What is it with drivers who harrass L-plate riders?

[PrincessBandit]

An overtaking incident this afternoon while riding my "old" bike (GN250, complete with L plate for my hubby and son) made me wonder if the rude driver who forced me to abandon my overtaking manouvre (as he obviously felt his car took precedence) would have done that if I'd been on my Bandit. Brought back icky memories of my L days when some ignorant drivers decided that the yellow square with the black letter turned you into some sort of prat magnet. My appreciation to all those considerate drivers out there who realise that everyone has to start somewhere and treat others with respect. Hey, if riders and drivers all treat each other with courtesy maybe there will be fewer tragedies on our roads.

[fredie]

very well said . good one:rockon:

[terbang]

Some quirky and rather sad part of human nature I suspect. Pick on the newbies... I never really took much notice of it until I saw a mate of mine (Blairos, when on his L plate) getting severely harassed by some dick in a VW. It was just plain hideous to watch.

[Patch]

Thats why I never used one. and don't promote its usage.

I don't know what it is, but it seems to be an invite to tailgate the vehicle that is displaying the L.


Don't do anything stupid, and who would know who is an L and who is not.

[madandy]

loose the L for sure!

[scootnz]

I get a similar attitude on my vespa. I have a full licence so no L plate, but get people tailgating, moving their cars over as if they want to pass, etc etc. The attitude seems to be 'you don't belong on the road, you're dirt, get out of my way'. An L plate on a motorcycle has a similar effect on certain drivers (a minority in my experience - plenty of courteous drivers out there).

[bobsmith]

If you want the problem solved, ride more aggressively seems to work. Even when I'm on my fiancee's 150cc scooter no one seems to tailgate or try to pass me, nor do they retaliate when I'm passing them. Just make sure that you're prepared for people that haven't seen you though. Because this tactic works half because people haven't had the time to register that "oh a small scooter/bike let's hassle them" before I've passed them and I'm already out of their sight...

p.s. not that I'm promoting aggressive riding or anything.....:whistle:

[deanohit]

Me, I ditched the L plate with in a week, I would rather take my chances with the police pulling me over than have that plate on. It's not only on the bike though, people used to do all sorts of stupid shit when I had the L plate in my car for my brother. Had to make sure I took the L plate off the window before I drove anywhere, it's like a target saying 'wind me up, I'm a learner!'
I'm only on a bike learners for another month or so anyway.

[Winter]

I always inrease my following distance when in the cage with an L plate cage infront.

Most L plate bikes split past anyway ;)

I didn't put an L plate on untill I got to the carpark before my test.

[Hitcher]

Mrs H and I quickly "lost" our L-plates when we were learners, totally due to the complete and utter lack of respect shown by cage drivers with extremely small penises.

[sunhuntin]

ive been off my l plate for about 3 weeks, after gaining them in early 2005. in the last 3 weeks, ive been tail gated more times than in almost 3 years. my riding style hasnt changed any, my bike hasnt changed. the only thing that is different is the lack of l and a different colored license.

these gators have been from all over the country and both in 50 and 100k zones. cant explain it, but sometimes i wish to god i still had that crappy bit of plastic.

[Katman]

An overtaking incident this afternoon while riding my "old" bike (GN250, complete with L plate for my hubby and son) made me wonder if the rude driver who forced me to abandon my overtaking manouvre (as he obviously felt his car took precedence) would have done that if I'd been on my Bandit. Brought back icky memories of my L days when some ignorant drivers decided that the yellow square with the black letter turned you into some sort of prat magnet. My appreciation to all those considerate drivers out there who realise that everyone has to start somewhere and treat others with respect. Hey, if riders and drivers all treat each other with courtesy maybe there will be fewer tragedies on our roads.

Sounds like a good reason to get out of South Auckland to me.:msn-wink:

[Tank]

I have never had a problem with the L plate - must be that Auckland drivers are simply more caring.:jerry:

[NotaGoth]

Went out for a bit minus an L plate, was left alone.... The day I put L plate back on I ended up with a nice red holden so far up my arse it wasn't funny...

I understand why people prefer not to display L plates...

