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+--- Thread: Lane Filtering ... (/showthread.php?tid=13261)
RE: Lane Filtering ... - GoldOxide_imp - 05-25-2019
(05-25-2019, 04:57 PM)offroadfx4_imp Wrote: The main reason I would consider doing it would be because of heat.
For the sake of the motorcycle and the rider, setting still in 80+, 90+ heat has to be a health hazard.
I would probably stay in first gear, but I'd have to be moving.
Not having to clutch constantly would be another major benefit too (both on the hand and the clutch)
(+1)
RE: Lane Filtering ... - peterbaron - 05-25-2019
(05-25-2019, 08:00 PM)Haggard Rider_imp Wrote: We can filter in the UK but I choose not to.
When I'm on the bike it's because I WANT to be on the bike, not because I'm in a rush to get somewhere, so I'll just enjoy my time on it, even if it's pi**ing down - all part of life's lustre!
I like your wise approach =
Here in Ontario, Canada, we are not allowed to split/filter at all, but even if we were, I would not do it either, too risky.
If the traffic were brought to a complete/dead stop, I eventually would???? consider using shoulder, having danger only on one side, never both.
IMO, bikers who split/filter are mostly commuters.
RE: Lane Filtering ... - Gone in 60 - 05-25-2019
I’m an event coordinator and travel constantly for work. When I’m in other states or countries and the topic of motorcycle lane splitting comes up, being from California I’m treated like a sort of curiosity.
People ask if cars cut me off or open doors in front of me to try to block me. Or if I have a death wish. I explain that splitting and filtering are engrained in our driving culture in California. Do it safely and it’s a great benefit and drivers expect to be passed.
It does require a great deal of concentration and heightened awareness as well as riding confidence. It took me two years of freeway riding before I tried it for the first time and I was terrified until I became comfortable with the practice. I’ve seen novice riders try it before they were ready and go down quickly. I’ve helped pick some of those riders up from the freeway. The novices who thought they were ready, and thought a sweatshirt and sneakers were adequate protection (which serves as a constant reminder for ATGATT. Yes, I’ve picked up their shoes)
No matter how I explain it, some people just say we’re crazy for doing it. Makes sense if it’s never been legal where you ride. Splitting has been part of our culture forever. I know it’s going to be legalized in other states. I wonder how long it will take before it becomes an accepted and expected part of their culture.
RE: Lane Filtering ... - Bheezy27403_imp - 05-25-2019
When it does become legal in a new state there is going to be a large learning curve for both cagers and riders. It would be years before it becomes second nature as it is in Cal (and other places where it been done for years). I wonder if the initial influx of accidents caused by riders approaching too aggressively and territorial cagers would be enough to reverse any new laws?
RE: Lane Filtering ... - offroadfx4_imp - 05-26-2019
I have a theory/hypothesis on how lane splitting got started.
I was in Florida recently in 80+ temperature and stopped to crawling traffic.
Normally I would ride the shoulder whether it was far left or far right to give me as much distance between me and other traffic as possible, thinking it would give me an extra second to react and the quickest out away from trouble.
However, during this ride I found myself riding the centerline. When changing lanes, I realized if on the centerline, just a 4-foot turn and you’re in the other lane! What an advantage over cars that must make probably an 8-10 ft lane shift.
At first, I made sure the open lane had several car lengths open before I would switch. The more I did it I the more comfortable I felt switching with less clearance.
I started to think, this must be how lane splitting got started. The lines started to blur between which lane they were actually in. The people doing what I was doing finally figured out the closer they stayed to the center line, they could pass cars with little to no lane change. I figured most people think of lane splitting as going straight down the centerline, but in reality, they are probably making slight lane changes as necessary for required clearance.
That’s just my theory.
Lane Filtering ... - Cormanus - 05-26-2019
I reckon it’s a good theory, offroad.
RE: Lane Filtering ... - emptysea - 05-26-2019
Filtering to the head of a line of traffic stopped at a light seems to make sense to me. Allowing motorcycles to ride on the shoulder of highways when traffic is stopped or crawling makes sense to me. Letting a vehicle create a lane where there is not a lane does not make sense to me except in the stoplight scenario mentioned first. Frankly, I think that lane-splitting should be illegal, but that riders so inclined should go ahead and do it just like most of us choose to disobey traffic laws like speeding. Just my opinion.
RE: Lane Filtering ... - rotor - 05-26-2019
I've said it on this forum before, so I'll be brief:
On this continent - unlike the test of the planet - motorcycling is in the decline. The reason for this is simple: the activity is predominantly for recreation, as opposed to the transportation.
Decline of activity is to the detriment of all of us, including those that practice it exclusively for recreation. The revival depends on the increased use of motorcycles for transportation, and lane sharing is the main reason more riders will view motorcycle travel as a preferable mode of transportation. Thus, lane sharing should be viewed as a desirable phenomenon, even by those that have no particular desire to partake in the practice.
RE: Lane Filtering ... - GoldOxide_imp - 05-26-2019
Some interesting opinions for sure. Maybe when gasoline North America hits $2 per L or about $8 per gallon, there will be fewer cages and filtering won't be used/needed as often. lol
Of course, all this is moot in snowy winter conditions.
RE: Lane Filtering ... - Gone in 60 - 06-03-2019
Gold and Rotor, you both have interesting points. I took up motorcycle riding purely for the transportation value. I live in a very densely populated area with heavy traffic, and motorcycles have a valuable advantage over cars for those who accept the risk. 99% of my riding is to commute, and my car is only used in the rain or to carry passengers.
Also, having done so in California for many years, I have noticed that when gas prices spike (near $5 per gallon is about the benchmark), I tend to see more new riders on new bikes on my commute. That hasn't happened for a few years, but who knows when we'll see it again.