Topic: Passing in your lane

[eigenvector]

Been seeing more and more of this lately on the road.  I am chalking it up to the influx of sunny weather riders, but it still hacks me off.

Guys who will come up behind you on their baggers and pass you in your lane without so much as a flash of the headlights letting you know what they're doing.

Had a guy on a new'ish Honda bagger (whatever the model is) come up behind me in the carpool lane pretty quickly.  I was doing 65 in cruise control (throttle by wire on the BMW is nice), he was probably doing close to 80.  I see him, then next thing I know he's screaming past me, inches from my right handlebar.

WTH people?  I can only imagine the magnitude of the accident had I veered slightly to one side as you're prone to do on a bike.

Do any of you do this?  Is this normal behavior in states where lane splitting is legal?

[MoMo]

I once had a Harley Bagger pass me on the left as I was attempting to make a left turn.  WTF.  It was the closest I ever came to having an accident on a motorcycle..Larry

[scrapvalue]

There are getting to be as many dumba$$'s on 2 wheels as there are on 4.     
 

[Retro Rocket]

There are getting to be as many dumba$$'s on 2 wheels as there are on 4.     

We call them "temporary Australians" here....   I was on the inside lane of a motorway a couple of years ago on my way home from work, there was an accident further up the road and traffic wasn't moving, i opened my curbside door to stretch my legs {i was the passenger} only to have a clown on a GSXR1000 fly past me on the shoulder...!!!, I missed him by a couple of inches, if i had clipped him with my door, it is about 70-100 feet and a 60 degree incline straight into a hardwood forest, he wouldn't have had a chance, funny thing is that he didn't even see my door, he was doing about 50MPH....!!!

[Don R]

We were going to the flat track races at Louisville Ky. once. A guy was passing the stopped traffic on the shoulder on a borrowed from his buddys boss BMW. A girl in a car got hot and popped the door open, right into the left fork of the beemer. The fork split sending red fork oil everywhere, the guy got tossed on the ground mostly unhurt but the girl thought the fork oil was blood and she was freaking out screaming her head off.

[DH]

I am with most who don't like this practice. Especially when you don't expect it. Kind of arrogant to me.
I wouldn't, and never have done it. A guy on some model of beemer did it to me once, very aggressively.
He looked to be in his twilight years age wise. We soon ended up at the same stoplight, and as it turned green, he gave me this condecending look, dumped the clutch and killed it. An @$$ on his way to self discovery.

[70CB750]

This #$%* thought it was funny to do it to me while I was on a bicycle, inches from me, gunned the already loud HD.  Scared the crap out of me too.

[74cb750]

Never had anyone pass me on the right.....that's the side my pistol hangs from.

[Markcb750]

I thought I had read that lane splitting was legal in California now.  I just spent a weekend in Sacramento and did not witness any occurring, the locals I asked thought it was OK to do...but stupid.

While riding I hate it even when it is someone I am riding with.

[eigenvector]

As far as I know, lane splitting is not illegal in California.  That is not specifically prohibited by law, therefore legal.  But passing someone in their lane is hardly lane splitting - it's just outright dangerous.  I don't live in California though, in my state lane splitting and lane sharing is illegal.

[Killer Canary]

I had a flapper pass me on the right on the highway once. SS helmet, skull face mask, the whole shmear. I chased him/it/whatever the hell it was down and did a proper pass. Sideshow's bike had a 900cc advantage over mine.
Not enough apparently.

[LesterPiglet]

Let's make things clear. That is NOT lane splitting. That is #$%*ry.

[Killer Canary]

What's "#$%*ry" ?

[Retro Rocket]

I thought I had read that lane splitting was legal in California now.  I just spent a weekend in Sacramento and did not witness any occurring, the locals I asked thought it was OK to do...but stupid.

While riding I hate it even when it is someone I am riding with.

Mark, what's being discussed here is NOT LANE SPLITTING, lane splitting is legal here too and stops bikes being hit form behind by idiots texting and facebooking while driving, it also helps traffic flow as a bike takes up the same amount of space in traffic as a car. I have lane split my entire life and will continue to do so ....

[Markcb750]

I thought I had read that lane splitting was legal in California now.  I just spent a weekend in Sacramento and did not witness any occurring, the locals I asked thought it was OK to do...but stupid.

While riding I hate it even when it is someone I am riding with.

Mark, what's being discussed here is NOT LANE SPLITTING, lane splitting is legal here too and stops bikes being hit form behind by idiots texting and facebooking while driving, it also helps traffic flow as a bike takes up the same amount of space in traffic as a car. I have lane split my entire life and will continue to do so ....

Oh, I thought y'all might be able to understand they are related issues, sorry.

I would be much more afraid of the cars I am "splitting" being piloted by an idiots on Facebook or texting as I would be in an unexpected relationship to their habitual driving environment.   

