Psycho bikers - Giving bad rep?

Kermitt

This is an offshoot from the "speed really does kill" thread

Was driving down the N7 on tuesday towards Naas. I was doing about 110kph near rathcoole in the overtaking lane (yes.. a smidgeon over the speed limit.. not my point.) Without warning a figure shot between me and the artic i was passing.. some lunatic on a 600 or something and he was lampin it.. Way over 100mph (160kph).

My point here is while the bikers on this forum always give out to car drivers for poor driving.. do they realise the amount of their kinsmen who blast down roads in this suicidal manner. this is not the first time i have witnessed a big bike tear up the road at insane speed, and in between two vehicles on a busy carriageway- especially with a truck is lunacy- and if he got caught in a side draft of wind and killed it would probably be hailed as a tragic accident.

Hmmmph.

seamus

Kermitt wrote:

My point here is while the bikers on this forum always give out to car drivers for poor driving.. do they realise the amount of their kinsmen who blast down roads in this suicidal manner.

All too often. And it does piss me off when I see them, because I know that people are just thinking "See? Biker are psychos!" when he makes his dumb manouver.

a_ominous

There isn't really any defence for that type of behaviour. Opens himself to risk at best and could startle other drivers causing them to cause an accident.

Macy

tbh I see this every morning and evening on the M11.

As said on the other thread, I have no complaints about flitering when the traffic is stopped. I do have a major problem when it's moving, especially when the main body of traffic is already at the limit.

Bikers say that car drivers don't respect them - well I really think that bikers should begin to appreciate that cars have a blind spot. If you're going to sit in it, it's not entirely the fault of the car driver if he doesn't see you.

I don't think the standard of car drivers is great, but I think proportionately I see more bikers taking dangerous risks than cars. Maybe it's because of more opportunity given it's a smaller machine rather than a real difference in the drivers?

ubu

I see it far too often on the roads, overtaking with solid white lines must be part of their ettiquite because im constantly seeing it, its got to the stage where if a bike is behind me i am just waiting for him do make a dangerous manouvre, and they usually do, thats not to say there arent good bike drivers out there, they just seem to be a very small minority

Chalk

just to clarify,
you can overtake on a solid white line, but not cross it.

that might explain why bikes "get away with it"

japjap

I have to add my two pense worth. Good bike drivers are the majorty not the minority. One reason I say this is when a bike driver gets on a bike its to drive and nothing else. When's the last time you saw a bike driver do any of the following,
read
change radio station
talk to passenger
do make up
shave
talk on phone
chastise kids in back
etc etc etc

Bike drivers have nothing to do but drive. Often I make maouvres that are not alltogether legal to get away from bad car drivers. Anyone everheard of anyone being rear ended by a bike? (apart from me )

jackal

As a biker, I actually have started performing this manover recently, having been totally against filtering on 2-lane roads at anything over 30 mph or so. The reasons are this:

1. When two vehichles are side by side like that, its the one time you can be pretty much guaranteed that they wont decide to swap lanes with no warning or indicators - Especially if there is a big truck in the slow lane. An alternative is to wait for the car to hopefully notice you, and get out of the overtaking lane - which happens about 50% of the time, and I always give a wave of thanks. The other alternative is to overtake them via the slow lane, where you run the risk of them suddenly deciding to get into the slow lane. Repeat this process every 2-3 mins and you might understand why alot of bikers just say, feck this, and go about overtaking cars in this way.

2. If car drivers took the time to look in the rear or wing mirrors occassionally they probably would notice a bike with its lights on, waiting for them to get out of the way for the last 2 minutes.

3. It can be a way of saying, "wake up" to the car driver, probably engrossed in gerry ryan or still half asleep creeping along 1 mph faster than the cars in the slower lane.

4. Bikes really dont take up that much room, so there is usually ample clearance for bikes to get through in the "biker lane".

5. Crosswinds/drafts do not really affect you at 70+ mph.

6. However, being stuck behind anything boxy produces violent turbulence which shakes your head and the bike into a dangerous oscillation - I nearly crashed the first time this happened to me, as I thought a wheel was loose or something equally dangerous. Now I avoid the situation altogether.

