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I've done it also when commuting in California many years ago. For me it was being completely focused on the front wheels of the cars I was coming up on passing. The front wheel is going to turn a bit before the cager decides to switch lanes in front of me.
I've heard Washington State is considering making it legal and if so I would probably only consider doing it when the cars around me are almost fully stopped. If they are moving at 25 that's ok.. at least I'm moving. Guess I'm more patient now than I used to be.
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I've lived in So Cal since 1975. Lane slitting is a way of life here. I know it freaks out the tourist, but if you want to ride in LA, you have to learn to lane split.
It is an art, and does require 110% focus; no music, no blue-tooth phone, no thinking about work or the girlfriend, just total focus on the job at hand... staying alive.
With the dramatic increase in distracted driving, lane splitting has become much more dangerous. Fortunately, I'm finally retired from the 9-5 M-F grind of a day job and spend very little time lane splitting these days.
If you're not comfortable with it, don't do it. You have to be committed and focused and learn to read the traffic and anticipate what the ding bat in the car on the cell phone is going to do next.
TINK
So Cal Combat Commuter
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(05-06-2015, 09:53 AM)TINK_imp Wrote: I've lived in So Cal since 1975. Lane slitting is a way of life here. I know it freaks out the tourist, but if you want to ride in LA, you have to learn to lane split.
It is an art, and does require 110% focus; no music, no blue-tooth phone, no thinking about work or the girlfriend, just total focus on the job at hand... staying alive.
With the dramatic increase in distracted driving, lane splitting has become much more dangerous. Fortunately, I'm finally retired from the 9-5 M-F grind of a day job and spend very little time lane splitting these days.
If you're not comfortable with it, don't do it. You have to be committed and focused and learn to read the traffic and anticipate what the ding bat in the car on the cell phone is going to do next.
TINK
So Cal Combat Commuter
To me that pretty much sounds just like riding a motorcycle under most other conditions.
As mentioned earlier in this thread, it's sounding more and more like legal lane-splitting will soon become a reality here in Oregon. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Knowing that many will abuse the law and filter at higher speeds as some have mentioned above I'm honestly more concerned about this as someone who drives an automobile than I am as someone who rides a motorcycle.
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I took a good shot at a guy's mirror once, he told me it was cool because that mirror was already broken, and asked to make sure I was OK (it was mirror on mirror, nothing happened to me!)
I decided to no longer filter approaching that particular intersection, as I'm not really in such a hurry that I need to save the 30 seconds or whatever, and the lanes in that spot are slightly narrow for it.
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I'd add that you have to spend lots of time in traffic to learn to read it well. It's total concentration and practice, practice, practice.
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(05-06-2015, 12:32 PM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: I'd add that you have to spend lots of time in traffic to learn to read it well. It's total concentration and practice, practice, practice.
Absolutely. Ever since I started filtering on the freeway I noticed I get nervous riding in other people cars while they drive. I only have a bike, so I'm always in the riding mentality. Get out of their blind spot, get out of their blind spot, get out of their blind spot. Stop pacing with this car. Why are you passing them on their right when there's an off ramp on you right??? Don't you know people love to dart across lanes to make an exit?!
Ohh, right we're in a cage...
You get really good at anticipating drivers moves. It's almost creepy how often you can guess what someones going to do. A cars lane positioning, how close they're following traffic, how fast they're moving compared to other, car type, car color, is the car modified, clean, dirty, did they replace their bulbs with those blueish tint bulbs, and if they did is it a rice rocket or a pickup truck, are they speeding up then slowing down, do they have those little stickers in their window showing how many people are in their family.
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No lane splitting for me either...
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I have never hit someones mirror, but I was clobbered last year in rush our traffic on the freeway and the guy that hit me took off and left me for dead. Gotta love it. He/She never even looked because where I was in relation to their car was the handlebars were right behind the drivers head, so I was COMPLETELY filling the side mirror and a turn of the head and there would have been no missing me.
I was traveling at 30mph while traffic was moving at about 25mph. Nothing too fast or a crazy speed delta, just someone not paying attention and I paid the price for it.
I still split, but to be honest, I really haven't been on the bike too much in the last year. I am probably in good enough condition to ride full time again, but I'm still not working and I have more PT for strength and stamina on my hip before I can say I'm 100%.
Fun, fun, fun.
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I have not begun to lane split in SoCal, but with the Speed Triple I keep stashed out there, I expect to give it a whirl soon. I'm not a fan, it's an alien experience here on the East Coast. I do practice it when on the Isle of Man, at low relative delta speeds, as virtually all of the 10,000 bikes visiting the island do so, and the cars expect it.
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Anyone who doesn't live in CA do lane splitting when traffic is just so atrocious it's near necessary? Hope I don't get too much flak when saying this, but I've been in situations where traffic's at a dead stop (particularly 290) and with our spacious highways, there's more than enough room to budge between lanes.
On a side note, do a lot of you guys take the right hand lane (way right hand) when approaching a red light as to bypass all the other cars and jack rabbit start once light turns green to get ahead of the traffic?
Keep in mind I'm riding in purely urban traffic scenarios most of the time.
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