a lot of car drivers here appear to be driving gods, quick to point a finger, after all there are no bad car drivers ....

Conversely bikers can be quick to blame car drivers. As this post so ably demonstrates, seen from the context of the biker, and the context of the car driver, there's someone to blame both sides (or maybe both can be to blame?!)

What is certain is that bikers are the more vulnerable road user of the two and should take care when overtaking, undertaking, filtering etc. It's all too easy to blame other people, but unfortunately you can't change them and their behaviour and prevent them from being on the same bit of road as you - there will always be idiots out there. It's up to us all to look out for ourselves, whether we drive a car or a bike. If you can anticipate the possibility of an accident, then you can prevent it.

No blame on my part, I was stationary in a queue of traffic, conditions were good, he was just riding too fast, low sided and skidded into me.

I think this explains it, I'm X and the line is the bikers path...

In that case, my commiserations, you met a coque ..... how the feck you could lowside there under good conditions (unless there was a spillage of some kind or tyres were cold) is beyond me.

Good luck getting the car repaired

There are probably more bad car drivers because there are simply more car drivers on the road. The car test is simpler to pass than the bike test, from my side of the "community" my pet hate is "born again bikers" that passed their test in the 70's, last road an old Bonneville and now they have more cash, come back to biking for the buzz and splash out on a GSXR1000. They have no idea just how quick 170kg's of bike is when it has close to 170bhp. I saw a few guys that met the description over in Llangollen last weekend, they were a liability, almost out of control on the straights and wobbling 2 degree's off the vertical round corners.

You are not going to believe this but. I once owned a Triumph Bonny I am now 55, and did think about getting a another bike last year. Tried a mates Suzi Bandit and decided I wanted to keep all my organs attached to my body I did consider a cruiser, but as I live in Scotland, and get about 1.5 days glorious sunshine a year, bought the VRS instead.

Biggest problem, is there is a bike dealer just across the road from my Skoda dealer.

I still have my mountain bike, but too many pies etc.

You are not going to believe this but. I once owned a Triumph Bonny I am now 55, and did think about getting a another bike last year. Tried a mates Suzi Bandit and decided I wanted to keep all my organs attached to my body I did consider a cruiser, but as I live in Scotland, and get about 1.5 days glorious sunshine a year, bought the VRS instead.

Biggest problem, is there is a bike dealer just across the road from my Skoda dealer.

I still have my mountain bike, but too many pies etc.

I learnt to ride on a bantam and tiger cub, my dad still has the cub. It was strange when I bought my own RD250DX and took my test, those strange japanese folks put the gear lever on the wrong side .... mirth and merriment did follow.

In that case, my commiserations, you met a coque ..... how the feck you could lowside there under good conditions (unless there was a spillage of some kind or tyres were cold) is beyond me.

Good luck getting the car repaired

I met a bad one alright :thumbdwn: At least he had the decency to own up to his insurance company and admit liability, I had the claim processing the very next day.

I don't really understand what causes a bike a lowside as I've never ridden anything but a scooter. But the corner is sharp and the hill is steeper than it appears in the photo, he was about a minute from returning home, so you can rule out cold tyres, there's a few stones in the centre markings, but he was on his side long before he reached those... I think a combination of too much speed and not much talent were the main contributing factors...

Conversely bikers can be quick to blame car drivers. As this post so ably demonstrates, seen from the context of the biker, and the context of the car driver, there's someone to blame both sides (or maybe both can be to blame?!)

True .... true I have a pretty quick temper but don't get road rage when on the bike or in the car, but have had a BMW driver get the hump with me for filtering. Young asian bloke, jumped out and started screaming abuse, and punched me in the head. I had my helmet on of course, I heard the knuckles crack and thought about giving him a shoeing but the other drivers in the queue were giving him a hard enough time. He had to park up because his hand was like a basket ball. Stationary traffic, dual carriage way, 1.5M - 2M gap between cars and he just went mental........

On the flipside I have seen a little lunatic mate of mine from London drag someone out of a bmw again (of all things) and beat the crap out of him and have to be dragged off ...... there's nutters out there on all sides. At least we are all contributing to the release of hydrocarbons and keeping the planet nice and warm. Car drivers and bikers hould be sticking together and unite as one ....... against cyclists

Ps, that is said tongue in cheek so for those with a foot in the stirrup of the high horse ...................................................dis.....mount!!