7. Like it or not, bikes tend to travel alot faster than cars, as there are more gaps, better accelleration, and we take up much less room.

prospect

Can't agree there JapJap,
It has come to the point now, that i am pleasntly surprised when i see a biker driving carefully, and with respect for their driving enviornment.

Although, I would not hold the actions of the Idiot the OP witnessed against all bikers. Every walk of life has some t1t willing to risk their and everyone elses life just to show off.

Also, every morning on the naas road / nangor road, when sitting in traffic and a bike comes up beside me, I always pull in a bit to let them through. At an educated guess, between Citywest (yes the traffic can be back that far sometimes) and the RCR, I could let 10 bikes past each morning. That is about 50 bikes a week.

On a good week 3 maybe 5 will salute and acknowledge. I presume the remainder feel I am olbliged to do it, and therefore a gesture to acknowledge my effort is not required.

japjap

I fully agree. When you see bikes make manouvres for no apparent reason there is usually several good reasons you just haven't considered.

a_ominous

jackal wrote:

6. However, being stuck behind anything boxy produces violent turbulence which shakes your head and the bike into a dangerous oscillation - I nearly crashed the first time this happened to me, as I thought a wheel was loose or something equally dangerous. Now I avoid the situation altogether.

Not to mention when the roads are wet, the amount of cr@p the wheels throw up. Visor gets dirty and the only way to clean it is to remove left hand from handlebars and wipe finger across it taking car not to scratch it. So the thing to do is to get past the truck as soon and safe as possible.

I hold back filtering when traffic has just started to move or slow down. That's the most likely time for a cager to cut lanes, IME.

prospect

japjap wrote:

I fully agree. When you see bikes make manouvres for no apparent reason there is usually several good reasons you just haven't considered.

And likewise for cars

Chalk

i dont wave to driver who pull into let me past,
i take up just over a foot of road room and tbh if your pulling in to let me pass your too close to the centre.i can get past a car whos wing mirror is inches from the central line without crossing over

if a car came towards in the same position as you, there'd be a colision.

japjap

Prospect,

Car drivers who move over to let me through always get a wave or nod from me, it's common courtesy. Even of it's only 6 inches, it's enough.

My point is bikers don't have the same distractions as car drivers. Also we drive a vehicle that is completely different to a car, that's why drive in a different manner. Just because we overtake where a car wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't, doesn't mean it's wreckless.

a_ominous

prospect wrote:

Also, every morning on the naas road / nangor road, when sitting in traffic and a bike comes up beside me, I always pull in a bit to let them through. At an educated guess, between Citywest (yes the traffic can be back that far sometimes) and the RCR, I could let 10 bikes past each morning. That is about 50 bikes a week.

On a good week 3 maybe 5 will salute and acknowledge. I presume the remainder feel I am olbliged to do it, and therefore a gesture to acknowledge my effort is not required.

That Nangor Road is littered with roadworks and the resultant debris is all over the shop. No road cleaning, just mounds of gravel on lines bikes are inclined to use. So don't feel so bad if a biker doesn't acknowledge your considerate action, he's probably trying to concentrate on not falling in front of you and causing an accident. Honest. It's not always possible to thank someone for a bit of common decency. I rarely nod or get the nod from other bikers in Dublin coz much a higher level of concentration is required.

I'll thank you now on all bike riders.

If more cagers were aware of other road users (peds, cyclists and bikers) and how vulnerable everyone is, the roads might be just a tad safer. Few bikers are going to put them into a dangerous situation. Most cagers do this every day.

krinDar

prospect wrote:

On a good week 3 maybe 5 will salute and acknowledge. I presume the remainder feel I am olbliged to do it, and therefore a gesture to acknowledge my effort is not required.

To wave someone thanks requires the person to remove either their hand or
their foot from a primary control of the bike. In heavy traffic it would be
ill advised to do it too much. Also, if you are sitting in traffic it would
mean they are passing a lot of traffic - that is a lot of waving.

