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Slow bike slow -- Lime Creek Rd.

Started by mr72, February 03, 2020, 02:51:38 PM

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mr72

I live in Cedar Park, Texas, and my dad lives in the next town northwest of here, Leander, both suburbs of Austin. There happen to be a few of the greatest roads in Texas for motorcycling right here in my backyard. One of which is Ranch Road 1431, which in this case runs from Cedar Park southwest along the Highland Lakes into the Hill Country to Kingsland and beyond. It's a fantastic road for motorcycles once you get past Lago Vista. The other major lovely motorcycling road that many Texans will travel hours to just ride on is the infamous Lime Creek Road. As it happens I can ride from my house over to Volente Rd, which dead ends in the lake about a block past the beginning of Lime Creek Rd, and then ride the full length of Lime Creek Rd. and back to my house again in about 30 minutes, and I actually go do this ride pretty routinely. Anyway, Saturday afternoon was a gorgeous winter day in Central TX, sunny and clear with no wind or clouds and about 66F, and my dad wanted to go for a ride. I was short on time so I suggested the Volente-Lime Creek route so I could get back in time to do other things.

Enough preamble.

On Saturday we went and did our usual thing on Volente & Lime Creek. We're a couple of grandpas after all. So we stick within 5 mph of the speed limit (40-45 mph) max and slow down for turns. These roads are incredibly curvy, narrow, with cliffs and steep drops common on either side, poor road surface on a lot of it, no shoulders, and routinely have gravel or water on the road surface depending on recent weather. Lime Creek Rd. in particular is littered with 15mph marked corners, every single one of which is completely blind, and an increasing number of big fancy homes with driveways you can't see until you are past them and the requisite construction traffic to go with it. If you've ever been on the Road to Hana in Maui, you know what kind of road I am talking about. It makes Mulholland Dr. feel like a freeway by comparison. This road in particular attracts a type of motorcyclist or sports car driver who wants to go test the limits of their skill and equipment as if it's some kind of racetrack. It's very common for me and my dad to be out there "JRA" and get suddenly and unexpectedly passed on our left by some moron on a GSXR who flies by us at triple-digit speeds heading into a 15mph blind corner.

Saturday the bikes and sports car idiots were out in droves. I guess we should have expected it. I usually ride Lime Creek as a mid-afternoon break on a weekday and it's basically empty. I'll sometimes run upon a FedEx truck or see the random local resident driving along but nothing like the parade of Dianese-clad knuckleheads and wannabe Lewis Hamiltons like were out there on Saturday, owing to the fantastic weather conditions.

At one point we were just passing Sandy Creek Park and a Harley rider coming the other way gave the "cops ahead" signal, which wouldn't really matter to us since we don't go fast (and BTW, for GS500 content, yes I was riding my GS!). But about two curves later we did see the flashing lights and a number of Travis County deputies including patrol cars and parked police motorcycles and an officer flagging us to stop. Opposing lane was blocked by a fire engine, and we noticed along the right hand side of the road were a number of parked sportbikes and a couple of their riders milling around and talking to police. Then we saw on the left, about 40 ft. off the side of the road, the EMTs from the fire truck attending to a non-responsive sportbiker. We didn't see the wrecked bike. After a minute as opposing traffic cleared in the one open lane, we were waved through and rode on. About a half mile later an ambulance sped our way.

I suppose the good news is that this was apparently not a fatality, since I can't find any news report of it. But there have been numerous motorcycle fatalities on Lime Creek Road over the years. But still, it's senseless. I just don't get it. I know there are a bunch of people who really totally think that they should be able to do whatever they want, that they are super awesome skilled riders and they think it doesn't hurt anyone else for them to go out and be an idiot riding like they are racing on the road. But the truth is, it does hurt us, all of us. It paints the picture that motorcyclists as a whole are reckless fools, and of course there's no driver out there on four wheels or two who expects this kind of thing. We ran across one rider coming around a corner with his knee out trying to drag the pegs (on a KTM RC390!) probably ripping around a 20mph corner at 50+, and the thing is to get around that turn at that speed required him to be over the center line. Look, this is how people get killed. And imagine the poor driver who is just minding their business driving to the lake or to their friend's house out there and without warning a leather-clad dude comes screaming around a corner in the wrong lane. What are you going to do? Just run them over? Kill some poor idiot? Or try to swerve and maybe run flat into a rock face on one side of the road or run off of a 60-degree drop off on the other side right into the lake?

