Bikers....

[iaind]

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+

Obviously if there's no traffic about the risk is your own. I personally wouldnt condone it because there always could be more traffic appearing, but each to their own.

The reason biking has never appealed is the feeling of vunerability, don't you feel like you're more at risk because youre on a bike? If i drive my car too quickly and crash, I would stand much more chance of surviving with seatbelts and airbags than a biker.

 

[SKILL]

There are some idiot bikers, and because bikes are so quick compared to cars they do tend to make a nuisance of themselves, but they are the minority as far as I can tell (I ride a bike and drive a car regularly)

On a dual carriageway/motorway, I won't ever immediately undertake someone, however if they've passed several large enough gaps for me to see that they cba to move out of my way, then whether I'm in the car or on the bike I will undertake, if in your instance the biker undertook you almost immediately after coming up to you then that's pure recklessness on the bikers part.

Same with the filtering, if it's safe to do so (by safe I mean I can get through without knocking anyone's mirrors, or worse) then I'll do it, I won't do it if it requires either car to move out of the way though, again that's just silly.

To repeat, there are bad bikers, but as an added point I'm much more concerned about the bad car drivers, yes there are more of them, and imo there are probably a higher percentage of them (at least until the summer month's when the true fair-weather riders come out to try to kill themselves). If I'm in the car a bad driver, or bad rider, will simply cause an accident, 99% of the time that will be simply an annoyance. However if I'm on the bike that same bad driver can pull into the side of me on a roundabout, breaking my leg and giving me a nice 2 week spell in hospital, 3 months off work, 6 months till I can walk without a limp and for good measure I'll never be able to run any distance and my knee's will ache/be painful for the rest of my life.

Bad bikers are fine imo

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

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?

Dear god, not this again.

You only notice the ones that ride like idiots, the ones that rdie sensibly generally waft past without you barely noticing. Same deal with car drivers, you generally only notice the idiots, the rest blend into the backgound as you go about your day.

Fog

 

[Snaggle]

To many people overtake at 72mph then dont move back to the middle/left lane ...We bikers can get anoyed when it takes you xxx minutes to pass 1 car you never really needed to pass so we sometimes undertake you .

There are some retards on bikes ...but a lot more in cars .

Persil

 

[iaind]

There are some idiot bikers, and because bikes are so quick compared to cars they do tend to make a nuisance of themselves, but they are the minority as far as I can tell (I ride a bike and drive a car regularly)

On a dual carriageway/motorway, I won't ever immediately undertake someone, however if they've passed several large enough gaps for me to see that they cba to move out of my way, then whether I'm in the car or on the bike I will undertake, if in your instance the biker undertook you almost immediately after coming up to you then that's pure recklessness on the bikers part.

Same with the filtering, if it's safe to do so (by safe I mean I can get through without knocking anyone's mirrors, or worse) then I'll do it, I won't do it if it requires either car to move out of the way though, again that's just silly.

To repeat, there are bad bikers, but as an added point I'm much more concerned about the bad car drivers, yes there are more of them, and imo there are probably a higher percentage of them (at least until the summer month's when the true fair-weather riders come out to try to kill themselves). If I'm in the car a bad driver, or bad rider, will simply cause an accident, 99% of the time that will be simply an annoyance. However if I'm on the bike that same bad driver can pull into the side of me on a roundabout, breaking my leg and giving me a nice 2 week spell in hospital, 3 months off work, 6 months till I can walk without a limp and for good measure I'll never be able to run any distance and my knee's will ache/be painful for the rest of my life.

Bad bikers are fine imo

Its interesting to hear the point of view from someone who rides and drives and its good to hear you agree with me about the instances I have mentioned. Yes, I have had bikers on several occasions go for an undertake immediately I have passed a row of 3 or 4 cars, on one occasion even when I was indicating left!

The general concensus seems to be that the speed/power thing makes bikers feel like they can take more risks, or would I be misunderstanding? Does it not feel more dangerous though? Or is it partly adrenaline because of that danger?

 

[iaind]

To many people overtake at 72mph then dont move back to the middle/left lane ...We bikers can get anoyed when it takes you xxx minutes to pass 1 car you never really needed to pass so we sometimes undertake you .

There are some retards on bikes ...but a lot more in cars .

Persil

Completely agree, that would annoy me too. But when I'm doing 80 and passing cars doing 60, there's really no need for it.

 

[NVIDIA_x64]

Obviously if there's no traffic about the risk is your own. I personally wouldnt condone it because there always could be more traffic appearing, but each to their own.

The reason biking has never appealed is the feeling of vunerability, don't you feel like you're more at risk because youre on a bike? If i drive my car too quickly and crash, I would stand much more chance of surviving with seatbelts and airbags than a biker.

You are right there you are very vulnerable my m8 who was on a CBR 600 hit a car at 30mph came off and landed on he nee and lost his nee cap. He can no longer walk he thinks every day was it worth it and wished he had got a car. But a different m8 of mine who 1st got me into bikes in 2002 had a accident at 90mph in a 40mph zone came off and is only left with a scar on his leg you just don't now what can happen if it all goes wrong

 

[iaind]

You are right there you are very vulnerable my m8 who was on a CBR 600 hit a car at 30mph came off and landed on he nee and lost his nee cap. He can no longer walk he thinks every day was it worth it and wished he had got a car. But a diffrent m8 of mine who 1st got me into bikes in 2002 had a accident at 90mph in a 40mph zone came off and is only left with a scar on his leg you just don't now what can happen if it all goes wrong

Its the same with cars - a few years back I was a passenger in a crash, my friend who was driving was going too quickly and spun it. I cracked some ribs, got whiplash and some other nasty bruises and things. He scratched his thumb!

