Damn. Are you planning to survive your trip, or die before ever seeing home again? In local terms, flashing his lights before you flashed yours means he's got the right of way. Doesn't matter how weird, nonsensical or downright evil you think this is. You don't make the rules.

More to the point, sooner or later you're going to toss a stone at the wrong local, and things are not going to go well for you (or Ellen). Setting aside the question of right vs. wrong (yeah, of course he's a jackass), it's really a matter of survival--and I mean yours, not his. If you are routinely getting run off the road as it appears--in Peru or elsewhere--you need to decide whether you'd rather expend your energy feeling righteously indignant while continuing to do what you've been doing, or whether you'd rather re-dedicate yourself to staying alive. It's really your choice.

All IMHO, as usual. But there's another aspect to this: that guy whose headlight you potted: what do you suppose he's going to do next time he sees an overloaded tourist on a giant, lumbering bike? You think he's going to meekly pull over to his side of the road, cowering? Uh huh. He (or the next, or the next) is going to aim right for that bike, no messing around about it. And who do you think is going to pay the price? What you ought to be thinking right now is that you really don't want to encounter any truck drivers who just passed a stone-throwing tourist on an overland bike.

Mark

Based on all the bad luck I've had in Peru with my motorcycle repairs, I'll be the guy coming along next......

Yeah..

We have been hit, steered off the road deliberately and laughed at and then the car ... stress levels exceeded safe levels, he wore it.

Yeah they make they rules .... I call BS cos when my bike is laying on top of another cos the ****wit can't stay on his side on a BLIND corner and me asking he if he was ok (maybe I should have smacked him?) and me not knowing what damage we may have suffered.

Easier to write from your armchair at home Mark with your beer from the safety of you own fridge as you have said before than sitting on the road after rolling off your moto into the dirt due to someone else.

What will the car driver do next time, **** knows ... probably the same uneducated shit but he may also think "well last time it cost me a headlight"

I will survive my way which is treating everyone here like they wonna run us over which is a shameful way to have to travel and try and enjoy.

I have to say I love the Peruvian people until they get a steering wheel in front then all logic is transferred to their arse and that takes a real shine off the place.

Been there enough, including right where you're at now and all the places you're riding. Been run off my line quite a bit, and off the road a few times as well. So what's your point? That I don't know, but you do? That's just silly. Best save it for the Lonely Planet forums.

My point is that at the rate you're going you might not make it home. Riding two up, you're also responsible for another life. You get to alter the probabilities….or not, as you choose. Getting pissed off at what people keep doing to you won't keep either of you safe, if that's a goal. Neither will tossing rocks at people who, from their perspective, are just doing what they normally do. They're not thinking "Oh my, I guess I'd better give that rider more room." They're thinking "I'm going to get even with this one for what the last one did to me."

Mark

My point is my point, your can say as you wish no problem there.

But what you are missing is being there or in this case here, 35 - 40 degrees, tired, and dealing with one after another after hitting another moto head on, if I was pissed that moto rider would had been thrown for a sixer.

I don't care what they think or say and you have no idea either what they think which could be either way.

I care about me, Maya and Ellen and if that means other methods so be it, the guy in the car simply would not do it if we were a truck end of story so driving like an arsehole gets the same respect from me and leaving us nowhere to go but gravel they better be prepared too.

" They're thinking "I'm going to get even with this one for what the last one did to me."

..... maybe this is my logic so I guess we are on an even playing field with the locals, thump or be thumped, I have found now riding in the left hand wheel track of the right hand lane (at least when we pan amed it) and owning our space helps a lot but there are still a few per example who are still superhuman ....nuh.

I will continue riding defensively which is why we are still alive and well as I always do and if a stone accidentally gets flicked up off our bike at the appropriate moment ....:thumbup1:

Wishing safe journeys for you both. I'll buy the first round somewhere down the road.

Mark

A rock could be considered mild. I meet a rider last month from the Netherlands that got cut off in heavy traffic while riding though Central America then reached over to tap the guys window to let him know his displeasure. Unexpectly, the entire window shattered leaving the driver shocked! Great story

I'm not weighing in on throwing rocks vs. not throwing rocks either way and I personally have been upset enough a few times to point my middle finger after being a victim of South American drivers. But if your driving through Texas and throw a rock at someone, your probably going to die from the
gunfire that's coming back your way.

Are you coming back down Mark?, when and where if so?

I haven't dropped any rock priors but after the head on and the other BS we encountered ... yeah.

Love the story of the window, I did thump a mirror which just clicked back to its flat position after a guy deliberately knocked us on the case tooting his horn etc at red lights (nowhere to go and on a red :thumbdown:) and I pointed at him holding a glare .... the look on his face was outstanding.

From there on he stayed back a good couple of meters all the way, sometimes you have to let them know it is not cool to be pushed and knocked.

yes, I was kidding about the insurance, that thing that is needed in Peru but next to impossible to get ;-)

And I suppose I was a bit harsh, bit I hate it when people moan blindly on and expect every one to agree with them (ala Facebook with its "likes" etc). I prefer to get on with stuff and laugh about it later.

Maybe my wife and I had different experiences to others, but the traffic you describe sounds more like Colombia to me. Traffic is traffic in any country, and they are all out to get you any way :-)

The truck drivers behaviour sounds strange, but maybe he really thinks that he was playing a game ? Or, maybe some bikers have pissed him off at some time and he now treats them all the same ?

And the car, he did flash his lights to warn you :-)

Heya Bruce, Colombia was a walk in the park and pleasant, here is a whole different ball game.

The incidents of accidents etc is way more for all bikers than we have experienced and on the 71000 km on this trip thus far these are the worst x 10

Yes drivers all over the world need moto awareness education but it is way worse here than anywhere else (including China) that we have experienced (again what we have experienced).

Re the flashed lights, the car did flash, but many many others flash then pull out once we have gone passed, no prob there.

If he had waited a 2 -3 seconds at the most he would have had the entire road behind us in our mirrors totally empty and too himself thus no need to railroad us off into the sand.

Yeah the trucky was unexpected and he thought it was fun but he is playing with our lives which I don't see the funny side of, I have my HT license and have driven many different big units and well understand what truckies need to do, we have given way plenty of times when we have come around the corner to find two coming head on and to be fair the trucky started his maneuver before we were their, again no prob there.

The unfortunate part is we have seen first hand carnage (note Tobius) and us with the moto head on plus many more needless events, just too many to make civilized sense at least to me

Interesting, that YOU know what MY intentions were with this thread.Nuff said
about this!
Safe travels to everyone. I do NOT want to scare anyone. It is upon you if you take my advise or refuse it. It is also more dangerous to jump off a cliff if there is no water underneath than if there is plenty of it, but still it can be very dangerous. If you do not know how deep the water is, it might be nice if someone else tells you...