Power Rangers

[mejinks]

Do they all have a deathwish or a giant chip on their shoulder?

I've yet to encounter a biker who isn't driving like a muppet. I'm not talking about a few silly mistakes, but downright life threatening muppetry. Today I witnessed a biker weaving in and out of motorway speed traffic, diving across to the outside lane and then driving along the central reservation as if its their own personal lane.

I've also seen them doing motorway speeds down residential areas on one wheel or driving on the wrong side of the bollards to undertake a line on traffic thats "only" doing 50mph. Never mind the fact that there are workers who the bollards are meant to protect, oh no, heaven forbid they actually wait like every other motorist.

Then theres the ones who dive in between two overtaking vehicles like a game of chicken.

There is a classic example of muppetry on youtube where the instructor posts a video of being overtaken by a BMW driver and proceeds to berate the driver and then also dangerously overtake his pupil in some display of machismo.

Its not just the one off too. If they hit my car, then oh well, but I have my family with me and it boils my pee when they couldn't care less whose lives they ruin with their sheer idiocy.

Why do we need to have adverts that say think bike? It absolves the blame from the biker, so everyone has to account for the muppet on the road with them.

Perhaps "Think Bike, Think Idiot" would be better.

I'm sure there must be sensible bikers out there, but I have yet to meet them.

 

[Dabbles]

One of my colleagues is a biker, who used to race bikes in a fairly minor series. He once told me in his opinion 90-95% of accidents involving motorbikes on the road is the motorcyclist's fault. From my (limited) experience of motorcyclists I would tend to agree.

For every sensible biker out there there are between 10 and 20 knobbers.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Perhaps "Think Bike, Think Idiot" would be better.

Haha, I wish they would change it to this

I have to admit I don't often see sensible motorcyclists.

 

[shauncr91]

Did you not know that traffic laws don't apply to bikers?

 

[Janesy B]

They have a habit of sitting in your blind spot on the motorway too, happens to me all the time

 

[mejinks]

You would think that being more vulnerable would make them drive more cautiously...

 

[MonkeykingZX]

I'm a biker and I have to agree that there are a lot of us out there that are a complete pain in the backside on the road who make some truly baffling decisions regarding their own and other road users safety.

But on the other hand the same can be said for other road users as well, like the bloke in the Bmw M5 in front of me this morning who slowed to 20mph for no apparent reason to join the A14 from a sliproad.

I think segregating one group of road users and saying they're all useless is a bit harsh when the unfortunate truth is that a fair proportion of people on the roads cause just as much trouble albeit in a different manner.

 

[Brookert]

Do they all have a deathwish or a giant chip on their shoulder?

I've yet to encounter a biker who isn't driving like a muppet. I'm not talking about a few silly mistakes, but downright life threatening muppetry. Today I witnessed a biker weaving in and out of motorway speed traffic, diving across to the outside lane and then driving along the central reservation as if its their own personal lane.

I've also seen them doing motorway speeds down residential areas on one wheel or driving on the wrong side of the bollards to undertake a line on traffic thats "only" doing 50mph. Never mind the fact that there are workers who the bollards are meant to protect, oh no, heaven forbid they actually wait like every other motorist.

Then theres the ones who dive in between two overtaking vehicles like a game of chicken.

There is a classic example of muppetry on youtube where the instructor posts a video of being overtaken by a BMW driver and proceeds to berate the driver and then also dangerously overtake his pupil in some display of machismo.

Its not just the one off too. If they hit my car, then oh well, but I have my family with me and it boils my pee when they couldn't care less whose lives they ruin with their sheer idiocy.

Why do we need to have adverts that say think bike? It absolves the blame from the biker, so everyone has to account for the muppet on the road with them.

Perhaps "Think Bike, Think Idiot" would be better.

I'm sure there must be sensible bikers out there, but I have yet to meet them.

All I see here is: I hate bikers

 

[MatteH Oxford]

Well if I could have a £1 for every time that I've had frustrated drivers try & pull across the road to block me whilst I'm (legally) filtering through traffic, or hogging the outside lane of a dual carriageway doing way under 70mph because they're too lazy to change lanes.

Swings & roundabouts

*edit* I take it you don't have a bike licence o.p.?

 

[Gaygle]

I try so hard not to generalise, but it is almost impossible not to paint all bikers with the same brush considering a good 95% ride like utter morons.

I see it day in day out and its more of a memorable occasion to me when i see a responsible, safe biker than a nut job. I think most bikers tend to go around at 99% of their skill all of the time and the moment the unexpected comes along, before they even realise what's happened they are hurtling towards on coming traffic on their faces at 70mph.

Oh and perhaps someone from the biking community can answer this - why is it a favourite pasttime for bikers, when going around sharp, blind corners to ride so close to the centre line, then lean into the corner meaning that the majority of their body/bike is now on the wrong side of the road? Obviously all of this happens at warp speed, so i have a millisecond to **** myself, then move right over into the hedge so i don't take the stupid *******s head off..

