Reply With QuoteExactly this, I once picked up a brand new bike from the dealer in the snow and rode it home and rode all winter for years, now screw that for a game of Soldiers I'll take my car with heated seats and steering wheel!Originally Posted by pugster
Exactly this, I once picked up a brand new bike from the dealer in the snow and rode it home and rode all winter for years, now screw that for a game of Soldiers I'll take my car with heated seats and steering wheel!
^^^ This sounds familiar here too....
I passed my test and started looking for distant curry houses to jump on the bike and get takeaway from! Rain, sun, snow, didn't matter at all as long as I came back with a Lamb Rogan Josh and a Naan bread in the panniers lol
I've arranged to pick up my new bike on Friday - hoping the weather is not too bad...
Very nice - I do like fast frames and remember Moto Martin. I had a Harris framed bike once and is the only thing I really regret selling as you could keep it very up to date if you wanted to with different engines, forks, brakes etc.Agreed, frame was made from an alloy who contained a significant amount of chewing gum and the rear shocks were shocking. I never owned one but one of the guys did. He got Georges Martin (google him) to fit the engine in one of his frames.
It was never the fastest, but that engine would rev like a 2 strokes (almost no inertia) and no vibrations.
It looked a bot like this (not quite, and crazier colouring.)
It had a 1000cc motor in it and weighed less than a 600 this was pre-Fireblade era and so was literally like some one had brought a bike back from the future at the time.
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Last edited by MB2; 29th November 2018 at 00:17.
Duplicate edit error
Well, I suppose it was bound to happen, but some idiot just hit me on the bike - stationary traffic, I was filtering down the middle (no more than 10-15mph) and he decided to suddenly turn right as I passed him. His excuse? He was “hedging”, not turning - hmmm, maybe he needs to think about why he was at right angles to the rest of the traffic, then
Anyway, it all happened pretty quickly so I couldn’t stop, although I did manage to steer the bike to the right as we made contact. No damage at all save for a sore hand, although he completely lost his mirror. Thank god I kept the bike up!
Phew, that was closeWell, I suppose it was bound to happen, but some idiot just hit me on the bike - stationary traffic, I was filtering down the middle (no more than 10-15mph) and he decided to suddenly turn right as I passed him. His excuse? He was “hedging”, not turning - hmmm, maybe he needs to think about why he was at right angles to the rest of the traffic, then
Anyway, it all happened pretty quickly so I couldn’t stop, although I did manage to steer the bike to the right as we made contact. No damage at all save for a sore hand, although he completely lost his mirror. Thank god I kept the bike up!
Sorry to hear this. It sounds like little harm was done though which is good.Well, I suppose it was bound to happen, but some idiot just hit me on the bike - stationary traffic, I was filtering down the middle (no more than 10-15mph) and he decided to suddenly turn right as I passed him. His excuse? He was “hedging”, not turning - hmmm, maybe he needs to think about why he was at right angles to the rest of the traffic, then
Anyway, it all happened pretty quickly so I couldn’t stop, although I did manage to steer the bike to the right as we made contact. No damage at all save for a sore hand, although he completely lost his mirror. Thank god I kept the bike up!
You need to have a 6th sense when filtering. Most people won't even know you're doing it until you pass and will change lanes or pull over without a care in the world, some people will even see you coming and pull over on you just because. Then there are pop-up pedestrians and blind spots that hide people turning right, plus the plod might accept the legality of it, but have an accident and they'll do their damnedest to pin you with a driving without due care charge. It's tempting to filter but you need to be telepathic with god like reflexes and the luck of a Leprechaun to remain unscathed.
Yep, I've seen this more than a few times with the last incident happening when I was on my push bike. The w**ker pulled across at the last minute and if I had been travelling at more than 10mph there'd have been a collision. There are some sad and angry people out there who will try and prevent you from making progress when they're stuck in traffic and with little regard for the consequences.
Be safe out there kids!
Well, aside from a few spots of rain, today went well and I managed to bring the bike home without any incidents.Fantastic way to end the week
Early days but it feels well balanced and quite eager. A couple of rubbish pictures in the fading light of mid-afternoon...
