Is big better?

[fliplid]

It's very very important not to pull out in front of motorcyclists travelling at speed. Why? Because you if you do you are going to die.

Well, someone will probably wind up getting seriously hurt/killed, usually the rider getting flung down the road!

[Usarka]

I also would like cagers to know, nay, believe, that should they pull out in front of me and force me to hit them, I will be aiming riiiiiiiite for their drivers' door panel, or failing that, the door of their lovely passenger. They should believe this very strongly, because it is true.

It's very very important not to pull out in front of motorcyclists travelling at speed. Why? Because you if you do you are going to die.

Steve

If you have time to react you'd use it to ram the driver?

Personally I'd like to scrub as much speed as possible or at least make some attempt to survive.

But each to their own

[scumdog]

IMO - Huge bikes get noticed because they are huge.

I've been to a crash where on a fine sunny day in a 50kph area an old lady failed to give way to a Boss Hoss and T-boned it.

And you don't get many bike bigger than THEM on NZ roads.

[CookMySock]

If you have time to react you'd use it to ram the driver?

Personally I'd like to scrub as much speed as possible or at least make some attempt to survive.

I guess thats just where I am at in my life.

I did say, if I was forced to hit him. There is almost always a gap around the side of something that a bike will fit down. Very very rare that there is no such gap.

But if they do force the impossible on me, I'll go kamakaze on them, no shit. Think twice, cagers.

Steve

[scumdog]

It's very very important not to pull out in front of motorcyclists travelling at speed. Why? Because you if you do you are going to die.

Steve

Oh yeah, like the cemeteries are full of drivers killed by motorcyclists doing the above..

And all the motorcyclists walked away dusting off their gloves...

[CookMySock]

I've been to a crash where on a fine sunny day in a 50kph area an old lady failed to give way to a Boss Hoss and T-boned it.

And you don't get many bike bigger than THEM on NZ roads.

Lil' old ladies are known to cross intersections without looking whatsoever.

Steve

[fliplid]

Lil' old ladies are known to cross intersections without looking whatsoever.

Steve

And there's loads of folks out there who shouldn't have passed a driving test or shouldn't still be on the road, but they are.

[CookMySock]

And there's loads of folks out there who shouldn't have passed a driving test or shouldn't still be on the road, but they are.

Can't disagree there, but I do think that the majority of people have a good idea what they are doing. You have to trust others mentality somewhat eventually, or else being on the road is just too much stress.

Steve

[GTRMAN]

I read an interesting article about hazard perception, fairly long winded but the general understanding is that you tend to look for hazards that are equal or greater in size than the vehice you are driving. So for instance a cage driver can look straight at you and not register that you are actually there. This seems to work right up the scale, big cars hit small cars, 4x4's hit big cars, trucks hit 4x4's.....

So it comes down to this, with the exception of scooters and cyclists we are at the bottom of the food chain. Let paranoia reign surpreme... everone on the road wants to kill you.

or steal a dump truck from a strip mine.....

[Ixion]

Thats because you have "poofter" metaphorically written across the front of your helmet.

What you need is a black helmet and black visor and a red or black bike with a really noisy exhaust, then suddenly you have "asshole" written across your helmet. Instead respect afforded - end of problem.

Steve

Well, the original comment was that bikes which resemble police bikes don't have problems. My experience differs.

But I ALSO have a big black bike (with a noisy zorst actually). And I sometimes wear black helmet and black leather jacket . And the result is exactly the same . The idiots are too stupid to process that there's a bike there at all, let alone what sort.

However, the look and swerve toward them thing you mention DOES work. I do it frequently. As does a lonnnnnggggg LOUD blast on my very loud horn, if anyone even vaguely looks like thinking about not stopping. Sticking ones arm out toward them with a clenched fist also works.

Overall I don't often have a problem with people not giving way, so maybe I am not a good reference.

[StoneY]

Only thing that makes me feel safer on my bike is LOUD pipes

Noise is more intimiding than a mere headlight, regardless size of machine (i want my 750 back)

[scumdog]

Only thing that makes me feel safer on my bike is LOUD pipes

Noise is more intimiding than a mere headlight, regardless size of machine (i want my 750 back)

Don't depend on the noise - on a motoway nobody on front of you hears it until you're right behind them (and even then 'maybe') and then has to figure out who is making the noise - you (who they may not have actually seen) or the other quiet motorbike that is in their vision....

And in town traffic again 'maybe' they will hear your bike - and figure out where/who the noise is coming from but again you might be right on top of them before they actually figure it out.

Vision beats ears when it comes to being noticed in traffic.

[varminter]

Well that's me convinced. It's an 8X4 sheet of ply with a big 'fuck off' truck painted on it placed on the bars of my bike, holes cut for eye's. Wind resistance a bit of a problem I suppose

[CookMySock]

However, the look and swerve toward them thing you mention DOES work. I do it frequently. As does a lonnnnnggggg LOUD blast on my very loud horn, if anyone even vaguely looks like thinking about not stopping. Sticking ones arm out toward them with a clenched fist also works.

Yeah, swerve around like a demented P-head idiot. I'm sure drivers are like "hoooleeee sheee-ittttt" when I do it. Add super bright projector HIDs and loud exhaust and pretty much everyone sees me. Wiener horn could do with upgrading though.

There are two problems with it - it polarises other motorists, and it attracts the attention of the fuzz. Neither of these have proved to be particularly troublesome. It's a bit tough when other motorcylists bitch about it, but thats mostly an online thing.

Steve

[SPman]

I 'd be interested one day to find out how many MOT?Police bikes have been involved in "I didn't see you" accidents.

From talking to several bike cops over the years, motorists are as oblivious to them as they are to "normal" motorcyclists - they have a lesser accident rate, because they are usually fully aware of what fuktard motorists are liable to do and ride accordingly.

When a motorist says "I didn't see you", often it is quite true - in the perfunctory scan of traffic, for various reasons, you weren't regarded as an immediate predatory threat and the brain tuned you out! If you are in doubt about a motorist waiting at an intersection, a weave or change of road position can often reinforce their brain's danger triggers, that you are actually there, close, and a danger.

On topic - small bikes are great fun. More and more peeps over here are getting smaller (and older) bikes - something you have to actually RIDE to get from A to B quickly.......

Anyway - it's 9 am and 39C with a catastrophic fire warning in place, so better go and break out the fire pump and hoses......