Motor Bikes

[b1n0de]

Why is it that Motor Bikes so often whizz past the cars at speeds way above the legal limits on the A class roads and yet it is the motorists who are lectured on to 'Think Bike' ?

 

[Oli]

Because more motorbike accidents occur around town due to people not seeing them than making fast progress on A roads I imagine.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

You will unleash the hounds of hell with this thread....

 

[Bellow]

Haven't you just answered your own question?

 

[Burger]

Because it's the 4 wheel+ drivers that don't see motorcyclists, not the other way around.

There's no question that some motorcyclists flirt with danger by riding at excessively high speeds where one second they're not there and the next they are. Some also filter at inappropriate speeds too. The majority however ride sensibly and give other road users ample time to have observed their presence.

The last thing they expect is for another road user to pull out without indicating or, as often happens, turn out of a side road literally right in front of them.

A good driver should be aware of everything going on around them, not just the big easy to see stuff.

 

[rigel]

Bikers are far more aware of their own vulnerability to injury than the car driver sitting in their protected zone, some of whom (my sister in law amongst others) are oblivious to anything that is goes on around them whilst driving.
You can bet a pound to a pinch of brown that it will be the biker that comes off worse in just about any circumstance. The majority by far ride knowing their and their machines capabilities.
Glad to be on 4 wheels now but miss sunny days on 2.

 

[raymont]

....The last thing they expect is for another road user to pull out without indicating or, as often happens, turn out of a side road literally right in front of them......

Sold my bike a couple of years ago. Have to say I didn't expect drivers to do this, but I always thought there was a reasonable chance that they would!

Defensive riding essential if you spend much time on a bike. Almost any accident is going to hurt.

 

[MOCAŠ]

The last thing they expect is for another road user to pull out without indicating or, as often happens, turn out of a side road literally right in front of them.

Burger, I agree with the sentiment of your post, but allow me to play devil's advocate by asking:

If this type of thing happens so often (and I agree, it does), why is it the last thing a biker would expect?

 

[Sp!ke]

I can only surmise he's not a very good rider .

Saying that, often you can anticipate this kind of driver but still be unable to avoid them.

 

[esox]

 

[219]

Because it's the 4 wheel+ drivers that don't see motorcyclists, not the other way around.

There's no question that some motorcyclists flirt with danger by riding at excessively high speeds where one second they're not there and the next they are. Some also filter at inappropriate speeds too. The majority however ride sensibly and give other road users ample time to have observed their presence.

The last thing they expect is for another road user to pull out without indicating or, as often happens, turn out of a side road literally right in front of them.

A good driver should be aware of everything going on around them, not just the big easy to see stuff.

I'm still waiting for the big one to happen : my house is located at the side of an A road , about 50 m from a blind bend , and with a crossroads just at the other end of my house . Every time I pull out of my drive to turn right , I'm watching that bend very carefully , and listening for anything coming at all fast around it . Even with the 500 which steps off the mark pretty well , I've had to floor it a few times when something fast has appeared after I'm halfway across the road . While cars etc rarely come round faster than the NSL and are not a big problem for me as I can either outgun them or ( preferably ) allow them to pass if nothing is coming the other way ; bikes do , in the summer , seem to use the road as a racetrack on the way to and from the seaside and travel at much higher speeds . Usually they are so noisy that I can hear them coming before I can see them , but some do come round that bend laid well over and doing what I would estimate as upwards of 100mph - folly on their part as both the crossroads and the series of bends are signposted well back up the road . I once saw a near miss whilst washing my car in front of the house : two or three cars came round the bend at moderate speed , lead car was trafficating right to turn at the crossroads and was just beginning to turn when bike arrived at very high speed , pulled out to pass the slower vehicles before realising the car at the front was turning and had to brake so hard that he went right up on his front wheel , with rear wheel almost at head height .

Just glad I've never had one hit me - so far .

 

[s88]

The roads to and from Cadwell park or covered in these signs.

Wonder why that is?

 

[E CLASS]

Biking is dangerous no matter how good a rider you are.

You only have to open the paper after a weekend on a Monday to see the number of bikers killed / injured on your local roads.

Amazing machines all the same.

 

[swannymere]

Generally speaking car drivers are far less attentive to what's actually happening on the road as they are distracted by passengers, phone's and radio's/music. I've nearly been taken out twice by car drivers (always people carrier's!) who have pulled out from a t-junction when i've been travelling at 30mph and they have glanced left and right without actually looking. Both times i've been on bikes with their lights on, one bike being bright orange and the other red and i could tell from about 100metres away that they were going to do it. Too many distractions in cars.

 

[Burger]

Burger, I agree with the sentiment of your post, but allow me to play devil's advocate by asking:

If this type of thing happens so often (and I agree, it does), why is it the last thing a biker would expect?