I met a bad one alright :thumbdwn: At least he had the decency to own up to his insurance company and admit liability, I had the claim processing the very next day.

I don't really understand what causes a bike a lowside as I've never ridden anything but a scooter. But the corner is sharp and the hill is steeper than it appears in the photo, he was about a minute from returning home, so you can rule out cold tyres, there's a few stones in the centre markings, but he was on his side long before he reached those... I think a combination of too much speed and not much talent were the main contributing factors...

My mate went down and lowsided in germany at around 25mph, it was a small stone that he went over at the precise moment he put on a dab of front brake, the bars went to full left lock, the bike went down and it punched a hole through the clutch cover dropping 3 litres of semi synth oil on to the road ........ it all went on in slow motion ... really bizarre. Wierd stuff can happen when there is just that small contact patch on the road.

That's another thing to consider if riding a bike, the state of the roads. Way too many loose stones laying about just inviting a tank slapper. There are also a lot more diesels on the road these days, so more diesel fuel no doubt laying in wait.

If we are going to gang up on anyone, can it please be horse boxes and caravans

My last comment to the driver of a very slow 4x4 pulling a horse box. "FFS put a saddle on the horse and ride it, you would get there faster."

There are also a lot more diesels on the road these days, so more diesel fuel no doubt laying in wait.

I had my first experience of a diesel spill on a roundabout whilst driving to pick the Octy up in the Fabia. I saw a wet roundabout where everything else was dry so took it a bit steady and it was like ice! I thought a diesel spill would just be similar to a greasy roundabout and just get a small amount of understeer but this was far worse than I was expecting. Made me very glad I'd made the call to take it steady! Dread to think what it would have been like if I'd only had 2 wheels under me!

Nearly knocked some bloke off his bike at a roundabout this evening on the way home from work. Entirely my fault - first rule is to not drive where you haven't looked.

But still, he didn't do himself any favours. Bottom of the A5 past MK, dual carriageway, I'm in the right lane, indicating right, waiting for my turn to go. The two cars infront of me went, there's now nothing infront of me, eyes glued to the right looking for the next gap (typical big roundabout in rush hour, you're looking for a gap, not a written invitation), there's my gap, go to boot it and swing left onto the roundabout and there's the bike sat infront of my left corner having just crept up the inside. JUST managed to avoid contact but was bloody close, he caught up with me at the next roundabout and we had a bit of a set to.

Like I said at the start, it was (or would have been) my fault, but I fail to see the value in having "it wasn't MY fault" or "I was *technically* correct" written on a headstone, surely he should be a bit more pragmatic and not creep up and then park on the inside of a car that's guaranteed to launch away and left at any second and where the driver is definitely looking to his right? I get how lorry drivers feel about people undertaking or hanging around in their blind spots.

/half rant

If you rode a bike you would see things differently If you went on a bike forum and wrote this it would start an epic rant about car drivers having poor observation skills, aggressive driving...bla bla bla.

If you rode a bike you would see things differently If you went on a bike forum and wrote this it would start an epic rant about car drivers having poor observation skills, aggressive driving...bla bla bla.

Aggresive driving? Coming from a biker? Most seem to think they have a divine right to ride their noisy antisocial death traps how they like then blame everyone else if something goes wrong:thumbdwn:

I try to give them room to pass if possible but I won't put myself in possible danger just so they can pass 2 cars. My favourite one is pulling up the inside of you at junctions when you are indicating left then wondering why they nearly get squashed (this applies more to pushbikes admittedly), but I also watched a bike at a roundabout in the outside of the right lane turn left across 2 lanes trying to go left and straight:eek:

In the end it doesn't matter whose fault it is because you and your bike weigh as much as a bag of sugar and my car weighs a ton and half. I'll have scratched paint and you will be flat, so pay more attention to all of us dreadful car drivers who don't check everything as obviously all bikers do:mad: cause you won't get a second chance.

Rant over

The problem is, most bikers put them selves in danger, and most car drivers are idiots who are detached from evrything in their metal boxes.