Perhaps there are motorcyclists who feel you are obliged to move in
and hence do not acknowledge it, but I would think for many more it
is because they want to keep their focus on their riding.

seamus

Sometimes vehicle that move over will get a quick wave. Rarely though, since when thy do move over I'm usually filtering, so to remove a hand wouldn't be worth it. If i can look someone in the eye when they let me through/move out of my way, they'll always get a nod.

prospect

Chalk wrote:

your too close to the centre

This is the absoloute utter bullsh1t attitude i am talking about.
WTF are you on about, a car / bike / truck or whatever is entitled to take up as much room on the lane as they like. Once between the lines that is it.
There is absoloutely no law, obligation or requirement to leave any room.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO BE THERE

seamus

prospect wrote:

This is the absoloute utter bullsh1t attitude i am talking about.
WTF are you on about, a car / bike / truck or whatever is entitled to take up as much room on the lane as they like. Once between the lines that is it.
There is absoloutely no law, obligation or requirement to leave any room.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO BE THERE

Good driving dictates that you should maintain a proper road position, it's part of the rules of the road. If you're closer to the line than you are to the side of the road, you're in the wrong position. This is to allow room for overtaking vehicles to overtake, and to maximise the distance between you and oncoming traffic.

jackal

a_ominous wrote:

That Nangor Road is littered with roadworks and the resultant debris is all over the shop. No road cleaning, just mounds of gravel on lines bikes are inclined to use. So don't feel so bad if a biker doesn't acknowledge your considerate action, he's probably trying to concentrate on not falling in front of you and causing an accident. Honest. It's not always possible to thank someone for a bit of common decency. I rarely nod or get the nod from other bikers in Dublin coz much a higher level of concentration is required.

I'll thank you now on all bike riders.

If more cagers were aware of other road users (peds, cyclists and bikers) and how vulnerable everyone is, the roads might be just a tad safer. Few bikers are going to put them into a dangerous situation. Most cagers do this every day.

Agreed, they have the surface of the Nangor road "scraped" in places now, and it causes your tyres to track the scrapes, its very disconcerting. Then you have the sharp bumps where it begins and ends! When are they going to finish that f(*^&ing road!

Most of the people that move over to let a bike filter are white van men, taxi drivers, and men in normal (i.e. not "modded) cars. The worst for blocking you are BMW's, they always want to look up the road, but then again, they piss everyone off! :mad:

I always give a little wave if someone makes any effort whatsoever to move over a little - and thats all a bike needs.

prospect

jackal wrote:

Agreed, they have the surface of the Nangor road "scraped" in places now

Kool,
Well, I hadn't considered that one. I shall live with the ignorance on roads with road works.

jackal

prospect wrote:

This is the absoloute utter bullsh1t attitude i am talking about.
WTF are you on about, a car / bike / truck or whatever is entitled to take up as much room on the lane as they like. Once between the lines that is it.
There is absoloutely no law, obligation or requirement to leave any room.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO BE THERE

If a car driver chooses to do this, thats ok. Does them no good, does me no good, but there is nothing really wrong with it. I just wait until there is a chance to get by....


...and add another wing mirror to my collection... mua ah ah ah! (joking!)

prospect

jackal wrote:

...and add another wing mirror to my collection... mua ah ah ah! (joking!)

LOL

Seriously, it is the expectation of some bikers, that everyone should automatically clear for them!
It is bikers like that, and posts like his that is rapidly depleting my tolerance and respect for bikers.

japjap

My personal favorite when filtering is when people with electric door mirrors pull them in. I don't know if it's courtesy or the're afraid I'll take the mirror with me, but I always thank them anyway.

jackal

I filter all the time, and I have only clipped one mirror. I didnt smash it, but I was so frikking embarresed, and im sure the cager was raging - after all they are just sitting there minding thier own business. Now if I think the gap is too tight, I slow right down and stop, then go trough the gap one handle bar at a time. The look of fear that im going to scrape their mirrors on the cagers faces is priceless though, they dont see me laughing my hole off under the silver visor!

a_ominous

prospect wrote:

This is the absoloute utter bullsh1t attitude i am talking about.
WTF are you on about, a car / bike / truck or whatever is entitled to take up as much room on the lane as they like. Once between the lines that is it.
There is absoloutely no law, obligation or requirement to leave any room.

YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO BE THERE

Actually prospect, if you have a look at the Rules of the Road,

a driver must generally drive as near to the left hand side of the road as is necessary to allow approaching traffic to pass and following traffic to overtake on the right

Page 23, 18th reprint, Feb 2002. The one with Brendan Howlin in it.

On the Nangor road, there is sufficient space for a bike to overtake a car without causing any inconvenience to others in most parts.

But it is nicer when a driver makes the effort for bikes to pass.

prospect

a_ominous wrote:

Actually prospect, if you have a look at the Rules of the Road,

a driver must generally drive as near to the left hand side of the road as is necessary to allow approaching traffic to pass and following traffic to overtake on the right

Page 23, 18th reprint, Feb 2002. The one with Brendan Howlin in it.

Fair enough. I stand corrected.





Does that include motorbikes?
How many have you seen drive as near to the left hand side of the road?
Next time I am in the outside lane approaching newlands cross, and there is a motorbike driving up the line on my left, I'll pull over as far to the left as possible.

a_ominous

eh prospect, I'm just after seeing your previous post. I think you really opened a can of worms there.
Many people on bikes can see more of the road (being higher up) and can fit into smaller gaps so they will try to seize the opportunity for moving forward. A slow or stationary bike is more unstable than a moving bike too.

Chalk

bikers who request you obey the rules of the road?

as i pointed ouut, if you need to pull in for me then you ARE to close to the centre,
swear and caps lock all you want, you are.

if on the other hand there is enough room and you pull over that bit further to make my life easier, i say thanks, and any car that does that gets a wave,
whether its just dipping my hand sideways or a lifesaver and a grin.
whether they see it or not is hardly a big deal, is it?
the gesture is there.

i drive home the same route every day past the same scenarios in traffic,
ive driven differnet routes and differnet roads and its always the same.

ive been driving 3 years, with nowt so much as a caution from a guard, never mind a colliosn.
ive had my share of close calls, but i consider the fact that these were close calls rather than collisions down to my abiltiy to make a judement on what a car is going to do.
in all cases i judge that even if the car veers into my sideways ive given myself enough room to get out safe.

i respect other motorists and drive to my abilities and within the law.
nothing more nothing less.

if you want a smile and a wave while i leave you sitting in traffic im sorry but its not always gonna happen.

dawballz

prospect wrote:

Fair enough. I stand corrected.





Does that include motorbikes?
How many have you seen drive as near to the left hand side of the road?
Next time I am in the outside lane approaching newlands cross, and there is a motorbike driving up the line on my left, I'll pull over as far to the left as possible.

AFAIK for a bike hile driving(in general) the bike should be poisitioned just right of the centre of the lane he is in.

a_ominous

prospect wrote:

Fair enough. I stand corrected.

Does that include motorbikes?
How many have you seen drive as near to the left hand side of the road?

It does. But when the road is wide enough, a car is stuck in a line of traffic, a bike can physically overtake without crossing the line, continuous or not.

One other thing for other ppl (not you prospect!) to note: mopeds really shouldn't ride 6 inches from the kerb. Way to close to drains, etc. at 50 kmph. Also can be seen as an invitation to cars to overtake at illegal speeds and is often done with little room to spare.

prospect wrote:

Next time I am in the outside lane approaching newlands cross, and there is a motorbike driving up the line on my left, I'll pull over as far to the left as possible.

Thanks again mate!

Chalk

dawballz wrote:

AFAIK for a bike hile driving(in general) the bike should be poisitioned just right of the centre of the lane he is in.

just to the left is standard practise now,
youll rarely see that unless on a long stretch of road as most bikes take whatever room they can get.

not too many cars would be pleased if they missed a set of lights because 5 bikes were driving in single file ahead of them.

