Riding in the middle of the road

[mcsilvio]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie biker (Suzuki GN250). When there is traffic I wait behind a car, just as if I were in a car. But almost always I see people pass all of the traffic by driving in between lanes, or in the middle of the road.

I am happy to do this too. But I wouldn't ever do it if it was considered rude (by any kind of driver). So I wanted to ask you guys: are these people rogues? Or is it considered kosher in NZ to do this? (oops, shoulda mentioned im from Canadia).

Cheers,.
Marco.

[Katman]

It's an acceptable practice as long as it's done safely and with due consideration for other road users.

Be aware that there are certain rules governing it's legality.

[bogan]

the proper term is 'splitting' give that a search and you'll get all the answers you need, and then some

[CookMySock]

I wouldn't ever do it if it was considered rude (by any kind of driver).Many car drivers get particularly irate at motorcyclists splitting. It's very funny.


are these people rogues?Oh yes. Most NZ motorcyclists are rogues. It's fun! You should try it. People will shake their fist at you but you just show them the chinese good luck sign and carry on.


Steve

[Katman]

If you stick around you'll quickly learn that DB is the site fucking clown.

[peasea]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie biker (Suzuki GN250). When there is traffic I wait behind a car, just as if I were in a car. But almost always I see people pass all of the traffic by driving in between lanes, or in the middle of the road.

I am happy to do this too. But I wouldn't ever do it if it was considered rude (by any kind of driver). So I wanted to ask you guys: are these people rogues? Or is it considered kosher in NZ to do this? (oops, shoulda mentioned im from Canadia).

Cheers,.
Marco.

Being careful and considerate never did anyone any harm (I don't think) but be extremely careful and treat every car driver as a murdering thug with a weapon as leathal as a shotgun.

Ride safe and live long.

[peasea]

If you stick around you'll quickly learn that DB is the site fucking clown.

I think you missed out the 'h' again. (Fuckin' honkys.)

Just after the the 's' in 'site'.

[crystalball]

When im driving my cage i allways drive so that a motorcycle can over take me easy and im allways checking my side mirror for bikes on the motorway in traffic so they can split easier, this is because im a bike rider. people who dont ride bikes dont think about bikes on the road so remember splitting can be fun and faster but remember cars dont think about you.

[Swoop]

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[sinfull]

Many car drivers get particularly irate at motorcyclists splitting. It's very funny.

Oh yes. Most NZ motorcyclists are rogues. It's fun! You should try it. People will shake their fist at you but you just show them the chinese good luck sign and carry on.


Steve"Wow, Great advise there DB."

[nodrog]

its only rude if you dont wave.

[kinger]

I can understand your questioning this, we rode across Canada a while ago, ignorant of the illegality of splitting over there.
Cop pulled us up, but saw UK plates and backed off from ticketing.
Basically, do it, look at everything in front of you , and assume all the drivers are trying to kill you. Those that make way for you or leave extra room, give them some indication of your gratitude, but keep both hands on the bars and look out!
We used to split round the M25 in UK at past legal motorway speeds, it all depends on your interaction with the other road users.

[slofox]

I find it's fine in d'Auckland but I advise against it in The Tron - they get real shitty here...mind you, you only have to split about three cars to get to the front of the line anyway, so no big deal really...

[Banditbandit]

The only issue is when bikes come the other way .. several years ago five or six of us were sitting on the white line at around 120 klicks between Hamilton and Auckland (old road style - one lane each way) when about five or six bikes came the other way doing the same thing ... saw them coming ... both groups faded back into the traffic ... no incidents ...

[one fast tl1ooo]

I would not try it on a gn250. :lol: Unless it is in a 50k zone. :rofl:

[Ronin]

Many car drivers get particularly irate at motorcyclists splitting. It's very funny.

Oh yes. Most NZ motorcyclists are rogues. It's fun! You should try it. People will shake their fist at you but you just show them the chinese good luck sign and carry on.


Steve

Oh my god Fanny... You just get worse don't you.

[mikemike104]

I find it's fine in d'Auckland but I advise against it in The Tron - they get real shitty here...mind you, you only have to split about three cars to get to the front of the line anyway, so no big deal really...

I'm in Hamilton and commute to work and back daily, I'v only been riding since March and even I have noticed when I'm splitting it seems everyone hates me (and I try be nice and not get in peoples way too much).

