I have never subscribed to the notion of road rage and have seldom seen any excuse for it...
But...
Yesterday I rode, as I do most days, to Kiew Lom Viewpoint for coffee. On the way there I was faced with 4x4 overtaking a bus on an outside corner, at speed. The driver made no attempt to avoid me/veer away/brake, and just continued ploughing on. I gave him a few Aussie ephithets within the confines of my helmet and drove on, just a little shaken. Not 5 minutes later a clown in a Toyota Vios (tiny little car) took the racing line through a blind corner and forced me onto the gravel. Again, shaken a little I pressed on to my date with Java at the top of the range. I there met a group of Thai riders who were aboard a Hyabusa, Ducati, a 1300 something, 2 x 1200 Harleys, a 1400 Kawasaki tourer, a BM1000r and other assorted high end bikes. They were all toting 'Babes' and very expensive riding gear.
Anyway...after coffee and a look at the view, I headed for home. 23 klms of nice mountain road and an effing bumbore swinging wide on a switchback who eyeballed me and smiled as my ABS worked overtime to avoid a sideways whallop into the front of his Mitsubishi.
For the first time in my riding life I was tempted to turn around, catch this rat, and thump his nose for him.
I resisted this temptation...just.
In 46 years of motorcycling I have never travelled in a place where local road users have such little regard for road rules, such disdain for the safety of others, and such callous disrespect for their passenger's well being.
I put it down to my riding experience and some excellent skills courses attended over the years, which saved me from potential loss of life on average of every 17 kilometers during that one brief outing.
What I would have given for a pocket full of rocks!
But...
Yesterday I rode, as I do most days, to Kiew Lom Viewpoint for coffee. On the way there I was faced with 4x4 overtaking a bus on an outside corner, at speed. The driver made no attempt to avoid me/veer away/brake, and just continued ploughing on. I gave him a few Aussie ephithets within the confines of my helmet and drove on, just a little shaken. Not 5 minutes later a clown in a Toyota Vios (tiny little car) took the racing line through a blind corner and forced me onto the gravel. Again, shaken a little I pressed on to my date with Java at the top of the range. I there met a group of Thai riders who were aboard a Hyabusa, Ducati, a 1300 something, 2 x 1200 Harleys, a 1400 Kawasaki tourer, a BM1000r and other assorted high end bikes. They were all toting 'Babes' and very expensive riding gear.
Anyway...after coffee and a look at the view, I headed for home. 23 klms of nice mountain road and an effing bumbore swinging wide on a switchback who eyeballed me and smiled as my ABS worked overtime to avoid a sideways whallop into the front of his Mitsubishi.
For the first time in my riding life I was tempted to turn around, catch this rat, and thump his nose for him.
I resisted this temptation...just.
In 46 years of motorcycling I have never travelled in a place where local road users have such little regard for road rules, such disdain for the safety of others, and such callous disrespect for their passenger's well being.
I put it down to my riding experience and some excellent skills courses attended over the years, which saved me from potential loss of life on average of every 17 kilometers during that one brief outing.
What I would have given for a pocket full of rocks!