Biker Pulls Wheely Overtaking Me

[Deleted member 126251]

There's only one way to ride a bike safely: assume that everyone on the road is trying to kill you, all the time.

Or use a track if you want to "ride" teh bike!

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Yet, there was a study a few years ago that showed how some car drivers actually do see a motorcycle, hi vis, headlights on etc, but when the message gets to their brain, they still pull out in front of it, cannot remember all the details but it was stated as a medical/scientific fact. Something to do with not expecting to see something, so ignoring it's there when you do see it & pulling out anyway.

(Explanation of sorts here....The #1 reason why cars pull out in front of motorcycles - not distracted drivers » MCrider)

It is similar to pulling out of an intersection at night - drivers look for lights, not cars. They are not consciously looking for bikes.....(an are probably chatting on their phones ).

 

[Edd1968]

... Boy this thread is running and running huh!
I look at bikes on the road now and can't imagine doing the things I used to do, and still see others doing, I felt I was invincible on a bike, that nothing could happen. Sadly today though I feel there's alot of ignorance in the car world at what modern two-wheelers are capable of. They are not aware of the power and speed at which things can happen and possibly don't react quickly enough.
Most 1 litre hyperbikes these days are pushing out upwards of 220-240 hp even with a mild tune, this makes them capable of sub 3 second 0-60 acceleration even with full traction control set and anti wheelie engaged.
There will be no end to this debate however as noone will agree really.
I personally would never scare the crap out of a car driver by riding passed them on one wheel but whatever floats your boat I guess.

 

[Peter103]

Started as a "Ton Up" boy in the late sixties, tearing down the A20 in South East London from the "Dutchouse Pub" past the "Wicker Fence" if you managed not to slide through it in a heap, and on, accelerating beyond
"Fiveways" the Sidcup By Pass, up Gun Hill Dartford down Wroughtam Hill, still on the A20 often flat out 90/ 112 mph, to "Farningham roundabout" on and on up "Death Hill" where so many came to grief on the return journey, blast past "Brands Hatch Circuit" to stop at "Johnson's Cafe" a well known Bikers Caff, still on the old A20 for a coffee and chat with your mates, before thrashing your way back on the return journey. Mad but Great Days, Once a biker always a biker, don't hàve one today, but would still love a 500cc BSA Gold star lovely bike.

 

[Peter103]

^^ . ^^. ^^. ^^
PS. The above was before the days of the 70 mph speed limit and on 'A' roads there was no limit!

 

[Wolfie1]

The complainers, what a bunch of stick in the muds, cant see anyone having a bit of harmless fun, obviously there is always folk that take harmless fun too far but the vast majority of folk dont!

 

[milleplod]

Non-riders won't ever really get what biking's about. I think as we get older, our idea of 'fun' changes, as do our ideas as to what's acceptable on the road and what isn't. The urge to pop a wheelie, for example, is inexorably tied-in with the urge to show off in front of others - just the same as the idiots who floor the accelerator in their lukewarm hatches down a busy high street - look at me, look at me, look at how cool I am....except, of course, nobody is actually thinking that, what they're really thinking is what a *nob said biker or driver is. I've slowed down on my bike as I've got older, and as we age I think we consider our mortality more frequently! I always had a healthy sense of my lack of invincibility because of the job I did - clearing up seemingly endless numbers of crashed, and sometimes dead, bikers, and car drivers, who'd 'gone for it', or just made a silly mistake, or who'd been wiped up through no fault of their own, certainly made me very, very careful when riding...but never stopped me having fun, in the right place, at the right time.

The one accident that stands out in my mind involved a young lad on a Suzuki GS1000, it was bonfire night and a crowd of people were walking home from an organised display. The lad decided to pop a huge wheelie down the high street - a cracking opportunity to display his 'skill' in front of a huge audience. Because the bike was pointing skywards, he didn't see the two little girls, sisters aged 8 and 11, crossing the road in front of him. He hit them so hard, he propelled them through the Co-op window, killing them instantly. I got the job of knocking on the parents' door to tell them what had happened. Laddo got 7 years for the old offence of 'death by dangerous' x 2. Lives ruined.....

