does this happen allot?

I was cruising down the s e freeway (melbourne), doing spot on 100kph
because of a speeding fine that mourning, and some guy in a car overtakes in
my lane doing approx 101kph.

There were no cars in both lanes either side of me!

Gavin.

 

I would be mourning a speeding fine as well

 

Own your lane. Position your bike so that it's less likely for car drivers to share the lane you're in.

 

Thats what I've taken away from the incident.
I found it amusing because there was absolutely no reason to use my lane.
I'm thinking perhaps he didn't see me at all.

 

It does not happen a lot to me, but I ride in the same position as if I am
driving a car. If I am in a centre lane and a car is coming up on my left
before it gets to me I change sides so I am riding in the passenger
position.

Ride defensively and live.


Roc

 

ride faster

 

Steelcaps

 

as i like to say, i ride a motorcycle 1 lane wide

 

This does happen and its frustrating and dangerous. the worst part of
it is that there is no specific legislation against a car occupying the
same lane as a bike, even if the opposit is not true.

I find there are a few things you can do that help. Replace your
tail/brake light with the brightest globe you can get, even if it is
illegal. no-one is going to ping you for this. Over the years i've
also noticed that when i was on bikes with louder pipes people were
more hesitant about this type of overtaking and were generally more
aware. make your own mind up about this one.

If you are in the left lane, and generally this sort of thing only
happens in the left lane, ride in the right hand tire track.... funny
as it may seem most car drivers view a bike in the left tire track as
almost an invitation to pass in the same lane.... the same way that
when you are driving a car and someone ahead of you pulls over to the
shoulder your would probably read his intention for you to pass.
Riding in the right tire track cuts down on this a lot.

Fit a super loud horn to your bike today. The OEM horns fitted to most
bikes are a joke. They are so quiet that at highway speeds i almost
cant hear my own when i need it. There is no chance of a driver inside
a modern quiet car with the stereo on is going to hear it, or if they
do, it will sound far away and not even register in their head. Get
the loudest you can find. Ive always done this the same day i buy a
bike, mostly i bought horns overseas where there arent any restrictions
on noise. There are plenty of electronic horns available nowadays with
decibel ratings to rival even medium sized air horns, and they are
'quicker off the mark' and easier to fit. Dont make a fool of yourself
by getting one with a silly tune, just loud and constant. This horn
will probably save your life some day. Install it properly with a
relay and fuse so you dont burn out your wiring/switches. If you dont
know how there are plenty of guides available on the web. Dont be a
tool and use your horn to impress your mates/tell your gf you are ready
to go... a horn is used to signal another driver that they are putting
your life at risk. As such it should convince them that the world is
about to end, which it may do for you if they keep going. Horns that
cause loss of bowel control are borderline acceptable in my book.

Consider a headlight modulator. Ive never used one and i dont think i
ever will. these things are legal and they make your headlight get
brighter and duller in a way that car drivers notice. Lots of my
friends use them, but i think they're a bit dangerous. I think in the
city in a lane splitting scenario they are probably good... they do
get noticed a lot. On the open road, too many drivers think you might
be a bike cop, and they slow down, which means you then have to
overtake them. These units can be turned off/on with a switch, so i
guess you dont really lose any options by tfitting one, but not really
my cup of tea.

use your brain and senses, ride defensively and be aware of everything
that's going on around you.

 

I owned mainly Pommie bikes in the 60s and after that mainly Jap bikes.
For a period of 4 years I rode a Harley Lowrider which was so loud the local
bike shop refused to give it a pink slip.

Anyway I swear that car drivers gave me more space when I was on that bike.
On a Jap bike they would drive beside you in the next lane or tailgate you
but they would keep quite some distance from the Harley. Thank you
Hollywood.

Baz

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 03 Mar 2006 09:35:29 GMT

It's not the noise, it's the looking like you'll rip their heads off
and spit down the hole.

I used to get a lot of space when I rode the 'orrible 'onda chop. OK,
it had short straight pipes, so wasn't exactly quiet, but it was
definitely the appearance not the noise.

Zebee

 

Yep; I agree wholeheartedly with this advice (ESPECIALLY if you're on a
small bike or a scooter).
At the very least you're giving yourself an additional 3rd of a lane to
move in to if you need it.
Clem

 

I wonder if that's the same thinking that motivates car drivers to not
let motorcycles lane split?

---
Cheers

PeterC [aka MildThing]
'81 Suzuki GS450-s (gone on to better and brighter things - I hope)
'87 BMW K100RT (write-off)
'81 Yamaha Virago (XV) 750H (work in progress)
'01 Yamaha FJR1300

www.dmcsc.org.au
http://eladesom.com.au/ulysses/
# 37181

 

You have that problem? I'm constantly amazed at the number who
move over to let me spli.... well, filter actually.

GB

 

I find that a lot move over but you're usually past them by then.
I also find that a lot close-in too.
Fortunately the K75 and I (even with panniers and gut) are pretty slender
so it's not usually a problem.

 

Good to hear the Beer diet is working well for you.

Must try that one myself...


G-S

[1] I was really tempted to use this as a sig but I thought it'd come back
to bite me


Clem wrote:

 

The bad part is when you realise they're not really panniers and I'm just
wearing black Vinyl jeans!
--
Clem
~

 

Damn! I told jodie that was you riding the mardi gras last year!


G-S

 

Tits oot 'n' all, he was!

GB, *shudder*!