 

[Gaygle]

Well if I could have a £1 for every time that I've had frustrated drivers try & pull across the road to block me whilst I'm (legally) filtering through traffic, or hogging the outside lane of a dual carriageway doing way under 70mph because they're too lazy to change lanes.

Swings & roundabouts

*edit* I take it you don't have a bike licence o.p.?

I'm sorry, but for every 10 car drivers i see, 1 or 2 of them are doing something vaguely unsafe/improper. For every 10 bikers i see, 9 are doing something massively reckless.

Also, just because Mr Audi 2.0TDI won't move over from lane 3, doesn't mean you have to sit 3.545cm from his car, in his blindspot.

They have a habit of sitting in your blind spot on the motorway too, happens to me all the time

I see it everywhere, even on single carriage roads. They don't seem to realise, if i'm doing 60mph, and they are 1 ft from my bumper, and i happen to hit my brakes, they will be flying over my car and going head first towards a car coming in the opposite direction before they've had a chance to blink.

In summary, it does not surprise me one single little bit that bikers make up 20% of road deaths even though they only represent something like 1% of road users.

 

[MatteH Oxford]

I think a lot of car drivers sometimes don't realise just how much faster a typical bike will accelerate from say 60-100+mph.

What may look "unsafe" to you is well within a bike's safe limits or capability, especially quick overtakes. Being a little more observant, especially with regards to using those mirrors stuck on either side of the car, might take some of the surprise factor out of the equation on those occasions when a biker suddenly appears right behind/next to you.

Especially if you manage fit it in between lighting a fag, changing the stereo, applying make-up or texting on your phones etc etc

 

[edd1e]

If you rode a bike you would notice that at least 2 or 3 dosey idiots in cages try and kill you every time you venture out onto the road.

The bikers you are talking about are probably the ones who only use their bike as a tool for fun, in which case they are probably more in a rush/out for a thrill, which is no excuse for some of the behavior granted.

I don't start a thread about all the idiots I see in cars... If I did I would probably get banned for spamming.

 

[mejinks]

I think a lot of car drivers sometimes don't realise just how much faster a typical bike will accelerate from say 60-100+mph.

What may look "unsafe" to you is well within a bike's safe limits or capability, especially quick overtakes. Being a little more observant, especially with regards to using those mirrors stuck on either side of the car, might take some of the surprise factor out of the equation on those occasions when a biker suddenly appears right behind/next to you.

Especially if you manage fit it in between lighting a fag, changing the stereo, applying make-up or texting on your phones etc etc

A Veyron is a very quick accelerating car, it doesn't mean its safe for the driver to act like a jerk because the traffic ahead is moving slower.

I use my mirrors thank you, hence the reason I can see bikers coming and make allowances for whatever suicidal thought crosses their mind.

Oh and I dont smoke, text or have music on in the car when I drive

 

[Gaygle]

If you rode a bike you would notice that at least 2 or 3 dosey idiots in cages try and kill you every time you venture out onto the road.

I don't need to be on a bike to see these things. But there are far far more cars on the road. Almost without fail, every time i see a motorcyclist, they are doing something downright dangerous.

The bikers you are talking about are probably the ones who only use their bike as a tool for fun, in which case they are probably more in a rush/out for a thrill, which is no excuse for some of the behavior granted.

I'm going on my experience of when i see a motorcyclist, they are doing something stupid and are always on their limit.

I think a lot of car drivers sometimes don't realise just how much faster a typical bike will accelerate from say 60-100+mph.

Then don't go "100mph+"!! If one would choose to go this fast, one must accept the consequences that come with this. It all comes down to the fact that all the motorcyclists i've ever known and talked to have had the "invincibility complex". That is, until i hear that they were thrown from their bike whilst going too fast (occasionally in groups) and now are in intensive care fighting for their lives, with their family at their side.

That's like me saying "I was doing 160mph down the motorway and some idiot pulled in front of me and i crashed". Yeh, maybe if i wasn't doing crazy speeds they wouldn't have pulled out. It is unrealistic to expect drivers to watch out just in case some motorcyclist wants to smash the land speed record in a 30 limit.

This is not even coming on to the point that in a car mirror, a bike that is 100 meters back looks minute. And when you are accelerating from 60mph to well over 100mph, that 100m is gone in seconds.

What may look "unsafe" to you is well within a bike's safe limits or capability

haha, don't start with that. Unsafe to me looks like a biker sitting in the blind spot of a car doing 60mph. Unsafe to me looks like a biker coming around bends on country roads at Mach5 even though these roads are literally full of hazards.

I know what unsafe looks like.

especially quick overtakes.

