New pants please!

[neels]

The point is he has caught himself out concentrating on just one thing, and learnt from it. I've done it and I'm sure most people have at some time.

You just need to keep thinking to yourself if this goes wrong where do I go. All the time. And not just on your bike

[AlpinePossum]

I glanced in my mirror and noticed a car slightly behind me in the right hand lane indicating left, there is no gap for him to get in to so I assume he's heading for the 'gap' that is me. keep on glancing in the mirror then do a head check cause I can't see him anymore... the next thing is I'm looking forward again and everything in front has almost stopped. I hit the brakes hard, the 4x4 behind me hits the brakes hard. There is probably less than a metre in between me and the car in front and I would guess a bit less between me and the car behind.

Suggestion 1. Grow your space. Hang back a bit from the guy in front, tap your brakes to make your brake lights go on to get the guy behind to back off a bit. You own and deserve and can take your SUV size patch of tar. Claim it.

Suggestion 2. If you think guy on right is heading for your space... wobble a bit around in your lane. Make it clear you own _all_ of it.

Suggestion 3. Fuck this polite englishy "don't make a fuss" culture. Hoot if you even think some bugger hasn't noticed you. Wake them up!

Finally... Clap yourself on the back... Shit happened and you're alive.

Plan A is to always keep out of the shit.

But life sucks and sometimes you land deep in it anyway.

You kept your head and your control and didn't slam into the car in front, and you didn't fall under the wheels of the car behind.

That is Good News, Good driving.

Now don't get cocky.

Stick to Plan A.

[paddy]

Suggestion 1. Grow your space. Hang back a bit from the guy in front, tap your brakes to make your brake lights go on to get the guy behind to back off a bit. You own and deserve and can take your SUV size patch of tar. Claim it.

Suggestion 2. If you think guy on right is heading for your space... wobble a bit around in your lane. Make it clear you own _all_ of it.

Suggestion 3. Fuck this polite englishy "don't make a fuss" culture. Hoot if you even think some bugger hasn't noticed you. Wake them up!

Finally... Clap yourself on the back... Shit happened and you're alive.

Plan A is to always keep out of the shit.

But life sucks and sometimes you land deep in it anyway.

You kept your head and your control and didn't slam into the car in front, and you didn't fall under the wheels of the car behind.

That is Good News, Good driving.

Now don't get cocky.

Stick to Plan A.

That's good solid advice. You safety on the road is more important that others perceptions of you.

[YellowDog]

Suggestion 1. Grow your space. Hang back a bit from the guy in front, tap your brakes to make your brake lights go on to get the guy behind to back off a bit. You own and deserve and can take your SUV size patch of tar. Claim it.

Suggestion 2. If you think guy on right is heading for your space... wobble a bit around in your lane. Make it clear you own _all_ of it.

Suggestion 3. Fuck this polite englishy "don't make a fuss" culture. Hoot if you even think some bugger hasn't noticed you. Wake them up!

Finally... Clap yourself on the back... Shit happened and you're alive.

Plan A is to always keep out of the shit.

But life sucks and sometimes you land deep in it anyway.

You kept your head and your control and didn't slam into the car in front, and you didn't fall under the wheels of the car behind.

That is Good News, Good driving.

Now don't get cocky.

Stick to Plan A.

:agree:

Nice post.

It's rare that I go past any kind of juction with a 'parp' 'parp' to get eye contact.

[GOONR]

Suggestion 1. Grow your space. Hang back a bit from the guy in front, tap your brakes to make your brake lights go on to get the guy behind to back off a bit. You own and deserve and can take your SUV size patch of tar. Claim it.

Suggestion 2. If you think guy on right is heading for your space... wobble a bit around in your lane. Make it clear you own _all_ of it.

Suggestion 3. Fuck this polite englishy "don't make a fuss" culture. Hoot if you even think some bugger hasn't noticed you. Wake them up!

Finally... Clap yourself on the back... Shit happened and you're alive.

Plan A is to always keep out of the shit.

But life sucks and sometimes you land deep in it anyway.

You kept your head and your control and didn't slam into the car in front, and you didn't fall under the wheels of the car behind.

That is Good News, Good driving.

Now don't get cocky.

Stick to Plan A.

Cheers mate, obviously plan A is always the best. When your learning sometimes your plan A ain't as good as it should be or it ain't the right plan though aye!! Hence the thread!!!

[paddy]

Cheers mate, obviously plan A is always the best. When your learning sometimes your plan A ain't as good as it should be or it ain't the right plan though aye!! Hence the thread!!!

That actually opens an interesting debate on human nature. When you are learning, hopefully you allow a greater safety margin as you know you will make mistakes. I tend to ride rural twisties at say 60% of my capacity because I know that periodically I'll make a 30% mistake.

As we get more experienced, we become complacent. Maybe start riding at 80, 90, or even 95 percent of our capability. It feels nice and safe. We are in control. Now, as a learner I probably make a 30% mistake every couple of months - that period is growing as I become more experienced. An very experienced rider might make a 10% mistake every decade. The problem is when that coincides with the same rider riding at 95% of their capability. An experienced rider riding at 95% is probably going very fast. When that 10% happens - it's likely to be bad. That's when you hear of riders who have been riding for 20 or 30 years loosing control on a corner with no other vehicles involved. Or perhaps going under an oncoming car.

Anyway, that's deviating from the original thread topic a little. :-)

P.

[GOONR]

The point is he has caught himself out concentrating on just one thing, and learnt from it. I've done it and I'm sure most people have at some time.

You just need to keep thinking to yourself if this goes wrong where do I go. All the time. And not just on your bike

Cheers neels,

Exactly, I know the situation was by far from ideal, I don't want to be another slab of meat picked up from the roadside. I have asked for constructive comments on how to avoid something similar in the future.

