Bikers....

[iaind]

I know there's a few bikers about here and obviously a lot of motorists..

I don't want to start a massive flame war, but why do so many bikers drive like idiots? They seem to think the public roads are their own private racetrack and that they have more of a right to use the roads than us car drivers. I've seen bikers on the way home doing what must be well over 110~120, swerving in and out of traffic.

The amount of bikes I've had sit right on my tail on the dual carriageway when I'm overtaking traffic on the inside, then try to undertake me. I always pull into the inside lane after I've passed traffic and indicate when I do if there's something behind me.

Or they seem to expect me to pull over into the verge/kerb to let them past in traffic - why can they not just wait in a queue like the rest of us?

I know a lot of bikers will slate car drivers for not paying enough attention to bikes but I always see them and pay attention to what they're doing - do they not realise they're very difficult to keen an eye on when they're swerving around well over the speed limit?

I dont want anyone to think I'm saying all bikers are the same, but there seem to be such a high proportion of them that are willing to risk their own life and the life of others. I've never ridden a bike, so could someone try to explain - is it worth it? Why do so many ride like this?

 

[Janesy B]

There are idiots in cars, lots of them. There are idiots on bikes, lots of them.

I have seen some very good responsible bikers so I am not going to **** the power rangers off

 

[iaind]

Dont get me wrong, I've seen plenty of good responsible bikers and more than enough idiot car drivers.

It's just the ratio of good to bad seems to be a lot higher and the risks they're willing to take seem to be so much greater.

 

[Bigsy]

Wait in a queue??? Why the hell should I?

I ride sensibly (commute through central Bristol daily) , its the stupid bloody jealous car drivers with that attitude that try and block me when filtering that make it dangerous.

 

[MrKeeno]

Do not forget bikes accelerate and brake a lot faster than cars, so what may seem as reckless to you may well be within the riders/bikes capabilities.

If a bike is tailing you why not move to the left a bit? just enough to let them past. I always give car drivers a wave that do this.

 

[vail3r]

Wait in a queue??? Why the hell should I?

I ride sensibly its the stupid bloody jealous car drivers with that attitude that try and block me when filtering that make it dangerous.

Very true, one of the perks of having a bike tbh.

 

[Janesy B]

Wait in a queue??? Why the hell should I?

I ride sensibly (commute through central Bristol daily) , its the stupid bloody jealous car drivers with that attitude that try and block me when filtering that make it dangerous.

Bikers have every right to filter through, I try and leave room. I don't appreciate it when they get to close though but that rarely happens. I hate people who say they should queue.

 

[iaind]

Wait in a queue??? Why the hell should I?

I ride sensibly (commute through central Bristol daily) , its the stupid bloody jealous car drivers with that attitude that try and block me when filtering that make it dangerous.

I wouldnt ever try and block a biker, but some of them expect cars to move over on unreasonably narrow roads. There are some roads around here where I see some bikers sitting patiently waiting and some trying to squeeze through..

Do not forget bikes accelerate and brake a lot faster than cars, so what may seem as reckless to you may well be within the riders/bikes capabilities.

If a bike is tailing you why not move to the left a bit? just enough to let them past. I always give car drivers a wave that do this.

When I was talking about tailgating, I was thinking in dual carriageway/motorway situations. I dont sit in the outside lane when I'm not overtaking (I know a lot of car drivers do though!) and I'll move in once I'm passed. Moving over in the lane on a dual carriageway would be pretty dangerous IMO

 

[Nebzor]

Some good points have already been made.

You're no doubt failing to rationalise the number of poor bike riders on the roads. You make out that there's a lot... well, maybe times that number by 20 or more and you've got the number of poor car drivers. Should you go and whine about every car driver? No.

The point is what you may see as reckless riding is perfectly safe and legal filtering. You cannot comment on things you've never done.

I wouldnt ever try and block a biker, but some of them expect cars to move over on unreasonably narrow roads. There are some roads around here where I see some bikers sitting patiently waiting and some trying to squeeze through..

If it is perfectly legal and safe to do so, why shouldn't they try to squeeze through? To keep you happy?

 

[iaind]

Some good points have already been made.

You're no doubt failing to rationalise the number of poor bike riders on the roads. You make out that there's a lot... well, maybe times that number by 20 or more and you've got the number of poor car drivers. Should you go and whine about every car driver? No.

The point is what you may see as reckless riding is perfectly safe and legal filtering. You cannot comment on things you've never done.

I just meant that in my experience I've seen a large proportion of poor bikers. But there are fewer of them on the roads, so I may just be unlucky.

I never said anything about filtering, I'm talking about the sort of riders who are undertaking other traffic at 130. You're right, I cant comment much on things I havent done, that's why I asked the question in the first place - to try and understand.

I think you may have misinterpreted the sort of thing I've been meaning, anyone who would condone the sort of behaviour I have in mind is an idiot.