Chalk

a_ominous wrote:

One other thing for other ppl (not you prospect!) to note: mopeds really shouldn't ride 6 inches from the kerb. Way to close to drains, etc. at 50 kmph. Also can be seen as an invitation to cars to overtake at illegal speeds and is often done with little room to spare.

thats something that i see more and more often and im starting to wonder why they do it.
even the slowest moped can do 60kph which will bring them around most areas of dublin without drivng to slow for traffic,
yet they continue to drive at 25kph in the equivalrent position of a bicycle

asking for trouble.

prospect

Here are some quotes from this thread:

- "A slow or stationary bike is more unstable than a moving bike too"
- "the surface of the Nangor road "scraped" in places now, and it causes your tyres to track the scrapes, its very disconcerting"
- "To wave someone thanks requires the person to remove either their hand or
their foot from a primary control of the bike. In heavy traffic it would be
ill advised to do it too much"
- "he's probably trying to concentrate on not falling in front of you"
- "when the roads are wet, the amount of cr@p the wheels throw up. Visor gets dirty and the only way to clean it is to remove left hand from handlebars and wipe finger across it"
- "being stuck behind anything boxy produces violent turbulence which shakes your head and the bike into a dangerous oscillation"
- "bikes tend to travel alot faster than cars"

I think some of you people really need to accept that you have choosen dangerous machines to commute in.
And because YOU made that decision, YOU accept the consequences. And stop trying to blame car drivers etc. Sure they are at fault some of the time, but there are some real bigots here who honestly believe EVERY biker in the country is a better driver than EVERY car driver. And that EVERY accident involving a car and bike is ALWAYS the car drivers fault. And EVERY car driver should change the way they drive ALL the time to accomodate the bad habits and impatience, and poor stability of motorbikes and their riders.
Its not going to happen chappies.

japjap

Lets not confuse proper bikers with teenagers on mopeds. As far as I'm concerned, driving a moped (or motorbike) in a bicycle lane should be stamped out by the Gardai. It is just too dangerous.

Chalk

the first list of quotes you have are all true,
every biker accepts the dangers,
like i said we have less to deal with by way of distractions, which compensates by giving us more time to make judgements.

the second list there,
well i havent seena nyone mention any of those things.
i seriuosly hope your not referring to me anyway,
as all i said was car drivers should obey the rules of the road rather than giving out that bikers dont wave at them.

Kermitt

Chalk wrote:

car drivers should obey the rules of the road rather than giving out that bikers dont wave at them.

My original point was about bikers doing stupid things like scaring the living sh1t out of me by undertaking me at over 160kph. courtesy is another days work, and i accept that waving from abike is lethal at the best of times. Overtake me if you must. but do not approach at lightning speed on my left, cos it's ver hard to see bikes here, even in the left mirror... To a lot.. not all bikers.. wise up and slow down. many seem to forget how vulnerable the are. (applies to car drivers too)

a_ominous

Ah now prospect: take a chill pill man!
Bikes aren't dangerous in themselves. Admittedly some riders do die when no other vehicles are involved, I believe mostly down to excessive speed. Most accidents involving motorcyclists are CAUSED by other vehicles. Fact. Hibernian have done research into this. Link elsewhere.

Motorcyclists are more vulnerable and have to ride defensively. When was the last time you fell out of your car sliding on gravel? Oh and who put the gravel there: wasn't the motorcyclist or car driver? The construction sompany have a responsibility to keep this stuff off the road. Better for everyone.

japjap

You talk a lot of sense Kermitt. Granted bikers do drive (sometimes) in a way that makes it hard for cagers to see us. But remember, we have our lights on all the time and wear high-vis clothing but still cagers don't see us. The safest way to drive a bike is to assume you are invisable.

a_ominous

Kermitt wrote:

