Worst standard of riding I've ever seen on the road.

[MarJay]

Last night I drove from Basingstoke to Reading on the A33 (in the car). Around halfway along I encountered a rider who, if he continues the way he's going, will likely not survive the year.

I'm not normally into ranting online about other road users. I don't have a dash cam, I don't possess a Go Pro, and I've never shouted "You're going on Youtube mate!" but this was so epically bad that I just feel the need to get down what I saw in writing, and to an audience who would understand the nature of what I saw.

So, to set the scene, I was on the two lane section of the A33 approximately half a mile from the roundabout where it turns into a dual carriageway. It's dark, and I can see a bike headlight in my rearview mirror. He's a little close, but we're in a line of traffic which is moving so I figure he'll probably stay there until we reach the dual carriageway and he'll overtake.

We reach a double solid white line section where the road has narrowed and he approached my right rear quarter and started flashing me. So I moved over a bit, thinking that he'd be crazy to try and overtake here... He did. Once in front I think he has to settle behind the car in front now and wait until the roundabout.

No.

He goes to overtake ON the double solid white line, leaning his bike to the right slightly to avoid hitting the Hyundai with his bar. He gets completely alongside the car and... just stays there. Oncoming traffic is swerving, he's obviously nervous, wobbling, not using his right wrist at all. The road is a gentle 'S' bend at this point, and he's just... there, next to this poor woman in a Hyundai who is driving in the gutter obviously aware he's there. For about 20 seconds he stays like this, with about 5 or 6 oncoming cars swerving out of the way until the Hyundai brakes and he goes past. I honestly thought I was going to see a man crushed between a Hyundai and an oncoming car. If a lorry was coming, he'd have been dead, no doubt about it. We weren't going super quick, probably 30-40mph. Any bike bigger than a 125 could have been past quicker than he did. Even then, the decision to overtake was the most clearly wrong decision I've seen a motorcyclist take. At least, until a few minutes later...

OK, people make mistakes, he's clearly a newb on his small 17 plate BMW GS... Maybe now he'll settle down, right?

No. We reach the dual carriageway and he then sits literally about a metre from the left hand side rear bumper of a car in the right hand lane. He obviously wants to get past, but the poor driver can't risk moving left in case he hits this guy's front wheel. He does this three times to three different cars each of which I thought he was going to be taken off. Each time the cars finally do move, he sticks at maybe 60mph, not making any particular effort to overtake the cars now in the left lane. Talk about relying on the skill of other road users!

Then we reach Reading. Surely he's realised how dangerous he's being now? After all, I'm in a car, I'm not trying to keep up with him and he's still maybe two or three cars in front of me. Then I see another terrible decision. We're approaching a roundabout in the right lane to go straight on. He's behind a mini. The mini goes slightly wide in the right lane of the roundabout, so 'good decision man' decides to go up the inside of a car in the right hand lane of a roundabout

I... we... I just don't know what to say. I can honestly say I've never seen riding that bad on the road. I've ridden with people who I've seen crash in front of me, I've ridden with people who pull constant wheelies and stoppies and I've ridden with people who have no awareness of what is around them, but I've never seen someone so epically bad at decision making on a bike. Not only did he choose to overtake at the most dangerous points to do so a number of times, he did not overtake when it was safe to do so, he didn't use the acceleration of the bike to get out of danger, he didn't give himself any room... I just want to know who gave him a license, and if they were blind.

Where do people pick up this kind of bad skill? It's not even a lack of skill, as he's obviously trying to make progress. If he sat back and did nothing and just rode I'd be OK.

I think the reason this affected me so much is that if he has an accident I expect he'll just blame the driver involved, or he'll be dead. Either way this guy gives us all a bad name.

So, if you know someone who rides like this, please educate them. Or if by some massive stretch of reality you ARE the man I saw last night... Put the bike on ebay, sell your leathers and your expensive Schuberth, and walk away with your life and your health. It's just not worth it.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Meh. Darwin will catch him, just hope he does it on his own and doesn't take out someone else or give them PTSD.
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[recman]

I'm betting KTM man would have exploded.

[Rogerborg]

I have man flu, this needs more Paint diagram.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[MarJay]

[chickenstrip]

[MarJay]

Moar paint. This shows the second and third near death incidents. This time with a bit more effort:

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/paintdiagram2.jpg
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Ste]

It's been a long time since anyone's posted Paint diagrams of such high quality.

[ZX-7R]

Good job no BCF members live by me.
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Current Bike - 2000 ZX-7R

[ScaredyCat]

[Bricktop]

I followed a car on my way home from work a couple of months ago and it astounded me so much I rang up the rozzers when I got home.

I originally caught up with the car after leaving a 30 zone, into a NSL. The first sign of trouble was when the car ran wide on an off-camber right-hander, skimming the dirt 'kerb' with both passenger-side wheels. I slowed, expecting the car leaving the road and rolling.

Then, a hundred yards later the car ran wide on a left-hander, missing an oncoming car by a gnat's cock. This carried on for the next four bends until I had to take my turn off that road. By this time I had memorised the number plate.

I rang the police and told them what I'd seen, and the reg. number. The meatsack on the phone didn't seem interested that at least three head-on collisions had just been narrowly missed. I told them to find out where he lives and to intercept him, breathalyser at the ready.

I daresay if I had reported mean words on twitter they would have been a damn sight more interested.

Cunts.

[Rogerborg]

[gbrand42]

[Hawkeye1250FA]