Filtering tips

Just read sv pilots post about his crash on the a2. Very nearly put myself into the side of an MPV yesterday so would appreciate any tips. I have to ride about 10 miles of the M60 every day between junc 10 and 17, the traffic never stops completly but crawls along at 5-15 mph. As a result there's always the risk of being taken out by people swapping lanes (as what happened yesterday) but i don't want to crawl along in the queue, boiling my coolant as i go.

Think of it in 3 parts

Observation Is there a junction coming up, is one lane moving faster than the other, can I see what's in front of that HGV etc

Confidence Basically having the confidence in your own abilities so your relaxed and as such can be more focused on the road and other traffic than worring about your own riding

Luck At the end of the day a little bit of luck comes into it as no matter how ewell you plan ahead it's human nature to do something unpredicatable.

Just go as fast as your comforatable and you'll find your get faster as your confidence grows, but don't let over familarity with your daily route let you take silly risks, I did

This got lost in the server hdd crash . but I think this dude has the best filtering tip ..





no flys on this dude

For the situation that you describe - when others are doing 5-15mph, it's still alright for filtering. Keep a close eye on the heads of drivers where you can see them, as people often turn their heads slightly if they're going to change lane. Also watch for the wheels angling or the car moving slightly to one side in readiness for a lane change. It's very rare that a driver will change lane without giving anything away in the seconds before they move. A lot of the time you can spot them planning to move before they even start moving.

If you can't see the drivers head, or aren't sure if they've seen you (or aren't sure for any other reason, even if it's just a gut feeling) then wait or go past slowly so that you have more time to react if they do something daft.

Being in a higher gear is a good technique.

In other words have the engine revving more than normal so you have the option of using engine braking or you can gun it depending on the crisis.

Also cover your front brake just in case.

Look at car wheels to see if they are turning and about to pull out

If a space opens up in traffic be extra careful as any cager muppet might decide to change lanes

Any others?

Go at a speed you feel comfortable, though I find I tend to speed up if I'm not careful so I tend to stick in the lower gears so that I can't speed up too much. Plus my bike is louder at high revs so that may help car drivers awareness.

Try not to tense up and pull in every now and again for a breather, and when you are ready again, do more filtering.

There are just some people who are idiots and will try and intimidate you, try not to let them get to you, its just not worth getting wound up, if someone blocks you, just wait and there will always be a space to pass later.

Originally Posted by andyaikido

Just read sv pilots post about his crash on the a2. Very nearly put myself into the side of an MPV yesterday so would appreciate any tips. I have to ride about 10 miles of the M60 every day between junc 10 and 17, the traffic never stops completly but crawls along at 5-15 mph. As a result there's always the risk of being taken out by people swapping lanes (as what happened yesterday) but i don't want to crawl along in the queue, boiling my coolant as i go.

Thats my route for work if I go by motorway too, so I know the area you're talking about.

My tips would be to watch out for any gaps in the traffic, you can bet that somebody will want to fill it and won't look before they move.

Watch out for that wiggle as people turn their heads to look in their mirrors, and turn the wheel aswell.

Don't travel in a straight line if you can help it, move around if you can, as people won't notice a single light or something travelling straight. If you move around a bit, people seem to spot you more.

If there's a long shadow in front of you, people won't see you cos the suns behind you dazzling them. Full beam helps here.

Don't be afraid to use your horn if people start to move into you, not an angry blast, but a pip to let them know you're there, followed by a wave of thanks when you go past.

Move in if you're not comfortable. That few seconds isn't worth getting wiped out for.

Accelerator can get you out of trouble as well as the brake.

Let faster riders by, don't race them. They're either better or more stupid.

Don't bother filtering on the section where the M62 joins and the M61 jct. The lanes are too narrow to get past. You can only squeeze through if people let you in.

Keep and eye on the cars in front of you, but keep looking well ahead too. Gives you a clue as to what the cars in front of you will do.

Hope this helps.

hmmm most of mine are covered and pretty much common sense from experience:

1. relax

2. ride at a speed you judge to be safe for the surrounding traffic

3. when traffic slows down, be prepared for lane changes/cager stupidity to increase as people get impatient in traffic queues

4. look at everything - tyres turning, drivers looking in mirrors, bike in front, bikes behind

5. be very wary of gaps - cars are less likely to move if theres no gap, moreso if someones opened up a gap

6. expect 4x4s to have a magnetic attraction to the white line and not be able to get through until traffic moves a little when 2 are next to each other

7. if there is a gap between bus and lorry or any combination, do not go through it unless you are certain the traffic will not move while doing so. they wont see you, know youre there and you really dont want to get squished between 2 lorries, coaches or combination of the 2

8. just accept there are times you are going to not get through and wait until traffic moves and you can, dont force your way though just cos you have a gixxer screaming behind you

9. always think about everything going on around you. run what if scenarios ie what if he changes lane where do I go...

10. Concentrate on what is happening further ahead. Most cagers only concentrate on the car in front. If I see a car 6 cars down breaking Im using the engine braking immediately way before the cars next to me are slamming brakes on.

[fizzwheel]

What the others have said

One thing I always do is cover the back brake at all times, I find the back better than the front when filtering, it helps with your slow speed control and IMHO you are less likely to drop your bike when using the back brake than the front in this kind of situation

When you find yourself slamming on the anchors to avoid the **** that's just thrown their car in your path don't forget to pull in the clutch, otherwise the bike will stall and you'll lose the back end.

Fishtailing between cars can be fun but isn't recomended...