ok i was going home after stopping by work for a lil errand... and im coming to a signal.. and there are cars backed up like crazy.. so having the advantage of going in between cars.. i go and i am cruising along.. and i get very close to the front of the line of cars waiting... then two cars away from the front i see a van to my left and a old car on my right... they were kind of close... but being the newbie rider i am... i thought hey maybe i can make it.. so i proceed thinking 'i can make it, i can make it' then as i try to swerve in between the two cars side mirrors... i dodge the vans.. but i knock off the cars on the right of me... and it was an old car... so it had the ones where it didnt bend back... so i ripped it off completely... :guns: :dunno:
haha
it was pretty funny... i pulled over.. and traded info so i have to pay for it... but dang it was pretty funny after i thought about it... anyone ever do this before?
I've hit the big chrome truck mirrors that stick way out, but they're the swingable type so the first time I stopped, backed up, fixed his passenger side mirror, and he gave me a thumbs up, so I rode on. The second time I scared the dog riding passenger, he didn't bark, he was a big labrador, and I stopped said sorry, asked if she, the driver was okay, she was, drove on.
:lol: good story.
which brings me to a question. i just got my first bike. what's the general concensus on lane splitting? do most cagers let it go? do most GS riders split? i was wondering what the etiquite on it was.
its only legal in cali as far as i know, you can do it and might get away with it from the law, but one day a door from a sedan or coupe is going to get ya.
from what i know.. its legal in cali(where i live) and the cops wont pull you over unless you do something stupid... as in endangering other people... but i think if you have good judgement you should be fine..
I've never split lanes, but I have been so pissed off :x at two cages running side by side that I've passed(very quickly :nono: ) using the center turn lane. Kid's don't try this at home. :nono:
I split semi-frequently (course I'm in CA) depending upon the circumstances. I don't do a lot of interstate riding, but in and around the local towns I will often split at the lights so I'm not at the tail of a long line of cagers on their cell phones trying to get the last bite of their Crispy Creme doughnut in their mouth...and not seeing lil ol me on my GS. I've only had a problem once and hate to say in any public forum how it was handled...but no one was hurt.
I lanesplit every chance I get. So much so that cage driving makes me crazy stuck in traffic. Iv'e considered trying to lanesplit with my little Acura! I specifically take the bike when I know I have to be somewhere at a time that will put me in traffic.
BTW-In CA it is NOT legal to lanesplit. It is not specifically ILLEGAL either. So if you are not riding in a dangerous manner while splitting lanes (subjective to the LEO at the time) you wont get pulled over. The usual consensus is 10-15 mph differential between you and cars.
I've hit a BMW mirror once splitting to the front of a red light que. Guy was pissed but all he could do was stare into my black visor with a menacing look...never said a word.
The other day I had the closest call I have ever had and it was lanesplitting. I had a large truck swerve to change lanes across my path. A quick swerve and emergency braking left me beside the truck in the #3 lane (#1 being centermost lane). Came to a complete stop from 40+ mph in a fraction of a second. Then I tried to get around him again on the left side to continue splitting and he crowds me into the next car-a*hole. The sweetest revenge is getting through traffic in 1/2 the time though. No harsh words or looks were exchanged. No animals were harmed.
in the uk if u drive in any city u will lane spilt in central london and r riding all u do is lane split as traffic is so bad. i've done it a 40mph+ on a duel carrige way
Yeah I can't stand to be in a car either. I'm too used to getting to my destination without waiting long or at all at the lights.
I've hit a mirror once I think and I didn't see if the guy was pissed cause I just kept going. No damage obviouslly but probably frightened the driver.
If you're not sure you can make it, just straddle walk the bike past the mirrors and be on your way. You'll never hit anyone who's close that way.
ASLAM.
I've done that. While splitting up to a red light, two cars very close to each other, I'll drive right up to the mirrors, stop, roll my handlebars around each mirror and keep going.
Quote from: b1k3r 3li+3its only legal in cali as far as i know, you can do it and might get away with it from the law, but one day a door from a sedan or coupe is going to get ya.
A few years ago I heard it was legal in 37 states or so... Its widely practised in CA and cagers are well aware of it... That makes it much less risky and less likely to bug people. CA has such a huge transportation infrastructure short fall... they actually encourage widespread useage of bikes for personal transportation. Like very cheep parking in cities, and HOV lane use and toll exemptions etc etc. Cheap insurance and cheap gas are just icing on the cake.
Cool.
Srinath.
I'll split at lights or if freeway traffic is stopped. Usually pretty slow - under 20mph. at lights during rush hour, when i'm on my way from work to class, i don't wanna sit behind 20 cars waiting to make a left turn. I used to be able to split a little in my 87 civic. That was a hoot.
welll now i know what to do when two cars are too close to each other.. and i have definitely learned from this mistake... but man cars coming into your lane sucks... especially big trucks... so far 1 truck, 1 van, 1 suv... but no damage... good thing im paying attention...