Why you need a motorcycle in california!
- Thread starter bigboy
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GNBRETT
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its all fine and good till some 16 yr. old who has been driving for a whole week changes lanes in front of u while text messaging and crushes you! sure, u may be protected by state statute as being legal but thats not gonna matter much wen ur leg gets amputated!
sure u may save some time in ur commute but I've said it before and ill say it AGAIN splitting lanes is STUPID! wen u wake up in the hospital and look down to see one of ur legs missing ill bet u won't giv a shiit about how much time u saved in ur commute that day....
I don't giv a ratts ass if its legal or not in Cali. its plain stupid to think traveling within moving vehicles separated by maybe 4-5 feet as being a good idea and a safe thing to do.
I've responded to two people getting crushed while splitting lanes here in CT. one died and the other lost his leg. BOTH were a result of ppl simply changing lanes in front of them while splitting lanes. if ur relying on others to make wise and safe decisions while riding ur bike in-between 4000 lb. moving objects operated by 1000's of illegal drivers their in Cali who can't even speak english let alone know the rules of the road then ur in for a world of hurt!
sure u may save some time in ur commute but I've said it before and ill say it AGAIN splitting lanes is STUPID! wen u wake up in the hospital and look down to see one of ur legs missing ill bet u won't giv a shiit about how much time u saved in ur commute that day....
I don't giv a ratts ass if its legal or not in Cali. its plain stupid to think traveling within moving vehicles separated by maybe 4-5 feet as being a good idea and a safe thing to do.
I've responded to two people getting crushed while splitting lanes here in CT. one died and the other lost his leg. BOTH were a result of ppl simply changing lanes in front of them while splitting lanes. if ur relying on others to make wise and safe decisions while riding ur bike in-between 4000 lb. moving objects operated by 1000's of illegal drivers their in Cali who can't even speak english let alone know the rules of the road then ur in for a world of hurt!
piratediverjefff
Registered
Usually it's the young knuckleheads here that become statistics from lane splitting(going way too fast).I've been splitting here since '02 with never really even a close call,though I keep the bike in a gear low enough so they hear that Brocks Short Meg coming from way back 
(and never more than 15 mph when traffic is at a standstill,with hands ready on both the clutch and brake while watching several cars ahead).When traffic's almost completely stopped and cars are side by side there's no reason for them to change lanes anyway,and when moving you just have to keep an eye on any gaps(and be ready)as that's when lane changing usually occurs.If you ride a motorcycle out here between 5-9:00AM and 2-7:00PM you either split or sit,no biggie if you're in an air conditioned car with some tunes but on a bike with a helmet and leather jacket in 100 degree heat it's another story.Cage drivers out here are used to bikes splitting lanes and most often move aside when 3 or 4 cars ahead of you to give you even more room than you need.I'm on the freeways every morning from 5-6:30AM and 2-3:30PM(doing that commute going on 5 years now)and see at least 20 bikes every trip(including 5 or 6 CHP's)splitting lanes without ever seeing even one of them being involved in an accident.Use common sense,relative speed,and stay alert and you'll be ok,go 40 or 50 mph faster than other traffic and you'll soon become a statistic.
Also,most freeways out here are 3-7 lanes in both directions with a carpool lane on the very left(motorcycles are allowed to use these without a passenger)and a double yellow line separating it from the rest of the lanes.If you're going to split do it between the carpool lane and the adjoining lane(huge ass fine for cars crossing the double yellow),never between any of the right lanes as cars are constantly entering/exiting the freeway and you're most likely to get into a situation there.
(and never more than 15 mph when traffic is at a standstill,with hands ready on both the clutch and brake while watching several cars ahead).When traffic's almost completely stopped and cars are side by side there's no reason for them to change lanes anyway,and when moving you just have to keep an eye on any gaps(and be ready)as that's when lane changing usually occurs.If you ride a motorcycle out here between 5-9:00AM and 2-7:00PM you either split or sit,no biggie if you're in an air conditioned car with some tunes but on a bike with a helmet and leather jacket in 100 degree heat it's another story.Cage drivers out here are used to bikes splitting lanes and most often move aside when 3 or 4 cars ahead of you to give you even more room than you need.I'm on the freeways every morning from 5-6:30AM and 2-3:30PM(doing that commute going on 5 years now)and see at least 20 bikes every trip(including 5 or 6 CHP's)splitting lanes without ever seeing even one of them being involved in an accident.Use common sense,relative speed,and stay alert and you'll be ok,go 40 or 50 mph faster than other traffic and you'll soon become a statistic.Also,most freeways out here are 3-7 lanes in both directions with a carpool lane on the very left(motorcycles are allowed to use these without a passenger)and a double yellow line separating it from the rest of the lanes.If you're going to split do it between the carpool lane and the adjoining lane(huge ass fine for cars crossing the double yellow),never between any of the right lanes as cars are constantly entering/exiting the freeway and you're most likely to get into a situation there.
You do realize thats about the same argument people use when they say motorcycles are too dangerous and stupid! Its a calculated and accepted risk! Im aware of the danger of lane splitting and not splitting.But its definitely an advantage at a red light from getting rearended.
