how would you rate your riding skills ?

[squirrel_hunter]

Originally Posted by SVeeedy Gonzales

Would the people here who have done IAM, etc. say that it's an ideal to be aimed at often, but not a permanent way of riding?

I would agree with that.

People always highlight the speed issue but when that happens they just miss the rest of what is tought for example position and observation.

Originally Posted by PBx

As far as I'm concerned applying the system is a state of mind (or an approach) if you treat it as a set of unbreakable rules you miss the point.

True

I'd like to say above average of what I see on the roads. But not the fastest in the world... I think most of you lot would leave me standing on a track on two wheels.

[Big Bad Al]

average. Room for improvemnet.

been riding 4 years
iam qualified observer

slow control is crap and i dont ride very fast, too scared of falling off to push myself

but i feel safe and enjoy myself

At age 18 I was in a skill class all on my own...at 47 I'm still in a class of my own but at least now I know that "class" is in the remedial stream.

[Biker Biggles]

When I was 18 I was amazed at how stupid my Dad could be.

When I got to 21 I was amazed how much he had learned in 3 years.

Under average.....

I would say I am good on controlling what is going on with road... 95% of the time, but I still get distracted every now and then. 3 years of hair dryer ridding taught me that... Not bad breaking, positioning and lane politics - atjo, atjo cyclist path? me, never!! boy scout word I will not do it again-

Still loads to learn on handling, with conscious ridding and time this will be solved...

With 800 miles on the clock, I still have fairly wide chicken strips (emmm... not willing to narrow them in London, tarmac condition or traffic makes the task a little bit suicide). Waiting for this saturday to do a second open road riding day...

But somebody said on this thread something about people with "inhability/lack of willingness to filter cars".. come on! We cannot be everyday, every minute fighting for each inch of available forward room!! Sometimes I just want to go home, I cannot be bothered to force my attention farther than easy riding (work leaves me brain dead, more than usual!!! )


Under average, positive about that.... looking forward for a driving course... :P

Originally Posted by argatxa

But somebody said on this thread something about people with "inhability/lack of willingness to filter cars".. come on! We cannot be everyday, every minute fighting for each inch of available forward room!!

Agreed, there are times when 'making progress' isn't the top of my agenda and if your bike is playing up/it's a new bike/you're test riding it, fair enough.

However, on a gloriously sunny saturday afternoon, when I see a sportsbike miles back in a queue of traffic at lights and they just sit there like a car, it practically screams 'weekend warrior' to me. It's not just at lights either: I've followed some reasonably fast riders on motorways (who probably thought they were pretty good, on account of the speeds they were reaching) who slow down to literally almost walking pace when filtering. Invariably these people also lack slow control and are dabbing their feet down every 20 yards to help themselves not drop it. Having a sportsbike and being prepared to straightline it at well over a ton doesn't make you a fast/good rider

Again, I'm no loon who dives through gaps with millemeters to spare and it's a good thing that these people don't try to filter if they're not up to it. I would say, however, that being afraid of filtering (I mean the act of filtering- not being afraid of someone changing lanes in front of you whilst you're filtering), is more common among 'below average' riders.

[quote="Ceri JC"]

Originally Posted by argatxa

Agreed, there are times when 'making progress' isn't the top of my agenda and if your bike is playing up/it's a new bike/you're test riding it, fair enough.

However, on a gloriously sunny saturday afternoon, when I see a sportsbike miles back in a queue of traffic at lights and they just sit there like a car, it practically screams 'weekend warrior' to me. It's not just at lights either: I've followed some reasonably fast riders on motorways (who probably thought they were pretty good, on account of the speeds they were reaching) who slow down to literally almost walking pace when filtering. Invariably these people also lack slow control and are dabbing their feet down every 20 yards to help themselves not drop it. Having a sportsbike and being prepared to straightline it at well over a ton doesn't make you a fast/good rider

When you have been knocked off whilst filtering on a motorway, you may understand that it is not how fast you go but your ability to deal with the unannounced manouvers that the cars you are filtering make that is the important thing, not only for your safety but also for liability disputes should the worst happen.

IMHO filtering with a difference in speed greater than 25-30 mph is not something that I will do and neither will I filter if the traffic is moving greater than 35-40 mph. If the traffic is at a standstill I will not filter greater than 20 mph.

Quite frankly your assertion that the people who ride like this are poor or weekend riders is just plain wrong, I think it may well be that we have been on the receiving end of a smidsy in these circumstances and build in a little more safety margin.

In my personal case I had my first lesson in London last year when a Police van smidsy'd me. I was very lucky to come out of it unscathed and without any liability, especially as I had a "progressive" filtering style at that point. A combination of this experience and IAM meant that my filtering has slowed significantly and this with out a doubt is the only reason I am here to type this as I was smidsy'd on the M3 whilst filtering stationary traffic. I walked away without a scratch to me but I know had I been travelling at the speeds that I see other bikes filtering at I would have been very badly hurt.

You filter your way, I'll do it mine. I always let those that want passed by the way.

dare not answer the vote tbh

doubt id pass a cbt