Invisible...

[shelleybelle_43]

Hi All,  I don't agree with the statement to ride like you're invisible. You want to be safe and seen by all around you. To me if you're invisible you are not going to be seen. WHY DO PEOPLE SAY TO RIDE LIKE YOU'RE INVISIBLE? 

[Panzer]

Shelly,
They say it because, the way most cagers drive, all they see is trucks and cars.
To them, we are invisable, unseen and most times unheard until they hear a "crunch".

But you knew that!!

Ride like you're invisable as the saying goes.

[specialx1]

the thought is to be aware and act like no one is watching out for you so drive defensively cause they aint looking for you when they change lanes or pull out in front of you acting like your not there!!!!so pretend your invisible and they dont see ya so you will be on your toes!!!!
Specialx1

[tireater]

You guys have got it all wrong....It is 'ride like you are indivisable'...i.e. You want to keep all your body parts...

[Panzer]

             That works for me.
                     Good one, I like that

[seattledyna]

of course you dont want to be "invisible" in a practical sence, use your high beams at all times, stay out of blind spots and try to be seen at intersections, etc.

  "ride like you are invisible" is sort of a "zen" type of thinking, just try to imagine that every driver is out to cause you harm.

btw...nice to see you made it to htt shell!

[tireater]

I tend to weave a little bit when I approach a car that may turn left in front of me...It seems to help them see you...

[truck]

RIDE LIKE YOU'RE INVISIBLE

Samuel always said that.

[Princess Butt]

No, they don't notice cars and trucks.

I bought a new Dodge 2500, red, 4 wheel drive a few months ago. My wife and I have concluded something about this truck: Every time I drive it, someone pulls out immediately in front of me, or they change lanes immediately in front of me, or they almost crash into me. Every single time.

So, they don't notice a big, red, 6500 pound pickup truck either.

If it weren't for motorcycle skills, that truck would already be gone.

BnEUC

[seattledyna]

I suppose this would be a good time to repost this,

Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.

Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the
Handlebars
To the saddle.

Life may begin at 30, but it doesn't get real interesting until about 90
Mph!

You start the game of life with a full pot o' luck and an empty pot o'
Experience... The object is
To fill the pot of experience before you empty the pot of luck.

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.

Midnight bugs taste just as bad as noontime bugs.

Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold
Everything
You need.

It takes more love to share the saddle than it does to share the bed.

The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.

Never be afraid to slow down.

Don't ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise.

Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think
Straight.

Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees you'll ride alone.

Never hesitate to ride past the last street light at the edge of town.

Never do less than forty miles before breakfast.

If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride.

A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.

Respect the person who has seen the dark side of motorcycling and lived.

Young riders pick a destination and go... Old riders pick a direction
And
Go.

A good mechanic will let you watch without charging you for it.

Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night.

Always back your bike into the curb, and sit where you can see it.

Work to ride & ride to work.

Whatever it is, it's better in the wind.

Two-lane blacktop isn't a highway - it's an attitude.

When you look down the road it seems to never end - but you'd better
Believe it does!

Winter is Nature's way of telling you to polish.

Keep your bike in good repair: Motorcycle boots are NOT comfortable for
Walking.

People are like motorcycles: each is customized a bit differently.

Sometimes, the best communication happens when you're on separate bikes.

Good coffee should be indistinguishable from 50-weight motor oil.

The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.

The twisties - not the superslabs -separate the riders from the squids.

When you're riding lead, don't spit.

A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2:00 am to drive his pickup
To
The middle of nowhere to
Get you when you're broken down.

Catching a yellowjacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your
Vocabulary.


If you want to get somewhere before sundown, you can't stop at every
Tavern.

There's something ugly about a NEW bike on a trailer.

Don't lead the pack if you don't know where you're going.

Practice wrenching on your own bike.

Everyone crashes. Some get back on. Some don't. Some can't.

Don't argue with an 18-wheeler.

Never be ashamed to unlearn an old habit.

A good, long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a
Lot
Of fuel.

If you can't get it going with bungee cords and electrician's tape, it's
Serious.

If you ride like there's no tomorrow, there won't be.

Bikes parked out front mean good chicken-fried steak inside.