Anyway. It's just senseless. I've driven my 240Z, my race-prepped H20 VW, and my Miata, all on Lime Creek Rd, and it was fun. I also wound up spinning and facing the wrong way once in a Ford EXP and thank God there was nobody else on the road and it happened in a spot where there was no big drop off because otherwise I'd likely been killed. But I was 17 when that happened. Adults shouldn't make such stupid choices. If you want to try to push your limits on a motorcycle or in a hot car, we have COTA just Southeast of Austin. Go there. There are frequent track days. Drive a go-kart. It's a rush and very hard to get hurt. But I just implore my fellow CenTx motorcyclists to enjoy the scenery on Lime Creek Rd and stay in sight of the speed limit so you will make it home. That road is just simply not safe for such antics on a motorcycle.

Anyway, rant over. I'm sure a lot of you on this forum will think I'm just some kind of stick in the mud. Like I said, I am a grandpa, and I ride like one.

ShowBizWolf

#1
I'm 32 and completely agree with you. 22 year old me would have agreed with you too.

I take riding and driving very seriously. My driving style is best described as robotic, really. You plug in the rules of the road and I don't deviate from them... no matter what time of the day and no matter who else is around (except for 5 or so over the speed limit sometimes).

Complete stops ALWAYS, turn signals ALWAYS... stopping HERE on red and not way up into the intersection... and I give WAY more room than necessary when following or stopping behind someone (I've been rear-ended once while completely stopped, waiting to make a left, by someone who was stopped behind me too close who got hit by someone behind them). If I'm getting tail-gated, I find a place to safely pull over and let them pass me. If I'm following someone going slow, I give them tons of room and I don't tailgate.

I believe that there are way too many people out there who don't take driving seriously. I think they are too focused on "where they need to go" rather than "getting there in the safest way possible."

Too many people act like, "The rules aren't for me... only for others. I can break that one. I don't have to follow that one." Etc SMH.
Superbike bars, '04 GSXR headlight & cowl, DRZ signals, 1/2" fork brace, 'Busa fender, stainless exhaust & brake lines, belly pan, LED dash & brake bulbs, 140/80 rear hoop, F tail lens, SV650 shock, Bandit400 hugger, aluminum heel guards & pegs, fork preload adjusters, .75 SonicSprings, heated grips

cbrfxr67

"Its something you take apart in 2-3 days and takes 10 years to go back together."
-buddha

mr72

#3
Quote from: ShowBizWolf on February 03, 2020, 03:25:17 PM
I'm 32 and completely agree with you. 22 year old me would have agreed with you too.

Well I've been accused of being a "grandpa" ever since I was a little kid, so I was also pretty much a follow the rules (when driving) kind of person all along as well.

Quote
I believe that there are way too many people out there who don't take driving seriously. I think they are too focused on "where they need to go" rather than "getting there in the safest way possible."

Too many people act like, "The rules aren't for me... only for others. I can break that one. I don't have to follow that one." Etc SMH.

Well, I think it's actually pretty complicated. Certainly, there's the folks who think the rules shouldn't apply to them. But after observing drivers over the past decade I have come to realize that at least around here, a lot of drivers just obviously don't know the law. And many other drivers are just so selfish, they don't care whether the things they are doing are endangering other people. Or they feel entitled, like they feel like other drivers ought to let them bend the rules and make way for them, because that's what nice people do.

profile_deleted

#4
Agree on all counts. As a cyclist as well as a motorcyclist I always take my responsibility to represent the cycling "community" very seriously.  I don't want to be the guy who gets run off the road because the person you passed 10 minutes ago wouldn't yield the right of way or was an inconsiderate rider, which has now made you angry at anybody on two wheels... of course nor do I want to be the guy that gets you run off the road. The same goes for motorcyclists. I've got buddies I'll hang out with but never ride with just because on the road they do us all a disservice... and oh yeah, let's be honest, I probably couldn't keep up with them anyway. Lol.

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