Also, I did say I have seen plenty of decent bikers, and wouldnt imply they're all the same

 

[iaind]

If it is perfectly legal and safe to do so, why shouldn't they try to squeeze through? To keep you happy?

Again, I think you're misunderstanding the type of situation I'm talking about.

I couldnt care less if they pass me on a road that's wide enough, I'll move over if its safe for me to do so. But when they're practically taking wing mirrors off and forcing the oncoming traffic into the verge - I dont understand why they cant wait like the other traffic

 

[Nebzor]

I think you may have misinterpreted the sort of thing I've been meaning, anyone who would condone the sort of behaviour I have in mind is an idiot.

So you're just talking about idiotic motorists in general? I've seen many, many more dangerously driven cars than motorbikes so it is not really a "Bikers..." thing.

 

[Nebzor]

Again, I think you're misunderstanding the type of situation I'm talking about.

I couldnt care less if they pass me on a road that's wide enough, I'll move over if its safe for me to do so. But when they're practically taking wing mirrors off and forcing the oncoming traffic into the verge - I dont understand why they cant wait like the other traffic

Then that isn't a complaint about bikers, that's a complaint about people who fail to observe basic road safety.

I see your point but I feel it is totally unfair single out bikers.

 

[iaind]

In terms of quantity I've definitely seen more idiotic car drivers, but because there are fewer bikes it seems to me like the ratio is higher.

The type of risks they take are obviously different ot car drivers so I just want to try to understand the mentality behind it. If someone in a car screams past me on the motorway at ton I might think they're an idiot. When a biker hares past at 130, it seems so much worse to me - you cant fall off a car for a start!

A good example of the "barging past" was a few days ago. A city road with moderate traffic, a cycle lane on my left. I come to the crest of a hill and there's somoene on one of those big cruiser type bikes on my side of the road. There was a cyclist in the cycle lane to my left, so I could either let him carry on and knock the cyclist off his bike, or make him get back into his own lane. Yet, he was the one to make rude gestures at me - why was his journey so much more important than mine or the bones of the cyclist?

 

[iaind]

Then that isn't a complaint about bikers, that's a complaint about people who fail to observe basic road safety.

I see your point but I feel it is totally unfair single out bikers.

I'm not singling out bikers and saying they're the only bad motorists out there - I just want to try and userstand it. As a driver, I can understand (if not condone or accept) why some drivers do what they do - but I have no frame of reference for bikers

 

[Griffo]

It also depends what you consider "trying to push through" or however you phrased it up there. Sitting off (and back a bit, obviously) the offside corner of the car in a position to slip through is pretty normal and all fine. Do they try and fit through and then bosh off either side of the cars, like in the fast and the furious film number 27?

Also, perception of speed, 130, 100, 90... mok moka mok.

EDIT: Oh I mean sitting on the bike, not on the actual car, how silly that would be!

 

[ShakenNstirred]

ive had car drivers looking in there mirrors and then moving over to stop me getting past in slow moving traffic and even pushing me over when im moving past.
the worse i have had done to me was a guy just pulling out of a hotel, he didnt use the slip road out he just pulled straight out into the road almost taking me out
i was on my way to work at the time and had my steel toecaps on so he got a kick to the
front wing as i went past

 

[NVIDIA_x64]

As a Biker myself i do find i feel more confident on it than i do in a car. Like i can get away with things more than i could when i drive my car like put your feet over the number plate whenever you see a speed camera and after 10:00PM at night it does turn into a race course because there is nothing on the roads so you can go as fast as you wish 100mph+

 

[iaind]

It also depends what you consider "trying to push through" or however you phrased it up there. Sitting off (and back a bit, obviously) the offside corner of the car in a position to slip through is pretty normal and all fine. Do they try and fit through and then bosh off either side of the cars, like in the fast and the furious film number 27?

Also, perception of speed, 130, 100, 90... mok moka mok.

EDIT: Oh I mean sitting on the bike, not on the actual car, how silly that would be!

As I mentioned before, I'm happy to let them past if its safe for me. I'm thinking about 2 sorts of situations - one is on motorways/dual carriageways when Ive had bikers within feet of my bumper and gesturing for me to move out the way, depsite the fact I'm overtaking slower traffic. When a car tailgates its bad, but surely if one of the slow moving cars on the inside pulled out infront of me and I had to brake suddenly, the outcome could be catastrophic for a biker..

The other is in queues of slow moving traffic. Again, I'm happy to move over if its safe - but read my example above.

 

[iaind]

ive had car drivers looking in there mirrors and then moving over to stop me getting past in slow moving traffic and even pushing me over when im moving past.
the worse i have had done to me was a guy just pulling out of a hotel, he didnt use the slip road out he just pulled straight out into the road almost taking me out
i was on my way to work at the time and had my steel toecaps on so he got a kick to the
front wing as i went past

Of course there are lots of bad drivers, and bikers are much more vunerable. I would never dream of intentionally blocking bikers (or other cars for that matter), I think motorists like that can be universally despised