Moral Dilemma

[WRT]

Had a bit of a moral dilemma on the way home tonight. Traffic on the southern was diabolical, so I did what bikers do and filtered through lanes of parked cars. Just after the Market Rd offramp, I found the cause of the delays - there had been a prang and the vehicles involved were parked up on the left hand shoulder. As it happens, one of the vehicles was a GSXR1100.

Normally, my first instinct when I see a bike on the side of the road is to stop and enquire as to whether I can be of assistance. Today however, a second thought entered my head. All these cage drivers that I have just filtered past will probably see me there and assume that I am somehow involved in the accident.

Should I stop and help out a fellow biker (at this point I can see a guy standing near the bike wearing a Suzuki collared shirt, so I can assume the guy isnt mortally wounded)? Or do I keep going so that I dont give bikers a bad rep when everyone thinks that my lanesplitting has been the cause of an accident?

Help one or help the whole? As it happens, I did stop, and the guy was fine. The lady in front had slammed on the picks after the guy in front of her did the same, and the bike hadnt been able to stop in time. He glanced off the side of her bumper and over he went. His knee was a little banged up, and his bike was a lot banged up (plus some scrapes on the cars bumper) but otherwise everyone was fine. I hung around while he called up a mate to come and get him, and then I said my farewells and trundled off.

Did I do the right thing? My conscience says I did, even though an educated guess told me that the guy was ok even before I stopped. Or should I have kept going so that the rest of us didnt get the bad name? Or should I hope that everyone who saw me parked up next to them with an undamaged bike would assume that I was only stopping to help, and maybe even earn the biking community a good name in the process?

Who knows, perhaps they might even assume that the reason I was lanesplitting was to get there and help a mate out. Hopefully in helping out the one, I have not done a disservice to the whole.

[Keystone19]

Being only recently a convert to biking, as a cager, if I saw you do that I'd foolishly assume you were going to help your mate and not give it a second thought.

You did the right thing.

[Nicksta]

I agree with Keystone, I dont mind bikes lane splitting when i'm in a cage... I think bikes help ease traffic, more people should ride....
I think you did the right thing, anyway you look at it, i like the way bikers help each other, even complete strangers... much could be said for cage drivers... ever see one stop for another broken down???

[kro]

I can't see any issue here, you did the civic thing, and stopped, personally, I wouldn't pay the car drivers any heed, their opinion matters not.

You hear me, MATTERS NOT !!!! (says me who is commuting in a skyline)

[RantyDave]

Did I do the right thing?
Yes.

Dave

[stify]

no need to get a complex, it's only a gixxxxer...............






and i tend to stop an see if a biker needs a hand

[WRT]

LOL at Kro . . .

Yeah, gotta agree with Nicksta, wouldnt it be nice? Funnily enough, I came up behind a guy broken down in a ute by green lane roundabout on the weekend while I was in the scooby-do, so hazard lights on, out the door (leaving instructions with my passenger to take the wheel if needs be) and gave him a hand to push it off the road. Think anyone would let us across their lane? Not a hope in hell - what do they care? By that time they are past the hold up and some sucker behind them can deal with it. In the end we just charged across anyway, but then I had the same problem in the opposite direction trying to get back to my car.

Wankers, the lot of them.

[terbang]

Should I stop and help out a fellow biker.

Yup you did the right thing..

[Charlie]

Another vote for 'yes- you did the right thing'.
I too dont mind bikes landsplitting (safely) while I'm crawling (or worse, sitting still) in the cage. And those that do, are just pissed that your getting where you wanna go quicker. Its one of the advantages of riding a bike - if they're that uppity about it, they too could join you. What if all bikers qued too? That would make the wait twice as long.

Also big thumbs up to the 'biker code'. I love that bikers are so helpful to one another; 9/10 times to strangers. Even the cherry wave or "chur" (helmet tilt) warms ya wee heart.

[Oakie]

You did the RIGHT thing. What the others think is unimportant if you've gone to offer assistance.

[Big Dave]

Here's the patent Big Dave answer to every moral motorcycling dilemma.

'Fuck 'em and feed 'em catfish.'

who cares what car drivers think. If they don't like it - they should buy a motorcycle.

[thealmightytaco]

Did good, it's done now, screw 'em all.

[Drum]

If only all moral dilemmas were so lacking in consequence!

You did the right thing.

[Leong]

Sure you did the right thing.... was in that traffic myself in the cage (wishing I was on the bike) and saw lots of cages pulling out of the way of lanesplitting bikes!!

[crazyxr250rider]

Meh.. Don't sweat it mate....

[Colapop]

If it was you and nobody stopped how would you feel? Even if he was ok, I'd say he appreciated a supportive word or two.

No guilt about being a good person

[ZeroIndex]

my first thought, if i saw a bike going past cages (lane splitting/filtering) to an accident, it would be easily arguable that you were rushing to get to a fellow bikers assistance... even if you were just on your way home etc?

[SwanTiger]

I think you did the right thing, anyway you look at it, i like the way bikers help each other, even complete strangers... much could be said for cage drivers... ever see one stop for another broken down???

Yep, definitely did the right thing, its like when you stopped when you saw myself on the side of the road. Its just common sense, someone looks like they need help, so help them!

Say for instance, if you're walking down a footpath and a person collapses in front of you, do you just walk past? No, most people would stop and ask if they were alright. For some reason that logic hasn't carried over into vehicles.