Phew indeed!
I'm very, very careful when I filter, as I know that it always carries inherent risk; this guy just didn't look, though, and only indicated as he darted out of the line of traffic. You can't really legislate for that, other than by sitting in the traffic yourself. Yesterday, someone appeared to try to nudge me off the bike while i was filtering too - just as you alluded to, in fact. He just didn't like me being there.
These guys that tear through lanes of traffic at ridiculous speeds are going to end up dead.
I felt better once I'd told him he was a f*cking idiot. My hand still hurt, though.
- - - Updated - - -
Lovely! Don'y forget you're on new tyres, and it's wet out there.
From punching him?
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Looks great and that keyless system should help against theft.... What gadgets does it come with? Heated grips? They are awesome in the winter!Well, aside from a few spots of rain, today went well and I managed to bring the bike home without any incidents.
Early days but it feels well balanced and quite eager. A couple of rubbish pictures in the fading light of mid-afternoon...
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I understand that ‘keyless’ is proving to be a liability regarding theft - on bikes and cars.
Concerns now, that your code can be grabbed even with the fob inside your house.
Not to worry, I have lined my house with tin-foil and made a lead-lined box for my car/bike keys.
Seriously though, I agree there does seem to be a slightly increased risk of theft with keyless, but it's not something I'm going to be too concerned about.
A whole bunch of electronic stuff - including heated grips, tyre pressure monitoring, fancy ABS and traction control, and of course, the TFT dash that provides some rudimentary navigation as well as phone and music connections - many of which are anathema to traditional motorcyclists. I just liked the look of it.
Congratulations Tony, you’ve lost your wing mirror “cherry”. As more drivers nearly kill you you’ll be able to perfect the “fist smashing” action tooWell, I suppose it was bound to happen, but some idiot just hit me on the bike - stationary traffic, I was filtering down the middle (no more than 10-15mph) and he decided to suddenly turn right as I passed him. His excuse? He was “hedging”, not turning - hmmm, maybe he needs to think about why he was at right angles to the rest of the traffic, then
Anyway, it all happened pretty quickly so I couldn’t stop, although I did manage to steer the bike to the right as we made contact. No damage at all save for a sore hand, although he completely lost his mirror. Thank god I kept the bike up!
Hahahaaa......yeah.Congratulations Tony, you’ve lost your wing mirror “cherry”. As more drivers nearly kill you you’ll be able to perfect the “fist smashing” action too
Biker rules
1) Don't crash
2) All cagers want to kill you
3) See rule No1
Just a suggestion from 35,000 miles on your bike’s older brothers F650GS and 700GS , junk the standard screen and get an aftermarket touring screen. It will make riding less tiring by removing buffeting and also takes a lot of the rain of you.
Looks like Givi have one also Im sure nippy normans will start
filtering is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a bike due to the idiot factor , most of the time when riding on a roads etc i only use 1 finger on the front brake - this switches to full hand in traffic , when something like this happens you realise the importance of proper (armoured) gear - this goes for the boots aswell tony , get some decent ones with no laces - getting mangled in your brake or gear lever by your laces is a scary experince as you have already found out, imagine it happening when you really need to use either one of them.
Thanks, and yes it's already in my thoughts. I am planning to live with the standard one for a while - to see how it feels and get used to the bike, which will also give the after-market makers a bit more time to bring a choice of products to market. If this thread teaches us anything, it is that we should not jump in with modifications too quickly...
Filtering carries inherent risk, and requires absolutely total concentration 100% of the time. I enjoy it most of the time, though.
My armoured gloves definitely saved the bones in my hand yesterday. I do have some boots but I bought them online and they’re just a tad tight on me. I think it’s time I popped up to J&S for something I’ll actually wear.
My old school Triumph was nicked 25 miles after I put a new engine in it (long story involving the Nurburgring and a piston / valve collision....) in Edinburgh, by splitting the lock barrel in half. I was "disappointed' in how easy it was! At least keyless is a good bit more secure than that!
