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Some motorist really do try to screw with cyclist

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Some motorist really do try to screw with cyclist

Old 05-02-13, 07:30 AM
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Some motorist really do try to screw with cyclist

A couple of days ago on a rare warm day this spring, I was out riding my trike. I pulled up to a street crossing on the MUP and was waiting for traffic to clear so that I could cross. A jerk in a one ton diesel pickup went by, and just as he did he laid the throttle to the floor and belched out a huge cloud of black smoke. Since I was on the trike and at the level of the exhaust pipe, I got the full effect of the smoke. Im sure the idiot thot it was funny.
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Old 05-02-13, 07:36 AM
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It was funny to him.
A friend had a slow diesel VW Rabbit. He would unleash the James Bond Smoke Screen on tailgaters. Hilarious.
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Old 05-02-13, 08:18 AM
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if the smoke was really thick, he probably had a switch on the engine control. It will change the engine note. Worth getting a plate number and calling it in
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Old 05-02-13, 09:25 AM
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There's a video of an a$$ is a large diesel truck doing this to packs of cyclists going up a mountain road. He had someone follow and film it, and people filming from inside the cab, so it was 100% intentional.

So yeah, Newsflash: lots of people are jerks. Dudebros in large trucks moreso, and they are clearly compensating.

Lots of examples here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l500tcougag
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Old 05-02-13, 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Notso_fastLane
There's a video of an a$$ is a large diesel truck doing this to packs of cyclists going up a mountain road. He had someone follow and film it, and people filming from inside the cab, so it was 100% intentional.

So yeah, Newsflash: lots of people are jerks. Dudebros in large trucks moreso, and they are clearly compensating.

Lots of examples here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l500tcougag
Let me say first thing I would never do that to somebody even though I have a diesel truck that smokes a little. On the rare occasions that I drive the semi-retired truck, I stay super light on the throttle any time I am around cyclists or pedestrians. The truck would be ideal for my SAG duty volunteer work on organized rides apart from the exhaust. But I bring my Honda instead. I run "tree-hugger" 100% bio-diesel so the soot is slightly less offensive -- smells like an overheated frying pan.

But I have an extremely juvenile sense of humor -- that won't change at age 67 -- and I found the video funny in spite of myself. I would even be amused on one level if somebody smoked me out -- as long as they didn't buzz me.

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Old 05-02-13, 10:03 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
A couple of days ago...
You are lucky - you didn't get the smoke screen AND the train horn.
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Old 05-02-13, 10:22 AM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
A couple of days ago on a rare warm day this spring, I was out riding my trike. I pulled up to a street crossing on the MUP and was waiting for traffic to clear so that I could cross. A jerk in a one ton diesel pickup went by, and just as he did he laid the throttle to the floor and belched out a huge cloud of black smoke. Since I was on the trike and at the level of the exhaust pipe, I got the full effect of the smoke. Im sure the idiot thot it was funny.
I worked with a guy that used to brag about doing just that... oh yeah, there are indeed motorists out there that F* with peds and cyclists... it is even documented on youtube. Anyone that believes all motorists are benign law abiding citizens just trying to get along has been living with their head in the sand.

Oh sure, most folks are cool... but there ARE jerks out there.
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Old 05-02-13, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by rydabent
. . .and just as he did he laid the throttle to the floor and belched out a huge cloud of black smoke.
Yeah. Testosterone poisoning complicated by arrested development. (I know, there's an estrogen-fueled version of the syndrome, also).

I think this sort of behavior has become less prevalent in recent years, especially in places where bike laws and general attitudes toward cycling have become friendlier -- and the streets have filled with cyclists. Nebraska, sadly, is not one of those places, although Lincoln should be way better than most places in the state.

Video. Sharing. Even in that guy's firends and family circle, there may be people who will tell him that's not funny or acceptable.
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Old 05-02-13, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by seeker333
You are lucky - you didn't get the smoke screen AND the train horn.
Yes he is. The smokescreen is disgusting, yet still recoverable. But the train horn is downright infuriating. Because it can throw a cyclist off balance.
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Old 05-02-13, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
if the smoke was really thick, he probably had a switch on the engine control. It will change the engine note. Worth getting a plate number and calling it in
Yeah, and the cops would respond to that about as quickly as they would a guy being hit by a car while riding his bike. This would surely bring out the "we'll get to it....click" response from most LED's.

Good luck with that.
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Old 05-02-13, 08:42 PM
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Don't be so cynical, in most places police take complaints pretty seriously. I know a lot of police forces have arrested people for using train horns. I would push the smoke switch pretty hard too. Hate to generalize, but I'm pretty sure it takes a low-life to have a smoke switch.
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Old 05-02-13, 09:44 PM
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
Don't be so cynical, in most places police take complaints pretty seriously. I know a lot of police forces have arrested people for using train horns. I would push the smoke switch pretty hard too. Hate to generalize, but I'm pretty sure it takes a low-life to have a smoke switch.
I think your age is showing. I don't think many police departments would take the time to deal with a smoker these days. Forty years ago, yes, I think they would have. Today, they either don't have the resources or don't want people to know they do.
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Old 05-02-13, 10:30 PM
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Originally Posted by B. Carfree
I don't think many police departments would take the time to deal with a smoker these days.
In California, there's no need to call the cops. We have an Air Resources Board program that will do the followup for you. Just dial #SMOG on your handy cellphone (handsfree or pull over, of course), or fill out the convenient online form:

