Is it time to pack in?

Chris51

Chris51

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Mar 24, 2010
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Been riding bikes for 51 yrs and was the usual "hooligan" (like most of us ) in the early days.Now I ride "defensively " and stick to the speed limits/lights on/give benefit of doubts/Hi-Viz etc.If I could go out for a ride and know if I had an accident it would be my fault I would be happy. But it seems to get more dangerous nowadays with drivers pulling out /cutting you up.This morning only got a couple of miles out when car turned across me into junction when I was right on him-just managed to stop,then coming back following a Fiesta at 40 mph started overtaking it got up to 60 mph indicated to pull back in and checked mirror and noticed him on my back wheel.Tried to pull him up after that to ask him why but gave up.Why do these morons do it?I have been lucky over the years and had many tours here and abroad and seriously thinking of calling it a day and just using the little bike on back of camper cause I don't want hospital food!
 
@Chris51 there are a lot of idiots about, can understand how you feel. I rarely ride pillion in the UK now but John gets out as often as he can. this year as we are traveling with non biker friends, we are taking the cycles with us. probably the same folk who pull out in front of motorhomes because they think they will get stuck behind, or we don't move very fast. Think it should be compulsary to at least ride pillion before sitting behind a steering wheel. unless health problems prevent it.
 
Out of curiosity @Chris51, what bike do you ride?

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I’ve always thought drivers should have to spend at least 12 months on 2 wheels before being allowed to drive a car. Not bothered if they do it all on L plates.

The thought process is simply that riding a bike gives you a much greater hazard perception awareness, makes you more aware of different road conditions and the affect that that has on vehicle stability, how fast speed actually is ( eg 60 mph = 88 feet per second, that’s quite a long way when events are rapidly unfolding in front of you) and so on.

Then again, I also think that compulsory national service should be re-introduced (wish I’d done some service with hindsight) so maybe I’m just out of touch!
 
Chris, Please don’t take this the wrong way but have you thought about doing some retraining? Things have changed in recent years, “when I was a lad” it was all about shoulder checks and now it’s much more focused on looking in front for the dangers ahead. Overtakes should be done as fast as possible as far away from the car (on the offside) as possible.
Advanced trainings now is about “Commanding your position” or words to that effect, not riding near the kerb and having a road presence.
Maybe go to a bike safe type event and have a ride assessment or go to the local IAM / Rospa club? http://www.bikesafe.co.uk/
Just missed the last one I think but these are good events to chat to people about training.
https://www.staffsbiker.co.uk/
With good training it Is easier to avoid the idiots on the phone, smoking a splif, putting make up on etc etc. Advanced riding Isn’t all about speed... however that bit can be fun.
Good luck.
 
Nowadays its a step beyond "defensive driving" its ride so you treat everyone as someone who's out to kill you ! I also make me and the bike as visible as possible , his vis clothing , white helmet, hi power led spot lights on front in daytime . Hi viz markings on bike. Good mirrors , It does help . I also endorse @Vansflyer especially if you havent done advanced training previously

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27BA5C9F-EE5C-4477-815B-5356843F68D8.png
I avoid riding a push bike in the road. I have considered a piaggio mp3 and then have a really big think and might get one for Spain.

My friends friend lost his young son a couple of weeks ago.
 
Agreed, but on the flip side of that, I am fed up of have motorbike riders overtaking and undertaking me when I am travelling at the correct speed for a particular road...
There are as many bad motorbikers as there are car drivers
 
As I've got older I've got more defensive in my riding. Only yesterday out in Derbyshire on a narrow country road I was taking a blind bend on the crest of a hill when a cyclist came round the corner struggling to get up. Instinct kicked in and I slowed to a walking pace when a prat came the other way trying to pass him completely filling the road. I think the fact that I was on a large Goldwing made him stop, not convinced that if I bad been on a push bike that he would have.
 
TCG said:
Agreed, but on the flip side of that, I am fed up of have motorbike riders overtaking and undertaking me when I am travelling at the correct speed for a particular road...
There are as many bad motorbikers as there are car drivers
Click to expand...
Why don't you like being overtaken?
 
Chris51 said:
This morning only got a couple of miles out when .......................
I don't want hospital food!
Click to expand...


You survived. How are you for bright lights ? After being punted off 3 years ago I fitted DRLs and LED headlamp plus hi-vis jacket and I'm still going strong.

Wife had a few days in Spanish hospital and food was excellent. I don't why UK ones will be any worse.

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TCG said:
Agreed, but on the flip side of that, I am fed up of have motorbike riders overtaking and undertaking me when I am travelling at the correct speed for a particular road...
Click to expand...

