ooooops....

[McDuck]

I now push in the indicator button to cancel after every intersection. I find that it is now a good habit I have got into and whether or not I have been indicating I hit cancel. There are plenty out there that should adopt this practice

yes and scan the hole instrement cluster when checkin speed and/or revs.

[Max Preload]

Yeah i have this habit now of always pushing the indicator button to ensure my signals are off. It almost like a twitch sometimes and i worry im going to wear out the button

Me too. I've almost got it to the point of OCD.

[mattian]

HAHAhaa.... likewise. I often find myself canceling it even when I am on a straight road and not even used my indicators...... I think to myself "why the fuck did I just do that"

[ducatilover]

bit of a brain fart huh? yeah we all have those, except me, im perfect and have a shiny rear orifice

[pjpnz]

Very dangerous, very common. I bought a Signal Minder from the States for my BMW. Cost under $200; very easy to fit. Lots of options for cancelling indicators. http://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=4

[PrincessBandit]

Hope you don't mind, Not exactly on your topic slofox but, this is what happened to me once. I was stopped in the middle of the road, waiting to turn right from the main road into a side street. This car heading towards me had his left turn indicator on and was slowing down like he was going to stop and turn left into the same street. I was just about to go when, I realised he was overshooting the street and pulling up to the kurb just past it !

Had similar incident at the big roundabout leaving CHCH airport - saw a car signalling to exit but almost got collected as they were referring to the exit after me, not the one just before. Damned multi spoked roundabouts! As I'm not a gunning-off-the-start-line kinda rider it was easy enough to stop, but the female passenger did give me the evils as they sailed past.

[dipshit]

but the female passenger did give me the evils as they sailed past.

Well it was their car that was in the wrong. You are meant to indicate when exiting a roundabout *after* you have passed the last exit before yours... so such things don't happen.

I am always dumbfounded at the amount of people that cannot grasp such basic things.

[prettybillie]

OH - I have been wrong before....1979 I think was the last time...I think it was on a Monday...

Ahhh see I may have my faults but being wrong isn't one of them mwahahahahahahahaha

[jer66]

Had the "twang" moment again this morning....

Proceeding straight through an intersection (with lights) when a little RAV4 or similar suddenly blasted a right turn across my bow...put the skills of stopping fast into action (see How Fast Can You Stop? thread...) and avoided any grief. Also raised the finger at the offending driver who was fast retreating into the rising sun..."WTF?" I was thinking "was that in aid of?"
And then I looked down at the dash...and found that my left turn signal from the previous intersection was still indicating a left turn...so Ms RAV4 was quite within her rights to turn across my bow in the belief that I was competent with signals and intended to turn left.....course she might have noted that I was heading straight through. But the fact remains that I was wrong, not she...
Lesson? Cancel your turn signals kiddies else people might think you know what you are doing when patently, you don't......
Dumb bum rides a bike....

No one uses them on this side of the pond.

[slofox]

I see a lot of non-cancelled indicators - specially on group rides (I am always at the back so I see all...). Bad habit. I did think I was pretty good at the cancel but maybe not so hot after all.....BUT I didn't leave any on today!!!

[DarkLord]

Yeah I see them too.... when I first started riding my flatmate went out of his way to stomp that habit out of me, I think it's ingrained into my brain enough now for me to always remember, however still make the odd mistake and don't indicate or leave them going....

I get so pissed off at other drivers who don't do it, but I get even more pissed off at myself when I forget as you can't chastise people on things that they are doing (or not doing) if you are doing (nor not doing) the exact same thing

[StatX]

I think the moral of the story stands at - "Don't trust the indicators" or lackthereof, for that matter. Too many times do I see vehicles not indicate and move lanes suddenly, or indicate the wrong way...It's best to just watch what the thing does...

[mikeey01]

Yeah I see them too.... when I first started riding my flatmate

sorry just couldn't resist.

Bear with me folks I'm renowned for not being a great word smith!

On a serious note though...
There is a lot to be said for familiarity with your bike, the area you ride, the roads and how often you ride it.
I use to ride daily and had done so for at least fifteen years, over time things became instinctive such as instrument cluster, indicators and the like. Sure over that time I had an endless stream of new bikes to learn. One becomes so familiar with your bike you've got a good idea what speed you're doing, (within 5-8 kph) without even looking. You know what I mean?
You've also learned your local traffic black spots, areas to watch when wet, where ice would not melt, where wet leaves would collect, where gravel would build up and intersections (the list goes on and on) where people took risks, motorways, how and where to place yourself on them and your positioning around tin tops too.

If your a daily rider you'll be able to relate to what I am saying if ya know what I mean.

Having read the above, you do get thrown curve balls now and then, it's these that seem to trip us up.
Bear with me I'll try and give you one of my examples.....

I never use to give farmers tractors trundling down the side of the road a second thought, this was in the days when I was on small bikes, learning basically, developing my survival skills so to speak.
So I'm on a mates bike running it in after doing some work on it, on a 2nd class back country road and I see this farmers tractor heading towards me on the opposite side of the road, I slowed down a little for the just in case... what I didn't expect (here comes the curve ball) was the sheep dogs walking behind the tractor (couldn't see them), one decided to pop out from behind the tractor and cut diagonally across the road, right in front of me. Yep I hit him, did the peter pan thing over the bars, through the air and then down the road, bikes chasing me down too.

There are heaps of them (curve balls), what I've learned is never trust a tin top, especially their indicators, assume they haven't seen you. ( a lot of folks on here have ponted that out already)

I ride by the whites of their eyes rule, if I don't see them, they ain't seen me.

Be carefull out there folks.

Rant over, as you were