Whenever I see a cage or a bike pulled over on the open road I will always stop or make a judgement on whether they need help. Simple belief in the fact, do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

[SwanTiger]

A bitch on lane splitting...

After picking up my bike today from the shop I was riding back, and through the roadworks just before the northcote offramp the traffic was backed up all the way to wairau. So I start lane splitting and some people move over, some go along, those who move I give the thumbs up or toot at, all good. Then I come across some arsehole who decided to move right over to the left blocking the gap between the lanes.

Some people ...

[Korumba]

Quote (at this point I can see a guy standing near the bike wearing a Suzuki collared shirt, so I can assume the guy isnt mortally wounded)


So If I wear one of these. I assume it’s like a superman suit and I won’t get mortally wounded???..Are they expensive?? And im out on a limb ( scuse the pun) here but a Kawasaki collared shirt would just about make you Immortal!

[kiwifruit]

dont give it another thought, you did the right thing, for sure!
As was said b4, who cares what the car drivers thought/might have thought

[sunhuntin]

right thing....if you hadnt stopped, imagine he came on here and posted about the bike who didnt stop....

[WRT]

Well there were at least two bikes that didnt. And while I was lanesplitting there were quite a few cars that moved over for me, and they all got a wave on the way past to say thanks.

I'm not overly worried about what the cage drivers think, but I do try not to do anything that puts bikers in a bad light, we have enough of a bad rap as it is. At the end of the day, I'd be feeling bad if I hadnt stopped, so what can you do? Cant please all the people all of the time - and as Qkchk's sig says, sometimes its just not your day.

[SwanTiger]

Well there were at least two bikes that didnt. And while I was lanesplitting there were quite a few cars that moved over for me, and they all got a wave on the way past to say thanks.

I'm not overly worried about what the cage drivers think, but I do try not to do anything that puts bikers in a bad light, we have enough of a bad rap as it is. At the end of the day, I'd be feeling bad if I hadnt stopped, so what can you do? Cant please all the people all of the time - and as Qkchk's sig says, sometimes its just not your day.

There are always going to be idiots on bikes giving everyone else who enjoys them a bad name. All you can do is know that you've done your part as a rider, not just some hooligan.

[ManDownUnder]

You have the problem I'm shaking off... over analysing things.

Help out where you need to - who cares what others think (or think of you)

[MSTRS]

Don't stop. Don't help. You only get involved. And then you get sued for something.
Oh, that's right. This is NZ not USA.
Stop. Offer assistance. That's the Kiwi way.
You did good, but what is important is - why did you need to ask us??

[bugjuice]

fuck what anyone else thinks. It's one for all and all for one in the bike world as far as I'm concerned. I stop where I can safely, and I'd stop for anyone. I'd hope that in time of need, fellow bikers would do the same for me.
fuck what cagers think, they don't know maaaan!!!

[WRT]

Curious, most bikers say you should stop and help out, yet we also see a lot of threads on here on how someone broke down and no one stopped. Does this mean that stopping for other bikes is only a KB thing? Definately its gone from the car world.

Just as an aside, you guys should make sure your not on the road at the same time as me. On Saturday I stopped for a lady who's car had dropped dead on Gt Sth Road, she was parked in the middle of the two lanes and couldnt even get the dash lights up. Another guy had hopped off a bus to come back and help her out, but he didnt really know what was happening either. Fortunately I knew how to work the override to get it out of park and into neutral so at least we were able to push it off the road for her. While doing this, there were plenty of people who drove around us without offering assistance. With this incident, my total number of times I've stopped to help other road users in the week from last sunday up to four.

Anyway, funny that people in cars wouldnt stop for her, but someone on a passing bus would take the time out to get off at the next stop and walk back to help her out.

And I dont really care what the car drivers think, I'm always going to do what my conscience tells me is right. Just thought it was interesting that in helping out one biker I might be tarnishing the rep of all bikers so figured I would share the thought process with you lot.

[MSTRS]

Anyway, funny that people in cars wouldnt stop for her, but someone on a passing bus would take the time out to get off at the next stop and walk back to help her out.

Case of 'You are who you are' regardless of your wheels??
And (again) good on you for stopping

[WRT]

LOL - well, I didnt think I had a chance with the last one, she was covering both lanes! However, its amazing what gaps people will squeeze their cars thru to avoid helping out. Plus I figured it was a good idea to keep my car parked back a bit with the hazards on to warn everyone, as hers werent working.

And i think you might be right about "you are who you are". Shame we are surrounded by people who only think of number one.

[Badcat]

i always stop - sometimes can't help and that's cool. sometimes i've been able to go get help, wait by a bike or use my cellphone (not EVERYONE has one)
the few times i've been stranded, bikers have always stopped and we've sorted it. Keep stopping, it reminds us all why we ride IMHO

k

[Wolf]

Or do I keep going so that I dont give bikers a bad rep when everyone thinks that my lanesplitting has been the cause of an accident?
Who cares what they think. Intelligent people will twig that you've stopped to assist, who cares if a few dumb-arses think differently.

Remember, the answer to the question "What will others think?" is they are usually thinking "what will others think?" - they're most likely too self-absorbed to care that you stopped to help out unless they are helpful sorts themselves who'll go "I was going to stop and help, but I see someone else already has..."

Good on ya for stopping.

[buellbabe]

I don't get why you care so much what the cagers would think?:scratch:
But anyways... OF COURSE you did the right thing even if yr assistance wasn't required...:clap: