To all Auckland commuters...

[Thani-B]

Some people! hey Thani-B looking good girl. You take your time and you lane split carefully like I do(famous last words).Hey Crazy that was you this afternoon heading Norff while I was going soufe just past manukau?
Some pretty heavyweight KB'ers posting on this one Thani,most are in total agreement, split with care arrive fresh , dry and unstressed, occassionally take the high road or the low road for fun! You have a bike, enjoy it.'
Today while heading into Ak I was splitting at a gentle 30-40 K's pH when I became aware of a GN 2 fiddy behind me, tagging along, I thought it might've bene you, but alas it wasn't.
My advice to this fella rding his GN, give us bigger bikes some space, we stop a whole lot faster than you think and when splitting the last thingI i want is another bike of any size/sort that close behind me!
What a great day to ride anywhere though, see ya on Thursday night Thani-B.

Why thank you! Lol. Love how this thread is going. Made a very entertaining read. And yes (even though this comment wasnt aimed at me) I always try to keep back from bikes when I end up catching up to them (if I do). Ive had another bike run into the back of me when I stopped faster than he expected and that wasnt a fun experience, still finding the damage caused by it (bike failed its warrant today in fact), and I wouldnt want to do that to anyone else.

[mnkyboy]

Is it me or is this another splitting / waving type thread. One dude doesn't want to split - on ya mate; you have fun waiting (should get a car instead).

Why does it always turn into the same sort of sausage wankfest (sorry for the imagery girlies)

Anyways Thani - sounds like you need some music to ride to; Oh wait now we can have another 2 pages about that being "safe"

[Thani-B]

Is it me or is this another splitting / waving type thread. One dude doesn't want to split - on ya mate; you have fun waiting (should get a car instead).

Why does it always turn into the same sort of sausage wankfest (sorry for the imagery girlies)

Anyways Thani - sounds like you need some music to ride to; Oh wait now we can have another 2 pages about that being "safe"

Lol yea, wasnt how I imagined it going. As an update, after Wednesday my commute wasnt actually that bad. Thanks to those who contributed to that. May have been because I was looking forward to SATNR on Thursday and then the weekend on Friday, but I'll let you guys that gave me advice take the credit for it. Oh and traffic was shocking on Fri arvo wasnt it, was the first time I actually had to put my feet down while splitting, not the best experience.

And mnkyboy, I do listen to music while riding, usually only through one headphone though.

[Metalor]

You'll get the hang of it man. You'll get to a point where you'll basically be stopped and be able to kep the bike balanced by adjusting the handlebars a bit. Handy when a gap is smaller than you originally thought and need to stop between cars to save scuffing their mirrors, haha.

[zeocen]

Friday's are usually when I love to stay a little later at the office, just to let the traffic die down a bit!

My four wheeled brethren are very kind to me, yes, even the ones of the police variety, the extremely large majority give way for me (including the police). I make a point of giving a kind gesture back to let them know that their fore-thought of making my daily commute a little bit easier didn't go unnoticed.

I would say I have had more trouble with bikers with a purpose than four wheeled vehicles. Some people are just plain nuts when filtering, I really wonder how they have survived so long!!

[Thani-B]

I make a point of giving a kind gesture back to let them know that their fore-thought of making my daily commute a little bit easier didn't go unnoticed.

I do that. For those that I notice who actually see me and intentionally move to give me more space. I like to think that if they get some sign of thanks they will do it again.

[Danae]

I do that. For those that I notice who actually see me and intentionally move to give me more space. I like to think that if they get some sign of thanks they will do it again.

I've had a few cagers make way for me

I split on the motorway during rush hour, it's practically just about stopped. I remember once I saw a biker coming up behind me so I moved back into the lane to let them past. I am a slow splitter haha.

[mnkyboy]

I am a slow splitter haha.

fxr150 anything to do with that?

[Swoop]

I've had a few cagers make way for me

I remember once I saw a biker coming up behind me so I moved back into the lane to let them past. I am a slow splitter haha.

Good on ya for using your mirrors when splitting.
It is nice to give a brief wave to cars if they make a move to let you through (if you are able to, of course).

[MarkH]

fxr150 anything to do with that?

Wouldn't an fxr150 be rather a good lane splitting bike? Small, nimble & more than enough speed & power to handle that job. I suspect that as Danae gains experience & confidence she will lane split a bit faster - but it is important not to go too fast, you often need to brake, wait till a car finishes changing lanes, then carry on - too quick and you break instead of brake.

[Ixion]

I would think so. The GN250 is excellent for the purpose. The only qualification on the fxr might be the head down position.

[MarkH]

I would think so. The GN250 is excellent for the purpose.

The AN400 is also good for splitting - the auto CVT makes coping with heavy traffic much easier. The only qualification is that she is a little fat, though not as bad as the AN650 in that regard. Still - the gap is usually more than enough for my chubby scoot to slip through. Disc brakes front (twin disc) and rear is also really handy - you need to be ready to stop very quickly if necessary.

[PrincessBandit]

The AN400 is also good for splitting - ...... The only qualification is that she is a little fat, though not as bad as the AN650 in that regard.

Hahahaha, I call Balu's bike "fatty ass" but he still manages to squeeze through some gaps by retracting his mirrors. He had to smile as he did that the other day complete with stationary drivers pointing at him as his mirrors started to reposition again!

[MarkH]

Hahahaha, I call Balu's bike "fatty ass" but he still manages to squeeze through some gaps by retracting his mirrors. He had to smile as he did that the other day complete with stationary drivers pointing at him as his mirrors started to reposition again!

On the Burgman USA forums the 650 is known as the 'Lardy' and it has been described as 'looking like a pregnant bug'. From the specs I have seen it appears to be about 70kg heavier than my 400. Still, for the longer rides I wouldn't mind one - even if the extra weight would be a negative around the city.

The other nicknames for the 650 aren't so bad - like the 'Burger King' or 'Halfabusa'.

BTW:
I have on occasion stopped, grabbed each mirror and pulled back, rode through a tight gap to the front of the traffic lights, then repositioned my mirrors back to where they were.

[Thani-B]

I have on occasion stopped, grabbed each mirror and pulled back, rode through a tight gap to the front of the traffic lights, then repositioned my mirrors back to where they were.

Cant say I have ever had to do that lol, I do go through slowly turning the bike so one mirror goes through the small gap one at a time though.