Good point and all it means is I didn't provide my answer well worded. It would be more accurate to say the last thing a biker wants or needs is for someone to pull out in front of them.

Regards,

 

[stwat]

Generally speaking car drivers are far less attentive to what's actually happening on the road as they are distracted by passengers, phone's and radio's/music. I've nearly been taken out twice by car drivers (always people carrier's!) who have pulled out from a t-junction when i've been travelling at 30mph and they have glanced left and right without actually looking. Both times i've been on bikes with their lights on, one bike being bright orange and the other red and i could tell from about 100metres away that they were going to do it. Too many distractions in cars.

You obviously ride the correct way which is defensive. Always expect the worst.

I just wish more bikers would ride like that out on the Derbyhshire roads near me. Some of the riding I witness when out and about is shocking and have had to pull over into the curb while hitting the brakes hard a number of times to avoid a head on collision with a biker overtaking on either a blind bend or past lots of cars on a straight.

But lets not allow this to turn into a biker bashing thread. Bike riders are human, just like car drivers. There are good and bad in each camp.

I have also lost count of the times I have had to take evasive actions due to seriously bad car drivers.

Some people are just crap at assessing risks and many actually thrive on taking such risks no matter how life threatening it may be.

I certainly can't claim to be perfect myself and have taken stupid risks over the years. Especially when I was younger. I still go out and have fun in my 2.3-16 but now seem to be able to risk access as I drive(defensive driving)a lot better than when I was younger. I cringe when I think back to some of the silly risks I took

 

[Tiff]

Generally speaking car drivers are far less attentive to what's actually happening on the road as they are distracted by passengers, phone's and radio's/music. I've nearly been taken out twice by car drivers (always people carrier's!) who have pulled out from a t-junction when i've been travelling at 30mph and they have glanced left and right without actually looking. Both times i've been on bikes with their lights on, one bike being bright orange and the other red and i could tell from about 100metres away that they were going to do it. Too many distractions in cars.

Drivers feel far to safe in their cars too, even if they are in an accident. Bikers don't have airbags,not many have ABS and none have an NCAP rating of 5, or even 1.Car buyers now sometimes purchase a certain car with the safety features in mind, knowing they will be well protected in an accident- bikers mostly buy their bikes on performance and looks, and rely on themselves to provide the passive and active safety. This is, IMO, part of the thrill...

I started riding at 16, before I got my car licence- this taught me far more about road conditions and riding/driving defensively than most people who have never ridden. being restricted to 30mph brings on a lot of its own problems...

 

[s88]

Drivers feel far to safe in their cars too, even if they are in an accident. Bikers don't have airbags,not many have ABS and none have an NCAP rating of 5, or even 1.Car buyers now sometimes purchase a certain car with the safety features in mind, knowing they will be well protected in an accident- bikers mostly buy their bikes on performance and looks, and rely on themselves to provide the passive and active safety. This is, IMO, part of the thrill...

I started riding at 16, before I got my car licence- this taught me far more about road conditions and riding/driving defensively than most people who have never ridden. being restricted to 30mph brings on a lot of its own problems...

And thats why people did buy TVR's, no ABS no air bags, but fun to be had!

 

[Burger]

Whenever I'm riding I try to be as observant as possible, ride with correct road positioning and anticipation of others actions etc. Wherever possible I attempt to make eye contact with other road users before I'm truly satisfied they've seen me. Of course you also have to be conscious of following traffic and not be a nuisance to them.

It seems to me that many signs are ignored by many road users... a good example being SLOW written across the road. It's understandable because we relate more readily to what we can see ahead than what we're told to do. However on the bike I've learnt to take notice of them, especially upcoming junctions etc. and adjust speed and position accordingly.

I read a report that suggested a contributory factor to why motorcycles are harder to see and judge their speed is not only their size but also their single point of light. It is much easier to judge the oncoming speed of a vehicle with two lights than one. This is because as a vehicle approaches you the visible gap between the two lights will open or widen, whereas a single light will remain fairly static. In the same study, it was suggested that motorcyclists approaching junctions where cars are waiting to pull out should move their position in their lane sideways as this would make them more noticeable especially in someones peripheral vision. This is another habit I've adopted as it seemed to me to make a lot of sense.

As Spike said, often you can anticipate this kind of driver but still be unable to avoid them. You could be mid way through executing the best planned over take but if the driver hasn't seen you and decides to pull into your path, it's often too late to avoid them and the motorcyclist will of course come off worse.

Regards,

 

[Tiff]

Anyone have any opinions on daytime running lights, which seem to be becoming the norm? I always ride with lights on, as do most bikers, but are bikes just melting into the background of a sea of lights now? This was a hot topic in Germany a few years back.

Oh, and loud pipes save lives.. another prickly topic..