Do Motorcycle Riders Hate Scooters?

I was reading this forum post from a scooter rider, complaining that she's being disrespected by motorcycle riders while riding down the road...

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I get the impression that many people riding motorcycles in my neighborhood (socal) cannot respect the right of my 250cc scooter to share space with them.

Am I right? and if I'm right, why? Or is it possible that I am doing something unknowingly to provoke people?

Here's a link to her full post...
http://www.beginnerbikers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16665

She goes on to specify that on a busy street, during her commute to and from work, she often splits lanes and rides past many other motorcycles. Once in awhile a motorcycle will refuse to move over to let her by. She thinks that these riders are refusing to let her by, just because she's on a scooter.

I have a couple of thoughts on this.

For one, on a busy street, where motorcycles and scooters are splitting lanes, most motorcycle riders are focusing on the cars and trucks. They're not concerned about a scooter rider "showing them up" on skills. If a motorcycle rider is not moving over to let her pass, it's because they are not looking in their mirrors, or they're not comfortable with the situation. It has nothing to do with ego, as she suggests.

Second, there are some scooter riders out there who seem to have a chip on their shoulders when it comes to motorcycle riders. They seem to think that motorcycle riders look down at them. As a result, this segment of scooter riders are looking for any tiny bit of evidence to justify their ire. It's too bad that they harbor this anger while trying to enjoy a ride.

While I've heard some motorcycle riders make jokes about scooters, I haven't met one that took these jokes to heart. I don't know of a motorcycle rider that believes that scooter riders are not taking the same risks that motorcycle riders take when they hit the road. Scooters these days are capable of hitting triple-digit speeds, and have engine displacements as much as 800cc now. If anything the lighter scooter feels the bumps more severely than the heavier motorcycle.

If there is a motorcycle rider who is truly concerned about his ego, that ego is not limited to motorcycles. He'll have the same ego trip with his car, boat, bicycle, or whatever.

The fact is that scooter riders have a greater concern with cagers. Any scooter rider with a chip on their shoulder against motorcycles, should watch out for cars instead.

Posted:   Saturday, March 15, 2008