Motorcyclists: please read

[tobyjug]

. IME motorbikes pass on the left as if they think they are allowed to whereas most cars don't do it.

.

Some bikers undertake and they are a big a dangerous set of wankers as car driver who do it. If it was anyone on this forum who undertook me on the M5 going North last Friday I make no apologies for shouting fucking wanker through your open window and giving you the same sign English archers gave the French at Agincourt. (The fact the blind bastard could not see the very slow moving vehicle I was overtaking and nearly ran underneath it proved my point).

 

[djbombscare]

Some bikers undertake and they are a big a dangerous set of wankers as car driver who do it. If it was anyone on this forum who undertook me on the M5 going North last Friday I make no apologies for shouting fucking wanker through your open window and giving you the same sign English archers gave the French at Agincourt. (The fact the blind bastard could not see the very slow moving vehicle I was overtaking and nearly ran underneath it proved my point).

What sort of car was it ?

 

[easy g]

Pot, kettle, black!

my car is multi-coloured actually...Viennese Blue, rust and filler

 

[tobyjug]

What sort of car was it ?

Small silver coloured hatchback full of geriatrics.

 

[sherriff rosco]

And stop riding around with your lights on full beam all the time

I`ll remember to get my bike fitted with HID halogen like all new BMW cars...so that I can blind the fuck out of them.....just like they do to me when they go over the slightest bump.......

Bike lights are limited to around 55/60w dip/main so even a twin headlight bike is only producing half the lumens of one of the BMW`s lights......

Anyway I try to be curteous and keep on dipped everywhere around town but do switch to main if filtering loads of traffic on a motorway ( too many close misses by ..." oh I`ll just jump into that faster moving lane to no-where...." have made me an agressive lampy!

.p.

 

[Velouria]

If car drivers moved to the left whilst clearly signalling their intentions, bikers wouldn't have to pass you on the left. I refer to the middle-lane-hog phenomenon whereby car drivers think that moving in and out of the inside lane to over-take lorries is beneath them.

Also, motorcyclists don't tend to ride around with their full-beams on, but because our headlights are comparitively high in relation to your height in the seat of your car, it may appear that way.

But conversely whatever happened to 'don't be a weaver bird' ?

I mean, do you expect drivers to:
- Overtake first lorry
- Switch back in in front of the lorry in the gap between it and the lorry in front - inside its safe stopping distance, which is why lorries have such large gaps between them.
- Prepare to switch back to middle lane again, thus necessitating MSM again and also all this time you're approaching the lorry in front at 10-20 mph...
- Be forced to brake and swerve back in if someone is bombing it down the middle lane and get stuck between the two lorries.
- Eventually overtake the lorry only to repeat the cycle...

What you advocate is more dangerous than staying in the middle lane. In fact I frequently stay in the middle lane for this reason. If you're overtaking multiple lorries, it's MUCH MUCH more dangerous to 'weave' in and out of them...

For the same reason if I'm approaching a junction I always try to move into, or stay in, the middle/second (we have shitty wee motorways up in Scotland) lane, if traffic density permits. It allows any vehicles pulling onto the motorway a clear lane.

You must absolutely hate me

 

[sherriff rosco]

which is why lorries have such large gaps between them.

Crikey! you`ve got different lorry drivers to the ones that I see daily tailgating each other up the M1 ..!

.p.

 

[Velouria]

Crikey! you`ve got different lorry drivers to the ones that I see daily tailgating each other up the M1 ..!

.p.

Yes, you motorway drivers down in England are all fucking nutters.

No wonder there are massive pileups

 

[Radar]

But conversely whatever happened to 'don't be a weaver bird' ?

I mean, do you expect drivers to:
- Overtake first lorry
- Switch back in in front of the lorry in the gap between it and the lorry in front - inside its safe stopping distance, which is why lorries have such large gaps between them.

Yes.

That what the highway code calls an overtake. It include returning to the lane you started the manouvere from, or as the highway code itself says "Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in".
Please note that it doesn't say "if you can be bothered" or "only if the vehicle behind you intimidates you" or "unless you intend performing another overtake in the next 20 miles"

Have you every watched HGVs overtaking each other ?? You'll see them flashing each other to return to lane 1 as soon as the rear of the overtaking HGV has cleared the cab of the HGV overtaken. They don't seem that worried with a 38 tonne HGV is in their stopping zone (providing it's still travelling faster than them), so I dout they'd get all that worked up over a piddly car.

If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you.

Or lets look at it another way.

If everyone on the road had the same attitude as you then we'd travel everywhere in a single lane convoy in lane 3 because no bugger would pull back in after completing an overtake.

 

[pogofish]

Bike lights are limited to around 55/60w dip/main so even a twin headlight bike is only producing half the lumens of one of the BMW`s lights......

Are they, oops!

Nobody seems to worry about the 100/130 lamp I've had in mine for the last few years.

