Bunched traffic

Originally Posted by Ed

Question is - what strategies can you use to get past a line of solidly bunched traffic? If you car hop, what happens if you can't find a gap? Force one? Is that too dangerous? Sail past the lot and hope for the best?

I.

I find second gear 12K and cane it has me to warp speed in no time, works a treat.

Originally Posted by MiniMatt

I'm pretty sure the speed limit for artics on a single carriageway NSL is 40mph anyway.e.

You are correct it is, my Father in law is o truck driver. and i asked him why they go so slow and was told its because thet should only do 40. So if you come across one doing 50 he is doing you a favour.

So its not their fault for tyring to keep their licence to keep a job.

Anoying as it is.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by 600+

I see no reasoning in filtering through traffic doing 40-50mph

Keeps you on your toes

As for OP, depends how wide road is.

[G]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Keeps you on your toes

As for OP, depends how wide road is.

Gets you home quicker as well.......filtering at 80mph gets you home twice as fast as filtering at 40 lol

Originally Posted by Ed

Have just got back from mid Wales. The road from Newtown to Welshpool is a nice bit of tarmac, and at the Welshpool end it's fairly straight but with some sharp bends and a few double whites. Problem was, there was a line of bunched traffic. At the top was a Morrisons artic, then a 4X4, then a 7.5 tonner, then a hi-top Tranny, then several cars. They were all so close together that even on a gentle right hand bend I couldn't spot any obvious gaps. So I held back until I was on the Welshpool bypass (wide single carriageway road) where the traffic had fragmented a bit.

Question is - what strategies can you use to get past a line of solidly bunched traffic? If you car hop, what happens if you can't find a gap? Force one? Is that too dangerous? Sail past the lot and hope for the best?

I held back as I thought that was the only prudent thing to do, but I'd like to hear how others deal with this.

This seems to happen to me all the time - I get really fed up as it ruins your ride especially if you are on a nice twisty road - as you say there are no obvious gaps which you can aim for as they are so bunched up I dont know what the answer is - I usually sit there like a plonker while other motorcyclists zoom past risking life and limb on blind bends - not clever!

[G]

Originally Posted by ArtyLady

I dont know what the answer is - I usually sit there like a plonker while other motorcyclists zoom past risking life and limb on blind bends - not clever!

People percieve risk differently.......some people dont let there kids sit on a swing at the park unless they have a hold of them.

As such one persons gap is another persons nightmare......doesnt mean they are risking life or limb.

I have had people give me a right talking to for over taking a que of caravans around an almost completely blind bend.........the difference is I sat up before and looked over a hedge and through a gate which allows you to see the next 2 miles of road 100% clearly to see if anything is coming.

Some people would sit and say what and idiot....some would do exactly the same observations and follow. It depends on the road and any number of factors.

Originally Posted by ArtyLady

I usually sit there like a plonker while other motorcyclists zoom past risking life and limb on blind bends - not clever!

I would probably be one of those others that zoom past.

However, as I posted above, it can be done gently and IMO in relative safety.

I saw a Busa quite a few times making very good progress on the A5 in traffic, and I was amazed at how easy he made it all look. Whilst he was in view, I watched what he did.

Then, in lighter traffic than I saw him doing it, I tried to do what I observed. It went well, so I carried on.

When I saw the Busa again, he overtook me, and I happily followed him through traffic. I later found out that he was a copper on an unmarked bike (when he had a chat with me - but it was a nice chat, not a telling off).

Some people have a hightened sense of risk, and others are more comfortable doing things. For example, I wouldn't expect someone from the middle of Scotland to be happy filtering through central London like the Londoner's do!

so is my perception of risk wierd, i.e filtering at 90 on the rear wheel!!

[G]

Nope, wish I could ride on my rear wheel, I worry I will tankslap on landing

[Ch00]

You could always stop for a couple of minutes and let the traffic move away so you have a different queue to play with?

Ch00