Is it just a Hamilton thing?

[slofox]

I'm in Hamilton and commute to work and back daily, I'v only been riding since March and even I have noticed when I'm splitting it seems everyone hates me (and I try be nice and not get in peoples way too much).

Is it just a Hamilton thing?

Yeah - they're just a bunch of snotty bastards here...

[CookMySock]

The only issue is when bikes come the other way .. several years ago five or six of us were sitting on the white line at around 120 klicks between Hamilton and Auckland (old road style - one lane each way) when about five or six bikes came the other way doing the same thing ... saw them coming ... both groups faded back into the traffic ... no incidents ...I was humming along up the white line on a straight bit of road, as ya do, and going the other way hidden nicely behind a large van was a cruiser quite close to the centreline, leaned harrrd over to the left. :blink:

It took me a few minutes to figure it out, but suffice to say, I am now fucking careful about what might be coming the other way that I can't see, and even more careful about entering the centre 'lane' without checking it very carefully beforehand.

Steve

[Latte]

how I see it :D

Filtering: moving to the front of a queue of traffic waiting at the lights : pretty safe, need to have your wits about you on the take off (red light runners, aggro car drivers).

Splittiing: going between "lanes" of traffic on the motorway (or similar multi-lane road) : need to be alert, watching for cars jumping between lanes, and people "squeezing" the gaps coz their jealous.

??????: travelling down a 2-way road on the centreline with traffic in both directions: no need to be alert, will just make you more aware you're about to die.



Seriously....... leaving yourself absolutely no escape route is O for orsum.

[Banditbandit]

how I see it :D



??????: travelling down a 2-way road on the centreline with traffic in both directions: no need to be alert, will just make you more aware you're about to die.



Seriously....... leaving yourself absolutely no escape route is O for orsum.

Hey ... I never expected to live to be this old ...

[avgas]

Don't lane split. If you have to lane split all that tells the world is that leathers grip your g-string too tight.

[Azi Dahaka]

I would not try it on a gn250. :lol: Unless it is in a 50k zone. :rofl:

hey i use to do it on a gn250 on the wellington motorway it is eaiser because it is smaller than my vl800 bloody thing is to fat to split eaisly but still more than possible.

i like wellington drivers they are all pritty good at getting out of the way of bikers

[rastuscat]

I'm in Hamilton and commute to work and back daily, I'v only been riding since March and even I have noticed when I'm splitting it seems everyone hates me

Just my tupennies worth.

On rainy days car drivers have advantages over motorcyclists. They have heaters, windows and wipers. Do motorcyclists get dirty at car drivers? No, we just ride and think nothing of it. Its a car advantage that costs us nothing.

On the other hand, splitting is a bike advantage that seems to wind car drivers up. Like, they are sitting at the lights, and some legally filters to the front. You can see the car drivers nasty thoughts floating around their air conditioned safety cage. Have they been disadvantaged? No. It's just that the bike rider has gained an advantage from their choice of vehicle. Not to the car drivers detriment, but it's perceived as so.

Or maybe I'm just thinking too much. Maybe people in general have just fallen for the gubbermint credo that bikers are bad.

So there.

[Cayman911]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/21150-Lane-splitting-filtering-the-legal-and-commonsense-answers

It'd probably pay to read that. its got a lot of good stuff in it. was sure helpful to me.

and to date only one person was worked up about me getting in front of him. was a lil punk in a civic thinking hes cool. and i told him to shove it.

[Azi Dahaka]

Just my tupennies worth.

On rainy days car drivers have advantages over motorcyclists. They have heaters, windows and wipers. Do motorcyclists get dirty at car drivers? No, we just ride and think nothing of it. Its a car advantage that costs us nothing.

On the other hand, splitting is a bike advantage that seems to wind car drivers up. Like, they are sitting at the lights, and some legally filters to the front. You can see the car drivers nasty thoughts floating around their air conditioned safety cage. Have they been disadvantaged? No. It's just that the bike rider has gained an advantage from their choice of vehicle. Not to the car drivers detriment, but it's perceived as so.

Or maybe I'm just thinking too much. Maybe people in general have just fallen for the gubbermint credo that bikers are bad.

So there.

on that note i always say if the nob in the car COULD get to the front of the lane he/she WOULD do it. the only reason he/she gets pissed off is thet he/she cannot. i have seen many time where there has been a gap just big enough for a car to go though they cannot get there fast enough.