What I'm really trying to understand is, do you feel vunerable on a bike though? I cant help but think I'd be constantly nervous about crashing if I was on a bike

 

[SKILL]

The adrenaline comes from the speed, when you think that for a couple of thousand pounds you can get something that accelerates to 60 in sub 3.5 seconds, and tops out over 150, that's one hell of a buzz.

I don't feel unsafe though, I know that if I have a crash it's gonna be worse than in a car, but I don't dwell on it. I've had a crash, it was reasonably bad (mentioned the results above), but I knew the risks when I got the bike and it didn't stop me getting another, and then another that was even quicker

Saying that, I am scaling back the road bike, I started motorbike racing last weekend, I'm never gonna be overly quick but even at the back it's such a buzz, far more so than riding on the road is even though my 'race' bike is a 400cc whilst my road bike is a 675cc which is far quicker (although this will be going soon, to be replaced either by another 400cc which is plenty for the road, or a lazier/different bike)

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

What I'm really trying to understand is, do you feel vunerable on a bike though? I cant help but think I'd be constantly nervous about crashing if I was on a bike

Riding definitely isn't for you then . I don't feel any different riding to driving, I'm far more observant of my surroundings on a bike than in a car though.

Fog

 

[iaind]

Riding definitely isn't for you then . I don't feel any different riding to driving, I'm far more observant of my surroundings on a bike than in a car though.

Fog

Probably not! Its never really appealed, other than the "bang for buck" aspect. I'm just keen to understand it really.
Does being more observant not come partly from being out in the open, rather than in a tin box?

 

[SKILL]

Probably not! Its never really appealed, other than the "bang for buck" aspect. I'm just keen to understand it really.
Does being more observant not come partly from being out in the open, rather than in a tin box?

It comes more from all the women they let on the roads, gotta keep your wits about you

Seriously though, the seating position helps (generally see over a fair few cars, nothing like what you get in a van, but it helps) but it's mostly down to the fact that you have to be, you have to expect that cars haven't seen you, and that they will do the stupidest thing possible, even when you've made eye contact that just isn't enough, so you need to be aware of everything when on the bike. Cars is similar but back to the whole potential injury bit

 

[moss]

Although not totally related, I was riding today (not doing anything particularly bad) and got my first tank slapper, proper brown pants moment!

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Does being more observant not come partly from being out in the open, rather than in a tin box?

In a car you can get away with paying little attention and just wandering along with the flow of traffic. Ride like that and someone will run you over because the majority of car drivers who don't ride only look out for other car drivers, so simply do not see the rider (SMIDSY).
The best advice I ever had was to assume that the bike and I are invisible, and to ride accordingly.

Fog

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

even when you've made eye contact that just isn't enough,

More often than not they haven't made eye contact, they're looking in your direction but are actually looking through/past you and focusing on the car behind you. Headlamps on in the day can actually make this worse too, it messes up peoples sense of depth/distance and can also obscure a bike behind the light.

Fog

 

[ShakenNstirred]

Although not totally related, I was riding today (not doing anything particularly bad) and got my first tank slapper, proper brown pants moment!

lol there bad aren't they some times, they used to say power out of it but its hard too as all you want to do is close the throttle

 

[iaind]

Makes sense I suppose! On a few occasions I have had bikers sitting in my blind spot though - I dont know if that is because they dont drive a car as well so dont understand (I think whenever its happened its been smaller bikes with L plates), or just the rider not paying attention.
I'd love a go on a bike at some point to experience it, but maybe not on the public road

 

[moss]

lol there bad aren't they some times, they used to say power out of it but its hard too as all you want to do is close the throttle

Fortunatly it didnt last too long, but it was scary enough still!

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Makes sense I suppose! On a few occasions I have had bikers sitting in my blind spot though - I dont know if that is because they dont drive a car as well so dont understand (I think whenever its happened its been smaller bikes with L plates), or just the rider not paying attention.
I'd love a go on a bike at some point to experience it, but maybe not on the public road

Yes, it's usually 16 yr olds on 50cc scooters. No driving experience so no knowledge of blind spots. The only riding experience the've had is swerving round some cones and a few emergency stops . There was a young lad killed right outside my house a couple of years ago, fooling about with his mates, didn't notice the car in front stop and hit the back of a discovery at about 30 mph. Wasn't pretty, the ambulance crew treated him for over 4 hours before they even picked him up off the road, didn't make it.

50cc scooters are probably the most dangerous way to travel, you have to flog their guts out all the time as they are limited to 30mph, so you are constantly overtaken by everything.

Fog

 

[romperstomper]

Had one last night hovering about 3 inches away from my tail light ,I was trying to overtake this coffin dodger in front of me but had to keep an eye on this biker at the same time ,I just moved right over in the end as he was really annoying me. If your going to overtake just do it

I know when I had a bike I use to ride fast as it was such an uncomfortable riding position ,wrist aches,backaches,and numb bum and your either to hot or to cold. Fun for about a year I found .