Tailgating: What do you do?

[Dare]

I got a shark s900 and I'm happy with it =) but then I've got a non-kiwi shaped head.

When on the open road there are only really two safe places for other cars to be as far as I can tell, 3 seconds in-front of you or rapidly disappearing behind you. anything else is leaving your fate in cagers (notoriously variably skilled) hands.

Another thing to note, does 20kmh slower still equate to $700 per year on a bike? different gearing and aerodynamics might suggest otherwise, and I wouldn't suggest saving fuel at the expense of aggravating other motorists. Get some experience and ride at highway speeds or pull over, but that's just repeating what everyone else has said. Egoless riding is as much a part of the learning process as u-turning or anything else.

Have fun on the Wednesday ride! Keep an open mind about other peoples advice but use your common sense, it's your skin after all.

[Brown Bear]

Can,t figure out why when you are learning you want to go faster than allowed?First thing i did was put a big learner plate on the back just so people would know i am learning and may not always get it right. I have got two months before i can go for my restricted and have found 70km fast enough to learn with.At the beginning lacking skills i found a quiet park and just practiced stopping, starting of,all the things you need to do to control your bike.Still stalled at a few lights when i went out but people seemed to understand and allowed me to start my bike again and carry on.Go along to the leaning nights they have i have picked up so much and you can asked people who have been riding for years questions on things you don,t understand and get a answer.(I am sure some of my questions may seem dumb to them but they are always answered in good humour).You would probably be alot safer if you understand you are Learning and treat the time with your l plate as a time to understand how to ride safely and enjoy it instead of taking on the open road with no real understanding.
My 2 cents worth

Matt

[MSTRS:Me]

Some people STILL don't get it. The OP, amongst many others, lives rurally. There are NO LOWER SPEED roads in the area. So they have no choice but to mix it up with traffic that wants to go at 100kph.

[superman]

Some people STILL don't get it. The OP, amongst many others, lives rurally. There are NO LOWER SPEED roads in the area. So they have no choice but to mix it up with traffic that wants to go at 100kph.

Haha no worries MSTRS you understand

It's all good, I'm pretty good at learning things quickly. Went for a little 20km poddle into Clevedon and back and mannaged to stay up 90-100 this time. I have done around about 220km since Friday though

Only had to pull over to the side once to let an Audi past

[That looks like fun]

Well done that man Just remember one simple thing, attitude kills more people than speed
No I am not advocating you break the law and speed everywhere to avoid tailgaters Remember its what you do, not what they do that keeps you alive
Keep safe and have fun.

[kerryhare]

If anyone sees a white transit van with rego ECF 779 with pearce flooring written on it. Would you give it a kick as you go pass. The arsehole driving it (with a load of bikes in it I might add) needs driving lessons. I ride a 250 drag star, i was passing a car on the passing lane at 120km/hr which is about max for my bike. Look in the mirrors and all i can see is white, if I had to stop suddenly it would have been curtains for me. I speed up to 130 (the bike shakes at that speed) to give me a bit of lead way and the arse hole was flashing his lights at me. I had given myself plenty of room to pass and indicated doing everything correctly. My husband was riding in front of me and i was just behind. Prior to entering the passing lane he had been driving up close then pulling back. This happened north of Ashburton about Dunsandle. Rang pearce flooring today and yes the van is registered to them in Rotorua. next call to the police.

[R-Soul]

cars obviously expect bikes to go bloody fast all the time.
What do you more experienced guys do when you get tailgaters?

go bloody fast

[caseye]

You got it in one kerryhare, nice call, I'll wager that someone who USED to work at Pearce flooring will be rueing the day they were so damn "irresponsible" ( wheres katman? don't let him see this)I've done the exact same thing and way back then they became unemployed on the spot.
So coming along to the NEXT Wednesday night ride then are we superman?
All that Quasi gear makes me wish I had my new jacket already, but hey it's only been a couple of weeks.

[superman]

You got it in one kerryhare, nice call, I'll wager that someone who USED to work at Pearce flooring will be rueing the day they were so damn "irresponsible" ( wheres katman? don't let him see this)I've done the exact same thing and way back then they became unemployed on the spot.
So coming along to the NEXT Wednesday night ride then are we superman?
All that Quasi gear makes me wish I had my new jacket already, but hey it's only been a couple of weeks.

I may come... we shall see

Have a sneaky feeling I have some Xmas concert practice or something on

[Blinkwing]

When u go looking, check out the Shoei Qwest helmets. They're basically an XR1100 with a few less vents = less noise. Less ventilation too obviously but it seems pretty good and they're a fair bit cheaper. Mr Motorcycles hooked me up with a sweet deal including a dark smoke pinlock visor when they recently had their sale. Defo worth having a look and ignoring the "Qwest is a touring helmet" marketing spiel. Until Qwest came out, I was going to get an XR1100 too

Quasi sells Caberg V2R helmets too - www.qmoto.co.nz

Oh sweet, thanks. I'll see if there's any retail stores in Auckland that stock the Qwest. I'm a believer in trying before buying.

Told my gf it's like hugging a cow... she however interpreted this as me calling her a cow

You could have worded it a tad better, but oh well ...

[Tink]

Ooo I would, but have work this Wednesday night though! Does that happen every Wednesday night? Or is the starting location everywhere around South Auckland changing each week? Might have to make that a regular thing since I don't usually work Wednesday night

Had a night ride home from work tonight (home before 10pm yes), things feel much more natural now. So patience I guess and I'll be there soon enough. Definitely want to meet up with more experienced riders though to be able to see true riding. Youtube can only do so much...

Keeping up with experienced riders is almost impossible I know ... I don't try at all, I do the speed limit, and they wait for you at each turn or junction. Riding well comes with time, not overnight, and each change of bike can come with learning new things....

Ever tried rowing a boat.... you get there eventually !!!

[fuknKIWI]

Speed up

& find out it's a pig tail gating you

[cbfb]

Some people STILL don't get it. The OP, amongst many others, lives rurally. There are NO LOWER SPEED roads in the area. So they have no choice but to mix it up with traffic that wants to go at 100kph.

+1

I've got 500m of 50mph zone surrounding my house then you're out into 100mph zone. And the nearest flat area of off-road tarmac to practice on is a 20min ride away.

Ain't complaining, just saying it's not that helpful saying stay away from 100mph zones, cause not all of us can.

[Big Dave]

What do you more experienced guys do when you get tailgaters?

Exit the situation. If you can't get ahead of them - then pull to one side and let the dick-wit pass. There are no winners or losers in traffic - just occasional fuckwits you have to deal with - don't let ego get in the way and lower yourself to their level if it's not safe to get ahead of them.

Then get back to enjoying the ride.

[steve_t]

+1

I've got 500m of 50mph zone surrounding my house then you're out into 100mph zone. And the nearest flat area of off-road tarmac to practice on is a 20min ride away.

Ain't complaining, just saying it's not that helpful saying stay away from 100mph zones, cause not all of us can.

So a ride out to the open road area, a u-turn, a ride across to the opposite open road area, a u-turn, and a ride home is 2km worth of 50km/h road to learn/practice on. You can also put your L plate on and ride 20 mins (it's only 20 mins) at 70km/h to this off-road tarmac area to spend more time practicing. While you're riding at 70km/h, you can courteously allow people who legally are allowed to go faster than 70km/h to pass you when it's safe. If you CHOOSE to break the law because you believe/feel it is safer to ride at 100km/h, it's your choice. Just don't come on here and bitch about getting a ticket