Rider Ettiq . . .. Good Manners

**mangell6** · 23rd November 2003, 20:33

Travelling home from Napier today, in the car where the driver and passenger were feeling

, we had a large number of bikes pass us. Now apart from being pissed that they could idle past us while we had to wait for a longer stretch of road to pass, we dutifully pulled to the extreme left of the road to allow the riders to safely pass. Usually done when they passed the car behind us.

Now out of the approximate thirty bikes that passed us only FOUR acknowledged that we had moved over to let them pass safely. I personally make a point of acknowledging cagers who do this sort of thing. As most of the people who drive cars never even see a bike and it is most gratifying to have a few that do.

So if a cager does the right thing, acknowledge the act as it may encourage them to do the right thing more often.

And now for the real gripe

PR4DA - you are dangerous.
Overtaking a car as it comes into the corner, which is at the bottom of a small hill with a bridge being the corner and with no visiblility of on coming traffic does not endear the motorcycling fraternity to the poor car driver who came around the corner and had no where to go if you had even slightly misjudged anything. And I will only mention that you had a pillion as I don't know what they thought.

**SPman** · 23rd November 2003, 23:19

Weren't Ullysses riders, were they?

LB · 24th November 2003, 04:44

Hi Mike - I generally either wave or give a quick "toot toot" when I pass cars/trucks who pull over. It's nice that they do (and like you say, it means they've seen us!!). Sometimes it's a pain when they flick up stones, but they're not aware that they're doing that.

Lynda

**Slim** · 24th November 2003, 05:57

Yup. I stick out my hand with a thumbs-up sign, unless I'm too occupied with the road, but where safe .....

**mangell6** · 24th November 2003, 07:47

SPman - No Ullysses riders, but about 30-40 tractor riders

were heading the other way to Hastings/Napier, they rarely wave and getting a wave is even rarer when in a group.

Slim - What were you doing riding down Wgtn way yesterday, one of the riders, who was on a Gillero, gave the thumbs up sign as they went past and being safe enough to do it.

Think I will go for a ride this afternoon, just after lunch, the hill is always good on a working monday.

Mike

**Slim** · 24th November 2003, 08:35

Originally posted by mangell6
Slim - What were you doing riding down Wgtn way yesterday, one of the riders, who was on a Gillero, gave the thumbs up sign as they went past and being safe enough to do it.

Wouldn't I love to be riding a Gillero! Unfortunately I could only afford a Honda CBR6.

I noticed the English riders I encountered were really lazy when it came to acknowledging courteous c@r drivers & set about re-educating those I encountered. One girl commented that using a Thumbs Up instead of just a wee wave made it really obvious what you were on about - anyone else would have thought it was obvious!

**PZR** · 24th November 2003, 11:22

Originally posted by mangell6

Now out of the approximate thirty bikes that passed us only FOUR acknowledged that we had moved over to let them pass safely. I personally make a point of acknowledging cagers who do this sort of thing. As most of the people who drive cars never even see a bike and it is most gratifying to have a few that do.

So if a cager does the right thing, acknowledge the act as it may encourage them to do the right thing more often.
.

I totally agree. Plenty on this site seem happy to bitch about "THOSE CAGE DRIVERS" but simple common courtsey goes a long way towards good will (not to mention good road skills).
And besides the driver you are thanking might also be a fellow biker. That might be why they pulled over in the first place.....

Believe it or not there are some nice competent people out there in cars. Most people who ride bikes (with three or four vocal exceptions on this site and some of the younger student types) have a car and a bike.
So thank that person who got out of your way and they will be happier to do it again next time, or piss them off and next time they may pull over to the right instead.

Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. Courtesey costs nothing.
A simple but effective rule for life.

The only two exceptions are......
1/ Only when its safe to do so
2/ Harley riders who cannot afford to take a hand off the bars(

Was that out loud????)

