Why bikers speed ahead

[hang0ver]

I speed ahead cause I wanna get where I'm going faster, or I wanna get a buzz. I'm talking motorways/open road here.

Other days I'm happy to cruise at 90 and chillax caus I got nowhere to be in a hurry and I'm just in that kind of mood.

[AllanB]

What? Lost me there.

Why do motorcyclists tend to travel faster than cars ........

I think you'll find that somewhere inside, part of the whole bike thing is speed, acceleration and the rush it brings.

As to how one applies that speed and acceleration on a public road is an entirely different matter.

[george formby]

I absolutely agree with controlling the space around you. I maintain the speed limit as a rule but if I'm coming up to a series of corners & I know the campervan, hi-lux or holden myopia in front is going to become a hazard for me then I will pass if safe to do so & enjoy it.
Another thing to consider is how we ride bikes. They are fast, agile & offer no distractions in the way of heat, music, phones or pies. When Herr Bangerman tried to impose a blanket horsepower restriction on the EU a while back, Maggie Thatcher wanted proof. Her scientists found that riders of large capacity motorcycles have the highest levels of observation & concentration on the road. Bar none! She veto'd him, yeah.
I reckon we think quicker & are way ahead of a car driver in our planning. This allows us to travel at a higher average speed because we are looking & thinking further ahead.

[BikerDazz]

TT is either too smart or thinks too much.
I'm back into riding after many years and ah, I just use my common sense.
I do agree with R-Sole's point about telegraphing your movements ,but again jsut common sense I would have thought.

Whatever, I just love riding.

[R-Soul]

Naked-arse, I don't agree with this very much at all, each to their own but not what I do.

And that 'Slightly offtopic' bit - how does the car driver you are rocketing up behind know you're only doing so for YOUR 'safety' reasons as mentioned ?

As opposed to thinking you're a squid on seeing you swerving in after passing the car and thinking you're about to veer out and pass them and think they'll be helpfull by braking hard to make it easier for you to pass them and (in their eyes) to save you having to cut in when passing THEM??

(as they saw you do in their mirror- assuming they use the thing)

Geez I didn't say put your front wheel on the front car's boot did I? I said accelerate into the gap as opposed to merely swerving in at the same speed as the car. Half throttle or even less is still more than most cars can do. And being at a faster speed than the car you are moving in front of will also mean that a rear end from them is less likely - its just pure physics.

Also, I was talking about lane changing by moving into a gap on a motorway or double lane, not "cutting in after passing". Although in the passing situation you would presume that you had foreeen that there would be a gap to move into before you started passing anyway.... otherwise there would not be a gap to move into. And besides, when you are passing a car, you would not need to accelerate into it as you would be moving faster than the car already - or else no overtaking would occur!

Re intent:
Cars believe bikes go faster than them. And most do. Fact. So dont upset their apple cart by riding slower, or change their expectations by sitting behind their bumper. Fit into their expectations (in a safe way - again passing anyone at 160kph is just going to frighten them and cause them to do stupid things again), and it all becomes quite predictable. So you pass a car and move ahead of them and then can slow down to their speed in open road with high visibility for you. If you then approach another car, do teh same.

This is my left fireld interpretation of the mental state of vehicle drivers and riders, and when accidents occur. Obviously it is just my opinion and not fact.

But think about it like this: when two people walk down a passageway towards each other, and one shows clear intent, the other will accomodate them for the sake of clarity, even if the other person's choice slightly inconveniences them.

[george formby]

But think about it like this: when two people walk down a passageway towards each other, and one shows clear intent, the other will accomodate them for the sake of clarity, even if the other person's choice slightly inconveniences them.

Oy, fatty! Breathe in, I'm coming through with a pint.

[R-Soul]

[/B]
Oy, fatty! Breathe in, I'm coming through with a pint.

I didn't say kick their door as you passed...

[KoroJ]

If I travel slightly quicker than the cars, then I generally only have to worry about the dickhead in front of me.

[vifferman]

Which part was convoluted?

Not yours - tigertim's post.

[JohnC]

I don't speed ahead,in fact I've found that at the 100kph I usualy cruise at, very very few cars catch up.
An those clowns in their XYZ Subarus an other such cars,either they can't drive,,, or something else,,,like trucks,buses,the old guy in the hat doing 90kms holds them up,,no hang on,that old cunt with the hat is me when I'm not on me bike,,,,anyway,they don't keep up even at quiet conservative speeds,so I don't see any speeding ahead going on,just riding at a comfortable pace as all..

[george formby]

I don't speed ahead,in fact I've found that at the 100kph I usualy cruise at, very very few cars catch up.
An those clowns in their XYZ Subarus an other such cars,either they can't drive,,, or something else,,,like trucks,buses,the old guy in the hat doing 90kms holds them up,,no hang on,that old cunt with the hat is me when I'm not on me bike,,,,anyway,they don't keep up even at quiet conservative speeds,so I don't see any speeding ahead going on,just riding at a comfortable pace as all..

Yap, not speeding but maintaining a higher average speed due to our uncanny ability to look, think & not brake in the apex of a corner.

[duckonin]

nah people just feel like they have a bigger penis when going faster than everyone else

Some women can ride faster than others, where does that leave them Penis wise??

[george formby]

Some women can ride faster than others, where does that leave them Penis wise??

Perhaps this indicates the size they prefer & hence some guys ride faster than others as an indicator of their lower centre of gravity.

[Maki]

Another factor is that of intent. When you ride with purpose, you show intent. When you show intent, cages know what to expect from you. When you tiddl-i-po all over the show, speeding up, slowing down and generally loitering around their back bumper, they get all fidgety and nervous about you, and they start doing stupid things like braking to let you pass, or speed up to get away from you, or a multitide of other didgy things.

While I struggle a bit with the original post I can identify with this. Everything works much more smoothly if you ride like you mean it.

[lizardb0y]

However, Its good practise for a bike (or any vehicle for that matter) to be in their own space on the road if they can.

That sums it up for me. I don't like to be behind anything bigger than a bike, because:

1. I can't see far enough ahead;
2. I hate getting dust and stone chip in my face;
3. I don't trust them not do do something stupid that puts me at risk.

I don't like to be right in front of anything bigger than a bike because:

1. I stop a fuck load faster than they do;
2. I don't trust them not do do something stupid that puts me at risk.

Because I ride a bike I have the power and maneuverability to place myself wherever on the road I feel comfortable, so that's exactly what I damn well do.