My understanding is that the thieves just steal the keys now too, if they really want something :(
Here is a list one of the lads on the uKGSER forum put together for the “ new” F’sThanks, and yes it's already in my thoughts. I am planning to live with the standard one for a while - to see how it feels and get used to the bike, which will also give the after-market makers a bit more time to bring a choice of products to market. If this thread teaches us anything, it is that we should not jump in with modifications too quickly...
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthr...et-windscreens
Thanks. That's brilliant!
Cheers I know your not in the mkt at present, but its a resource you can come back to
Steve
I never filter. Not keen on the suicide option.
Sitting in London traffic on a motorbike doesn’t really make sense, Simon. That said, and as I mentioned earlier, there’s no question that there will always be an element of risk.
The risk can be mitigated to a reasonable extent, but it’s always there.
Absolutely. I've just signed up to that forum. Thanks again.
I don’t either, as a rule.
As a new biker I’m keen to develop my skills first. Would rather get better at cornering and braking out on the open road.
However, I don’t live near London or commute on the bike so perhaps I’m lucky on both counts.
Eh?
Whu?
You just sit in the queue?
Seriously?
Filtering is perfectly safe if done correctly.
There’s a learning curve for filtering for sure, but its a worthwhile skill to learn in my opinion. Ask yourself how many times you’ve seen cars rear ending each other in traffic, because the rear driver isn’t paying attention.
I know i wouldn’t fancy someone piling into the rear of me, so there are safety benefits to getting out the nose to tail stream and into some clean air.
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Having commuted for many years across London every day from the M4 across to Canary Wharf and back by motorbike, I would say that the golden rule of filtering is to treat every car you pass as an intentional overtake. Never casually drift in between cars. You overtake every one of them. Inside/outside, you have to be the aggressor and claim the space you want to place the bike in. Never let a car dictate where you go. You have to dictate and let them know you’re taking the space on the road. You are faster than them, accelerate faster, and more nimble. Keep them on the defensive.
Glad to hear you escaped serious injury, Tony. As a new rider, I would recommend two things to help improve your confidence and learning: do a Bikesafe course with your local TrafPol, and do some bike handling training through the likes of California Superbike School (CSS) - levels 1&2 are great for road riding and learning vision, turning points, vision, the physics and dynamics, and vision. Level3 for track riding, and level 4 is 1-1 coach training that is bespoke to your needs.
Thanks very much - I’m thinking about the options for further training so I’ll add those to the list.
Reconciling your comments about being the aggressor when filtering with my own perception of the need to ride defensively would make for an intriguing conversation over a pint!
Si vis pacem, para bellum
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I did a bikesafe course a few months ago .. this is cheap, fun, and useful - but it's just a stepping stone to doing some more formal training.
The police riders are assessing you .. they give you feedback .. but it's limited by the format .. 2 riders per police rider usually and no intercoms.
I'm going to explore options with Rapid Training .. (they're the people you might read about in MCN every week who are helping others fix riding problems)
http://rapidtraining.co.uk
I've been mulling over the issue of defensive/aggressive riding over my Sunday morning coffee, and it's an interesting subject to dwell on for sure.
I've covered over 1,000 miles since my test, and on top of that I had quite a few years under my belt from my younger days. I don't think anyone watching me ride would get the impression that I'm new to biking, and I certainly don't feel that I am; however, I'm always acutely aware of everything going on around me, and feel that I've learnt a little more each and every time I go out on the bike. For example, the incident the other day taught me something else about filtering in stationary/slow moving traffic, which is that frustrated drivers who see an option to take another route will sometimes make split second decisions (I've done it myself). In the same way that junctions represent a tangible risk in respect of cars crossing or joining the queue of traffic, they also represent the risk of cars leaving it. This sounds obvious, but i think the trick is to keep this knowledge at the forefront of your consciousness, which as slightly different to just knowing it.