I'm trying not to ditch mine though... *can't afford the fines*

[necrolyte]

I just leave the L off the bike, if i get pulled over it'll be "Gee sorry officer it must have fallen off" I need to get my A into G and sit my restricted, been elegible for quite some time now, just lazy and poor i guess

[toebug]

I have never been pulled up on my bike in 20 years!!! Touch wood. Had my learners for 15 years cause I never had a bike small enough for the licence.

Ditch the L-plate or ride faster or more agressively, at the end of the day "I" own the road!! Oh and I carry a rock in my pocket for those cages that REALLY fuck me off!

[Matt_TG]

I wore an L Plate on Baycity M/Cycles loaner 'get your licence on' bike when I went for my restricted. I spent an hour getting used to the raw power of the 170cc Kinetic Hyosung and most of that time had cars up my arse and was cut off numerous times. I was a nervous wreck when I went for the test lol.

[toebug]

I wore an L Plate on Baycity M/Cycles loaner 'get your licence on' bike when I went for my restricted. I spent an hour getting used to the raw power of the 170cc Kinetic Hyosung and most of that time had cars up my arse and was cut off numerous times. I was a nervous wreck when I went for the test lol.

LOL its got noting to do with the L-plate and everything to do with the Kinetic!

[breakaway]

LOL its got noting to do with the L-plate and everything to do with the Kinetic!

That must be it. I've never been tailgated, Rode a RG150 for 3 months with L-Plate and a CBR400RR after that. Well, I have, but I fight back by slowing to 30.

[Gummie]

saying its right but my friend got away with it by attaching said plate then snapping most of it off.
When pulled over it was oh sorry officer you can see it was there when i started out lol.
Plus cage drivers only notice what sticks out. (then they have to run it over).

[Badger8]

i'm still waving the yellow loser flag, and find some people in cages to be real prats.
there's a couple of breeds:
-The ones who seem to think i am a complete doorknob, and mustn't have any awareness of what's going on around me, nor be able to see them in their gigantic metal cages. They insist on doing completely retarded things like pushing up beside me when i am stopped in the right wheel track at lights and lightly revving as if to say "i'm here, make sure you see me", or suddenly stopping part way through a turn and waving me through, even though they have right of way and the guy behind them is screaming at them.
-the breed who seem to think i am a complete doorknob because i've got an L plate on, and therefore i dont belong on the road because i'll be going way too slow and causing accidents, so they feel it is their job to pass me with as little space between us as possible when i am already doing 55-60 in a 50k area, and then cutting me off as if they were trying to introduce me to a parked car, to then sit in front of me and go slower than they were behind me.

Piss off you douchebags, i know the road rules (probably better than you do), and i have common courtesy. Just because you drive a big gas guzzling cage doesn't mean you have more right to the road than i do. i can drive like an ass too, but i choose not to, perhaps a right you should exercise from time to time eh?

wow, that felt SO good :D maybe now i can fight the urge to stab you in the eye when i pull up next to you at the lights :Pokey:

[PrincessBandit]

reading your second breed of prats reminds me of exactly the same thing happening on my L plate - was already doing 55 in a 50 k zone and a car load of idiots screamed past me yelling abuse out the window then had to stop at a red light just further up the road with me cruising up beside them. Unfortunately I didn't dare look over at them in case they got out and beat the crap out of me. (Being small I went with "discretion being the better part of....") Thankfully they were turning and I got the green light before them. Turkeys.

[PrincessBandit]

oh yeah, i was on my GN250 then. Lovely bike, great to learn on.

[Blimp1]

I never put mine on and have been riding since perfectly fine.. for about 2 months anyway. When i drove the family cage which has L plates on for my younger brother people would be much more aggresive towards me and in 2 instances once i passed them they accelarated hard and overtook me almost instantly even though i had slowy caught up and passed them. My theory is that they feel embarassed in some way to be passed by a learner so need to prove themselves to... someone.

[Mikkel]

I've been adviced on several occassions to loose my L-plate but I find that a potential 25 demerits and $400 is not worth it.

Besides I have only had a few intimate tailgaters so far. And those were all before I bought my black leathers and my black helmet...

If they're following too closely slow down gently until the following distance suits the space they're giving you. And make sure you do it where there's either plenty of room to overtake - or obviously NO room at all. Or as someone else pointed out in another thread a while ago. Start moving about in the lane so they don't consider your position fixed. Eventually start practicing counter-steering swerving and they might back off a bit.