Yup thats me.And yeah i know its normal thats why i ride as often as possible! I was following a buddy home one day on my bike while he was in his car , it was during rush hour and i started splitting lanes and i got to his house almost 20 minutes before him!
GNBRETT
Registered
just don't be this dude...lol
in cali ur supposed to stay with 10 mph of moving traffic. IF thats how ppl rode then sure great idea but its not. ppl ride much faster then their supposed to and then crash. and then say "Lane splitting is legal" so the other guy has to be at fault. not happening that easy. speeds will be tough to prove out there so good luck getting an insurance company to pay for chit! but be safe...
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LOL yeah i seen this vid.That guy was playing with fire..he wasnt that good ,was riding too fast to , it was heavy traffic ,and it was wet outside I make calculated risk...I dont think he did the math ha ha!
Also that doesn't look like California which means people are definitely not expecting it!
I kinda split lanes that fast before but it was at a red light and all the cars were stopped!
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Yeah you definitely gotta be completely focused
Usually it's the young knuckleheads here that become statistics from lane splitting(going way too fast).I've been splitting here since '02 with never really even a close call,though I keep the bike in a gear low enough so they hear that Brocks Short Meg coming from way back
Also,most freeways out here are 3-7 lanes in both directions with a carpool lane on the very left(motorcycles are allowed to use these without a passenger)and a double yellow line separating it from the rest of the lanes.If you're going to split do it between the carpool lane and the adjoining lane(huge ass fine for cars crossing the double yellow),never between any of the right lanes as cars are constantly entering/exiting the freeway and you're most likely to get into a situation there.
Agreed
SuedePflow
Registered
I wish we had legal lane splitting here in Michigan!
Then again, none of our roads are good for it. Our interstates (along with many highways and backroads) have a nasty concrete/pavement seem in between lanes. None of that smooth, continuous road like I see in that video...
Then again, none of our roads are good for it. Our interstates (along with many highways and backroads) have a nasty concrete/pavement seem in between lanes. None of that smooth, continuous road like I see in that video...
orenp
Registered
Being a Southern Californian, I too have experience splitting lanes. The key is the speed differential. If its over 15 mph or so you're just asking for trouble. And those who ask for trouble are usually rewarded with plenty of it...
I don't ride to work except occasionally and then its only about 15 miles. But I spend a lot of time on the freeway in my other ride -- a Peterbilt. I have a ringside seat for all of the antics of the cagers and the bikes. I've never actually witnessed a lane splitting related crash but I have seen the results several times. And I've seen many guys splitting at over 50 mph speed differential. It always makes me cringe because I know what's inevitable. If they don't realize that its inevitable then they should not be riding. If they realize that its inevitable but they do it anyway because of some bulls#*t "no fear" attitude then not only should they not be riding, they should never ride. Its not fair to put someone else through the psychological trauma of your accident; you might die but they're stuck with the slow motion vision of your demise for the rest of their life. And its never pretty - not much different than an oversize dog being hit a half dozen times - just no fur.
Its impossible to walk back a stupid mistake once its made. But we all have a choice before the mistake is made - if we just exercise good judgement. And we ALL know the difference.
I don't ride to work except occasionally and then its only about 15 miles. But I spend a lot of time on the freeway in my other ride -- a Peterbilt. I have a ringside seat for all of the antics of the cagers and the bikes. I've never actually witnessed a lane splitting related crash but I have seen the results several times. And I've seen many guys splitting at over 50 mph speed differential. It always makes me cringe because I know what's inevitable. If they don't realize that its inevitable then they should not be riding. If they realize that its inevitable but they do it anyway because of some bulls#*t "no fear" attitude then not only should they not be riding, they should never ride. Its not fair to put someone else through the psychological trauma of your accident; you might die but they're stuck with the slow motion vision of your demise for the rest of their life. And its never pretty - not much different than an oversize dog being hit a half dozen times - just no fur.
Its impossible to walk back a stupid mistake once its made. But we all have a choice before the mistake is made - if we just exercise good judgement. And we ALL know the difference.
TallTom
Registered
I did it when I lived there. But I was pretty conservative about it. Like mentioned stay sort of with the general flow of traffic and keep the speed down. Drivers are more aware of bikes splitting lanes because they know its legal to do. So they are more educated about it.
But there is still a lot of road rage out there and all it takes is one unexpected move from a car or truck whatever.
But there is still a lot of road rage out there and all it takes is one unexpected move from a car or truck whatever.
stangman327
Registered
Lane splitting isn't as dangerous as you may think as long as you keep your speed down.
Study shows that you are NOT in greater danger as long as you keep your speed down.
They actually talked about this on one of those morning shows one day...check out the article.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article3204990.html
Study shows that you are NOT in greater danger as long as you keep your speed down.
They actually talked about this on one of those morning shows one day...check out the article.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article3204990.html
Yeah i know all about Michigan crap roads! Very hard to take a corner at speed with gravel everywhere
Rojo
Registered
Crazy lane splitting | General Bike Related Topics
I was surfing the 'Tube" and came across this video... Please say this isn't one of us...all it would take is a little nudge from a vehicle and there would be a seriously injured rider and wrecked Busa.
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