350 on the freeway in rush hour traffic too close to the car in front while riding in the center of my lane of traffic going 55 with a fool on myass when what do I see come from under the car in front but a bag of cement mix. One of those bags you buy to mix water with. I was way too close the car in front and only had time to say to myself I was going to die and lift my but off the seat. The bag was a little sideways and I knew it would deflect my front wheel enough to prevent me from "hopping" over it. I just knew it was going to throw me off the bike and I would be run over by several cars. Since I'm writing this I hopped over the bag of concrete. So for those that dont yet know rule number 1,2, and 3 of the "not" open road is to ride so that if your tires are where the car in front tires' are. You will miss more potholes and tailpipes that way not to mention bags of cement.

Hey Hill...great reminders... ride safe...

Good post and very attention getting title!

You could die anyway, but this will certainly hasten that everpresent possibility.

When I drove a city bus to help make ends meet as a college student, we were told to maintain a 4 second following distance to give ourselves time to react in a large vehicle. We're taught to maintain a 2 second distance in a car. In a motorcycle, we should probably likewise use the 2 second rule to give ourselves time to react. I've seen cars run over all manner of objects on the road, and no matter what part of the lane I'm in I had to react by swerving into another lane to avoid damaging my bike and me.

Very good post HILL, but I feel that the moral of you story lies more in keeping a safe following distance than in what part of the lane you ride in.

I would tend to disagree that "You will miss more potholes" riding in the center of the lane. I would think the center of the lane was more of a hazard because that's where the oil, anti-freeze and other stuff dripping from vehicles tend to collect. Also, after debris get's run over a few times, it seems to come to rest right in the middle of the lane.

If you have trucks, you will have potholes in the section of the road that the truck tires occupy. It's just the result of flexing of the roadway. This is especially true if it's a multi-lane highway.

Just my 2-cents.

And all this time I've been staying out of the center of the lane just to avoid oil patches...thanks for reinforcing a behavior that now is better justified.

I'm with ASQtec and the safe distance oil slick theory.

Well, I too was going to say the middle is also the slickest but was beaten to it. I was too close the a tractor trailer years ago at high speed on the super slab and a concrete block appeared under the trailer and flashed by my wheels before I could have reacted. I backed off and have tried to stay backed off every since.

Or out in front of them. Yes, officer, it's safer for me to be in front of all these trucks, even if I have to speed to do it. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it! )

I have a similar story

ASQTec wrote:Very good post HILL, but I feel that the moral of you story lies more in keeping a safe following distance than in what part of the lane you ride in.

Totally agree, a few years ago I hit a lump of wood that suddenly appeared under the vehicle in front of me. It was the size and shape of a housebrick... how I stayed on I seriously don't know.



but the kicker is that at the time I was filtering (lane-splitting) in heavy traffic behind another bike!


Doesn't matter where you are in the road, keep your observation high. Your road-position should be a compromise between observation and safety.

A safe folliwng distance also applies when you are stopped in traffic. I give my self lots of room behind the car in front. I often see riders stopped a couple feet behind a car. Big trouble if the car rolls backward or someone comes up from behind to hit them.