https://www.arb.ca.gov/enf/complaints/smoke.htm
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Old 05-03-13, 07:00 AM
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Originally Posted by kalliergo
We have an Air Resources Board program that will do the followup for you.
This is a good thing. Soot from diesel may be hilarious, but is a nasty environmental pollutant.
Don in Austin above appears to have his heart in the right place in regards to the environment. Doing the work to clean up his tailpipe emissions should be on his list of priorities.
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Old 05-03-13, 10:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Ferrous Bueller
This is a good thing. Soot from diesel may be hilarious, but is a nasty environmental pollutant.
Don in Austin above appears to have his heart in the right place in regards to the environment. Doing the work to clean up his tailpipe emissions should be on his list of priorities.
Its pretty much a non issue. I retired from stock car racing and no longer haul a race car trailer. The truck sits unused for weeks at a time. My main set of wheels when not cycling is a Honda Fit, which is a very clean running vehicle.
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Old 05-03-13, 11:09 AM
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
if the smoke was really thick, he probably had a switch on the engine control. It will change the engine note. Worth getting a plate number and calling it in
"Switch on the engine control"??
It's a diesel. You just lug the engine and it will pump smoke.
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Old 05-03-13, 11:28 AM
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I've had this happen with passing vehicles before, when they deliberately floor the engines to create clouds of smoke. More often, jerks will lay on their horns right when they are beside you passing. It's hard not to make a reflexive twist on your handlebars when this happens.
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Old 05-03-13, 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
"Switch on the engine control"??
It's a diesel. You just lug the engine and it will pump smoke.
Yeah, but some guys modify their system to make the pumped smoke even more of a "cloud on demand."
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Old 05-03-13, 12:09 PM
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
"Switch on the engine control"??
It's a diesel. You just lug the engine and it will pump smoke.
you will not get a satisfactory smoke cloud by lugging a modern diesel engine. If you watch the famous video of the idiot smoking cyclists, that is classic "switch on the engine control" behavior. There is no evidence of lugging. It's common for tuner chips to have 5 settings, the sociopaths set the 5th setting to smoke. It's not hard to find forums on the internet dedicated to diesel tuners, many of these forums have a "smoke forum"
In case you need some kind of proof, search for something like "diesel power chip performance" without the quotes. Not to pick on Summit, because they are a good company, but this is the sort of thing I'm talking about.

Oh, and THIS
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Old 05-03-13, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
Don't be so cynical, in most places police take complaints pretty seriously. I know a lot of police forces have arrested people for using train horns. I would push the smoke switch pretty hard too. Hate to generalize, but I'm pretty sure it takes a low-life to have a smoke switch.
In my situation, my cynicism about the police is justified. I have summarily(and first-hand) heard from/seen, the police not take cyclists' seriously around here. So, The only ally would be the DA. That is why I said I needed a helmetcam so bad.

In my county, there are two city, and one county, police department. Along with a barracks for the local detachment of the state police. So, Plenty of LEO's, that don't care.

Last edited by Chris516; 05-04-13 at 05:54 AM.
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Old 05-03-13, 12:59 PM
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I used do this to tailgaters with a diesel Peugeot I used to have. Worked well to keep them back a bit. Although I enjoyed the reaction, I can't imagine doing this for fun to folks that are behaving well.
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Old 05-03-13, 01:15 PM
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Yeah my friends do that sometimes with their Powerstrokes and Cummins trucks. Keeps tailgaters away, that's for sure.

Smoking people out for no reason is amusing to mouthbreathers.
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Old 05-03-13, 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by cruiserhead
"Switch on the engine control"??
It's a diesel. You just lug the engine and it will pump smoke.
Coal rolling.

At one point I might have found the behavior funny but not so much. I hate being by diesels to begin with and have had some unsuccessful "rolls" done to me.

As long as there is a safe place like YouTube to post videos, and they get clicks to watch, there will always be someone new to duplicate the juvenile behavior. I have a teenage brother who has been brought home by the cops on several occasions for being caught doing something stupid he watched online.
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Old 05-03-13, 10:05 PM
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Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust

One thing not mentioned above is that diesel smoke has health effects. This soot is made up of extremely small particles which can get very deep into the lungs, into the air sacs themselves (alveoli) and then be absorbed directly into the blood stream. They have an effect on the heart, where if a person already has coronary artery disease, they can precipitate a heart attack.

https://088892.com/Etude-les-gaz-d-ec...aques-1976.htm

Even without the underlying heart disease, diesel exhaust is bad for your health.

So if someone does this "smoking" to you, try to hold your breath and not breathe that stuff!

John

Last edited by John C. Ratliff; 05-03-13 at 10:08 PM. Reason: Correct spelling error
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Old 05-04-13, 05:57 AM
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Originally Posted by John C. Ratliff
One thing not mentioned above is that diesel smoke has health effects. This soot is made up of extremely small particles which can get very deep into the lungs, into the air sacs themselves (alveoli) and then be absorbed directly into the blood stream. They have an effect on the heart, where if a person already has coronary artery disease, they can precipitate a heart attack.

https://088892.com/Etude-les-gaz-d-ec...aques-1976.htm

Even without the underlying heart disease, diesel exhaust is bad for your health.

So if someone does this "smoking" to you, try to hold your breath and not breathe that stuff!

John
Very good point.

I make a point to do that, every time a vehicle with bad exhaust(diesel or not), spews smoke out of their muffler.
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