Lane Spliting

[Slingshot]

Hi all, I have a gripe!

When you are lane splitting, pay attention to what's going on around you.

It seems as the weather is getting better, more & more people are riding to work, my gripe is that more & more often bikers are doing stupid things.

The prime example of this is a biker will be sitting in a queue of traffic, I approach them as I'm happily splitting along, then...with no warning just as I'm about to pass the biker they decide to start splitting, I'm always very cautious when splitting pass bikes but it's frustrating that they simply don't look in the mirrors.

My other gripe is this: I'll be splitting between the middle and right lanes on the motorway, the biker that's splitting between the left & middle lanes sees a gap in the middle lane and decides he/she needs to get into my space, again, no head check, no mirrors check.

My last complaint is if you're splitting at the same speed that the cars are going at, move over for other bikes. So many times I get stuck behind really really slow bikes (more often than not it's one of those big new BMWs, the one that's as wide as a truck). Again, it's all about checking your mirrors and knowing what's going on around you.

Gripe ends!

[James Deuce]

I tooted at you (sitting next to you at the lights at the end of the tunnel) and you both ignored me.



So there!

[jrandom]

I've often thought about posting the same gripe, but I've just decided to go the mellow route.

Filtering generally involves breaking traffic laws about lane usage and passing. I don't feel comfortable pressuring others to do what I do, and I've slowed down a bit in traffic since my last crash, too. (I'll speed up again in good time, of course...)

If I get stuck behind another rider in those circumstances, I just slow down, hang back and go Zen. And I view it as valuable training when someone else, bike or cage, does something unexpected - after all, I should have been prepared for it.

I was horrified to hear from a colleague when I got in this morning that I'd pulled in front of him on the motorway and caused him to brake - I didn't realise. I'm tired this morning, and I also think I need to twiddle the Zeal's mirrors a bit. I suspect they have a slightly different coverage than I'm subconsciously expecting.

[Hitcher]

A good gripe! I had a heart-stopper a few months ago, and my fault too. I only split when traffic is stopped or almost stopped. On this occasion both lanes of traffic stopped and I moved across to cut down between them. I checked my mirrors but should have done a head check as well and nearly took out another biker who was already running the gap. I learned from this and now do a lot more checking for other bikes.

[vifferman]

It's very easy to miss seeing other bikes, especially when traffic is moving very slow if at all and the approaching bike is travelling much faster.

An an unrelated note: I had a guy on a Firestorm follow me the other night, and despite what people have said about the noise from pipes NOT travelling forward, I could definitely hear him behind me. Very sinister he looked too: matte black bike, black leathers, black streetfighter helmet and tinted visor. I'd definitely get out of his way if he was filtering.

On a note related to both these topics: on several occasions recently (including the black Firestorm one), I've had bikes follow me, or filter to come up beside me at the lights (guy on a Kawasaki 750(?) the other night), and not say, "Hi!", wave, nod, or anything. Is this because we as bikers are generally insular and anti-social loners? Shy? Or because my bike is intimidatingly good-looking? :spudwhat:

[jrandom]

On a note related to both these topics: on several occasions recently (including the black Firestorm one), I've had bikes follow me, or filter to come up beside me at the lights (guy on a Kawasaki 750(?) the other night), and not say, "Hi!", wave, nod, or anything. Is this because we as bikers are generally insular and anti-social loners? Shy? Or because my bike is intimidatingly good-looking? :spudwhat:

Personally, I just can't hear bugger-all through my helmet on top of my engine noise, the other guy's engine noise, and all the ambient traffic mumble going on around us. So I just nod and smile and hope he can decode the smile by watching the skin crinkle around my eyes or summat, because he sure can't see my mouth.

There is also the "I'm in the city, can't be friendly" thing. As soon as I get more than 50km from a built-up area, I start getting big friendly waves from EVERY biker going the other way.

Within the city, not a sniff of a wave. Ever. I'm lucky to get the occasional nod.

[Sniper]

Dammit, I dont have any lanes to practise splitting on but I will keep this discussion in mind when I take the bike on the boat to Welly on Friday.

