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12kdaysinthefire t1_ja0cruw wrote

Had a gf once who owned a Geo Tracker. Thing weighed nothing. On highways she’d get right up on trucks and then just let go of the wheel. The drag caused by the truck would pull her along at speed. I almost shit my pants the first time.

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philpalmer2 t1_ja13ten wrote

Did this one time in when young in the eighties. Was on a Yamaha 650 two hours from home and not enough gas (or cash) to get there. We drifted tractor trailers on stretches of I-80 for a bit.

It’s amazing how the pocket inside the trucks slipstream so easily pull a bike along.

The no visibility thing is nuts. But… if staying alert bikes stop way shorter then tractor trailers if the brakes come on.

I think we still ran out of gas, tho. Lol

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LordSalem t1_ja1y5zg wrote

Fun fact, 18 wheelers stop way faster than you think

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Garyswansson t1_ja2uf4w wrote

Yep lots of tradition and airbrakes make a good combination

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seamustheseagull t1_ja2glvr wrote

1 metre from the back of the vehicle, it doesn't matter how quickly the bike can stop. If the truck reduces speed by just 3.6km/h (approx 2mph), then you have just 1 second to notice and grab your brakes before your front wheel hits the back of the truck. If the truck really jams on, you'll hit the back of the truck before your brain has even registered that the brake lights have come on.

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me1112 t1_ja2r6ek wrote

Yeah it's crazy to me that this person could believe they would react and brake instantly at less than a meter from the truck.

You'd headbutt the back of it yeah.

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IfonlyIwasfunnier t1_ja46scr wrote

better not ask how many people think they could take out a bear with their fists...

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GreyNGroovy t1_ja180fo wrote

Just one tiiiiny little break check and the world would be 0.00001% smarter

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vlsdo t1_ja1mad3 wrote

Nah, think about how much that tanker weighs full and what that means in terms of inertia, compared to a tiny motorcycle.

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wtf--dude t1_ja2gcao wrote

200 ms of human reaction time is still a lot of time

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Z4tman t1_ja2m4ig wrote

If you had instant reaction speed then you would be correct, since it is not the case you're just dead

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kotik010 t1_j9zsyhq wrote

Just shoot yourself and save everyone else the trouble at that point. Oh and make sure you're registered for organ donation so you do some good for the world

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fpfx t1_ja0rzo8 wrote

Eh kinda iffy on the smoke damaged lungs and alcohol everything else.

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pfof t1_ja1u27d wrote

At least this guy is cooler than you'll ever be.

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CraftyAsAWitch t1_j9zu6eq wrote

Excuse my American ignorance, but is he smoking behind a fuel truck??

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silver2k5 t1_ja0exoi wrote

While drinking a beer.

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Carlcarl1984 t1_ja0hmiq wrote

And that two are not even the most dangerous things he is doing in a 20 second video

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bradland t1_ja0kj55 wrote

I mean, in reality, that’s probably the safest thing he’s doing at that moment.

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Don_Ford t1_ja23trr wrote

Fuel trucks that carrying gasoline are not as highly flammable as implied when carried properly.

now if the truck crashed... that's a different story because the air to liquid ratio is correct

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IronMaskx t1_ja6e6b9 wrote

In my military days I was moonlighting as a fueler from time to time and the fuelers often smokes while filling/fueling and tending to the fuel farm. One was smoking while filling up a tanker with JP-8 and leaned and dropped his cigarette into the fueler, He quickly leapt from the truck and kept running... nothing happened.

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Adeep187 t1_ja0xjp4 wrote

This is what real freedom looks like.

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vlsdo t1_ja1m1ae wrote

Apart from not being able to see the road in front of you (and thus not able to avoid potholes or oil slicks), it's not that bad. Even if the truck hits the brakes hard, as long as you react quickly, you can stop much faster.

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Kyetsi t1_ja2h4cp wrote

yeah no if the truck brakes hard theres no chance in hell the guy has a chance to react..

you grossly overestimate the human reaction time especially when being that close to the truck.

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seamustheseagull t1_ja2h4v5 wrote

You can't react quicker at this distance. Amazing how much faith people put in their reaction times.

If the truck hits the brakes to stop (say there's a queue of traffic ahead), you will have about 300ms to hit the brakes on your bike after you notice the truck brake lights come on.

Go do a reaction test online to see just how quick 300ms is.

You might manage to react in time for a minor brake check or lapse in concentration from the driver. But for an actual slow down, you're fucked.

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