I'm in favour of retesting everyone every 5 years, and not letting anyone drive in the country unless they've had a test within 5 years. Would solve the idiot bikers, the retarded car drivers, the homicidal truck drivers, inbred van drivers, old people, chavs, BMW-drivers and congestion all at once

The problem is, most bikers put them selves in danger, and most car drivers are idiots who are detached from evrything in their metal boxes.

I'm in favour of retesting everyone every 5 years, and not letting anyone drive in the country unless they've had a test within 5 years. Would solve the idiot bikers, the retarded car drivers, the homicidal truck drivers, inbred van drivers, old people, chavs, BMW-drivers and congestion all at once

I'd vote for that:thumbup:

Aggresive driving? Coming from a biker? Most seem to think they have a divine right to ride their noisy antisocial death traps......

When you can't even make a vague pretence at having anything less than a huge chip on your shoulder , remind me why anyone should take you seriously?

Yes , some bike riders are idiots.

So are some car drivers.

Does that make it ok to insult you and have a go?

When you can't even make a vague pretence at having anything less than a huge chip on your shoulder , remind me why anyone should take you seriously?

Yes , some bike riders are idiots.

So are some car drivers.

Does that make it ok to insult you and have a go?

What chip, what insult? No idea why anyone should take me seriously or indeed you:D

Yes there are bad drivers on both sides, but one is very unprotected compared to the other and often is to be seen taking stupid risks, when they should perhaps be taking greater care.

My greatest criticism of bikes (powered type) is that they are too noisy, other than that if people want to take more of a risk riding one go ahead, just don't blame everyone else for anything that happens, look at your own behaviour which may well be a contributing factor.

Filtering is not illegal.

Show me in the highway code where a motorbike can make it's own lane down a line of traffic ?

How do we know where a cars blind spots are,

by using the same technique that car drivers are expected to use to know where the bikes are - common bl**dy sense!!!!!!!!

Edit...

Ok so just reread some of the later posts - have to agree that all car drivers are not Gods, just as all of our 2 wheeled cousins are not either - it's just that where there is an incident the presumsion always sems to be that the car is automatically at fault.

Edited 18 April, 200917 yr by slider

Ok folks ,at the end off the day its the old, bikers v car drivers that dont ride bikes , nobody is perfect , we all make errors off judgement , we are all human, but yes i will be the first to admit some bikers are all about themselves and f*ck everyone else , just the same as some car drivers ,but we aint all like that so dont judge us all the same which i know most of you dont , like most skoda drivers dont wear slippers and smoke pipes.

Ok folks ,at the end off the day its the old, bikers v car drivers that dont ride bikes , nobody is perfect , we all make errors off judgement , we are all human, but yes i will be the first to admit some bikers are all about themselves and f*ck everyone else , just the same as some car drivers ,but we aint all like that so dont judge us all the same which i know most of you dont , like most skoda drivers dont wear slippers and smoke pipes.

good post to sum up this thread.

Show me in the highway code where a motorbike can make it's own lane down a line of traffic ?

Show me the section that forbids filtering! I have filtered past police cars in traffic through Manchester and down the M62, I am sure that if they were unhappy with my conduct on the road they would have stopped me for a chat. It's never happened

The problem is, most bikers put them selves in danger, and most car drivers are idiots who are detached from evrything in their metal boxes.

I am starting to get ****ed off with the term "most", it's ignorant and just plain wrong, as said before by lot's of people there's eejits on both sides.

Aggresive driving? Coming from a biker? Most seem to think they have a divine right to ride their noisy antisocial death traps

The voice of reason prevails .......... I pay my road tax, my bike is road legal and is within legal noise limits, I have insurance and a full license so I DO have a divine rite to ride my antisocial deathtrap wherever I please on the public road network of this free (ish) country.

Regardless of the type of exhaust fitted a bike will always be noisier, there is a tiny water jacket, and nothing enclosing the motor, and a limited amount of space for pipework for an exhaust.

A lot of it has to do with humane nature, as can be seen from some of the posts in this thread. If you go onto the road with a preconceived idea of other road users, that's when the trouble starts. If everyone would drive and treat every other road user as a mate there would be a lot less aggro.

I get really annoyed with myself when I make a driving error. If I get cut up I simply try to make sure I get as much distance between me and the driver having a bad day. No point going ape, unless you are into punching peoples lights out.

My greatest criticism of bikes (powered type) is that they are too noisy

That's a vast generalisation again though.

I can't be bothered