There's a correct speed for you and a correct speed for a smaller lighter vehicle.

Saying "undertake" immediately says to me that you were lane hogging, but I may be wrong.
 
Vansflyer said:
Chris, Please don’t take this the wrong way but have you thought about doing some retraining? Things have changed in recent years, “when I was a lad” it was all about shoulder checks and now it’s much more focused on looking in front for the dangers ahead. Overtakes should be done as fast as possible as far away from the car (on the offside) as possible.
Advanced trainings now is about “Commanding your position” or words to that effect, not riding near the kerb and having a road presence.
Maybe go to a bike safe type event and have a ride assessment or go to the local IAM / Rospa club? http://www.bikesafe.co.uk/
Just missed the last one I think but these are good events to chat to people about training.
https://www.staffsbiker.co.uk/
With good training it Is easier to avoid the idiots on the phone, smoking a splif, putting make up on etc etc. Advanced riding Isn’t all about speed... however that bit can be fun.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
If I hadn't been an "experienced " rider I would have been off.You cant help if a car driver thinks its funny to accelerate when you overtake because they are driving slowly.I always look well ahead and try to predict happenings Training wont sort out idiot drivers who want to take it out of other road users .Riding for all these years and still being here accounts for something. Bottom line is you have to recognise that on a bike you are vunerable and no matter how much training you have there are still bad drivers who can easily fetch a "trained" rider off.
 
TheTwoOfUs said:
Only yesterday out in Derbyshire on a narrow country road.
Click to expand...

I try to avoid such roads at weekend. There's a lot of those "I own the road in my huge SUV" types out then.

I was out in Wales, Ponderosa Cafe, big mistake, traffic was terrible. Spent far too long filtering past queues but no-one complained, no-one was harmed. The cafe was heaving, no sausage rolls which was a real bummer. Anyway, it was better than not being on a bike.
 
Chris51 said:
Been riding bikes for 51 yrs and was the usual "hooligan" (like most of us ) in the early days.Now I ride "defensively " and stick to the speed limits/lights on/give benefit of doubts/Hi-Viz etc.If I could go out for a ride and know if I had an accident it would be my fault I would be happy. But it seems to get more dangerous nowadays with drivers pulling out /cutting you up.This morning only got a couple of miles out when car turned across me into junction when I was right on him-just managed to stop,then coming back following a Fiesta at 40 mph started overtaking it got up to 60 mph indicated to pull back in and checked mirror and noticed him on my back wheel.Tried to pull him up after that to ask him why but gave up.Why do these morons do it?I have been lucky over the years and had many tours here and abroad and seriously thinking of calling it a day and just using the little bike on back of camper cause I don't want hospital food!
Click to expand...
If you can be harassed by a Ford Fiesta your either not opening the throttle enough or there's something wrong with your bike :D2 No road legal car would come even close to keeping up with my trusty 600 Ninja (y) (up to 130 anyway :ROFLMAO:)
 
Chris51 said:
If I hadn't been an "experienced " rider I would have been off.You cant help if a car driver thinks its funny to accelerate when you overtake because they are driving slowly.I always look well ahead and try to predict happenings Training wont sort out idiot drivers who want to take it out of other road users .Riding for all these years and still being here accounts for something. Bottom line is you have to recognise that on a bike you are vunerable and no matter how much training you have there are still bad drivers who can easily fetch a "trained" rider off.
Click to expand...

Your bike will easily out accelerate most cars hence the need to get past and do the move quickly so if they mess around you are still safe.
Training doesn’t get rid of the cretins on the road but does help you spot them and take the appropriate action.
Yes you must be doing it well to have survived so long but we can all polish our skills a little more no matter how long we have ridden.
All we can ever do is minimise the risk of being nurfed and that includes good training and wearing the correct gear if the worst does happen.

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In the bad old days when I lived in England I was a regular 4 wheel driver on the M 25. Approaching the QE2 bridge one cannot lane hog, they were all full all the time though it may be much improved 15 years later. Motorcyclists tended to operate in packs with 3 out of 4 undertaking and seemed to think that because they could fit in the spaces beside the cars it was safe to do so at whatever speed they considered appropriate.

One of my answers would be to ban on road use of any vehicle capable of exceeding 70 mph. Wouldn't I be popular? Unfortunately this would not solve the problems with idiots on push bikes, maybe we need RFL and insurance for them? At least that would raise some of the revenue needed for their USSR style special lanes?
 