Katman, Sinfull.... any constructive comments are very very welcome. I don't want to end up as another bad statistic.

[AlpinePossum]

Here's another quick idea....

I'm less keen on this "Head Check" thing than some.

I find (as you did) it takes my eyes off the crucial sector for too long.

The goddam miltary made me drive a vehicle for a year that had just plain no windows on the side / back. ie. Head checks were worse than useless.

So I learnt...

* Yes you can adjust your mirrors to see everywhere you need to see. If not, adjust them some more, or buy longer stalks for them. (My DR looks like Bugs Bunny. :-) When you drive past a stationary vehicle, check.. when could you see it in the mirror?

* You can only fly your vehicle... at some level you just have to trust everyone else to do The Right Thing about flying theirs!

So I tend to reserve the "Head Check" thing for shifting lanes.

* If you're shifting lanes, hang back a bit more from the car in front (in case he brakes while you're looking back), head check, then... squirt on a tad of speed. ie. (If Plan A goes wrong, that squirt of speed will carry you ahead of them)

[GOONR]

That actually opens an interesting debate on human nature. When you are learning, hopefully you allow a greater safety margin as you know you will make mistakes. I tend to ride rural twisties at say 60% of my capacity because I know that periodically I'll make a 30% mistake.

As we get more experienced, we become complacent. Maybe start riding at 80, 90, or even 95 percent of our capability. It feels nice and safe. We are in control. Now, as a learner I probably make a 30% mistake every couple of months - that period is growing as I become more experienced. An very experienced rider might make a 10% mistake every decade. The problem is when that coincides with the same rider riding at 95% of their capability. An experienced rider riding at 95% is probably going very fast. When that 10% happens - it's likely to be bad. That's when you hear of riders who have been riding for 20 or 30 years loosing control on a corner with no other vehicles involved. Or perhaps going under an oncoming car.

Anyway, that's deviating from the original thread topic a little. :-)

P.

Interesting and I can follow your line of thought. I am by no means complacent and I don't think that is what you implied. I know I have masses to learn.

[paddy]

Interesting and I can follow your line of thought. I am by no means complacent and I don't think that is what you implied. I know I have masses to learn.

No, certainly wasn't implying that. I was just off on a philosophical tangent. :-)

[jeffs]

You can take all the suggestions you have been given on board, but what you really need to do is practice them. Work out which ones fit the traffic conditions you are riding in, and every night and morning you cross the bridge practice.

Or all the advise in the world will not help.

Now is the best time to get it working for you, because at this time the bridge is at its quietest. Then when the real heavy traffic starts up again after the hols you will be more prepared.

Over think every thing, and you could find yourself in less control and riding more erratically. Or relax ( to a point ) and it could just feel right first time.

Just remember the trip over the bridge takes 2 min, it really does not make the world end if it takes 2 1/2 min. ( well for a commuter anyway )

But riding faster to keep yourself out of trouble in very high volume traffic is NOT the answer.

[sinfull]

The point that he tries to get across is that we don't do ourselves any favours by coming to harm to often, that is taken on board (hence why I asked what could I do better next time)...... His delivery sucks, did he offer anything constructive to this thread. No.

Mehhhhhh wrong answer !


Constructive ? "Improve" sounds constructive !


I believe you have the "pack mentallity of a rabid dog" and are just jumping on the bandwagon of hate katman for what he does, without even knowing why he does it !
You may think his delivery sucks but,
everybody reads his posts ! Except you by the sounds, if as steve said, thats all you HAVE gleamed from them !
Perhaps you should go into his profile and find all his threads and see what point he is trying to get across


But remember !
Was you who made a near painfull error while riding ?
Was you who literally invited katman into the thread in your first post was it not ?
Then tell him to fuck off when he comments !
Hello !!!

[YellowDog]

The :ME after Katman's handle means he is supposed to be a Site Mentor.

I would suggest to you that his derogatory and negative attacks serve no more than to piss people off. It is a shame that it is the 'same old notes' almost everytime a contentious or debatable issue arrises. Posters with genuine situations need constructive advice and guidance.

Maybe Katman needs to learn some basic communication skills to help him let others benefit from his valuable experience and be a better Mentor.

This thread raises some very valid points but was unfortunately started in a defensive manner by pre-empting the 'attack of the Katman'. If KB members are too embarrassed or afraid to raise what may turn out to make them look stupid (and be called stupid), then the the most valuable purpose of this site will have been compromised.

But in saying that, Katman doesn't piss me off (he doesn't even make my top 10 complete dickhead list) and I do quite enjoy some of his posts. Maybe I get his sense of humour more than most

Just some food for thought.

[pritch]

did he offer anything constructive to this thread. No.

"Fair input."

[GOONR]

Mehhhhhh wrong answer !

So he want's people to continue to fall off, I very much doubt that.

Constructive ? "Improve" sounds constructive !

Ok, maybe constructive was the wrong term. If Katman had said "Improve" along with a suggestion I could have taken that on board and it may well help me to improve.

I believe you have the "pack mentallity of a rabid dog" and are just jumping on the bandwagon of hate katman for what he does, without even knowing why he does it !
You may think his delivery sucks but,
everybody reads his posts ! Except you by the sounds, if as steve said, thats all you HAVE gleamed from them !
Perhaps you should go into his profile and find all his threads and see what point he is trying to get across


But remember !
Was you who made a near painfull error while riding ?
Was you who literally invited katman into the thread in your first post was it not ?
Then tell him to fuck off when he comments !
Hello !!!

I don't hate Katman at all, I think his message is a good one, his delivery not so. I want to be able to learn from any error's that I make. Simply saying 'improve' wont help me to do that.