We all heard or seen a Jac@#$& on a motorcycle or viewed videos of them.
Or even worse, maybe you had the displeasure of interacting and meeting such a jerk on two wheels.
In that case, as a motorcyclist myself, I apologize for their behavior in the names of other bikers.
Please don’t put every biker in the same ‘’bad’’ basket.
That said, even if that might seem offensive or annoying to non-bikers, motorcyclists sometimes got surprising reasons to act the way they do.
So why are motorcyclists such pompous jerks? What is the excuse?
Why Are Motorcycle Riders Hated (Douchebag and Unjustified Behavior)
Let start with the bad stuff.
Here are some instances of jerk riders’ attitudes, and there are no respectful reasons for them to act that way.
Drama Queen and ‘’I am Tough’’ Attitude
Ho boy, here we go… That is the one that annoys me the most; a rider with an oversized and ridiculously fragile ego.
These bikers like to make a scene with other road users who don’t treat them like royalty.
That darn way of thinking; ‘’you will respect me, and I will do so by disrespecting you and making an unnecessary scene to look tough and cool.’’
It was already a problem with some old-school bikers, and it has become a trend with younger motorcyclists.
Some riders will use their vulnerability as an excuse to escalate to an awful and unnecessary situation with somebody.
Loud Exhaust
Swapping or modifying the stock exhaust of a motorcycle to make the bike louder is a common practice… and a douche move.
Yet I will claim ‘’guilty’’ for my past self.
I had a bike with straight pipes loud enough to wake anything that died.
Now, why did I do that?
Because it is fun, and the engine sounds like a masterpiece symphony to its rider.
It is also detrimental to pretty much the rest of the human race that prefers peace and quiet.
I repented for my sins and reinstalled the much quieter stock exhaust after a couple of weeks.
I am a biker, and even I am getting irritated when a motorcycle with an unnecessary loud exhaust passes by.
People got a lot of stress on their shoulders these days, and they need quiet and relaxing moments more than ever.
Yet, there is no way to make a conventional motorcycle completely silent.
Please understand that a combustion engine will make noise no matter what. It is part of life.
To my fellow riders, please respect people’s need for relaxation and peace.
And NO, I will not bring up the debate of loud pipes safe lives; I am not touching the subjects even with a 10-foot pole.
Riding Recklessly
Because, of course, why would motorcycle riders be using their machine in a refined and civilized manner?
Instead They
- Wheelie
- Flip off car drivers
- Block the roads to do stunts
- Ride in massive groups blocking all lanes
- Ride at rocket speeds
- Dangerously swerve between cars
- Etc
Remember that I said not all bikers are jerks?
I have been riding for eight years, and I still have to do any of the above, and I don’t plan to.
I also know a lot of motorcyclists are in the same boat as I am.
Craving Attention And Others Approbation
A sense of accomplishment and self-importance is a primary and powerful human need.
It is normal; we all want to feel special and unique.
The problem is that some people, in that case, some motorcyclists, let it spiral out of control.
You see all kinds of nonsense from bikers that mix and match everything that defines terrible bikers.
And, of course, being a ‘’badass rider’’ (more like a nuisance) seem like a sure way to look cool to all your riding buddies that are as dumb.
All in the exasperating name of ‘’Look at me. I want people to give me attention and interest no matter what.”
Why Are Motorcycle Riders So Annoying? (Maybe Justified Attitude)
Sometimes, these behaviors might only be trash attitudes from some motorcyclists.
But for some riders, there are legitimate reasons why they would act that way, even if it seems infuriating for others at first.
Revving Their Engines
It might have been necessary for old as dirt motorcycles to keep them from stalling while idling.
But today, there is no reason for reving a motorcycle engine other than making noise while stopped on the public roads.
Doing so is only for the rider to pleasure his hearing senses to the displeasure of others.
Yet, there is a valid reason when slowing down and revving a bike engine in quick bursts before coming to a stop.
It is rev-matching
The purpose is to reduce stress on a bike’s clutch and transmission when downshifting.
It will make some parts of the bike last longer over the long run.
Lane Filtering
Lane filtering is when a motorcycle rides forward between two-lane of stopped cars.
Even if it is common practice in most parts of the world, this is the number one way to make cars drivers burst into rage mode in North America.
Even if it is not allowed in most of the USA and not at all in Canada, some riders might have strong reasons to do it anyway.
I got a whole article on why it is sometimes absolutely vital for a rider to use lane filtering.
Long story short, it can get stupidly hot on a stopped bike in traffic in the middle of summer.
A rider may need to get out of there by any means to avoid heatstroke and an engine overheating.
Running A Red Light
We are not talking about running the intersection without stopping in that case.
I am pointing out when a motorcycle is the first vehicle stopped in line at a red light.
Many road intersection work with sensor to trigger what direction get a red or green light.
It is a little bit more complicated than that but in short, many motorcycles are not heavy or big enough for the sensors to trigger.
Since the system can’t know that a motorcycle is waiting for its turn, the motorcyclist is stuck on a red light that won’t change.