[Hitcher]

Within the city, not a sniff of a wave. Ever. I'm lucky to get the occasional nod.

Poor baby. Sniff. Wave. Nod. No emoticons necessary.

[Slingshot]

I tooted at you (sitting next to you at the lights at the end of the tunnel) and you both ignored me.



So there!

Was that this morning? And I assume you were in the cage. Please accept my apologies.

I was clipped this morning and it freaked me out a bit.

I wasn't splitting at the time but you will have noticed the havoc coming up to the tunnel this morning, heaps of cage drivers deciding that they were to good to join at the end of the queue to get off on The Terrace but instead would stop in the left lane that heads on into the tunnel and wait until they were let in. Well I was in the right lane and moving fairly slowly, the 4WD that I was passing decided to serve around a car that had stopped, and before I knew it he was in my lane and our mirrors clipped. Could have been a lot worse, if I hadn't served I would have been on my arse, I just didn't have time to serve enough.

I've calmed down now though.

[Slingshot]

It's very easy to miss seeing other bikes, especially when traffic is moving very slow if at all and the approaching bike is travelling much faster.

Isn't this what we get pissed off about cage drivers for? The whole I didn't see you thing, more like you didn't look!
I guess all I expect from bikers, being superior beings in all, is that we would practice what we preach and head check when changing the lanes that we're splitting between as well as checking mirrors etc.

When I first started splitting I too had a fairly close call from not looking behind me, just wanted to raise the point so perhaps others that split may think about this before they too have a close call.

[Fryin Finn]

I was lane splitting on the way home last night and came up behind one of those monster Triumph Rockets splitting as well but he soon got stuck and I found my way past him. (Triumph sounded nice but muted) Didn't see him again but I also had to lane split again later and failed to check my mirrors immediately prior to the manouever (I check em every 10 secs) no one coming but I heavilly chastised myself when I got home. Out with the flails and handcuffs.

[James Deuce]

Was that this morning? And I assume you were in the cage. Please accept my apologies.

Hey! No need for that. No worries. If I was in your state I would have smacked my mirror off. Sorry if I added to the stress load.

I've calmed down now though.

Good.

Go have a beer at lunchtime.

Cheers

Jim

[James Deuce]

Isn't this what we get pissed off about cage drivers for? The whole I didn't see you thing, more like you didn't look!
I guess all I expect from bikers, being superior beings in all, is that we would practice what we preach and head check when changing the lanes that we're splitting between as well as checking mirrors etc.

When I first started splitting I too had a fairly close call from not looking behind me, just wanted to raise the point so perhaps others that split may think about this before they too have a close call.

Sometimes I find the observation load overwhelming me so I pull in. I always let people past who lane split faster than me. I have checked one instant, moved, and then found a bike behind me that wasn't visible in the general melee because they too have pulled out of traffic to split at the same time I have. Particularly around trucks and buses.

[Slingshot]

Hey! No need for that. No worries. If I was in your state I would have smacked my mirror off. Sorry if I added to the stress load.



Good.

Go have a beer at lunchtime.

Cheers

Jim

Who has time to take lunch breaks, a quick smoke is normally all I can fit in.

[sedge]

Rant hijack... (well in addition)

I try to let other splitters through, it's the proper thing to do, if someone is quicker than you, you move over and wave them by...

Then again there's a few splitters in Wgtn that regularly do 50k above the traffic... If you're going to split that fast other bikers will pull out on you coz it's impossible to look in all directions at once... Best bet is to play it safe when you catch up to someone, slow down and make sure they've seen you before you pass or you're asking for it.

The onus is on the passer, not the passee.

Splitting is a priviledge and the cops turn a (mostly) blind eye to 'judicious' use, anyone abusing the priviledge by speeding will eventually stuff it for the rest of us.

Well, cheers all...

Sedge.

ps. I've got a couple of tickets for high speed splitting myself so I'm probably not a good example But the rest of you tsk tsk... bad, bad...