 

[tobyjug]

Are they, oops!

Nobody seems to worry about the 100/130 lamp I've had in mine for the last few years.

It should be picked up on MOT as 55 watts is the limit for a headlight. (Construction and use regs)

 

[pogofish]

Never been noticed & the improvement in contrast for night-riding makes this one area where I'll happily break the law. I also have a spare 55w in the tail hump in case the worst happens.

 

[bikergrrl]

But conversely whatever happened to 'don't be a weaver bird' ?

I mean, do you expect drivers to:
- Overtake first lorry
- Switch back in in front of the lorry in the gap between it and the lorry in front - inside its safe stopping distance, which is why lorries have such large gaps between them.
- Prepare to switch back to middle lane again, thus necessitating MSM again and also all this time you're approaching the lorry in front at 10-20 mph...
- Be forced to brake and swerve back in if someone is bombing it down the middle lane and get stuck between the two lorries.
- Eventually overtake the lorry only to repeat the cycle...

What you advocate is more dangerous than staying in the middle lane. In fact I frequently stay in the middle lane for this reason. If you're overtaking multiple lorries, it's MUCH MUCH more dangerous to 'weave' in and out of them...

For the same reason if I'm approaching a junction I always try to move into, or stay in, the middle/second (we have shitty wee motorways up in Scotland) lane, if traffic density permits. It allows any vehicles pulling onto the motorway a clear lane.

You must absolutely hate me

lol - I hate no-one.

Point: If you're weaving in and out of lorries like that, then there is no chance for anyone to undertake you.

And yes, I agree that it shouldn't done. When I said about car drivers staying in the middle lane, I was refering to those who did it when they could safely and appropriately move into a left hand lane.

 

[Radar]

Point: If you're weaving in and out of lorries like that, then there is no chance for anyone to undertake you.

Too true.

On the undertaking front, I'd say this to any driver irrespective of their vehicle:

If you find yourself being undertaken on a regular basis, can I suggest that perhaps you are doing something to contribute to this situation and it's not just those bloody hooligans you keep muttering about.

 

[Velouria]

It should be picked up on MOT as 55 watts is the limit for a headlight. (Construction and use regs)

They'd never notice, an MOT isn't that strict...

I add 'Not usually' before you of course come back with the story of the 'MOT Test From Hell'

 

[Velouria]

Point: If you're weaving in and out of lorries like that, then there is no chance for anyone to undertake you.

Point: If I'm weaving in and out of lorries like that, then I'm a much greater danger to myself and other road users for the reasons I outlined...

To elucidate (My emphasis in red):

Highway Code rule 139 (excerpts):
139: Overtake only when it is safe to do so. You should

* not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
* use your mirrors, signal when it is safe to do so, take a quick sideways glance into the blind spot area and then start to move out
* not assume that you can simply follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking; there may only be enough room for one vehicle
* move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
* only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so

Highway Code rule 234 (part):
234: When you can see well ahead and the road conditions are good, you should

* drive at a steady cruising speed which you and your vehicle can handle safely and is within the speed limit (see table)
* keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front and increase the gap on wet or icy roads, or in fog (see Rules 105 & 210).

Highway Code rule 238
238: You should drive in the left-hand lane if the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower moving vehicles it may be safer to remain in the centre or outer lanes until the manoeuvre is completed rather than continually changing lanes. Return to the left-hand lane once you have overtaken all the vehicles or if you are delaying traffic behind you. Slow moving or speed restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking. You MUST NOT drive on the hard shoulder except in an emergency or if directed to do so by signs.
MT(E&W)R regs 5, 9 & 16(1)(a) & MT(S)R regs 4, 8 & 14(1)(a)

Highway Code rule 241:
241: Do not overtake unless you are sure it is safe to do so.
Overtake only on the right. You should

* check your mirrors
* take time to judge the speeds correctly
* make sure that the lane you will be joining is sufficiently clear ahead and behind
* take a quick sideways glance into the blind spot area to verify the position of a vehicle that may have disappeared from your view in the mirror
* remember that traffic may be coming up behind you very quickly. Check your mirrors carefully. When it is safe to do so, signal in plenty of time, then move out
* ensure you do not cut in on the vehicle you have overtaken
* be especially careful at night and in poor visibility when it is harder to judge speed and distance.

Highway Code rule 242:
242: Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

I think some of you should brush up on your Highway Code, as you seem to have misinterpreted it somewhere...

edit: of course you will now claim that the 'may be safer' part of Rule 238 doesn't apply when there's some fucking nutcase on a bike/in a souped up car right up your arse absolutely fucking DESPERATE to get in front of you, so fucking desperate they'll break the law to do so...

 

[sherriff rosco]

They'd never notice, an MOT isn't that strict...

I add 'Not usually' before you of course come back with the story of the 'MOT Test From Hell'

Depends if the examiner is blinded by `em when he flicks to main beam..!

