Closely following bikers

[DJ123]

There seems to be a lot of bikers who seem to like tail gating and riding at very close quarters. These are strangers on bikes, who i don't know. I can't understand why some people ride so close to people you don't know or how they ride. I personally give other bikers a wider birth than the average car driver for courtsey and to keep out of the danger zone.
Has anyone else noticed this recently?

[Dave20046]

Are you experiencing this as a rider or a car driver?
As a car driver it's generally that they are compromising their road position as they're desperate to get past you (possibly also fueled by frustration if you've been driving crap but still not really an excuse.)
As a rider it's generally either same as above or because they have bigger genitalia than you*.

Both pretty common, just let them get on with it and keep going qabout your business safely (slow down if you must, that's what I do if appropriate).



*where is another matter.

[DJ123]

on the bike. in the car i let them go past as i'm not fussed about them. bugs me a lot on the bike that they lack the mutual respect. especially at the traffic lights-you always give way to the bike that is there 1st

[Bibio]

if there is no bike in my mirrors then there is a bike then i let that bike past as he is obviously going faster than me.

what i can't stand is the knobs on bikes who have seen me approach in their mirror but refuse to move over and then insist on pinning the throttle on the straights and then slam the brakes on to go round bends. yes i'm guilty of tailgating but only when i want past knobheads who clearly are trying to ride outwith their ability, why cant these types of people move over and let faster riders past is beyond me. i have found that overtaking them on bends gets them really pizzed off :-)

[Lozzo]

especially at the traffic lights-you always give way to the bike that is there 1st

I don't.

If the bike in front has shown himself to be slow, reckless or clueless I'll ride round him and be away first. I won't hang about just because he got to the lights before me, I'll use the lights as an opportunity to put as much distance between him and me as is humanly possible.

[maxinc]

... or because they have bigger genitalia than you.

At least they think the do, but human psychology tends to prove the oposite. I get even more annoyed when I make room for them to bugger off and they still tag along at very close proximity. I usually ignore them but I agree they are pretty dangerous especially when they sit in the blind zone.

[timwilky]

Biggest issue for me is when you get a group of hardly movingsons etc hogging all the road and wont move over as they meander down the NSL straights at 50mph. You get the disdaining looks as you overtake as it is something they are incapable of doing.

I take the view that you ride for yourself and nobody else. so you go as fast or slow as you want. But you never impede another rider. If he is faster get out the way.

[missyburd]

I take the view that you ride for yourself and nobody else. so you go as fast or slow as you want. But you never impede another rider. If he is faster get out the way.
Always been my take on it too. Like Bibio says, if i look in my mirror and no bike then look again and bike appears then they've obviously shot up behind me and want to go somewhere quicker which leads to me moving over to the left and giving the bootkick go ahead to carry on. I know how annoying it is to be held up by slowpokes and I wouldn't to be guilty of doing the same.

As for closely following, the closer ya get the more likely they are to get pished off and do something rash without thinking twice about you, best to keep your distance unless overtaking, then a nod or whatever as a thankyou somewhere along the line.

[maxinc]

I take the view that you ride for yourself and nobody else. so you go as fast or slow as you want. But you never impede another rider. If he is faster get out the way.

Unless they are hogging the other lane too, I don't see why they can't be overtaken like any other car / vehicle.

[fenjer]

what i can't stand is the knobs on bikes who have seen me approach in their mirror but refuse to move over and then insist on pinning the throttle on the straights and then slam the brakes on to go round bends. yes i'm guilty of tailgating but only when i want past knobheads who clearly are trying to ride outwith their ability,

This.

I have been in the past guilty of sitting fairly close to bikes that I don't know, but never close enough to endanger myself.

I cant stand the idiots that pin it on the straights and slam the brakes on into every corner, when I'm riding smoothly through all of it. The one's who play cat and mouse by letting you pass and then passing you on the next straight and shooting off really annoy me too.

I try to ride with common courtesy and keep a safe distance, to keep myself safe as much as anything. And like MYC said, I'd happily move over and give the nod to any rider who is clearly faster than me and who wanted by.

[BBadger]

im a little guilty of this but only is slow moving traffic and through towns where you are just bimbling along at 30 mph.

The power rangers really annoy me though, classic case was on the way back from brighton, 2 up i would still catch them up through all the twisties and wasnt even going for it but come to a small village with traffic and people turning they would just blat through at way over 50 mph and kept over taking me when id stopped as someone was turning across me.....absolute fools!

did amuse me though when they kept asking it cant be a 650 at the lights haha

[maviczap]

You get the disdaining looks as you overtake as it is something they are incapable of doing.

Not disdaining looks Tim, pure jealousy, wish I was Tim they're thinking

[BBadger]

Not disdaining looks Tim, pure jealousy, glad Im not! Tim they're thinking

corrected for you there :p

[dizzyblonde]

Two second rule applies to all.

If they're up yer hooter, clearly wishing to pass, bleddy move out of the way! Then you can carry on as before, and smile profusely when you find them sat at the next red light or not very far round the next corner.

I get more annoyed with aggressive impatient cars, the ones you can feel breathing up your butt. Bit harder to move over for those, as they generally need all your space and theirs to go on their way, which usually ends up with you teetering on the gutter/ditch.