[Retro Rocket]

I thought I had read that lane splitting was legal in California now.  I just spent a weekend in Sacramento and did not witness any occurring, the locals I asked thought it was OK to do...but stupid.

While riding I hate it even when it is someone I am riding with.

Mark, what's being discussed here is NOT LANE SPLITTING, lane splitting is legal here too and stops bikes being hit form behind by idiots texting and facebooking while driving, it also helps traffic flow as a bike takes up the same amount of space in traffic as a car. I have lane split my entire life and will continue to do so ....

Oh, I thought y'all might be able to understand they are related issues, sorry.

I would be much more afraid of the cars I am "splitting" being piloted by an idiots on Facebook or texting as I would be in an unexpected relationship to their habitual driving environment.

Please explain how some idiot flying past you at above highway or posted speeds, or up the inside is the same as legal lane splitting..? You see, some of us have done it safely for years, idiots will always be idiots with no regard for others safety...

[Markcb750]

They are the same in my experience.

In both situations someone on a motorcycle is doing  something unexpected; moving in a lane location which is unusual. In both situations there is an increased chance of an accident.

It is good that you have split lanes for a long time without getting hurt, if you are lane splitting in a traffic jam or at a traffic light you are at minimal risk.  I will do it at traffic lights,  very seldom in a traffic jam.  I do not think it is legal here, I know it was not where I originally got my MC license. Nor was it legal in the states I took the MC safety school as a requirement to ride on the Air Base. 

Perhaps the baggers passing you on the left in your lane have been doing it for years and feel safe doing it, who knows?
Maybe the Bagger people have loud pipes and feel you must know they are there because their mom tells them she can hear them when they are a mile away for home,who knows?

As I said in my first post I do not even want riders I know passing me on the left, except at slow speeds approaching a traffic light or pulling away. 
 

[grcamna2]

I was told from a resident in CA. on another forum that 'Lane Splitting' is legal there and the CHP wont bother you.By definition(according to him) "it's when all the traffic comes to a stop and you're on your bike,you then proceed to ride in between the lane of stopped cars @ between 5-10mph(no faster) and pass safely between those parked cars that're stopped in traffic" I think he also said "you carefully ease back into the lane of cars when you find an opening" I've never done that but it sounds like it can work well if the auto drivers are 'cool' w/ it.

[Markcb750]

grcamna2

I think You are correct, especially the "cool with it" part. 

[Retro Rocket]

They are the same in my experience.

In both situations someone on a motorcycle is doing  something unexpected; moving in a lane location which is unusual. In both situations there is an increased chance of an accident.

It is good that you have split lanes for a long time without getting hurt, if you are lane splitting in a traffic jam or at a traffic light you are at minimal risk.  I will do it at traffic lights,  very seldom in a traffic jam.  I do not think it is legal here, I know it was not where I originally go my MC license. Nor was it legal in the states I took the MC safety school as a requirement to ride on the Air Base. 

Perhaps the baggers passing you on the left in your lane have been doing it for years and feel safe doing it, who knows?
Maybe the Bagger people have loud pipes and feel you must know they are there because their mom tells them she can hear them when they are a mile away for home,who knows?

As I said in my first post I do not even want riders I know passing me on the left, except at slow speeds approaching a traffic light or pulling away.

Lane splitting at speed is illegal anywhere as far as I know, also, everyone that rides a motorcycle should be aware of what all drivers they pass are doing in the car, I ride in their mirrors and watch them as much as I watch everything else around me. I don't think you understand LEGAL lane splitting, it is not something you do at speed, its filtering between slow moving or completely stopped traffic, unlike your assumption, it actually makes it safer for motorcyclists as has been proven here, In the Aussie states that have made it legal, the incidence of motorcyclists being hit from behind has all but disappeared,  hence the law change making it legal... A bit of common sense helps too... This is something the USA lags behind the rest of the world in, Only California has legal lane splitting as far as I know... Its illegal to pass on the left in Australia {inside, curb side} unless there is a dedicated lane, actually, its the same on both sides unless there is a dedicated lane or its clearly marked for overtaking, in which case you are going into the oncoming lane to get past.....

[grcamna2]

They are the same in my experience.

In both situations someone on a motorcycle is doing  something unexpected; moving in a lane location which is unusual. In both situations there is an increased chance of an accident.

It is good that you have split lanes for a long time without getting hurt, if you are lane splitting in a traffic jam or at a traffic light you are at minimal risk.  I will do it at traffic lights,  very seldom in a traffic jam.  I do not think it is legal here, I know it was not where I originally go my MC license. Nor was it legal in the states I took the MC safety school as a requirement to ride on the Air Base. 

Perhaps the baggers passing you on the left in your lane have been doing it for years and feel safe doing it, who knows?
Maybe the Bagger people have loud pipes and feel you must know they are there because their mom tells them she can hear them when they are a mile away for home,who knows?

As I said in my first post I do not even want riders I know passing me on the left, except at slow speeds approaching a traffic light or pulling away.