My original point was about bikers doing stupid things like scaring the living sh1t out of me by undertaking me at over 160kph. courtesy is another days work, and i accept that waving from abike is lethal at the best of times. Overtake me if you must. but do not approach at lightning speed on my left, cos it's ver hard to see bikes here, even in the left mirror... To a lot.. not all bikers.. wise up and slow down. many seem to forget how vulnerable the are. (applies to car drivers too)

Hey Kermitt, can't you see we've hijacked this thread. We're sooooo off topic now, it's gone past being funny. It's sooooo important we try to beat prospect down

a_ominous

I thought this should be the day when I bump up my post count..

a_ominous

Really

Squirrel

a_ominous wrote:

Hey Kermitt, can't you see we've hijacked this thread. We're sooooo off topic now, it's gone past being funny. It's sooooo important we try to beat prospect down

a_ominous wrote:

@ prospect - I'm not stalking you, honest

Sure :rolleyes:

Everyone should just cop on and realise that both need to change driving styles, it's ridiculous that bikers need to drive as if invisible because car drivers need to pay more attention. That is to bikers, cyclists and pedestrians. And bikers need to realise that alot of car drivers don't understand how they go for the small gaps and frighten them sometimes causing accidents, so maybe slowing down a small bit

a_ominous

Squirrel wrote:

Sure :rolleyes:

Everyone should just cop on and realise that both need to change driving styles, it's ridiculous that bikers need to drive as if invisible because car drivers need to pay more attention. That is to bikers, cyclists and pedestrians. And bikers need to realise that alot of car drivers don't understand how they go for the small gaps and frighten them sometimes causing accidents, so maybe slowing down a small bit

Absolutely agree. My motivation behind replying to so many of the points prospect made was to highlight the way a person using a motorcycle thinks. Would personally like to see every person getting some basic training on a bike/moped before they're let into a car so they can be made more aware of their own vulnerability on the road.

a_ominous

Squirrel wrote:

Sure :rolleyes:

Everyone should just cop on and realise that both need to change driving styles, it's ridiculous that bikers need to drive as if invisible because car drivers need to pay more attention. That is to bikers, cyclists and pedestrians. And bikers need to realise that alot of car drivers don't understand how they go for the small gaps and frighten them sometimes causing accidents, so maybe slowing down a small bit

Absolutely agree. My motivation behind replying to so many of the points prospect made was to highlight the way a person using a motorcycle thinks. Would personally like to see every person getting some basic training on a bike/moped before they're let into a car so they can be made more aware of their own vulnerability on the road.

postcount++

Chalk

sorry kermitt,
wasnt directed at you,
like a_onminous said,
we went off topic ages ago

while im posting ill report on an incident on my way home,
was driving towards some shops at about 55kph [limit is 60 on that particular road]
a car began reversing out with no indication - the revese lights were barely on when they began accelrating,
anyway i spotted this and began slowing down,
the car coming towards me didnt and kept going,
they swerved at the last second onto my side of the road and missed me by a few yards.

a_ominous

@chalk, I presume your lights were on and wearing dayglo vest?

I hear Michael Jackson's lawyers are going to try and get Stevie Wonder's driving licence back.

Chalk

lights were on and reflective stripes are fully functioning captain

DubTony

I wans't going to participate in this one because it's typical that it's turned into an US and THEM thread. However ..... a_ominous is trying to highlight how bikers think.

Today, I entered the M50 at Firhouse junction and headed North. I passed under the Tallaght junction and moved out to overtake a truck. As I checked my mirror after moving out I could see a bike coming down the ramp. Before I was anywhere near moving back in (I geneally wait until i see both headlights of the truck before I move, although I signal as I pass the cab) the bike was 15 to 20 feet behind me. My left indicator was on at this stage and I was travelling at about 130. I cleared the cab and carried on giving the truck plenty of space before I pulled in when ... you guessed it, the bike pulled in between us. He went past me like I was stopped. The trucker blasted the horn (for effect?).

Can someone please tell me what could have been going on in this lunatics head. My left indicator was on. The road ahead of me was clear.

As for high vis and lights on? This guy wore black. Black clothes, black bike, black helmet and no light.