[maxinc]

I'm wondering if the new tailgating regulations apply to bikers too?

[Messie]

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s148/messiemille/arrogant.jpg

[Bibio]

I get more annoyed with aggressive impatient cars, the ones you can feel breathing up your butt. Bit harder to move over for those, as they generally need all your space and theirs to go on their way, which usually ends up with you teetering on the gutter/ditch.

hahahaaaaa if a car driver can keep up with a bike and is up yer chuffer then he/she deserves to get past.

[metalangel]

I don't.

If the bike in front has shown himself to be slow, reckless or clueless I'll ride round him and be away first. I won't hang about just because he got to the lights before me, I'll use the lights as an opportunity to put as much distance between him and me as is humanly possible.

I tend to be the slow one... when I see another, faster rider is behind me, and I get to lights, I tend to move over to the left of my lane (as opposed to the right where you're meant to stop) to make room for them to either get past or stop alongside me so they can then get away first (I will gesture to tell them to go first) when the light changes.

[carelesschucca]

I get more annoyed with aggressive impatient cars, the ones you can feel breathing up your butt. Bit harder to move over for those, as they generally need all your space and theirs to go on their way, which usually ends up with you teetering on the gutter/ditch.

I don't move over for car drivers like this I get it all the time in 30's and 40's and I'll actually slow down if they push too close. it gives me great pleasure knock the bike down to 2nd turn and wave to them when the national speed limit sign comes up and scream off into the distance.

What i can't stand is the knobs on bikes who have seen me approach in their mirror but refuse to move over and then insist on pinning the throttle on the straights and then slam the brakes on to go round bends. I have found that overtaking them on bends gets them really pizzed off :-)

Its a joyful thing passing riders like that, the wee bit extra power of the Street does help though

[dizzyblonde]

hahahaaaaa if a car driver can keep up with a bike and is up yer chuffer then he/she deserves to get past.

That depends on the road 'speed' doesn't it. If I am doing 33 mph in a 30 mph zone, there is no way I'm getting pulled by a copper for some pillock in a car who wants me out of the way.
This is what my post was aiming at.;) think carlesschucca figured what I was thinking. I actually finger the front brake so the light flashes. Usually makes them back off, but yes, I actually agree sometimes I've slowed down on purpose if it really gets on my nerves. After all in those circumstances, if I'm already at the 10% buffer for the speed restriction, if I slow down a little more to what says 30 on my clock, I ain't doing owt wrong am I :)

[carelesschucca]

I actually finger the front brake so the light flashes.

I do that one too its even nicer to open the throttle and pull away slightly while you do it... Not very IAM but hey ho.

[Bibio]

me gets wrong end of stick again :rolleyes: i cant help it honest :confused:

yes i do the exact same in towns 30 is 30 so if you want to go faster then tough as i won't let you :-dd

on a side note. i see it every morning on the school run where people go way to fast outside a certain primary school on my route that has big signs saying 20. so i go 10-15 just to pizz them off. the biggest culprits are the bloody mothers with kids in the back going to a different school or out shopping or whatever these bloody arzeholes do at that time of the morning. it gets me maaaad.

[Lozzo]

yes i do the exact same in towns 30 is 30 so if you want to go faster then tough as i won't let you :-dd


I will let them pass, if they want to get nicked for speeding then fair play, let them. Also, when they are in front I can keep an eye on them all the time, I don't have to be checking my mirrors to see how close to my back tyre they are. I know that once we're on open road I can catch and pass them so it doesn't bother me if they overtake and scream through a 30 limit in front of me. It's not a race, it's not "my bike is better than your car", it's just traffic today and the idiots who make it what it is.

[Balky001]

I always assumed they were just being friendly.

I have tailgated before, especially when I used to commute and someone filters at 2mph in rush hour and refuses to get out of the way. But normal riding if someone is close and I don't want to go quick I stick my boot out suggesting they pass. If they don't overtake then that narks me and I show it

[keith_d]

I'm pretty darn slow, so if another biker wants to go past they're welcome.

[BBadger]

coulda have told me that on snakes pass!

[lx_online]

I will let them pass, if they want to get nicked for speeding then fair play, let them. Also, when they are in front I can keep an eye on them all the time, I don't have to be checking my mirrors to see how close to my back tyre they are. I know that once we're on open road I can catch and pass them so it doesn't bother me if they overtake and scream through a 30 limit in front of me. It's not a race, it's not "my bike is better than your car", it's just traffic today and the idiots who make it what it is.

+1

[Serdna]

Some **** almost went into the back of me in Amsterdam on the first night of my trip last month. I just shook my head and thought "You F****** Idiot"

[collis]

I'll ride along with a bike I dont know if it's going in the same direction as me if i catch up with one.
The only reason for this is, it make us wider and thus less chance of a SMIDSY incident.

If they are too slow oth, i'll just keep going, unless there is some pretty blue lights attached then i happily follow at their speeds ;)

As for cars doing that to me, i like to get them into an overtaking position (ie along side me) then drop a few cogs and wave at them nicely whilst leaving them to explain to the rozzer commng the other way, why they were where they were.