Vansflyer said:
Your bike will easily out accelerate most cars hence the need to get past and do the move quickly so if they mess around you are still safe.
Training doesn’t get rid of the cretins on the road but does help you spot them and take the appropriate action.
Yes you must be doing it well to have survived so long but we can all polish our skills a little more no matter how long we have ridden.
All we can ever do is minimise the risk of being nurfed and that includes good training and wearing the correct gear if the worst does happen.
Click to expand...
One of the most annoying things the "cat and mouse" game some cretins play with you -if you drop back they will then slow down again and repeat said game trying to force you to break speed limit-happened to wife last year in our car. Would a carcam be a help if it came to proving dangerous driving if it came to court?
 
Chris51 said:
One of the most annoying things the "cat and mouse" game some cretins play with you -if you drop back they will then slow down again and repeat said game trying to force you to break speed limit-happened to wife last year in our car. Would a carcam be a help if it came to proving dangerous driving if it came to court?
Click to expand...

Pull over and let them get on with it or turn off and go somewhere else.
Let them get on with it and see them in a ditch later on down the road.
Dash cam evidence will help but be careful it doesn’t incriminate you or the wife!
I was “playing” with two chaps on Bikes a couple of weeks ago, they didn’t stick to the rules and were doing white lines attempting to keep up with me. I slowed down in the 30 limit to 30 as I always do... they didn’t .. as they crested the hill behind me the speed camera van got the pair of them at about 45mph..
Didn’t know to feel sorry for them or laugh ..
Let the nutters get on with it but learn to keep safe.
 
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Chris51 said:
One of the most annoying things the "cat and mouse" game some cretins play with you -if you drop back they will then slow down again and repeat said game trying to force you to break speed limit-happened to wife last year in our car. Would a carcam be a help if it came to proving dangerous driving if it came to court?
Click to expand...
When I experience a knob like that (it's rare) I overtake him AND the car in front of him too (y) problem driver NEUTRALISED! :ROFLMAO:

If you don't like riding fast anymore it's time to give up, they can certainly be scary, but the advantage of a bike is that you can make progress even with the roads cluttered up with congestion. I think you would now be better off in a car. No offence :)
 
Richard and Ann said:
When I experience a knob like that (it's rare) I overtake him AND the car in front of him too (y) problem driver NEUTRALISED! :ROFLMAO:

If you don't like riding fast anymore it's time to give up, they can certainly be scary, but the advantage of a bike is that you can make progress even with the roads cluttered up with congestion. I think you would now be better off in a car. No offence :)
Click to expand...
Like riding fast but not getting caught for speeding.

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Richard and Ann said:
Why don't you like being overtaken?
Click to expand...
It's not a case of if i like being overtaken.. if you bother to re-read my post i clearly said i was fed up of being UNDERTAKEN and OVERTAKEN when i am travelling at the CORRECT speed for the road.
In other words some motor bike riders have absolutely no regard for the speed limits on our roads.

Read you own post #24 it says it all
 
Last edited:
hilldweller said:
There's a correct speed for you and a correct speed for a smaller lighter vehicle.

Saying "undertake" immediately says to me that you were lane hogging, but I may be wrong.
Click to expand...
No there is not a correct speed for me and another for a motor bike, there is a correct speed for the road. but unfortunately some motorbikes believe it does not apply to them, as do some cars
 
Lot lover said:
the QE2 bridge one cannot lane hog, they were all full all the time though it may be much improved 15 years later.
Click to expand...
:rofl::rofl: No, they are now still all full but barely moving and that's after the booth's have been removed.
Chris51 said:
One of the most annoying things the "cat and mouse" game some cretins play with you -if you drop back they will then slow down again and repeat said game trying to force you to break speed limit-happened to wife last year in our car. Would a carcam be a help if it came to proving dangerous driving if it came to court?
Click to expand...

I following them until they stop/get home/crash :)
 
TCG said:
It's not a case of if i like being overtaken.. if you bother to re-read my post i clearly said i was fed up of being UNDERTAKEN and OVERTAKEN when i am travelling at the CORRECT speed for the road.
In other words some motor bike riders have absolutely no regard for the speed limits on our roads.

Read you own post #24 it says it all
Click to expand...

If you are being "undertaken" then you are either in lane 2,3, 4 etc when the lane on the inside is clear. If the traffic is rolling faster than you on those lanes and is within the speed limit they are allowed to undertake you. If you are in traffic at a stop or slow speed bikes are allowed to filter through at a sensible speed. However if you are sitting in lane 2, 3 etc @ 65 and you are undertaken then maybe you are hogging a lane.
It's a very brave driver / rider that says they stick to all speed limit at all times!
"Correct Speed for the road" or the stated speed limit?

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