There are drunk riders. There are old riders. There are NO old, drunk
Riders.

Thin leather looks good in the bar, but it won't save your butt from
Road
Rash if you go down.

The best modifications cannot be seen from the outside.

Always replace the cheapest parts first.

You can forget what you do for a living when your knees are in the
Breeze.

Patience is the ability to keep your motor idling.

Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

There are two types of people in this world, people who ride motorcycles
And people who
Wish they could ride motorcycles.

Never try to race an old geezer; he may have one more gear than you.

Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.

[Tsani]

IGray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.

Does that hold for Old Skin Tops as well??

[GLFLSTCI02]

Ride like your invisible basically means "never assume the other guys sees you" or for that matter, gives a "Potty mouth" even if they do see you!
My wife and I were driving along a Hwy in New Brunswick, seen an oncoming minivan, no turn signals, was not decelerating, I had a driveway to my right, that sucker carved across our path with less than 20 feet between us. We were doing 70 mph. Eleven years to recover well enough to ride again. Watch your ass folks, cuz damn sure no one else is.

Gene

[IndyHarley]

it means to me to ride just as it states that you are invisible as if they never see you so you should not think they are actually turning left even though they may have their left turn signal on, etc. Prepare for the unexpected and expect the unexpected. I never assume someone sees me when I approach an intersection or any place I am always ready to avoid the collision because 'they don't see you'. It means they will hit you if you think they saw you - ride as if they don't see you.

[~JC~]

This has sort of been stated, but I'll put it differently. I find it helpful to assume that all cars at intersections will turn left in front of you. And they often do. ~JC~

[harley883r]

Yes JC Yes!!

[~JC~]

I just thought of a corollary to my last post. When riding on those country roads that we all enjoy, I always assume that all of the farm equip will turn left in front of me. I never know WHERE those guys are going to turn!  ~JC~

[calbyker69]

Ride defensively but PLEASE use common sense! This is in regards to the post saying " ride with your high beams on at all times"
On my way to work the other day I had to pull over as I had 8 lights coming at me on a neighborhood street. I was completely blinded as all of them seemed to be aimed directly at my eyeballs. As they went by I was able to make out 2, yes just 2, jap dressers. Each with 2 headlights and 2 "driving" lights! Now I am all for the idea of "see and be seen" mentality, but think about it. You don't know who that person is coming at you in a 5000lb weapon. Is that driver old with bad eyes, or a tweeker that's been up for 4 days, maybe someone just coming home after working a double shift. Tired eyes will become fixated on bright lights, tired hands tend to steer in the direction that tired eyes are looking. You don't know the condition of the person coming at you and you are blinding them. What if they are just pissed at the world and so they turn their high beams on? Now you have 2 blind idiots driving at each other at a high rate of speed. It is against the law to drive with your high beams on within 500 yards of another vehicle and while I view most laws to be mostly suggestions, That one is actually a necessary one as blinding other drivers does not make you safer.

[seattledyna]

high beams during bright daylight shouldnt bother other drivers but will make you more visible, at night though is different, low beams until no other vehicles are around.
I have seen many bikes with low beams so dim during the day they were hard to see.

[starrider]

'RIDE INVISIBLE'...i've been on the HTT almost a decade now...and that is (imho) the most important thing i've learned.

Yes...you do everything to let cagers know you are there ...bright lights...positioning yourself...reving the mufflers or beeping your horn.....however the bottom line is to ASSUME that they are oblivious to your presence...inotherwords BLIND (to you) and so 'YOU RIDE AS IF EVERYONE IS BLIND AND NO ONE SEES YOU!...or simply said 'RIDE INVISIBLE' by Samuel.

PS. I think Samuel coined the other phrase too.

[shelleybelle_43]

Hi All and thank you for the responses. SeattleDyna, I loved your list of "stuff." No disrespect meant to anyone but, the invisible thing still doesn't make a lot of sense to me, even though I've been reading/seeing it for years. It just seems to be the opposite of what I feel.... thanks guys. sb^i^





                                                                                   

[tireater]

Idivisible...one Harley under God...............

[truck]

Shelly
I know what you are getting at and I agree with you.
The bottom line here is....Do all you can to make yourself visible, but pretend that no one can see you.