Arrogant motorcyclists

Buellguy

NBLondon wrote: »

The keyword is SENSIBLY.

Filtering at a moderate speed while keeping a lookout both ways and stopping if the gap gets too small. Fine. I'll watch out for you and widen the gap if I can. (Dad was a biker until his knees gave out, BIL still is)

Filtering at 30mph+, cutting across the front of a moving car to filter along a different gap and kicking or banging cars to demand they make a bigger space. You're an (opening at the end of rectum).

Using acceleration and agility to cross the white line and overtake a slower-moving queue then get back into a gap. Fine.

Riding full-speed along the "wrong" side to pass a queue and expecting the oncoming traffic to give way to you. Same anatomical insult.

Using a pedestrian crossing to make a U-turn on an urban dual carriageway and diving in front of a car doing 50...

Riding down an on-pavement cycle lane to bypass a set of traffic lights...

I'm sure it's a minority of bikers who act like arrogant ani - but they are very obvious when they do it.

Thought: Are BMW riders as bad as BMW drivers are perceived to be? Or is there a similar stereotype amongst bikers as to what you ride being a clue to attitudes?

Agree with all of that


BMW tourer = old bloke or police wannabe


BMW R1200GS Adventure = never goes off road and is a Charley Boorman/Ewan McGregor wannabe (and has too much money!!!!)

fed_up_and_stressed

Idiophreak wrote: »

Given the comparatively small number of bikes on the road, and the comparatively high incidences of reckless speeding, it has to be concluded that a *much* higher percentage of motorcylists use wholly inappropriate speed than drivers.

And exactly which statistics are you quoting here ?

Most riders of motorbikes also are drivers they are not a seperate breed.

Speed is not always inappropriate. You can ride fast but safe (just ask any police rider or accreditted motorcyclist)

Oh and I know a joke about Beemer riders NBLondon.

"How do you know if a Beemer rider is having an affair ?"
"His pillion isn't wearing matching bmw kit"

Made me laugh anyway. Certainly the jokes around here are that BMW's are riden mostly by white retired old chaps who like to pootle around europe touring and then boring everyone with a slide presentation about it.... Hardly boy racer material sorry .:rotfl:

Idiophreak

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

And exactly which statistics are you quoting here ?

Most riders of motorbikes also are drivers they are not a seperate breed.

Speed is not always inappropriate. You can ride fast but safe (just ask any police rider or accreditted motorcyclist)

I'm quoting my own experience.
You can tell that from the way I said "I'm getting tired". If I'd read a study about it, I'd have said "I read a study that says..." or similar.

I'm glad, if surprised, that your experience is different to mine.

Note also that I at no point said that *all* motorcyclists ignore speed limits etc. There are plenty that ride at sensible speeds around the speed limit...and many far below...stoopid mopeds.

fed_up_and_stressed

Idiophreak wrote: »

I'm quoting my own experience.
You can tell that from the way I said "I'm getting tired". If I'd read a study about it, I'd have said "I read a study that says..." or similar.

I'm glad, if surprised, that your experience is different to mine.

Note also that I at no point said that *all* motorcyclists ignore speed limits etc. There are plenty that ride at sensible speeds around the speed limit...and many far below...stoopid mopeds.

How refreshing that you admit your skewed conclusion is based not on actual road safety data but on your own "experiences". I bet you just notice the bikers more than the drivers charging down the road / dual carriageway /motorway.

I suggest you prepare to be surprised my experience is very different to yours. I spend lots of time on Motorways and most of the inappropriate speeding is definately car drivers rather than bikers.

Urgh moped riders are NOT proper motorcyclists in my book. In the same breath as not all car drivers are 17 year old boy racers.

Cyclists riding in pairs at 5 miles an hour clogging up roads are the real menace.

Idiophreak

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

How refreshing that you admit your skewed conclusion is based not on actual road safety data but on your own "experiences". I bet you just notice the bikers more than the drivers charging down the road / dual carriageway /motorway.

