There's a practical reason why bikes should be allowed to share lanes: many bikes are air-cooled and need to keep moving, lest they overheat! Personally, I don't like doing it unless traffic is completely stopped, and even then...

Glad to know that CA is the only state 'cause I live in Missouri now & didn't know if it was legal here. I have also experienced the crazies when I was living in So. CA. I once had a nut-job pass me like I was standing still -- but I was doing 70! I just say a little prayer ... that their compound fracture doesn't scratch my paint!

I just returned from a business trip to Seattle. I had one free day to kill, so I rented a bike. Check out "Mountain to Sound Motorcycle Adventures":
www.mtsma.com/index.htm

It was a bit expensive, but well worth it. They even have a Tourer, which I rented. (I thought about trying a different bike, but downtown Seattle is very hilly, lots of traffic lights, etc... I thought it best to go with a familiar bike.) One thing: they are located about 25 miles from downtown and wanted to charge me $40 (each way!) to pick me up from my hotel. I found an internet special at Enterprise rent-a-car for $9.99 per day!! How can you beat that??!! They even had a downtown office within walking distance from my hotel.

Seattle is motorcycle heaven! The weather was PERFECT: low 70's, no clouds, gentle breeze!! I took 3 different ferries to a couple of islands & the pennisula. What a blast! The ferries were about 4 to 6 bucks and they have a separate line for the motorcycles; they let us in right after the pedestrians & bicycles -- ahead of all the cars! I could spend a whole week there...

One more thing... (I'm planning to ask this question on a different thread after I check some of the archives, but I thought I'd ask y'all too, in case someone cares to reply.) The Tourer that I rented ran smoother & seemed to have better acceleration than mine. Maybe I just need a tune-up, but I was wondering what other folks have done to improve their horsepower/acceleration. I'm considering getting a jet kit and after-market pipes installed, but didn't know if it would be worth the expense (~$600-$800). What have other folks done to increase the number of ponys?

Take care all, and have fun ElderJay!

G.W. Buffalo