Gaaagh! Check yer indamicators!!

[Ixion]

Well yeah.. the left turn rule is a great rule, thing is only about half the population (or less) actually follow it. So when it does come to the crunch both parties have no clue what the other person's gonna do..

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I remember before the left turn rule was introduced. Then we had a give way when turning right rule. And way less than half the population followed it.

Whatever rule you have, the incompetent will stuff it up or ignore it. The answer to that is not to change the rule, but rather to change the incompetent.

[quickbuck]

It's really easy to miss the indicator and press down on the horn instead and then you get nasty looks from anyone for the rest of the ride.

The high beams can flick on at the simple brush over the switch so I end up switching it on and off constantly.

The indicators can be pushed to either side instead of being dis-engaged so you think it's off but it's actually still going.

It's generally an all round horrible set up.. .

In the trade we call that "Finger Trouble"

Anyhow, Scumdog has brought to light the potentially fatal flaw with leaving your indicator on to he left, and our give was laws.

When ever I go on a pack ride I make it that if anybody is caught with their indicators on for an excessive amount of time after the intersection (like second gear change) then it is their shout!

Yes, I'm included, but as I'm a tight bugger, it makes me remember.

[TOTO]

ok , I will check. thanks for the reminder

[imdying]

I've been doing this a bit relay... the action on the switch is a little stiff on my 15 year old RGV compared to my practically virginal SV. My thumb is however in retraining... and the switch, well I'll give it the learn with a bit of contact cleaner and dry lube at some stage

[xwhatsit]

I'd have a lot more time for it if New Zealanders remembered to do it.

I don't have that problem up here, but I suppose there are a lot of old people wot live in Wellington.

imdying -- I had the same problem when I fitted a new (but very old) left-hand switch-block. Pulled it apart, and found it was full of spiders and spiders' webs Dropped it and ran away

[scracha]

I don't understand why some think that give way rule is terrible. If it's not a rule, and people aren't giving way (as in England?), then how do the right turners ever get across? I can't picture what happens, especially if there's a constant stream of traffic, other than just waiting forever, and then getting fed up and making a mad dash across.
How does it work in countries that don't have that give way rule?

By other countries you mean the rest of the word? :-) Hmm...I wonder. If there's a constant stream of traffic then you give up and find a roundabout or similar. I've never found a constant stream of traffic though. On real busy roads they put traffic lights or have a separate lane or round-about or summit.

Car or motorcycle, it scares the $hit out of me turning across an oncoming heavy goods vehicle just because they happen to have left their left indicator on.

As for leaving your indicator on the bike. I used to do this myself. Drill yerself to look cancel indicators and look behind once you're on the new road and then check your speed on the speedo (so you should spot on the cluster if you're indicator is flashin). Passing cars and stuff...I guess you just have it drilled into you to cancel the bloody things.

[Cache Wraith]

..... and to this day I'm still irked by premature self-cancellation.

Hmmm. Have they given that a new name now? Maybe the Mens Clinic can help.

[pete376403]

Yeah like my ancient old (1982) GS1100 has. And it still works a treat 25 years on and I don't even have to wear tassles.

me too... the GS system was quite trick for its day, and even now it better than what is fitted to 90% of other bikes. It was a two part system, based on either time or distance, depending on how fast you were going. Under 50km/hr it went on distance (don't know the exact figure) and over 50Km/hr it went by time. There's a switch in the speedo which tells it to do one or the other
Still if they can make a system that works for todays big expensive tourers, how hard can it be to have it trickle down to the mainstream bikes?

[JimO]

me too... the GS system was quite trick for its day, and even now it better than what is fitted to 90% of other bikes. It was a two part system, based on either time or distance, depending on how fast you were going. Under 50km/hr it went on distance (don't know the exact figure) and over 50Km/hr it went by time. There's a switch in the speedo which tells it to do one or the other
Still if they can make a system that works for todays big expensive tourers, how hard can it be to have it trickle down to the mainstream bikes?

my 1979 Z1R had self cancelling indicators

[Lucy]

By other countries you mean the rest of the word? :-) Hmm...I wonder. If there's a constant stream of traffic then you give up and find a roundabout or similar. I've never found a constant stream of traffic though. On real busy roads they put traffic lights or have a separate lane or round-about or summit.


Car or motorcycle, it scares the $hit out of me turning across an oncoming heavy goods vehicle just because they happen to have left their left indicator on.

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I don't do it, unless I see them slow down, a heavy vehicle can't turn that fast. If I'm unsure I just wait.

Yeah that's why the "every one else in the world doesnt have that rule so we shouldnt either" argument really irritates me. Other countries don't have roads like ours where people are left hanging out in the exposed middle, (as someone else said), trying to cross on a narrow road

[car]

Other countries don't have roads like ours where people are left hanging out in the exposed middle, (as someone else said), trying to cross on a narrow road

Yes, they do.

[ital916]

I don't do it, unless I see them slow down, a heavy vehicle can't turn that fast. If I'm unsure I just wait.

ALways a good thing to do in my books. I've seen some trucks take turns at stupid speeds for their size..example, turning onto pah road from selwyn road. Was pulling up to the intersection in my cage when this huge freaking truck decides to turn into selwyn way too hot. Completely overshoots his lane and takes another good 20-30metres or road to straighten up! Always wary now when pulling up to blind intersections. If there wasa motocyclist or car there...kasplat

[Lucy]

Yes, they do.

Ok maybe I was being too generalistic, but places like England and Aussie and America, (which is where most people like to compare us too regarding road rules), they have far more dual carriageways and alternatives to the 'one lane in each direction' roads.

[car]

Ok maybe I was being too generalistic

And I didn't mean to sound like a pompous tool, but it comes so easily.

but places like England and Aussie and America, (which is where most people like to compare us too regarding road rules), they have far more dual carriageways and alternatives to the 'one lane in each direction' roads.

Given, they have a lot more dual carriageways, but they also have a considerably higher population, and a lot more traffic. The multi-lane carriageways tend to be clustered around very large centres of population, or at best between them.

Most of the population, I dare say, will cover dual carriageway or better in their daily drive. But then, don't most of the population (or at least some sizeable proportion) of NZ live in Auckland and surrounds or Wellington and surrounds? Plenty of dual-carriageway there. In fact, the only part of my current 50 mile a day commute that isn't dual carriageway (or better) is the 1/4 of a mile at each end.

My regular commute in the UK was 80 miles a day, all on "A" roads, all single lane, with no alternative. In the winter, the traffic would be almost solid, stop-start, for the last two or three miles. Where I grew up, my mother's regular commute was 70 miles a day, 75% of which was single lane, same volume of traffic, (massive death toll.)

I know, anecdotal evidence proves very little. I guess that what I'm saying is that my experience of that country is a long way from gleaming, super-smooth and empty 8-lane highways. In fact, my old commute even had a one-lane bridge.



The suggestion that people outside New Zealand don't find themselves hanging out to dry in the middle of the road waiting to turn right just doesn't ring a bell. I have very clear memories of just the opposite, and not just in the UK, (although, elsewhere it's likely to have been "waiting to turn left.") And, back to the topic of the give-way rule, when I explained it to a couple of friends back in the UK they thought it was a brilliant idea, applicable to the roads they drive. If people could be trusted to actually bloody do it.

[cynna]

Yes.
Those inferior Harleys such as CB and I own have just such a system, I doubt there's a better one. (so there).

when i got my trail bike recently i thought it would have self canceling ones as well - took me a while to realise i had been riding with an indicator on most of the time

i liked the ones that were on my old sportster where you had to hold the actual button in rather then just pushing the switch