I think what I'm trying to do at the moment is to find the right balance between aggression (by which I mean dominating the road, and refusing to be intimidated by other vehicles) and defensiveness (that is, riding in such a way that minimises the risk of the the unexpected, and maximises my chances of escaping injury). When all's said and done, though, idiot car drivers mean that you need to assume that the next near miss is always imminent. Keeps you on your toes, right?
Any escape route for a car is a potential accident for you when filtering. Gaps in traffic they'll try to fill without warning, they'll dart off down side streets, into car parks, stop outside shops, suddenly open doors to get out and see what the hold up is. Absolutely any random thing that they can do, they will do. You need to be aware of and expect them all.
Often the body language of the driver will give you an early warning that they are about to do something stupid and sometimes you can guess what it is. Sometimes you have no clue and you're down to reflexes and luck. Look at the drivers, are they sitting calmly or are they getting agitated and moving gear levers and turning wheels, are they looking in their mirrors, have they seen you? You need to know exactly what's going on for at least the cars you are immediately overtaking and preferably the ones in front of those as well. You also need to keep an eye out for pedestrians crossing through traffic. They can pop out from nowhere so you need to spot them 3 cars in front the moment they step off the curb.
Regarding aggression vs defensiveness. The most dangerous time when filtering is that instant where you are in their blind spot, from rear bumper to front door. Once you are past their front door they should be aware of you but up until that point you are most vulnerable. So you have a choice: the faster and more aggressively you do it the more it will hurt if you crash and the further ahead you have to plan, but the less time you will spend exposed to danger. Drivers will not expect you to be going more than about 10-15mph faster than the flow of traffic, nor will they expect you to overtake on the inside so they won't look for you there. It's best to try to ride within the expectations of other drivers. Don't surprise them and hopefully they won't surprise you.
London drivers are generally more aware of filtering than somewhere like say Northampton so even though the traffic might be less dense in Northampton, the idiot per capita ratio is a bit higher to make up for it. I would suggest that your bike control needs to be second nature before you start because you don't have time to think, you only have time to act.
Filtering can be done relatively safely but there is a lot of information to process per second and it has to be done seamlessly, information of quite a specialised kind, and doing it is a skill you can't develop just anywhere. If you do get good at it though, it will make you a better driver in everything you do. It can also be quite rewarding, but it is always risky.
Yes. No matter who is at fault in the event of a collision, the biker almost always comes off worse. So I prefer riding on the side of aggression to at least know riding and making passage will be on my terms, not someone elses. It is hard to mitigate all risks, but the last thing I want to be in a position of as I am putting on my boots is riding in fear something is going to happen and affecting my freedom of being on a bike. And freedom on the bike is probably my #1 reason for riding - not just to get from A-B. Would rather ride freely and enjoy it on my terms rather than those of caged idiots.
I say this as one who has had some bad crashes through no fault of my own (eg, car driver running their red light at over 40mph), and have permanent disabilities as a result of them. Such things you can do absolutely nothing about whether riding aggressively or defensively. But never will I let the buggers get me down or stop my sense of freedom as long as I’m alive.
Be great to do a bikers TZ meet. “Time’n’Wheels”. If in London, we could do this at either the Ace Cafe or Bike Shed in Shoreditch; and if a bit more central how about at the Waterfront Cafe in Benson, Oxfordshire? Also the Churchill Arms in Chipping Campden, near Moreton-in-Marsh, is a nice gastropub with some great riding roads leading to/from it.
Sorry to hear that you've got a permanent reminder of your accidents. I 100% agree with you regarding the sense of freedom, though, and it's a big part of why I returned to biking after all those years.
A "Time 'n Wheels" GTG sounds like a fantastic idea. I nearly suggested something along those lines myself, but i suspect that waiting until the spring might be a good idea. What do you reckon?
Thanks! I have absolutely no memory of it, but perhaps that is a good thing.
Always happy to meet up at any time that is convenient for people. Spring is good, but also let’s not let the weather stop us! As they say in Scandi- “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”
This chap is always careful....😈
Now I’ve been looking at CRF 250’s for a while .....This chap is always careful....
My Husaberg 650 Supermoto search is nearly over - what can possibly go wrong..
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