Lane splitting at speed is illegal anywhere as far as I know, also, everyone that rides a motorcycle should be aware of what all drivers they pass are doing in the car, I ride in their mirrors and watch them as much as I watch everything else around me. I don't think you understand LEGAL lane splitting, it is not something you do at speed, its filtering between slow moving or completely stopped traffic, unlike your assumption, it actually makes it safer for motorcyclists as has been proven here, In the Aussie states that have made it legal, the incidence of motorcyclists being hit from behind has all but disappeared,  hence the law change making it legal... A bit of common sense helps too... This is something the USA lags behind the rest of the world in, Only California has legal lane splitting as far as I know... Its illegal to pass on the left in Australia {inside, curb side} unless there is a dedicated lane, actually, its the same on both sides unless there is a dedicated lane or its clearly marked for overtaking, in which case you are going into the oncoming lane to get past.....

Retro,
I like what you're saying about "watching the auto drivers",I do it out of habit,the habit of 'I want to stay upright on my bike and live'..  and I'm constantly scanning as I move up the road on my cycle. The action can be like 'breathing while under stress' and should become 'second nature' to us who ride.

[Retro Rocket]

They are the same in my experience.

In both situations someone on a motorcycle is doing  something unexpected; moving in a lane location which is unusual. In both situations there is an increased chance of an accident.

It is good that you have split lanes for a long time without getting hurt, if you are lane splitting in a traffic jam or at a traffic light you are at minimal risk.  I will do it at traffic lights,  very seldom in a traffic jam.  I do not think it is legal here, I know it was not where I originally go my MC license. Nor was it legal in the states I took the MC safety school as a requirement to ride on the Air Base. 

Perhaps the baggers passing you on the left in your lane have been doing it for years and feel safe doing it, who knows?
Maybe the Bagger people have loud pipes and feel you must know they are there because their mom tells them she can hear them when they are a mile away for home,who knows?

As I said in my first post I do not even want riders I know passing me on the left, except at slow speeds approaching a traffic light or pulling away.

Lane splitting at speed is illegal anywhere as far as I know, also, everyone that rides a motorcycle should be aware of what all drivers they pass are doing in the car, I ride in their mirrors and watch them as much as I watch everything else around me. I don't think you understand LEGAL lane splitting, it is not something you do at speed, its filtering between slow moving or completely stopped traffic, unlike your assumption, it actually makes it safer for motorcyclists as has been proven here, In the Aussie states that have made it legal, the incidence of motorcyclists being hit from behind has all but disappeared,  hence the law change making it legal... A bit of common sense helps too... This is something the USA lags behind the rest of the world in, Only California has legal lane splitting as far as I know... Its illegal to pass on the left in Australia {inside, curb side} unless there is a dedicated lane, actually, its the same on both sides unless there is a dedicated lane or its clearly marked for overtaking, in which case you are going into the oncoming lane to get past.....

Retro,
I like what you're saying about "watching the auto drivers",I do it out of habit,the habit of 'I want to stay upright on my bike and live'..  and I'm constantly scanning as I move up the road on my cycle. The action can be like 'breathing while under stress' and should become 'second nature' to us who ride.

Absolutely, you'd be amazed what you can work out by watching someone in their mirrors... Relaxed and alert is my motto... And take nothing for granted...

[petercb750]

What retro said.
Never ever assume you've been seen and never assume the person driving the car knows what they're doing.

[Markcb750]

Lets go around this one more time...

Is not it the case that when the mythical bagger passes you in your lane that this is "lane splitting"?

Perhaps there is another name for it?

Did I not state quite simply that I thought lane splitting was legal in CA now?  I made no statement about the conditions under which it is legal, just that I thought it was;  why doe this illicit an Aussie rant about backward America?  Perhaps you should try to understand that a country with 15 times the number of people has more idiots than the population of Australia, its just the way things are.  Generalizations based on only the idiots are misconceived at best.

My point remains: Passing in a way that puts you in a position relative to another driver that is unexpected is dangerous, I am against it, how about y'all? 

Most, if not all of us, who have lived 40 plus years ridding the roads without an accident involving a four wheeler have excellent awareness skills which involve keeping our eyes moving left & right and habitual mirror use.  Some of survival is luck, but not much, we make our own luck don't we?  (I am knocking on some wood now!  )

[petercb750]

Lets go around this one more time...

Is not it the case that when the mythical bagger passes you in your lane that this is "lane splitting"?

No.
Lane splitting, in oz and I'm sure in the usa, is the term used to describe riding between two lines of cars, normally at traffic lights or road blockages in an effort to get to the front of the queue, normally at very slow speed when the other traffic is at a standstill (although you do see the odd idiot doing it at speed through moving traffic). This is now legal, providing the traffic is stopped or moving very slowly, in parts of oz and by the sounds of it in cal.
It is sometimes referred to as lane filtering.