**Blackbird** · 24th November 2003, 16:45

Hi Mike

I do the same as you. Interestingly though, when I've been in the car recently and pulled over a wee bit for bikes and/or flicked my indicator to let them know I've seen them, I've got more acknowledgements than I used to. Maybe it's just confined to Waikato and Coromandel riders!!

I hate being in the car and getting passed by bikes, particularly on a sunny day. Not helped by Jennie taking the piss either

Geoff

**Nouseforaname** · 24th November 2003, 17:33

I always try and acknowledge a driver who pulls to the left, but the thing that really makes me laugh is drivers who see you coming up and almost drive there car into a ditch to give you as much room as possible. As much as i appreciate the thought, some cars ive had do this to me have almost crashed in the process

But dont ya just love the arseholes who see ya filtering up the motorway and intentionally pull there car over so they block you from moving forward, jealous pricks

**Timber020** · 24th November 2003, 17:33

I cut alot of traffic lines and am always careful to give a friendly wave to the cars, might be the difference between them watching me dissappear in the distance or them reporting my behavior to the cops.

**scumdog** · 24th November 2003, 20:55

PZR, I take my hand off the handlebar to wave to anyone who lets me pass.
As a matter of interest, I have fitted to mini-spotlights on my sporty, one each side of the headlight and only run them in daylight. (they are those little ones that boy-racer types put in the front spoiler and have them so badly aimed they just annoy the pus out of anyboday coming towards them).
The difference to cage driver behaviour is amazing, did about 600k going to/from the Winchester rally and straight away slow vehicles pulled over a lot quicker, also if I was sitting out near the centre of the road waiting to pass the oncomming cars pulled to the left to make room and I ain't seen that happen before.
I guess I was just that much more visible.
BTW I followed my wife for about 200k while she drove her mums car and she said the lights were not annoying but certainly noticed them.

**James Deuce** · 26th November 2003, 10:36

Since this post has appeared I've noticed that a lot more Wellington riders acknowledge me when I pull into the gutter to let them by in peak hour traffic.

Good work youse fellas and good thought mangell.

Jim2

**marty** · 26th November 2003, 12:04

Originally posted by Timber020
I cut alot of traffic lines and am always careful to give a friendly wave to the cars, might be the difference between them watching me dissappear in the distance or them reporting my behavior to the cops.

and there is the MAIN reason that we should be nice to cagers (except wankers talking/txting on the phone and you think they've moved over, but in reality they're swerving cause they're not paying attention...then they swerve back just as you're next to the b pillar when they get a fright to see you there.......grrrr)

**Slingshot** · 2nd December 2003, 18:26

I remember my days of being a "cage" driver, in fact I still am. I always pull over to the left and get really buzzed when I get a waive.
My thoughts are that if it'll make it safer for a biker to pass then I'm gonna pull over.

On the other hand, how about the whole waving to other bikers, I get really buzzed when I get a wave back too.
I'm never sure if I should wave at Harleys though

I think we should develop a KiwiBiker.co.nz wave, the sort of wave that other members of this forum would recognise so they knew they were waving at a fellow member.
It could be something along the lines of hitting your lid with your left hand then moving on into a big thumbs up

or something maybe a little less cheesy

What say ye all?

**James Deuce** · 2nd December 2003, 18:41

Originally posted by Slingshot
I remember my days of being a "cage" driver, in fact I still am. I always pull over to the left and get really buzzed when I get a waive.
My thoughts are that if it'll make it safer for a biker to pass then I'm gonna pull over.

On the other hand, how about the whole waving to other bikers, I get really buzzed when I get a wave back too.
I'm never sure if I should wave at Harleys though

I think we should develop a KiwiBiker.co.nz wave, the sort of wave that other members of this forum would recognise so they knew they were waving at a fellow member.
It could be something along the lines of hitting your lid with your left hand then moving on into a big thumbs up or something maybe a little less cheesy

What say ye all?

Dude!! Excellent idea

We should think up some alternate waves and then have a poll.

Jim2