Oh, and an interesting tidbit - I've heard (and hopefully on of our on-site cops can confirm the correctness of this) that if you display an L-plate you're subject to learner license restrictions even if you got your full...

[Tortron]

I've been adviced on several occassions to loose my L-plate but I find that a potential 25 demerits and $400 is not worth it.



seemed more than worth it with a logging truck around 1 m away from me doing excess of 100:shit:

[mstriumph]

If you want the problem solved, ride more aggressively seems to work. ...........:whistle:

if you substituted the word 'assertively' for 'aggressively' then i'd agree with you

a good mate told me early on "ride as though you own the road" ........and that's prolly the most useful bit of 'protective gear' i've ever used :cool:

[gtr boy]

buy the L plate .........
attach said L plate..........
snap said L plate close to the mount were bolted..........
no L plate but it was there officer look.............:niceone:

[HungusMaximist]

buy the L plate .........
attach said L plate..........
snap said L plate close to the mount were bolted..........
no L plate but it was there officer look.............:niceone:

I started riding in Australia a little while back and took my L plate off after a 1 month or two as it kept flying off matter how hard I bolted it on. So I decided to ditch it and stop wasting money on L plates that fly off and always keep a spare one in my pack rack just in case a officer pulled me over. If you do you can always say "oh puck, not again" and whipp out a L plate.

[Mikkel]

One thing to bear in mind when riding is how you position yourself in the lane...

Today when I went to pick up my car from the paint and panel shop I had the dubious pleasure of sitting behind a fella on what must be described as a dirt bike that somehow had aquired a set of plates (e.g. no mirrors... clever eh?).

Anyway, this young fella ought to write a book on how now to ride during rush hour in Chch. Sitting to the far left of his lane - but sitting in the outer of three lanes on Moorhouse at 5 km/h below the speed limit with the road ahead of him clear. Swerving a bit from side to side - seemingly making conversation with the pickup driver in the next lane at ~50 km/h all while tempting me strongly to overtake him on the left! Only the fact I ride myself and was worried about his riding kept me from moving forth - because there certainly was space enough provided he kept his swerving to a minimum.
All the time while riding he was busy looking at the cars in the next lane and didn't keep focus on what he was doing. Very very bad riding.

Oh, had he had an L-plate I could kinda understand. But here he was, no L-plate while riding like that wearing sneakers and track pants. I would assume that he's used to riding a scooter or some such and has just gotten onto an actual motorcycle.

[bobsmith]

if you substituted the word 'assertively' for 'aggressively' then i'd agree with you

a good mate told me early on "ride as though you own the road" ........and that's prolly the most useful bit of 'protective gear' i've ever used :cool:

Oh come on... we all know we mean the same thing... I blame English being my second language......

[Mike748]

louder pipes help. I had a GPX250 that I hated riding in traffic because people either didn't see you or chose not to, it was real quiet, unless you were pushing it hard. Our other bike was an 87 GPZ250 with aftermarket pipes that made it sound sweet, good enough fool most into thinking it was a much bigger bike, this bike got noticed and got some respect.

[Badger8]

louder pipes help. I had a GPX250 that I hated riding in traffic because people either didn't see you or chose not to, it was real quiet, unless you were pushing it hard. Our other bike was an 87 GPZ250 with aftermarket pipes that made it sound sweet, good enough fool most into thinking it was a much bigger bike, this bike got noticed and got some respect.

That's a good point actually. The little ol GN barely makes a noise when straddled on her, i cant imagine how quiet it must be to the cagers.

[chester]

I passed my basic skills test today, cant make my mind up, should I put a L plate on or not? pay th price of gettin a ticket or pay the price of being harased by cages, whats worse?

[erix]

I passed my basic skills test today, cant make my mind up, should I put a L plate on or not? pay th price of gettin a ticket or pay the price of being harased by cages, whats worse?

Why not display? Your insurance wont cover you if you ride outside your liisence condition, and how can you know the L plate is the reason you being harased by some dickhead? and majority of the road user are still driving responsibly, L plate do reminds them give you extra attention and tolerence for your noobie mistake:baby:, and eveyone will be safer in that way.

just keep yourself away from these brainless boy racers.:spanking:

anyway, its your own call in the end. ride safe.

