Something that annoyed me on the way home

Soldato
Joined
11 Dec 2004
Posts
3,871
Well bit of a rant really,

I was driving along the motorway earlier doing about 80 steady in the middle lane (yes I was overtaking, not hogging ;) ) and noticed two bikes coming up pretty fast in my mirror. I'd say doing about 120mph

When the first one passed me he didnt brake, but dropped of the throttle significantly, turned around to look back at the second rider and drifted over in to the middle lane causing me to take evasive action.

I have nothing against people who ride bikes (infact I intend to learn myself in september) but I know a lot of who drivers do, I just think that they should maybe have been a little more responsible, its not just their saftey they are risking but that of the people around them, plus they are giving their fellow riders a bad name.

People driving fast when its safe to do so is fine in my opinion, but it was rush hour, the motorway was busy and they caused disruption to other drivers, well im sorry but that doesnt impress me.

Am I just annoyed because I had to slam on, or do I have a valid point?
 
Soldato
Joined
19 May 2005
Posts
7,049
I was in France over the summer last year, driving around lunchtime, and the motorway effectively split in two. The inside lane and middle lane went one way, and the outside lane went another. I was also in the middle lane doing 80, and saw a signpost indicating that I wanted to be in the outside lane to bank off to the left.

Checked my mirrors and noticed nothing, indicated and started moving over, then checked again - to see a motorbike about 50 metres behind me, absolutely belting it in the region of 120ish at a guess. Had I not checked again, I doubt he'd still be in one piece.

Yes, I can accept that most bikers take care and drive safely, but the ones who act like morons must surely expect to meet an untimely fate.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Mar 2006
Posts
3,975
Location
Nottingham
When me and my Dad went out with his mates on the 'Blades and 'Busas we only used to break the 100mph barrier at night when there wasn't much/anything else around.

But booooooy did we ever break it :D
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,392
Location
West Yorks
unfortunately there seems to be more of the latter type of rider than the former

its very rare that i see a motorbike rider who can show some self control and keep to a reasonable speed.

most will quite happily overtake heading into oncomming traffic and dart back in cutting up the other motorist at the last minute.

i have nothing against filtering in stationary traffic, but using the gap between traffic as your own personal overtaking lane and cutting back into our lane when you see fit is just rude and downright dangerous.
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Apr 2004
Posts
19,807
Whenever I see a bike in my mirrors, I move over as far as I can to let them past.

I never know if they appreciate it though, as they don't give me a nod or thumbs up or anything. :(
 
Suspended
Joined
1 Aug 2005
Posts
908
agw_01 said:
Whenever I see a bike in my mirrors, I move over as far as I can to let them past.

I never know if they appreciate it though, as they don't give me a nod or thumbs up or anything. :(

When I last moved over on a 2 lane, 2 way traffic road to let a biker past, he held out his hand to say thanks. So guessing they do appreciate it.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Mar 2006
Posts
3,975
Location
Nottingham
agw_01 said:
Whenever I see a bike in my mirrors, I move over as far as I can to let them past.

I never know if they appreciate it though, as they don't give me a nod or thumbs up or anything. :(

I always acknowledge someone doing that... although most won't as it's not the best idea in the world to wave whilst you're filtering :D
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Nov 2002
Posts
2,807
Error of judgement on the bikers behalf? It happens, and whilst I know bikers are generally better road users than car drivers (ocuk motors forum standard disclaimer ©™: excluding mopeds and hardcore suicide kings). The rider might have made a mistake or was genuinely inconsiderate/professional tube. You'll be cut up a lot more off bmw's/women/old men and other idiots etc in tin cans in your driving career. Number 1 rule for road users = everybody else out there is trying to kill you.
Trust me ;)
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Oct 2004
Posts
6,146
Location
Los Angeles
Cyanide said:
I always acknowledge someone doing that... although most won't as it's not the best idea in the world to wave whilst you're filtering :D

I do this too, just a simple hand up off the left bar, or a sideways head nod.
 
Associate
Joined
25 Apr 2006
Posts
100
You should have stayed where you were. I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt for making mistakes but travelling at 120mph on a motorway, no way. The only reason I would have moved, and possibly the only reason you did, was to save my vehicle from damage.
Swerving to avoid idiots can cause more problems for you. Imagine if you had lost control and written off your car or even worse, been crippled, would that m/c have been grateful? I doubt it.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Nov 2004
Posts
3,577
Location
Bournemouth
I always get out of the way of bikers. Always move as far across to the left as i can. I encounter many on my journey home through mid-Wales, some nod, some give the thumbs up, some seem to not care less whether you move over for them or run them over tbh.....
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Aug 2005
Posts
6,891
Location
London
Didn't fancy creating a new thread, however I was on my way home from lancaster to london on the motorway and this dodgy guy in his car with a few young kids who I suspected wasn't his considering how rough he looked. Anyway, I was behind him and he decided to change lanes, not once but around 5 times in a very short space with out indicating at all. I thought to myself - "insert a string of naughty words".
 

Kol

Kol

Man of Honour
Joined
8 Jan 2003
Posts
14,201
Location
London
Shootist said:
You should have stayed where you were. I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt for making mistakes but travelling at 120mph on a motorway, no way. The only reason I would have moved, and possibly the only reason you did, was to save my vehicle from damage.
Swerving to avoid idiots can cause more problems for you. Imagine if you had lost control and written off your car or even worse, been crippled, would that m/c have been grateful? I doubt it.

OK, just to make a point you would have stayed where you were and killed someone because they were speeding?

Riiiiiight.

From the OP, he was able to take evasive action without threatening his life, or that's how it reads. For the record, I agree with the OPs annoyance and I too would be annoyed, but not annoyed to kill anyone.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
25 May 2004
Posts
8,925
Location
Burton-On-Trent
AlexG12 said:
If it was rush hour how did they manage to hit 120?

A bike would only need a little stretch of road to get to that speed.

I have to agree with some of the comments here, I do know that lots of bikers give a bad name to the rest who try and be sensible, I'm no saint, I am sure I have overtaken a few times and not made someone very happy but I dont make a point of doing it. Having all that power between your legs has to be used sometimes, but I chose my places carefully and usually know the road like the back of my hand when i do so.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
11 Dec 2004
Posts
3,871
Shootist said:
You should have stayed where you were. I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt for making mistakes but travelling at 120mph on a motorway, no way. The only reason I would have moved, and possibly the only reason you did, was to save my vehicle from damage.
Swerving to avoid idiots can cause more problems for you. Imagine if you had lost control and written off your car or even worse, been crippled, would that m/c have been grateful? I doubt it.

I managed to take evasive action safely without harm to me or my vehicle, surley you are not saying, that even though I was able to do so, I should have held my ground and risked killing him because he annoyed me??

As I have mentioned before, he cut his speed significantly to look behind him, (looking to fellow rider) but drifted in to my lane as he did so, at that point, he risked my saftey, and thats what annoyed me, not the fact the he was speeding but the fact that he failed to do it responsibly.

Bikers are indeed amoungst the safest drivers on the road, often have very good observational skills etc, but clowns like that will get them a bad reputation.
 
Soldato
Joined
4 Feb 2004
Posts
13,360
Location
Fife, Scotland
I agree, Nazbit. Some bikers are complete clowns on the road, certain of them give us all a bad name and tarnish us all with the same brush as it were.

I'm a bit unclear about what the situation was here though. Did the first guy pass you in the outside lane and then drift over into your ( middle ) lane or did he drift over as he was passing you, causing you to take evasive action?.
 
Back
Top Bottom