Filtering tip I picked up

[Deadringers]

Hey all,

Was sitting in traffic the other day and suddenly noticed some flashing in my mirrors.

Was a biker coming through just flashing his highbeams about once or twice every second.

Really did make him a lot easier to spot and thought I'd give it a go.

Was in a huge traffic jam on the M25 Monday afternoon and thought I'd give it a go - best thing ever!
so many cars move over to give you some room and you can see in the mirrors that they actually see/look at you. So you know they know your there.

Just thought I'd share as Filtering can be hazardous at the best of times if you actually want to make some progress.


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2010 R6 - Love it

[doggone]

It makes you look like a knob though.
Doing that should be reserved for when you think they haven't seen you and might pull out or change lanes.

It looks too aggressive, too much like 'get out of the way I'm coming through'

[illuminateTHE...]

I just blip the throttle so everyone can here my akrapovic roar and crackle and pop. They tend to part like the red sea, there are a few who will try block you but when they position their car to the right of the lane I just undertake them or clip there mirrors.
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Theory: PASSED Module 1: PASSED Module 2: PASSED 12/2012!!!

yzf r125 [SOLD] sv650 [CURRENT]

[Raffles]

I imagine that the other road users assume that you are a copper, or a member of one of the other emergency services.
I'm not 100% comfortable impersonating such personnel and would not recommend others to so do.
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A good loser will always be a loser.

[covent.gardens]

[Deadringers]

[Benno]

[G]

As with Benno - I would be very cautious using what is 'much universally considered to mean "I've seen you and am letting you go, I'll wait" as a signal to get attention.

It's also rude to blind people with high beam to my mind.

Note that a high beam makes it even harder to distinguish the vector of a bike and could well be used against you in court if a car then pulled in front of you.

I do use Hazard lights (and have added a switch for them in some cases) when filtering in some cases - though I worry a car will see only one side and think I'm turning.

I also had extra running lights across my bar muffs.
It doesn't force people to see you with a slap in the face, but it's different enough for people to take notice when a quick glance may just see another point light source in a sea of them.

[Bomberman]

[Deadringers]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Thought this thread was gonna be about decent dog ends.

Urban bushcraft tips etc.

*was a tramp once*
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Kradmelder]

I ve got orange filters over the main beams of my bikes. That is noticeable enough so that many cages give way.

Unless you constantly flick your brights they won't see it more than a few cages ahead. I would rather focus on the hand coming out to flick a cigarette, the chick texting while driving and not keeping a straight line etc rather than flicking my lights.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[Fisty]

[Easter Bunny]

In some parts of the US "wig-wagging" headlights on bikes with double headlights is legal


If you heighten up your observation you should see the lane changers watch for turned wheels, gaps on either side, driver not paying attention, and most of all a speed at which you can stop.
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The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train!

[Tungtvann]

The OP mentions a technique they heard of and gives first hand evidence of it actually working, yet everyone makes up all this crap about how it won't work or how people will start pulling out on you and whatever. How about you try it?!

[anthony_r6]

[Kradmelder]

[cyberglass]

[Deadringers]

I'm not saying everyone NEEDS to do this by any means..

Just saying it's a nice thing to see people actually looking in their mirrors because a flash of light caught their attention and a lot of them actually pull over to make room for me.

Take from it what you will but give it a try first before shooting it down
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2010 R6 - Love it

[Tungtvann]

[st3v3]

[pike]

Hi viz waist coat and dipped headlight works well for me.

[G]

I've done the blipping thing too.
It was noticable that - when riding J D's GSXR 600 with a racefit, more cars did see me and adjust their position.
But (and it took me a few days to work this out), when I had the baffle in my ZX9 (full race system on a mildly tuned race bike) more people pulled out in front of me etc.

[covent.gardens]

[Tungtvann]

I am just thinking about times when I have been in my car and noticed the headlight of a motorbike or heard its exhaust in traffic, they don't necessarily have to be aggressively flashing or revving, but just the odd little blip can bring that extra bit of attention. Even I admit I can 'switch off' and not pay much attention when rolling along as 5 mph or completely stopped in the car, sometimes encroaching on the path of a filtering bike.

I do think 'flashing a couple of times a second' is a bit much, perhaps every 5-6 car lengths would be more politer and still enough to get noticed.