[SMOKEU]

Be aware of those cats' eye thingies found on some roads; they can give you a bit of a fright when riding over them at high(ish) speeds.

[FJRider]

If you stick around you'll quickly learn that DB is the site fucking clown.

Just a pity his face isn't painted on ... :facepalm:

[cheshirecat]

I can understand your questioning this, we rode across Canada a while ago, ignorant of the illegality of splitting over there.
Cop pulled us up, but saw UK plates and backed off from ticketing.
Basically, do it, look at everything in front of you , and assume all the drivers are trying to kill you. Those that make way for you or leave extra room, give them some indication of your gratitude, but keep both hands on the bars and look out!
We used to split round the M25 in UK at past legal motorway speeds, it all depends on your interaction with the other road users.
M25 - that means your speed difference must have been oh er 70mph plus

Here - how come my reply has popped up in two threads?

[Brian d marge]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie biker (Suzuki GN250). When there is traffic I wait behind a car, just as if I were in a car. But almost always I see people pass all of the traffic by driving in between lanes, or in the middle of the road.

I am happy to do this too. But I wouldn't ever do it if it was considered rude (by any kind of driver). So I wanted to ask you guys: are these people rogues? Or is it considered kosher in NZ to do this? (oops, shoulda mentioned im from Canadia).

Cheers,.
Marco.

Couple of things Marco
if you are asking the question I can assume you haven't been on a bike for long , Wait a wee while before splitting , get you confidence and skills a little better

Secondly NEVER wait BEHIND a car just off to one side is better ( or at least have an escape route ) I like to see the driver in their side mirror

if nutter behind fogets to stop , OR indeed YOU foget to stop you wont go up the arse of the car in front ... you just go up the road a bit further and live to fight another day


Stephen

[kinger]

M25 - that means your speed difference must have been oh er 70mph plus
Not quite, lane splitting I talk about is with traffic moving, filtering is through a stationary queue.
(These are my definitions, so if yours differ, feel free to keep it to yourself)

[PrincessBandit]

A GN250 is a great bike to filter on - lightweight, low to the ground, narrow profile...
I used to lane spilt on mine as well but generally only at low speed; my splitting on the bandit is usually only at low speed as well. By the time I get to my destination after a trip almost entirely consisting of lane splitting it takes me a while to mentally get ready for lectures as the concentration doing it in Auckland motorway traffic is pretty draining. By the time your eyes complete both mirrors looking for other bikes coming up behind you and checking how the gap ahead of you is altering then modifying your line to accommodate car mirrors which suddenly are closer together than they were a few seconds ago... Um, yes, it's not for those who suffer from poor concentration (but then you prolly won't last long on a motorbike if you have that problem anyway!)

[Fatt Max]

My UK drivers license allowed me to drive a car down the middle of the road. It did, honest.

I got stopped by the cops for doing that once and told them I was allowed. D'ya know what, they didnt believe me until I produced my license and showed them.

Printed clearly on the document was the words 'Tear Along The Dotted Line'.

Still got nicked though......and fined......bastards....

[cheshirecat]

Not quite, lane splitting I talk about is with traffic moving, filtering is through a stationary queue.
(These are my definitions, so if yours differ, feel free to keep it to yourself)
The intent of the jape was the traffic flow of that marvelous M25, so maybe I should have plastered the post with smillies.
You are talking to an ex London despatch rider here and there was no intent to judge to anyone elses filtering/lane splitting or what ever anyone wants or call it. Having said that it's tempting to write up some top ten tips. There are some other ex Lon DR's who've lived to tell the tale so it would be interesting to compare notes

[kinger]

Sorry CC, too used to a few peeps on here being far too literal/critical....:facepalm:

[rastuscat]

Just a thought, although a bit off topic.

Don't ride in the middle of the road. In fact, don't maintain any constant line, move laterally within your lane while riding forward.

This makes you more visible to the sod in the sidestreet up ahead of you, looking in your direction but not seeing you. By "weaving" (gradually, not frantically) you are adding x-motion to the y-motion relative to the non-seeing eejit who is about to pull out in front of you. You are giving him/her less chance of pulling out in front of you.

Food for thought.

Speaking of food, back to my donuts.

[cheshirecat]

Sorry CC, too used to a few peeps on here being far too literal/critical....:facepalm:
Done it myself - oh the joy of the web!