Other bikers who sneak up behind you..

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by Kate

Surely its the responsibility of the person behind to overtake safely? If you are behind a lorry and there is another biker behind you, you shouldn't have to do anything more than check your mirrors and your blind spot before overtaking. It doesn't matter what the biker behind you is doing, unless he is already overtaking.

Yes, you are quite correct Kate. I think the majority of people who get upset at being overtaken do so when they themselves make a manouvre without proper observation and find themselves drifting into the path of an overtaking bike etc.

I don't think its unreasonable to get mighty miffed if a fellow biker passes so close you can smell his aftershave. We should all expect to be passed, there's always a faster, better rider out there. Slipstreaming on the public road must be frowned upon. We have two riders in our group that do this, drives me nuts, I've pointed out the V-twin engine braking means you may not see red lights. Does it sink in no, how do you tell a god he's wrong.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Mogs

how do you tell a god he's wrong.

Some people just don't listen the only way they learn is to taste tarmac. Sounds harsh but theres only so many times you can tell people and if they don't want to listen, theres no telling them.

[Sid Squid]

I had a similar experience this weekend: I make an overtake that brings me comfortably back in to the line of traffic exactly as the double white lines* begin, (precision see), before a right hand bend. I had made my observations suitably, and noted R1 'geezer' behind me before moving out and upon doing so, as I'm coming back into the line of traffic I make a rear ob' only to see R1 **** has come with me! He was too far back and to the right to have had anywhere near enough forward vision for his overtake and did it too late anyway. For a brief moment I wondered which of us, the car or I, he was going to hit, only because I moved over to the left very quickly did he have anywhere to go, he must however have been damn close to the car, as the resulting hooting and flashing demonstrated. It's possible to go very fast and very safe, without annoying anyone or making others avoid your ****-ups, sadly, (Beenz, you're wrong here ), too many 'Big Bike' owners simply can't do it, or, more probably, just don't know how, most 600 riders bought sensibly, too many 1000 owners have just got to have a big bike 'cos that means they must be real fast, right?

*Most unusually, these doubles are sensibly placed and the right length and distance either side of the hazard, whatever next?

Originally Posted by Kate

Surely its the responsibility of the person behind to overtake safely? If you are behind a lorry and there is another biker behind you, you shouldn't have to do anything more than check your mirrors and your blind spot before overtaking. It doesn't matter what the biker behind you is doing, unless he is already overtaking.

My only comment on this is that you should look for long enough so that you can judge the speed of the bike/vehicle behind you. One look is not enough, you need a 2nd look to assess the speed at which the bike is travelling. We like telling car drivers to look twice for bikes, we should also do the same.

And yes, the onus should be on the vehicle making the overtake (ie the bike behind you) but:

1)

Originally Posted by highway code

You should not make any manoeuvre that is likely to change the speed or direction of another vehicle.

2) You can't judge how wreckless that rider may be and must assume that, if they are approaching at speed, they will try and overtake you.

I hate it when driving/riding I have had a vehicle in my mirrors and I can no longer see it, I wait until I know where it is (or am sure that it no longer a danger) before I proceed with an overtake or whatever.

However, it seems that in this particular case, the rider of said R1 should of had the sense to realise that the bike in front would have changed road position for the corner.

.

Originally Posted by rich_r

Just venting about some rectum on a sv1000 who did it to me today in a 30 zone, this idiot was way up the road when I pulled out, yet he sped up and flew past very close.

Rant over....

Just a thought.

Do you think maybe the guy is posting on another forum, that he was riding along when a guy on a Sv650 pulled out in front of him.

Maybe, just maybe, you misjudged his closing speed. Just because it's a 30 limit doesn't mean he was doing 30. Imagine if you'd been in a car. What might have been the result then?

Not saying he was right, but you might not have been either.

On the point of overtaking other bikes, I ride fastish and confidentally. It's often the case that a bike rider is either in a world of their own and only a telegram is gonna make them notice you behind, or they think they are riding so fast no other road user can catch them, let alone overtake. And on occasions I'm guilty of both actions.

However if a vehicle is going slower than I want to go, I will overtake, when safely possible and giving as much clearance as is safe to do so.

If I'm "surprised" by another bike coming through, them I berate myself for my lack attention.

Originally Posted by petevtwin650

Just a thought.

Do you think maybe the guy is posting on another forum, that he was riding along when a guy on a Sv650 pulled out in front of him.

Maybe, just maybe, you misjudged his closing speed. Just because it's a 30 limit doesn't mean he was doing 30. Imagine if you'd been in a car. What might have been the result then?

Not saying he was right, but you might not have been either.

He was blooming miles away! hence why I posted moaning about it! If i'd pulled out on him when he was 100 feet away then fair enough! But that wasnt the case! And also, did he need to get so close?!

Originally Posted by rich_r

Granted it sounded nice and looked nice, but he flew past quite quick and close that I didnt even hear him.

This is EXACTLY how we appear to car drivers.

It's a bit like a tortoise and a dog, the dog walks past and the tortoise thinks "WOW, look at that, unbelievable, he almost hit me, where does he get off speeding around like that???". To the dog of course, it was perfectly natural and in control, nothing special.

I want anything I overtake to just continue as they are, I'll do all the thinking and planning. I'm extra wary around bikes, all that weaving and stuff!! I get wide and pop past as quick as I can, I don't want us both behind a car jockeying to get past it.

Originally Posted by arenalife

This is EXACTLY how we appear to car drivers.

It's a bit like a tortoise and a dog, the dog walks past and the tortoise thinks "WOW, look at that, unbelievable, he almost hit me, where does he get off speeding around like that???". To the dog of course, it was perfectly natural and in control, nothing special.

I want anything I overtake to just continue as they are, I'll do all the thinking and planning. I'm extra wary around bikes, all that weaving and stuff!! I get wide and pop past as quick as I can, I don't want us both behind a car jockeying to get past it.

Well said, i couldn't agree more.

Originally Posted by arenalife

This is EXACTLY how we appear to car drivers.

It's a bit like a tortoise and a dog, the dog walks past and the tortoise thinks "WOW, look at that, unbelievable, he almost hit me, where does he get off speeding around like that???". To the dog of course, it was perfectly natural and in control, nothing special.

I want anything I overtake to just continue as they are, I'll do all the thinking and planning. I'm extra wary around bikes, all that weaving and stuff!! I get wide and pop past as quick as I can, I don't want us both behind a car jockeying to get past it.

You have a fair point there.

I'm actually far more cautious overtaking a biker than I am anything else on the road. Though that's partly because there's more chance of a biker catching me up further down the road for a little