So...my view of wheelies, and similar antics, on public roads is somewhat jaded.

Pete

Pete

 

[Petrol Pete]

This is mainly done because travelling in a straight line for ages ruins the curve on the tyres producing a flat spot in the middle. By weaving left and right you can maintain a better tyre shape, increase the number of miles you get out of said tyre which in turn must be better for the environment .

I used to avoid motorways on my bikes to prevent this happening to my tyres, If they get a flat profile it messes the handling up no end. That said the tyres were normally worn out within 2000 miles anyway.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I'm sure that there was once a member here who boasted that he used to try and hold his breath between the end of the A4 and the 1st junction off the M4 on his bike.

 

[Yugguy]

I remember a good 30 odd years ago when I ran a cheap 125 for a short while it had a rear tyre shaped like the top half of a six sided figure, it actually had angles in it.

I didn't know enough about bikes to know if that was weird and I only had it for a month or so.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I remember once many moons ago a mate gave me a shot of his big bike on a private bit of road.
He neglected to tell me just how fast it accelerated and I'd only ever been on mopeds and 125's.

I was literally hanging on to the handlebars like one of those cartoon characters.

Decided bikes weren't for me after that.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

The one accident that stands out in my mind involved a young lad on a Suzuki GS1000, it was bonfire night and a crowd of people were walking home from an organised display. The lad decided to pop a huge wheelie down the high street - a cracking opportunity to display his 'skill' in front of a huge audience. Because the bike was pointing skywards, he didn't see the two little girls, sisters aged 8 and 11, crossing the road in front of him. He hit them so hard, he propelled them through the Co-op window, killing them instantly. I got the job of knocking on the parents' door to tell them what had happened. Laddo got 7 years for the old offence of 'death by dangerous' x 2. Lives ruined.....

@Wolfie1 the above is what the "complainers" are complaining about. - in real life stupid (illegal) activities like "harmless wheelies" lead to people getting killed.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

@Wolfie1 the above is what the "complainers" are complaining about. - in real life stupid (illegal) activities like "harmless wheelies" lead to people getting killed.

Kneejerk reaction.

99.99% of wheelies result in 0 children killed.

 

[milleplod]

Kneejerk reaction.

99.99% of wheelies result in 0 children killed.

99.99% of people doing 100+mph in a built up area didn't kill anyone. Should it be allowed, on that representation of the stats?

Pete

 

[Deleted member 6183]

99.99% of people doing 100+mph in a built up area didn't kill anyone. Should it be allowed, on that representation of the stats?

Pete

More kneejerk.

 

[milleplod]

More kneejerk.

Nope....it's a thought-out and reasoned question. Your reply saying 'kneejerk' is the kneejerk response, ironically, because, of course, it singularly fails as a thought-out and reasoned answer.

Pete

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Nope....it's a thought-out and reasoned question. Your reply saying 'kneejerk' is the kneejerk response, ironically, because, of course, it singularly fails as a thought-out and reasoned answer.

Pete

You go from popping a wheelie to doing 100mph+ in a built up area?

Run along.

 

[milleplod]

You go from popping a wheelie to doing 100mph+ in a built up area?

Run along.

Again, nope. I used the same sort of analogy that you did - the type of driving that falls into the legal definition of dangerous driving rarely results in a death. So, should it be allowed, on that basis?

And don't be rude, there's really no need.

Pete

 

[Yugguy]

Coming home today, in the main Bilton Road, teenager l plate biker in frontfof me on his 125 with the drilled out exhaust and no proper biker gear pulled a wheelie.

My "kneejerk" reaction was indeed, what a bellend.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Nope....it's a thought-out and reasoned question. Your reply saying 'kneejerk' is the kneejerk response, ironically, because, of course, it singularly fails as a thought-out and reasoned answer.

Pete

Deleted - repetitive