[Badger8]

I passed my basic skills test today, cant make my mind up, should I put a L plate on or not? pay th price of gettin a ticket or pay the price of being harased by cages, whats worse?

i'd recommend you throw one on. the benefits outweigh the possibility of eejits in cages messin with ya. i have a feeling most of that stuff will continue to happen once i ditch the L. plus it gets you a 'get out of jail free' on anything silly you may do while gettin the feel for your bike :) it may be a pain, but it's still the way to go while you're learnin

[mrchips]

I've never been so humiliated in all my 23 years of driving, I've been tailgated, cut-off at 80km, run off the road & to top if all off nearly taken out by a 4wd the other day.

Badger8 that 2nd breed are down this way too

Perhaps buying a black jacket, black Draggins & a black helmet to wear while riding a black GN250 is probably not the best decision I've made, I can see why some riders wear flouro vests.

Tailgaters really fuck me off but my 'L' plate is staying on, these halfbreeds can suck my arse !

I've decided to cut back on my riding untill i get through the 6R, get my full & re-evaluate weather i ditch the bike altogether or buy something with a bit of poke !

[Zuki Bandit]

Yeah, I think they get some sick pleasure about freakin the crap out of learners. Or maybe their just jealous they are on four wheels not two:Punk:

[Badger8]

yeah, the all black really wont help. a biker in all black is like a red rag to a bull. the cagers seem to think it's just another arrogant biker (which we are all so NOT) and decide they are doing the world a favour by running us off the road or something.
the best thing you can do is pull up next to them at the lights and abuse them (ONLY if you have the balls, AND you have a quick escape route if they decide to make something of it. Bikes are at a severe disadvantage in road rage), or if they have broken road rules / laws, calmly remember their plate, pull over and dial *555 (i THINK that's the number, dont quote me on it). if there's a cop in the area with nothing to do (as there often is), they will see if they can find the douche and have a go at them. i have had this work for me before when in my cage and an idiot ran me off the road without even seeing me, cop was waiting for him as he came back out of the dairy :) i'm not sure they can actually issue a ticket (as they didnt see it happen themselves), but at least the cager is made to realise you cant just ignore bikers and push them around.

And definitely stick with the biking mate :niceone: Once you get off the GN and on something with a bit more size and power, you will find cagers mess with you less, and you have the power to simply pull away from any nasty situations if needs be.

[kitsune]

Never used one never will, allways advice my mates to ditch it and just get the restricted as quick as possible, As for the twats in cages, my old gpx had trouble being seen/heard to a point. Best defence? stare the fuckers in the eyes if you can, be assertive, eye ball em in your rear view, and have a pocket full of sinkers/ball bearings , flick one over your shoulder. That dont work throw a handfull at 50kph + its usally enuf to ether chippaint or crack a windshield. Of course right after doing that give it heaps, open the bike up. Also should be noted i rarely followed the speed limit on my 250 and was riding daily, its about percetption, if your bike comes up and goes past nice n quick most cagers will not even bother. Now i have my zx the bike is definatly not being missed by cagers a qucik rev quickly makes em shit there pants and realise whats what. Be it 250 or 1000 tho your acceleration is easily more then 80% of cars on the road. THe other bit of advice is really know your bike its capacity for manuvering and top speed and other factors. Fluro gear? fine for some but i ride under the thoughts that nobody will ever see me and that everything with more then 2 wheels is out to kill me. - sound paranoid? damn straight it is, only way you can do it and expect to live in this country with the cunt-y drivers. And be even more careful in the wet most people dont have a clue how wet roads effect traction which makes it imperitive to know how your bike will handle in wet. Last bit of advice take up dirt bike riding - at least for a little while , learn how to take a fall etc. Keep it safe out there man.

[PrincessBandit]

the best thing you can do is pull up next to them at the lights and abuse them (ONLY if you have the balls, AND you have a quick escape route if they decide to make something of it.

Have done that while moving :yes:, generally not while stationary at lights (cue: chicken icon). My husband got tailgated the other night by a car full of young guys (made me glad it wasn't my son riding). I can only assume it was the big square with the L that got them going. He just ignored them (very boring, but sometimes a better/safer response) - all depends on the circumstances and what you are prepared to try getting away with.