There isn’t a better solution other than waiting for the traffic to pass and run the ‘’permanent’’ red light.
Speeding and Hard Acceleration
I am not talking about trying to break the sound barrier on a motorcycle here.
I am talking about motorcyclists that go a tad faster than traffic flow.
It often happens when bikers are stopped with some cars at a red light and the riders gun the throttle on the green.
The purpose of this fast acceleration is not to annoy people; it is to get aways from the cars.
The fewer vehicles that could make driving mistakes around us riders, the more we feel at ease.
Once there is enough distance, a rider will return to a reasonable cruising speed.
Why Do Motorcyclists Think They Own The Road? (Annoying but Justified Behaviors)
Hard Acceleration Right Beside A Car
It is very like the previous point,
The purpose is to get out of places that are not great for riders.
If you drive a car and a motorcycle starts overtaking you and delivers a sudden and strong acceleration…
Unless you are in a road rage situation, this is not any of theses
- It is not an intimidation attempt
- Not to scare you.
- Not to blast you with the sound of its exhaust.
- It is not trying to impress you and look cool.
- Not any of other negative excuses you can think of.
It is a proper riding technique to get in and out as quickly as possible of vehicle blind spots.
Line up behind a car, give a quick burst of power to overtake, then resume cruising speed.
A simple yet effective motorcycle maneuver for quick in and quick out of a danger zone.
High Beam In Daylight
Maybe you noticed that a lot of riders have their high beam on in the plain day.
It is not an attempt to ‘’high beam’’ while following a car to annoy it until it moves out of the way because it is too slow.
The purpose is for extra visibility of the rider since it can be challenging to spot a motorcycle from a long distance.
It is even allowed and encouraged in most parts of North America.
It is an effective counter to one of the most common motorcycle accidents implying a car that wanted to turn left but failed to see the bike coming.
Wearing Flashy Race Suit and Leather Jackets
It is not for bell and whistle or showing off… at least not that much 😉
It is armored protection equipment in case the rider fall and slides on the pavement.
It works just as well on the racetrack as it does on the public roads.
So although some motorcycle riders might look like wannabe pro bike racers, it doesn’t mean that they act like street racing punk.
The same goes for old school big custom cruiser look, that leather jacket is there a protective piece of equipment first.
Riding Too Slowly
If you are following motorcycles and they start to slow down for no apparent reason, assume there is a reason even if you don’t see it.
Don’t go tailgating and honking for them to hurry up like a twat.
Many things on the roads are a big deal for bikers and force them to slow down while of minimal or no concern to cars.
It is very easy for a bike to slip and fall when there are any of these on the road.
- Gravel
- Sand and dry soil
- Fresh grass clippings
- Fall tree leaves when wet
- Oil patches
- Puddles of water
- Etc.
The best way to deal with any of these is to slow down.
Do not assume this is a random brake check against you.
For example, sand and gravel on the pavement are a big pet peeve that made my rear tires slide too many times.
Every time my heart skipped a beat when it happened.
On a twisty road, it is frequent for motorcycles to take it easy, especially newcomers riders.
Handling turns is one of the most challenging parts of motorcycle riding, and that rider might not be comfortable going faster.
Faster = more tricky.
Would you please give the rider a break and give him a chance?
Swerving Right And Left in a Lane
Some riders start swerving in their lane on purpose when they are bored, but this is not to annoy other road users.
Yet, there is a strategic reason to do it when cars want to turn left in the motorcycle’s path.
A motorcycle is hard to spot at a distance when coming in a straight line in the opposite direction a person is looking.
Since bikes are much smaller than cars, It creates a visual illusion that motorcycles are farther away than they seem.
A motorcycle will increase its visual footprints by swerving left and right and give a better impression of its incoming speed.
It is something you might see when bikes come upon an intersection where collisions often happen.
Honest Riding Mistake
While riding a motorcycle, there are many more controls to handle and things to manage than driving a car.
So if something is more difficult, guess what? It increases the probability of making mistakes.
But when a motorcycle rider slip-up, it might be interpreted as incompetence and anger car drivers.
Please let it go people, riding a motorcycle is not as easy as it seems.
All humans make mistakes from time to time, and it should be expected. Nobody is perfect.
Conclusion
The vast majority of bikers are regular people, and like most humans, they got their flaws, but they are not necessarily douchebags.
Sadly, the friendly and quiet motorcyclists don’t attract much attention, unlike ‘’less civilized’’ bikers.
I won’t lie, I met and came across complete scumbags on their motorcycles.
They do exist, and I hate them as much as you do if not more because they indirectly give me and other riders a bad name.
But please don’t tag every motorcycle rider with the same ‘’jerks’’ labels because of these idiots.
It creates a climate of unfair tensions that penalize respectful riders that want to enjoy riding in peace.
And although sometimes a biker’s behaviors might seem off and rude, this might be a misunderstanding.
That rider you think impedes you might be using proper riding techniques that non-rider are not familiar with.
In doubt, give the benefit of the doubt. 🙂
Take care.
Drive and Ride Safe.
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