Oh, overtakes aren't usually the problem. Usually this is the best piece of roadcraft i see from motorcyclists. It's the overtaking, then sitting 3 inches from the car in front in it's blind spot, then again, then again. I even saw some genius doing a wheely down the road the other day, then accelerate up to what sounded like crazy speeds (all in a 30 limit).

Being a little more observant, especially with regards to using those mirrors stuck on either side of the car, might take some of the surprise factor out of the equation on those occasions when a biker suddenly appears right behind/next to you.

I agree, car drivers could definitely do with being more observant at times. But a biker coming past you at 120mph is a mistake made by all humans. Doing stuff that i see bikers do is wilful and they do so to get the rush, without thinking ahead and what may be waiting for them.

I know what unsafe looks like.

especially quick overtakes.

Oh, overtakes aren't usually the problem. Usually this is the best piece of roadcraft i see from motorcyclists. It's the overtaking, then sitting 3 inches from the car in front in it's blind spot, then again, then again. I even saw some genius doing a wheely down the road the other day, then accelerate up to what sounded like crazy speeds (all in a 30 limit).

Being a little more observant, especially with regards to using those mirrors stuck on either side of the car, might take some of the surprise factor out of the equation on those occasions when a biker suddenly appears right behind/next to you.

I agree, car drivers could definitely do with being more observant at times. But a biker coming past you at 120mph is a mistake made by all humans. Doing stuff that i see bikers do is wilful and they do so to get the rush, without thinking ahead and what may be waiting for them.

 

[MatteH Oxford]

A Veyron is a very quick accelerating car, it doesn't mean its safe for the driver to act like a jerk because the traffic ahead is moving slower.

I use my mirrors thank you, hence the reason I can see bikers coming and make allowances for whatever suicidal thought crosses their mind.

Oh and I dont smoke, text or have music on in the car when I drive

A veyron is also a very rare car. Even a GS500 is fast compared to a lot of cars on the road.

Get yourself a bike licence, then you'll see just how bad at observation car drivers really are. It was a bit of a surprise to me after solely driving a car for 7 years.

 

[edd1e]

OK then, whilst we have the generalisation brush out...

(FROM MY EXPERIENCE) All A3 1.9tdi S-line's/320d's/Golf GT's are 9 times out of 10 driven by complete ****'s.

lolohwait

@Gaygle - you have quoted stuff that that I didn't say.

 

[Dogbreath]

In summary, it does not surprise me one single little bit that bikers make up 20% of road deaths even though they only represent something like 1% of road users.

Doesn't surprise me either, the level of muppetry that the majority of car drivers display every single day is astounding. Mirror? Signal? No, that's for losers, just pull out. Blindspot? What's a blindspot? Check for bikes when pulling out? No, can't be bothered to wait the extra 1/2 second.

I'm slightly surprised the rate isn't higher to be honest, the negligence of some car drivers is verging on the homicidal.

 

[MatteH Oxford]

I think a couple of days (a la CBT test) riding a 125cc should be compulsory for the driving test, just so drivers know roadcraft a bit better from a biking perspective.

P.S. I generally stick well within the speed limits, although when I pull out to overtake I will do so as quickly as possible. On a NSL road, I'd probably be touching on 100mph by the time my back wheel is level with the front of a typical car, from my initial overtaking position behinfd. When I pull back over onto the 'correct' side of the road, roll off throttle & the engine braking soon slows me back down to 60. I expect a lack of brake lights means the typical driver thinks I'm doing 100mph all the time because of this & the fact they didn't even notice me until I went past the drivers window in the first place.........

 

[Gaygle]

@gaygle - you have quoted stuff that that I didn't say.

Apologies, fixed

Doesn't surprise me either, the level of muppetry that the majority of car drivers display every single day is astounding. Mirror? Signal? No, that's for losers, just pull out. Blindspot? What's a blindspot? Check for bikes when pulling out? No, can't be bothered to wait the extra 1/2 second.

I'm slightly surprised the rate isn't higher to be honest, the negligence of some car drivers is verging on the homicidal.

Motorcyclists can keep pretending all they want that car drivers are the reason why they crash all of the time and end up dead. Car drivers do make up a part of why this happens, but it is hilarious how bikers flat out refuse to acknowledge that the majority of them do not drive in a safe manner. Bikers come on forums like this and claim that the idiots are the vast minority. Yet all i ever seem to see is this apparent "vast minority"? Is it that i'm unlucky that i only experience this sector of motorcyclists, or that bikers talk out of their arse and in reality it is the vast majority who ride like idiots, with the minority being the safe riders. You decide but don't bother trying to convince me, my day to day experiences have shaped my view.

One of the riders said earlier that car drivers don't realise how quickly bikes can go from "60-120+". On the face of it one might take the view that this is something he regularly does? Let me guess, that was done on a closed road/race track right?