06-21-2019, 02:35 AM
Not to keep my rant going regarding lane splitting here in CA, but another aspect of the practice that will need to be learned by riders in other states as the practice gains use around the country is proper riding etiquette between motorcyclists who are splitting. And, I bring it up because I need to vent about an unpleasant incident that happened on my way in this morning.
Along my daily commute, I'm splitting lanes about 60 percent of the 11 mile distance. And, since I'm a conservative rider, I realize that people may come up behind me who want to split at a faster speed than I do. So, while I'm at full situational awareness, watching the actions of each vehicle I slide between, I'm also glancing in my mirror periodically to check for riders coming up behind me. More often than not, it's a Highway Patrol officer trying to get somewhere more urgently than myself. As I see an opening on my left, I'll slide into that pocket, giving the following rider the opportunity to pass me and not slow down or alter his vector.
The seasoned rider recognizes my maneuver and gives me a quick wave of thanks as he passes. However, this action always seems to confuse new riders, or riders who are new to splitting. This morning, I saw a brand new BMW S1000RR coming up behind me. "Beautiful new bike", I thought. As I scanned ahead, I saw a large gap between cars to my left, and moved into it to give the Beemer space to glide past. Rather than doing so, he came up along side and slowed, staying right next to me.
I'm now riding Ponch-and-John style, a few feet away from another rider. I see his new BMW jacket, new BMW helmet, and temporary tag on the bike. I also start noticing he's a bit wobbly. I surmise that a wave to this new rider to either speed up or slow down and not stay next to me would just confuse the bugger, so I slow, giving him my full lane space. He needs all the space he can get, as he's clearly not familiar with riding in tight quarters with another rider. Eventually, he passes the car in front of us both, and I imagined myself helping him pick up his damaged machine miles down the road.
I pray I won't encounter him on the way home.
Along my daily commute, I'm splitting lanes about 60 percent of the 11 mile distance. And, since I'm a conservative rider, I realize that people may come up behind me who want to split at a faster speed than I do. So, while I'm at full situational awareness, watching the actions of each vehicle I slide between, I'm also glancing in my mirror periodically to check for riders coming up behind me. More often than not, it's a Highway Patrol officer trying to get somewhere more urgently than myself. As I see an opening on my left, I'll slide into that pocket, giving the following rider the opportunity to pass me and not slow down or alter his vector.
The seasoned rider recognizes my maneuver and gives me a quick wave of thanks as he passes. However, this action always seems to confuse new riders, or riders who are new to splitting. This morning, I saw a brand new BMW S1000RR coming up behind me. "Beautiful new bike", I thought. As I scanned ahead, I saw a large gap between cars to my left, and moved into it to give the Beemer space to glide past. Rather than doing so, he came up along side and slowed, staying right next to me.
I'm now riding Ponch-and-John style, a few feet away from another rider. I see his new BMW jacket, new BMW helmet, and temporary tag on the bike. I also start noticing he's a bit wobbly. I surmise that a wave to this new rider to either speed up or slow down and not stay next to me would just confuse the bugger, so I slow, giving him my full lane space. He needs all the space he can get, as he's clearly not familiar with riding in tight quarters with another rider. Eventually, he passes the car in front of us both, and I imagined myself helping him pick up his damaged machine miles down the road.
I pray I won't encounter him on the way home.