I don't know when our culture changed in such a way that people weren't permitted an opinion without having appropriate "statistics" to back things up.

I have no particular issues with people doing whatever speed they want on motorways or dual carriageways....I've seen some bikes going very quick, I've seen some cars going very quick. As long as they're being sensible (not racing, not weaving through lanes), I don't really mind. My main concern is in urban areas with restricted speed limits and a fair amount of pedestrians, children etc about...ie where there are actually people who might get hurt.

I think it's a virtue of the size and faster acceleration of motorcycles (I'm sure you could find some statistics to back that up, if you wanted), that "boy racer" motorcyclists are able / willing to overtake cars going past school gates etc, where the slower, bulkier cars just can't get the job done. So whilst there are plenty of boy racers who *would* go stupid-fast if they were able, they're normally slowed much more by traffic than their two wheeled amigos.

You seem to think I've some kind of vendetta against motorcyclists, which I really don't. I know plenty of people with bikes and would probably ride myself if I hadn't promised a nun I wouldn't (long story, she surprised me...) - I've no prejudice against them at all...Honestly, if it will make you happier, I'll keep a little log book of "wallies who're going triple the speed limit" so I can have the statistics you crave...then we can see, objectively, if cars or motorbikes get the higher tally. Then we can multiply out the bikes' statistics in line with their proportion on the roads and see the real picture.

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

Cyclists riding in pairs at 5 miles an hour clogging up roads are the real menace.

Take a look at the highway code. You're required to give a cyclist the same space when passing as you would a car. As such, whether they're one or two abreast is rarely significant. If cyclists in pairs are slowing you down, you're not normally giving cyclists enough space.

Oh...and have you ever tried riding a bike at 5mph? It's pretty tough....

Idiophreak

fed_up_and_stressed wrote: »

Snort .... Cause fat sunday cyclists can do national speed limit ? yeah obviously its car drivers not giving them enough room thats at fault. Not that they should ride single file so I can safely pass and the flow of traffic can be maintained.

Hey, if you don't like the law, you're welcome to start a petition or write to your MP.

As things stand, if they're riding in single file (and the road is of normal width) you *still* can't pass them safely with oncoming traffic.

Sadly for you, cyclists' safety comes above "flow of traffic" in the eyes of the law.

There's no requirement for all road users to travel at NSL, as long as they're not deliberately obstructing the flow of traffic.

There's also not much "at fault" about this. It's just the way it is. If a road is used by lots of cyclists and other road users take a long time to pass them safely, it becomes what's known as "a slow road". So you either leave longer for the journey, or take a different road. The only "at fault" is if you endanger cyclists so you can get where you're going quicker...and if you're doing that then, yes...you're "at fault".

powerful_Rogue

Cutting corners when turning into a side road. My absolute pet hate of car drivers, and its amazing the amount of them that do it. Also the amount of car drivers that dont follow the correct route around a roundabout and cut across the lane.

Quite a few times ive almost been knocked off my bike by car drivers doing the above.

geerex

Personally, I love motorcyclists. The organ donor scheme would be a mere shadow of its current self if it wasn't for them.

Indeed, I'd make it mandatory that any motor cyclist opt in to organ donation before they're allowed out on the streets.

bod1467

I'd make organ donation an opt OUT scenario ... i.e. mandatory for EVERYONE. If someone has not expressed their stance (and opted out) then it is automatically fair game.

I've already told my missus that the organ donor scheme and medical science can have what the hell they like after I've copped it, then burn what's left.

But that's another topic.

iantrogg

bod1467 wrote: »

I'd make organ donation an opt OUT scenario ... i.e. mandatory for EVERYONE. If someone has not expressed their stance (and opted out) then it is automatically fair game.

I've already told my missus that the organ donor scheme and medical science can have what the hell they like after I've copped it, then burn what's left.

But that's another topic.

About the only opt out scenario I would go for