[Swoop]

just keep yourself away from these brainless boy racers.
Veeeerrry difficult in "Unzud"...
Boi ricers are everywhere and come in all sizes and age groups.

yeah, the all black really wont help. a biker in all black is like a red rag to a bull.
Strange, I have never noticed that attitude...:whistle:
A nervous cager is an alert cager. Fear is a strong motivator...

[Tank]

Seriously - I think a lot of it is because you are new - not that you have an L-Plate. When I started out everything was scary - once I got some miles under my bely thinks that scared me no longer do.

Its not that you are being targeted becuse you have a "L" plate (I mean - did you do that to bikers before you started riding??)

Its more to do with perception. Put the "L" plate on and you will be fine. The points and fine are not worth the pain in the arse.

[Badger8]

The fact of being on a GN is a big part of it i reckon. small bike to spot, and a small sound too. unless a cage is stopped at the lights with the radio off and the window down and i rev it up by their window, they dont even hear me. once i get a bigger bike with a bigger set of lungs i reckon i'll have a lot less problems.

and your response should definitely be situation dependant. some silly old codger along in the their cage cuts you off like they didnt see you, chances are they probably didnt. give them a blast on the horn, and if you get the chance to pull up beside them at a stop and give them some stick, do it. will make them more aware of the bikes on the road, and that they almost took someone out.

get cut off by a carful of wankers who obviously saw you, they're probably just tryin to look big in front of their mates, best to just avoid them.

from what i've seen riding with others on bigger louder bikes, if the cagers are aware you're there, and you give the engine a good rev, they actually seem to back off a bit. unfortunately it'll be a while before i can get my big loud beauty, so for now i'm stuck in the reality of my current circumstances.

[Insanity_rules]

I ditched mine and am taking the risk. I was like an idiot magnet when I was using my L. One of my first posts describes how I was hounded by a car load of teenage twats (If I'd met one or two of them instead of a carload they would have been sorry). I can't enthatically condone others breaking the law but the ol yellow on the back REALLY brings out the worst in other road users.

[LilSel]

I didnt ride with my L plate on... I bought some on the way to my restricted test... I knew the consequences for not displaying them... IF I had have been pulled up & fined... It would've been my own fault.
In saying that, I dont ride like an egg... so didnt have to worry about being pulled over :)

[PrincessBandit]

I didnt ride with my L plate on... I bought some on the way to my restricted test... I knew the consequences for not displaying them... IF I had have been pulled up & fined... It would've been my own fault.
In saying that, I dont ride like an egg... so didnt have to worry about being pulled over :)

Great to hear that you don't ride like an egg. Neither do I, but got caught in a stream of traffic out at Pukekohe (on my trusty GN complete with L) into a police reg and wof checkpoint. While that might not necessarily mean a licence check, there is always the chance that you get nabbed regardless of not doing anything to draw attention to yourself. At least you own up and admit that it would have been your own fault. :niceone:

[LilSel]

Great to hear that you don't ride like an egg. Neither do I, but got caught in a stream of traffic out at Pukekohe (on my trusty GN complete with L) into a police reg and wof checkpoint. While that might not necessarily mean a licence check, there is always the chance that you get nabbed regardless of not doing anything to draw attention to yourself. At least you own up and admit that it would have been your own fault. :niceone:

Of course... Everything you do has a consequence... you go to work... you get paid, if you dont go to work... you dont get paid... if you break a rule... be prepared for what happens when you get caught... :)

Kinda like my reasoning on pokie machines... if you cant afford to lose $20... then dont put it in..!! :niceone:

I didnt really think about checkpoints tho... *ponders*... I have yet to be pulled over on my bike for anything but your right... dont have to be doing anything wrong if you get nabbed at a checkpoint huh!!....

no nabbing for me now hehe... only 3 months to go till full :D

[Tank]

no nabbing for me now hehe... only 3 months to go till full :D

Didnt EJ get nabbed like 1 day before his full ?????:rolleyes:

[LilSel]

Didnt EJ get nabbed like 1 day before his full ?????:rolleyes:

nabbed for what? lol... Im not on learners so dont need an L plate... :Pokey:

I been dreaming bikes every night!!... its getting disturbing!! :blink: