Best Bike 250cc+ for filtering in stand still traffic

Commuter_Tim · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 May 2013 Karma :

After around 5 years riding, I recently started teaching myself to filter around traffic (fucking roadworks everywhere up here for the next few years so have to make up time where safe)

However I have found the Bandit terrible for going speeds less than walking speed and it's making me into a pussy when it comes to small gaps, even if the traffic is stationary.

I found the CBF600 easy to go slower than a pensioner can hobble, and the CG even more so.

So what's the best filtering bike?(EDIT: for commuting) (but is still capable of maintaining 70mph without assploding) Thinking

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The above post is most likely nonsensical.

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Nobby the Bastard · Harley Gaydar Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Karma :

FZR 1000 exup.
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Commuter_Tim · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 May 2013 Karma :

Nobby the Bastard · Harley Gaydar Joined: 16 Aug 2013 Karma :

I commute 50 miles daily on my exup.

Admittedly, it's a cunt on the neck, shoulders, elbows, and wrists and you have to slip the clutch like a bastard at walking pace, but hey....
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
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Commuter_Tim · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 May 2013 Karma :

barrkel · World Chat Champion Joined: 30 Jul 2012 Karma :

SH300.

G will be along momentarily to recommend GSXR1000.
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redeem ouzzer · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Karma :

GSXR1100 works fine for me. Fits in smal gaps too, as long as your a bit brave.
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M.C · Super Spammer Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :

Not big heavy bikes, just in case you were getting confused by some of the responses. Scooters and 125's make the best progress. You want something small, light, that doesn't require lots of clutch work. Any of the 250/300's would be good, something like Rogerborg's race bike.

davebike · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Nov 2013 Karma :

Best current bike I ridden fro this would be the CB500X
very light very nimble
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linuxyeti · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Karma :

Hi All

My Mash 400 is great for commuting, very nimble, and I have to filter down the M6 past the M5 junction, and down to Spaghetti Junction.

Also, have a Honley Adventurer (Zhongshen RX-3) Again, a very nimble bike, quite big for a 250 though.

Cheers

Tony
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UnknownStuntm... · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Karma :

Duke 390.

<Enter the 'borg in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...>

andyscooter · World Chat Champion Joined: 30 May 2009 Karma :

vespa gts300
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SophR so good · Trackday Trickster Joined: 08 Aug 2016 Karma :

A scooter. On my 300 I filter a tiny bit better than most bigger bikes, except one very skilled guy on a monster 1200. But I am totally outdone by tiny nimble scoots with no clutch to worry about.
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colink98 · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 27 Jun 2016 Karma :

Maybe a few filtering lessons from this chap will brave you up

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=315782
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B5234FT · Brolly Dolly Joined: 28 Sep 2009 Karma :

I had a kawasaki Z250 as a courtesy bike recently which I really enjoyed, it was like riding a bicycle but without the effort

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

skatefreak · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Feb 2010 Karma :

NSR125?
Very light and nimble,
will crawl along slowly,
will do 70mph easily (de-restricted),
can get 70Mpg if you 'behave' (read: keep out of the powah band),
reliable (can argue all day long but I abused mine for 4 years constantly and never changed a piston/rings etc etc etc, use decent oil and keep it topped up and it will be fine).

They're fun little bikes, vastly under rated and people always assume they'll blow up every 5 minutes Rolling Eyes

.

wots · World Chat Champion Joined: 30 Aug 2012 Karma :

Out of my current bikes, this order for commuting. 15 mile each way, variety of roads from slow London suburbs to fast A3 dual carriageway.

MSX 125 (obvs light and small)
Fireblade (yes really)
ER6
VFR
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

M.C · Super Spammer Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :

Rogerborg · nimbA Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :

M.C · Super Spammer Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :

mrmistoffelee... · Nova Slayer Joined: 05 Nov 2015 Karma :

I do a 90 (ish) mile commute from Boro to York everyday. Never had a problem filtering in York on my big old GSXF750 nor do i suffer from sore neck, back, wrists and I'm a proper fatty

trevor saxe-coburg-gotha · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :

trevor saxe-coburg-gotha · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :

Teflon-Mike · tl;dr Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :

Assertive filtering... requires pig-headedness; you have to believe you can 'will' cars to stay the fuck put, or make space for you whilst you command the little road space you steal almost by telepathy alone.

