Lanesplitters! PLEASE slow down!

[Hellraiser]

The advice I was given by a cop was :

• Drive between Lane 2 and 3 where possible (counting from the left for the hard of thinking)
• Full beam on
• Right hand indicator on
• Watch your speed - if the cops think you are driving with excess speed you will be ticketed even if you are within the speed limit.
• If the traffic is moving at speed (say over 60kph) - don't lanesplit.
• Right hand shoulder riding is illegal.
• Left hand shoulder is Legal (But to be honest I doubt that and wouldnt do it anyway)

The main thing is to take it steady... watch for gaps left or right which cars can move in to (often without indicating). Also , watch out for trucks - you can get an angle on a car to get out of the way but trucks need a full lane and it halves you options for manouvre.If you ride to the conditions you have time to react to cars changing lanes etc....

I've seen one accident while lane splitting ... on the Northern by Wairau Park.... a total idiot on a 900 Hornet doing 120+ in slow moving traffic... a car changed lane (quite properly) and he had no chance of stopping. He escaped injury (despite being thrown over the car)... and his new bike was a wreck.... Total lunacy...When I stopped he asked for the police not to be called because he had no licence... made me very angry. People like him deserve what they get...

+1

I lane split all day long it's what makes me my $$$

If the traffic is Traveling at 80k + then I won't lane split i'll get through it by choping and changing lanes.

I won't lanes split any faster than 20k above the speed of the traffic unless they are stopped of cause then i'll travel at a max of about 40-50km/h

When i'm lane splitting i am always looking at the body language of the drivers ahead it's really hard to discribe but you can tell when someone is about to change lanes.
You also need to always be aware of your exit point so if someone does move with out warning you are able to react in some way, this does not mean slam on the brakes. To be honest hitting the brakes is usually my last option when in a sticky situation.

[90s]

The advice I was given by a cop was :

• Drive between Lane 2 and 3 where possible (counting from the left for the hard of thinking) TICK
• Full beam on X
• Right hand indicator on TICK
• Watch your speed - if the cops think you are driving with excess speed you will be ticketed even if you are within the speed limit. TICK
• If the traffic is moving at speed (say over 60kph) - don't lanesplit. TICK
• Right hand shoulder riding is illegal. TICK
• Left hand shoulder is Legal (But to be honest I doubt that and wouldnt do it anyway) TICK

Good list, but the high-beams - as explored on other threads - generally counter-productive. They irritate more than they protect us. Lights on as usual I think is better. Noise is another good one - keep a few revs on as cages seldom see but often hear us.

And no skidmark, the WORST hasn't happened to you yet. And I hope it doesn't. Sounds as though you got off lightly. I split everyday, but only when I think that it would make a 15 min difference to my commute. If not, I am happy to drift along in the traffic at 60ks on the NWern.

[MaxCannon]

In the mornings I find the traffic is usually moving quick enough that I don't have to split

Over about 40kph and I'm happy to follow the queue

Like most people have mentioned a +20kph speed difference is a sensible limit. I find that if the cars are doing 20 and I'm doing 50 then the decision making window get too small.

One of my rules is to not split when the relative speed between the lanes is different by more than a few kay.
When drivers in a stopped or very slow lane see the other lane moving quicker they are apt to swap with no consideration as to what is behind them.