Most annoying riding behaviour of motorcyclists

Daytona_nev

Go on. Have a go.

I'll try & defend some of it. I get alot of grief on the roads from ignorant drivers for doing things i'm perfectly & legally entitled to do..... Such as traffic filtering.

A64 contraflow for example. 3 miles of queued & very slow moving traffic up on a dual carriageway. I filter between the 2 lanes up the middle. I've lost count of the number of t**ts who pull towards the centre line when they see me in their mirrors to try & impede my progress out of pure spite because they arn't getting anywhere. I find a good slap of their wing mirror leaves them seething in their seats.

bridiej

Mostly motorcyclists are considerate.

The thing I hate is when you're driving along with nothing behind you and all of a sudden a bike "appears" really quickly and goes round you - makes you jump out of your skin!!!!

My main grip about bikes is that car drivers dont give them a second thought - my Dad rides a bike (Blackbird plus he's got a "trail" bike) and he's done his advanced bike course, so he's safe in himself - it's the motorists I worry about...

SnowyOwl_2

Big groups of motorcyclists on the country roads going well in excess of the speed limit...so selfish and inconsiderate. They are more likely to kill themselves it is true but why inflict the misery on another road driver because they can't stop.

And why do so many bikers not bother to kit themselves out with proper gear? Don't they know if they know that if they hit an oil spot at 60 mph and come off with just a pair of jeans between them and the ground they are going to get a terrible injury. Do themselves no favours...

Daytona_nev

Most of us do kit ourselves properly. I see a small minority in the summer months riding in shorts. Thats up to them, they know the risks. They're also painting a large target on themselves for the attention of traffic cops.

Don't understand your first comment though, please elaborate...... particularly the bit about inflicting misery on others????

IvanOpinion

As an ex-biker (DW won't allow me another one :mad: ) I always try to shift my car out of the way if I see one threading its way between traffic ... I am surprised though at the number of people that deliverately try to block them ... pathetic!

What does annoy me though is a biker that comes flying up behind you on a dual carriageway as you are overtaking and tries to flash you over. This happened me last year ... the pratt was all over my rear-view mirrors ... and I was already doing over 70mph. Immediately after getting past the lorry I indicated, looked in my mirrors could not see him so moved over to the left .. to find out that this plonker had decided to go up the inside of a car already indicating to move over ... He actually made an effort to kick my car as he went past ... in a way I wish he had have hit it because a 13-ish stone man kicking a 1 tonne car at 80mph is only going to end up one way ... biker splatt ... and I could have flowers delivered to his graveside as I hand his family the bill to repair my car. Aw well ... maybe next time !!!

Ivan

SnowyOwl_2

Sorry, wasn't very clear about the inflicting misery bit...I meant that if they are going so fast around bends and can't stop when they meet eg an oncoming vehicle, then they are inflicting misery on someone else. Even if they just splat themselves all over the ground or around a tree or whatever without crashing into a.n.other then someone still has to scrape them off the road, tell their family etc etc... I used to go out with a biker and basically told him NOT to tell me any of his near miss stories, or how fast he can go etc etc. He totally loved his bike...no point in asking him to change - it was his passion and he would never have given it up for anything. His left leg was held together by a metal pin after an extremely nasty accident (not his fault...it was a diesel spillage) - he has always (before and since) worn the correct leathers and so on and these drastically reduced the gravity of his injuries...ie his leg is still attached and works perfectly well. Maybe when I see those who aren't properly kitted out I am imagining the injuries they could sustain...but I suppose it's their health and their choice, I just don't understand why anyone would make that sort of gamble.

Regards the big gangs of speeding motorcyclists, they put the fear of God into some other road users. They can come across as aggressive and as road hogs. I know you're not going to like that...please don't be annoyed... I do know and accept that it's not all bikers, just some... but this minority are intimidating to other people.

Daytona_nev wrote:

Most of us do kit ourselves properly. I see a small minority in the summer months riding in shorts. Thats up to them, they know the risks. They're also painting a large target on themselves for the attention of traffic cops.

Don't understand your first comment though, please elaborate...... particularly the bit about inflicting misery on others????

nelly_2

sitting there reving the engine and looking round to see whos looking... pathetic

I have known about 10 bikers who have all killed them selves racing round the streets thinking their smart

Daytona_nev

I don't think motorcyclists have a monopoly on causing misery for others on our roads. The very same could be said for any car drivers involved in an accident through negligence, misjudgement or just plain dangerous driving.

Nelly, i think you're exaggerating somewhat eh? If you know any bikers at all!


I must admit though Snowy that i too regularly go out in groups during the summer months. I don't think its because we are particularly aggressive, i think the media generated perception & general reputation ( which still exists from the biker gang/ mod fights from the 60s) tends to make drivers feel intimidated. Bikers to a certain extent are the victims of how the media likes to portray them, the media love to report on biking accidents & generally like to reinforce rather dated & narrow minded public opinion.

Sunday riding is something enjoyed by almost the whole biking community. There are a small minority who ride irresponsibly which doesn't help our perception because the media ( especially the bbc ) love to play on it.

I just know that if i chose to go for a sunday drive in my car, it would turn into a very slow & frustrating experience as i would get stuck behind the flat-capped once a week drivers who like to travel everywhere at 30mph no matter what the speed limit.

As for bikers, its a case of they are far more wary of you than you are of them, carry on as you were & do nothing unpredictable ( such as heavy braking as soon as a biker appears behind you ( one of my bug-bears )), they'll soon be out of your hair.

trafalgar_2

I have to say I have no problem with bikers at all and you get bad drivers on/in all sorts of vehicles.

however yesturday I was shocked to see a biker after over-taking my son on a blind bend he/she then went so close to the car in front I'm amazed there wasn't an accident....I realise it often looks closer than it actually is but this was seriously too close for comfort..................

That particular rider is an accident waiting to happen.

Altarf

Daytona_nev wrote:

3 miles of queued & very slow moving traffic up on a dual carriageway. I filter between the 2 lanes up the middle.

Sounds reasonable, but what about the morons on bikes who 'filter' down the two lane A1M at 70-80mph in the morning rush hour when the traffic is moving at 50-60 mph. And I am not talking about an empty inside lane, but two full lanes of traffic.

sunflower_2

bridiej wrote:

The thing I hate is when you're driving along with nothing behind you and all of a sudden a bike "appears" really quickly and goes round you - makes you jump out of your skin!!!!

this is my only real concern with bike riders

why do they have to come so close before overtaking?
and rarely with any indication?

the speeds some of them travel are just dangerous...