Dear fellow bike riders - Blind spots!

**Phantom Limb** · 8th October 2012, 12:04

Originally Posted by mashman

Get better mirrors

DICK...

Genuine question, well kinda

... but how the hell can you tell that you're in the blind spot of a vehicle? We had a friends car whilst he was oota the country for a few weeks and it's one of the first cars I've driven with a glaringly obvious blind spot. How is a motorcyclist to know where the blindspot is for any given vehicle type?

If you don't know how to tell when you're in a vehicle's blind spot, then you should be finding out how to do so right quick. It's one of the fundamentals of riding a bike in traffic............ at least I thought it was anyway!

**schrodingers cat** · 8th October 2012, 12:23

Originally Posted by neels

Well I know it wasn't me, there's nothing shiny about my gear or the bike I was riding today.

No it wasn't you. And I think you ride better than that anyhoo

**mashman** · 8th October 2012, 12:49

Originally Posted by Katman

I thought it was fairly obvious.

If you're behind a vehicle and can't see the driver's face in any of their mirrors there's a good chance that you're in their blind spot.

Obvious? Oddly enough I would have thought given the height we sit at in relation to cars and the angle of the mirrors of cars it'd be nigh on impossible to see the face of the driver unless you were in THE perfect spot. My wife stands at the bathroom door and I can turn my head and look at her in the mirror, yet she can't see my face in the mirror. It isn't that obvious to me at all.

Originally Posted by Phantom Limb

If you don't know how to tell when you're in a vehicle's blind spot, then you should be finding out how to do so right quick. It's one of the fundamentals of riding a bike in traffic............ at least I thought it was anyway!

That may well be the case, but I look at the driver and the driving, not the vehicles mirrors.

**Katman** · 8th October 2012, 15:01

Originally Posted by mashman

Obvious? Oddly enough I would have thought given the height we sit at in relation to cars and the angle of the mirrors of cars it'd be nigh on impossible to see the face of the driver unless you were in THE perfect spot.

Have you never looked at a car's mirror to determine whether the car driver is able to see you behind them?

You sound like a statistic waiting to happen.

**mashman** · 8th October 2012, 16:27

Originally Posted by Katman

Have you never looked at a car's mirror to determine whether the car driver is able to see you behind them?

You sound like a statistic waiting to happen.

I hardly use my own so I fail to see why I'd use the mirrors of another vehicle to see how fine I look.

**haydes55** · 8th October 2012, 20:39

Originally Posted by Berries

You should have indicated and then given him a squeeze. He is more likely to learn from that than reading on here and not even realising you are talking about him.

I do that but backwards, when I drive my cage twice within about 2 weeks I've driven on the freeway where 1 lane goes to 2 lanes, a slow car and another car stuck behind the slow twat in front of me, I pull out to overtake as soon as the lane opens for me. I get almost nose to drivers door of the 1st car stuck behind slow twat and they start pulling into my lane (I don't give a shit about my POS cage) so I stayed where I was and wait til they get really into my lane then honk the horn. The first guy I did that to looked like he saw a ghost and pulled back pretty quick but the second time I did that the elderly lady almost went off on the grass!

I drive like an asshole to teach bigger assholes to not be such assholes.

Next planned move is to go 20km/h slower than a car going 20km/h slower than the speed limit is once I get in front, see how they like their own medicine?

**PrincessBandit** · 9th October 2012, 06:56

Originally Posted by haydes55

I drive like an asshole to teach bigger assholes to not be such assholes.

Next planned move is to go 20km/h slower than a car going 20km/h slower than the speed limit is once I get in front, see how they like their own medicine?

Yeah, it's much easier to go down that route when in the comparative safety of your metal box on wheels. Not a great idea for motorcyclists to emulate, although I'm sure you were not suggesting that at all in that post.

**Marmoot** · 11th October 2012, 00:59

Motorbicyclists that think driving a car properly is a lot easier than riding a bike really need a reality check.

**Berries** · 11th October 2012, 06:26

Originally Posted by Marmoot

Motorbicyclists that think driving a car properly is a lot easier than riding a bike really need a reality check.

You're going to have to explain that one. I think that driving a car properly is far easier than riding a bike - which is easy in itself. Having two hands on a large steering wheel, two or three pedals under your feet, a relaxed seating position, peripheral vision, stability through having a wheel in each corner, protection from the elements, a presence on the road etc etc.

**Maha** · 11th October 2012, 06:32

Originally Posted by Berries

You're going to have to explain that one. I think that driving a car properly is far easier than riding a bike - which is easy in itself. Having two hands on a large steering wheel, two or three pedals under your feet, a relaxed seating position, peripheral vision, stability through having a wheel in each corner, protection from the elements, a presence on the road etc etc.

...and a coffee holder..

**Phantom Limb** · 11th October 2012, 07:35

Originally Posted by Marmoot

Motorbicyclists that think driving a car properly is a lot easier than riding a bike really need a reality check.

Not sure I agree with that one.
Cars have a much larger 'margin for error' when compared to a bike. So it really is easier to drive a car properly compared to a bike. Also having spent a fair amount of time on race tracks in cars I can say that without guesswork, you can throw a car at corners like a complete ham fisted fool, yet there is usually some way to correct and keep it on the tarseal, not so on a bike, very few options for recovery once shit gets real.

**Banditbandit** · 11th October 2012, 10:56

Was following what looked like a Kwaka 650 Ninja home last night ... FUCK what appalling mirriors it had. The mirrors looked standard.

The rider was about average size - I was riding a good distance back and all I could see was his elbows ... I could not see his miirrors at all until I moved hard left onto the white line, and he was sitting hard right close to the centre line ... what appalling rear vision that bike has ... it took him a very long time to notice I was there. Must have a massive blind spot ...

**DEATH_INC.** · 11th October 2012, 13:28

Originally Posted by schrodingers cat

Fellow Bike Riders:
When you are out etc...

Don't waste your breath, I posted up story about some dick that just about ran into the side of the work ute on a bike, and got shit about it. Bikers can do no wrong...

**Marmoot** · 11th October 2012, 13:53

Originally Posted by Phantom Limb

Not sure I agree with that one.
Cars have a much larger 'margin for error' when compared to a bike. So it really is easier to drive a car properly compared to a bike. Also having spent a fair amount of time on race tracks in cars I can say that without guesswork, you can throw a car at corners like a complete ham fisted fool, yet there is usually some way to correct and keep it on the tarseal, not so on a bike, very few options for recovery once shit gets real.

Not falling off in a car is definitely easy.

Not hitting anything in traffic 2 x 365 times a year while having idiots around you is the hard bit.

And whoever says peripheral vision is better in a car than in a bike definitely needs a better bike helmet!