You have to be able to make snap judgement calls, based on instant assessment of the situation.. a more upright riding position giving your kneck almost owl-like rotation on the horizontal plane, is very useful, and puts a lot of sportier bikes at disadvantage.

Bar width? Paniers? Wheel-Base? All very circumstantial. Couple of tranny vans side by side leave a less convenient gap than a couple of rep-mobiles, with sloping sides; and a little wiggle can change your shape a lot compared to the gap your trying to wiggle it through.

Used to meet up with a work-mate 'on-route' into Brum most mornings, on his Ex-Cop R80; an old-hand, it was a joy to watch him filtering, trickling along at less than walking pace, weaving bludy great barn-door fairing and rickman boxes, between the school-run mum's and repmobiles and delivery vans, then making it just 'pick up' and squibbing it into the gaps or around queues... showed just how much is in the rider, rather than the bike. Though he did admit that if the bludy clutch wasn't so damn heavy he'd have been more inclined to stay in the stacks more!!!

Round town, watching, usually L-Platers get tangled up on scooters or trailies, that aught to have so much better 'manouverability', from mis-judging gaps or not predicting que-flow, or spotting bollards or pelican crossings etc, adds more to the notion its in the rider, and how well you can assess the situation, and how well you can react to it and exploit it, not how much the bike might help you.

Not rush-hour commuting, but a ride a summer or so back, a week-end away in wales with daughter on the back; she was 'wowed' by all the filtering we'd done on the way up on the M6, then on the way back, through road-works on the A5, in the rain actually, when it had been, on both runs a lot like Moses parting the Red-Sea, and filtering assertively rather than aggressively, commanding road space, cars just opened up a lane between them for us.. DON'T happen very often, but it IS magic when it happens; I think I managed something near 50 miles through stop/start traffic between roadworks and roundabouts, without having to put my foot-down more than two or three times!!!

BUT... if you want to buy something to help you filter..... I am going to offer a rather offbeat suggestion; An Open Face Crash-Hat and a SMILE. Honestly; it DOES make a difference!

Working that 'voodoo' trying to dominate your road-room; trying to influence drivers almost by telepathy alone, shear will power; car drivers are sat in their hermetically sealed isolation; frustrated by 'other-traffic'; everything is de-personalised and they are seeing 'cars' not people; inanimate objects, that they are in competition with...

Bike comes up behind them; it tends to engender a negative response; "Oh no! you DONT!.. WE all have to wait in line, so should YOU!"

Mere suggestion you are not playing by thier rules; and NOT sitting in the stack waiting your turn, tends to make them hostile to you, and even if they don't inch over and try and close the door on you, amazing how many you will get sat inches away from you, heads rigid refusing to look at you, make eye contact or acknowledge you, because they DON'T want to let you 'get away with it'.

BUT, if you are in an open; its amazing, how it changes thier perception; they don't see another inanimate, impersonal 'vehicle', they see a face.... and particularly if its a smiling face, it instantly aleviates that 'threat', and challenge, and instead of sitting there po faced gaze welded on the stop lamps of the car infront, they WILL look at you, they will make eye contact, and they MIGHT even... eek.... SMILE BACK!!!!

And they so much more gladly let you have that road room, even try make some for you....

So; top tips for filtering? Remove the aggression. Keep speeds to a trickle above traffic; keep the revs down, and don't 'blip'; wear an open face, and a smile, and THANK folk for making space... even iof they didn't really!

It's ALL so much in the attitute; and making that voodoo work for you; commanding other traffic with more than road possition, but your MIND.. so they do stay the fuck put, or they do make room, and think you have done them a favor for it!

Its a mental battle, not a mechanical one.... but a more upright riding position and a light clutch can help! An open face hat even more, but remember the smile... and that costs nothing, and starts the whole ball rolling on the 'attitude' given and gotten.
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