I had a blue tint 55 / 120w ( very odd rating but excellent !) and they passed that last time round ? It`s since blown and it`s tricky getting over wattage bulbs now! Blue tint was excellent on dark back roads ...really noticable how much more of the road it picked up...

.p.


(better go get my bike back from the workshop after all this talk......fingers crossed for a non-slipping clutch !)

 

[detective-boy]

Whilst I have no problem with drivers who stay in an outer lane overtaking (even if only slowly) a line of slower moving vehicles with no realistic opportunity to pull in without immediately having to come back out again ...

What the fuck is it with the twats who join an empty fucking motorway and IMMEDIATELY pull out into Lane 2?

 

[scott_forester]

the black is traditional innit?

They also don't make you look silly if you are over 30.

 

[tobyjug]

They'd never notice, an MOT isn't that strict...

I add 'Not usually' before you of course come back with the story of the 'MOT Test From Hell'

Where my wife and get our motorcycles MOTd and serviced they are that strict and I am thankful for it. The mechanic takes the bikes out for a good blast after servicing them. (As the mechanic is a mad bastard who races sidecars for a hobby I would rather he took the bikes to limits my wife and I are very unlikely to, as we know they are safe for us to use).

 

[scott_forester]

What the fuck is it with the twats who join an empty fucking motorway and IMMEDIATELY pull out into Lane 2?

On the new wider bit of the M25 between 12 and 14 the the inside lane is more often than not empty. It's like my own private lane - and the people in the outside lane all seem to be going slower than me.

 

[Velouria]

Whilst I have no problem with drivers who stay in an outer lane overtaking (even if only slowly) a line of slower moving vehicles with no realistic opportunity to pull in without immediately having to come back out again ...

What the fuck is it with the twats who join an empty fucking motorway and IMMEDIATELY pull out into Lane 2?

Indeed. Wankerishness of the highest order.

I also can't abide drivers/motorcyclists who drive right up my arse when I'm at or near the speed limit in town. I get even more incensed when I find out these people happen to be local to the area and probably the first lot to whinge to the papers about 'souped up cars in the area breaking the speed limit', then are somehow incensed when they are nicked in a speeding crackdown. What utter wankers.

 

[tobyjug]

I get even more incensed when I find out these people happen to be local to the area and probably the first lot to whinge to the papers about 'souped up cars in the area breaking the speed limit', then are somehow incensed when they are nicked in a speeding crackdown. What utter wankers.

When I still lived in Buckinghamshire the parish council in the next village complained about people speeding. When the police did finally do a speed check the first people caught were all parish council members.

 

[Velouria]

When I still lived in Buckinghamshire the parish council in the next village complained about people speeding. When the police did finally do a speed check the first people caught were all parish council members.

hahahahaha!!

Rather neatly illustrates the point, doesn't it?

 

[pogofish]

the story of the 'MOT Test From Hell'

Even my main-dealer MOT from hell last year failed to pick it up & they were extremely pernickety & creative about finding failure points. I ranted-on about it here at the time.

 

[Velouria]

Even my main-dealer MOT from hell last year failed to pick it up & they were extremely pernickety & creative about finding failure points. I ranted-on about it here at the time.

Ah yes. Leaky fork seals among other things, wasn't it?

 

[dessiato]

On the new wider bit of the M25 between 12 and 14 the the inside lane is more often than not empty. It's like my own private lane - and the people in the outside lane all seem to be going slower than me.

I used that stretch on thursday, and the two inner lanes were empty, the outside lane was a queue of cars doing 65! Millions of pounds spent for no real reason?

 

[sherriff rosco]

Even my main-dealer MOT from hell last year failed to pick it up & they were extremely pernickety & creative about finding failure points. I ranted-on about it here at the time.

What my bike always get pulled up on....

Bloody rear reflectors...!

I always take me push bike one in my pocket and tape it on ! The bike came without a rear mudguard extension...can`t find one , in fact don`t want one...but every MOT I`ve gotta bodge one on !

Why don`t bike manufacturers still build `em into the rear lens anymore...?


that`s just a little rant !

.p.

 

[tobyjug]

Why don`t bike manufacturers still build `em into the rear lens anymore...?


that`s just a little rant !

.p.

I am a bit puzzled by that, never had any problems with any of our bikes, and the CX500 Custom has one of those sad Maltese cross rear lights.
A reflector was added to the sidecar on the BMW by the mechanic when it was MOTd last but I had completed changed the lights on the sidecar as the originals were fubarred by an idiot on a Speed Triple following too close and ran into the mudguard. (He did give me a stainless steel mudguard as compensation though).

 

[sherriff rosco]

the CX500 Custom has one of those sad Maltese cross rear lights.

That`s TWO sad things in one sentence!

.p.

I have to admit owning a plastic maggot for a few years but purely for couriering busines m`lord!