Just an observation.

528i

Sounds like youse biys are creating obstacles for the hapless biker here.. sports bikes can accelerate out of danger fairly rapid, the mentality is that anything ahead (car / lorry etc.) is a potential problem, so rather that trying to predict their movements just get them it behind you as soon as possible

I'm getting a bike shortly so indecisive burd brains best stay well clear, lest they want to be at the recieving end of me bikerboot :cool:

saobh_ie

a_ominous wrote:

Hey Kermitt, can't you see we've hijacked this thread. We're sooooo off topic now, it's gone past being funny. It's sooooo important we try to beat prospect down

As one of the baby eating, suicidal, car hating, generally evil and psychopathic bikers, I find myself in the strange position of agreeing with pretty much ‘prospect’ has said in this thread… why do I feel dirty?

prospect wrote:

It has come to the point now, that i am pleasantly surprised when i see a biker driving carefully, and with respect for their driving environment.

I generally find that I stay out of hassle is car drivers don’t see me, I stay back. Surrender my right of way; position myself where I have multiple escape routes as well as the old anchors away option available. Because bikes are inherently different machines than cars and there are less of us about when you see some asshats of a biker doing something stupid it sticks in your head and you remember it, I know I do when I see bikers doing silly things. A good rider doesn’t get noticed, he doesn’t get remember, his presence doesn’t cause anybody to adjust their position or speed or even worry them.

prospect wrote:

At an educated guess, between Citywest (yes the traffic can be back that far sometimes) and the RCR, I could let 10 bikes past each morning. That is about 50 bikes a week. On a good week 3 maybe 5 will salute and acknowledge. I presume the remainder feel I am obliged to do it, and therefore a gesture to acknowledge my effort is not required.

You are not obliged to do it and trust me, they are grateful and would thank you if they could, in fact, and I’m going to say it on their behalf, “Thanks.” You’ve made their day easier and eliminated one potential threat from the road for them; however, every other car around you is still an unknown and demands their full and immediate attention.

prospect wrote:

This is the absolute utter bullsh1t attitude i am talking about.
WTF are you on about, a car / bike / truck or whatever is entitled to take up as much room on the lane as they like. Once between the lines that is it.
There is absolutely no law, obligation or requirement to leave any room.
YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO BE THERE

Spot on, and the biker to whom you responded there should have known that. Didn’t he learn in his training to change position within his lane to maximise his safety envelope and forward observation. If we can change position in our lane for a more efficient, safer ride car drivers can too.

DubTony wrote:

Today, I entered the M50 at Firhouse junction and headed North. I passed under the Tallaght junction and moved out to overtake a truck. As I checked my mirror after moving out I could see a bike coming down the ramp. Before I was anywhere near moving back in (I geneally wait until i see both headlights of the truck before I move, although I signal as I pass the cab) the bike was 15 to 20 feet behind me. My left indicator was on at this stage and I was travelling at about 130. I cleared the cab and carried on giving the truck plenty of space before I pulled in when ... you guessed it, the bike pulled in between us. He went past me like I was stopped. The trucker blasted the horn (for effect?).

Can someone please tell me what could have been going on in this lunatics head. My left indicator was on. The road ahead of me was clear.

As for high vis and lights on? This guy wore black. Black clothes, black bike, black helmet and no light.

Just an observation.

He is an idiot and I sincerely hope that somebody has a quite word with him and all of the similarly insane bikers.

So anyway, Just a though. You guys all post whenever you see a biker doing something stupid or apparently stupid. You can them insane, you rant you rave. However, when we (motorcyclists) see car drivers doing stupid, silly, dangerous things we don’t feel the need to shout and scream, nope, we accept it as the norm and watch out for the next one.

We don’t go to boards.ie and complain about it because with the ten or twelve bikers here we’d crash the server in a couple of days… don’t worry about that happening though because then we’d spend more time on the internet than on our bikes. =D

EDIT: 518i get some training and an attitude adjustment before you go anywhere near a sports bike, road bike, crusier, bicycle.