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

[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

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, and eveyone will be safer in that way.

just keep yourself away from these brainless boy racers.

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

[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 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 , 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...
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.