Motorcycles in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, Pipestone: buy, restaurant, safe)

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by tjasse

I think a scooter is ideal in a lot of cities.

They are very popular in places like Tokyo and Paris. For a minute in the late 90s and early 2000s, they were popular in San Francisco. I am old enough to remember when "hipsters" rode Vespas, not fixies. My friends in Chicago were also very into them back in the day.

I wonder about the potholes and the smaller wheels, though.

I see scooters a lot around the U, mostly students who I would guess live close enough that they can take surface streets and avoid I-94, 280, etc.

My concern for any motorcycle, scooter or bicycle here is the horrible condition of so many of our roads. Lots and lots of pot holes, cracked pavement leaving huge gaps between lanes, etc. At least in the metro - can't speak for outstate. The so many of the roads in the metro are in bad shape.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

This is called lane filtering. It isn't my intent with this topic to start a debate or anything, but if done safely it can be a good thing, both in terms of reducing traffic congestion and improving safety of the motorcyclist as it prevents them from being in a position where they could get rear-ended from an approaching vehicle.

It is illegal in Minnesota (see subdivision 5, article e at https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/...es/?id=169.974).

When I lived in California, it was legal and common.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by WoodburyWoody

It is illegal in Minnesota (see subdivision 5, article e at https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/...es/?id=169.974).

When I lived in California, it was legal and common.

Correct, which is why I don't do it. I am, however, a proponent of lane splitting/lane filtering and would support legislation to repeal or modify that statute to allow some form of splitting/filtering in MN.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Mason3000

I have a scooter. technically it's a motorcycle because it's a 150cc, but it's a step through so it looks like a traditional scooter and it's a 'twist n go'. I absolutely LOVE it. I live in St Paul and used to work in DT Mpls. I'd ride up Marshall and if traffic was bad (which it is during rush hour) I'd just scoot up the bike lane along the right side and shave lot's of time off my commute. Cross over the Lake St bridge, turn on W River Parkway and it's a beautiful and easy jaunt into DT Mpls. Once DT, I just park on the sidewalk, so I never pay for parking. 75 mpg is great too. I love walking into the gas station and asking for "$2.50 on pump 6" once a week.

Love to hear it! I started out with a 150cc scooter as well and decided to make the jump to a motorcycle last fall so I would be able to keep up with the flow of traffic on highways/freeways when need be.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

Correct, which is why I don't do it. I am, however, a proponent of lane splitting/lane filtering and would support legislation to repeal or modify that statute to allow some form of splitting/filtering in MN.

Worked well in California (IMO).

People were used to it there by the time I got there. Kind of like the whole round-a-bouts argument you see in the MSP threads from time-to-time ("The horrors! It's different than what we've been doing for generations! Nobody can learn something NEW!").

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by Mason3000

I have a scooter. technically it's a motorcycle because it's a 150cc, but it's a step through so it looks like a traditional scooter and it's a 'twist n go'. I absolutely LOVE it. I live in St Paul and used to work in DT Mpls. I'd ride up Marshall and if traffic was bad (which it is during rush hour) I'd just scoot up the bike lane along the right side and shave lot's of time off my commute. Cross over the Lake St bridge, turn on W River Parkway and it's a beautiful and easy jaunt into DT Mpls. Once DT, I just park on the sidewalk, so I never pay for parking. 75 mpg is great too. I love walking into the gas station and asking for "$2.50 on pump 6" once a week.

when I was a Property Mgr in DT Mpls, we'd get several calls a year from bicyclists beeotching about scooters taking up parking on the sidewalks. Checked with the city and they said anything 50 cc and over was not considered a scooter and were not allowed on the sidewalks riding or parking. No skin off my back, but if we'd start allowing yours than someone with a hog would expect the same right to park on the sidewalk too.

[Glenfield]

I guess this is my point about motorcycles, that too often they are operated in an unsafe and / or illegal manner. Park on the sidewalk, drive between the lanes... both illegal but motorcyclists do it anyway along with lots of other unsafe driving behaviors. But we are told that the safety issue is that automobile drivers need to see them.

[tjasse]

I agree. Cars should not watch out for motorcycles. They are probably douche bags anyway, and we as minnesotans are better off if they are dead.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I guess this is my point about motorcycles, that too often they are operated in an unsafe and / or illegal manner. Park on the sidewalk, drive between the lanes... both illegal but motorcyclists do it anyway along with lots of other unsafe driving behaviors. But we are told that the safety issue is that automobile drivers need to see them.

One of my good friends down here is President of ABATE for Georgia (a motorcycle safety advocacy group), and we've talked about stuff like this off and on. Not always on the same side. :-)

A lot of the bikers that I see down here in Atlanta seem to be idiots, but he made me think about something: the reason I tend to see fast bikers threading through traffic is because they aren't being safety conscious and staying with the normal traffic flow. But there might be a dozen other bikers in the same general area of road that I don't see, mainly because they're going with the flow. They don't catch up to me, I don't catch up to them, so they aren't on my radar.

I agree that there are a lot of idiots on bikes. But I tend to agree with my friend that those idiots tend to be very visible relative to other bikers, and they also tend to leave a disproportionately large impression.

Do more bikers act like hotdoggers than folks in cars? Sure, probably, but I think bikes tend to appeal to a certain set of personality types, anyway, and I think bikers in general need to be more focused on safety. They are also *choosing* to ride a bike in most cases, so the choice of additional risk is something they care taking on voluntarily.

That said, I think automobile drivers need to watch out for them as they should for anyone else who shares the roadway.

Just because some of them act like idiots is no reason not to be aware and drive defensively.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

One of my good friends down here is President of ABATE for Georgia (a motorcycle safety advocacy group), and we've talked about stuff like this off and on. Not always on the same side. :-)

A lot of the bikers that I see down here in Atlanta seem to be idiots, but he made me think about something: the reason I tend to see fast bikers threading through traffic is because they aren't being safety conscious and staying with the normal traffic flow. But there might be a dozen other bikers in the same general area of road that I don't see, mainly because they're going with the flow. They don't catch up to me, I don't catch up to them, so they aren't on my radar.

I agree that there are a lot of idiots on bikes. But I tend to agree with my friend that those idiots tend to be very visible relative to other bikers, and they also tend to leave a disproportionately large impression.

Do more bikers act like hotdoggers than folks in cars? Sure, probably, but I think bikes tend to appeal to a certain set of personality types, anyway, and I think bikers in general need to be more focused on safety. They are also *choosing* to ride a bike in most cases, so the choice of additional risk is something they care taking on voluntarily.

That said, I think automobile drivers need to watch out for them as they should for anyone else who shares the roadway.

Just because some of them act like idiots is no reason not to be aware and drive defensively.

Of course it isn't. Never said that. But the "start seeing motorcycles" bumper stickers seem to lay all the blame on the automobile drivers. Their safety campaign efforts are perhaps better directed at the crazy motorcyclists.