First real day as a biker

[APNess]

I completed what I consider my 'first real day' as a biker today -aching wrists and ankles, ass feels like it's turned to stone and bad neck after a couple of hundred miles riding today. Had my first "tank slapper", also locked front and back wheels up approaching a roundabout, both squirming trying to go in different directions, and went from a complete 'filtering newbie' to a 'reasonable been doing it for a while traffic dodger' all in one day!

Feels weird riding along and overtaking cars like, all the time, whereas in a car you have to pick your moment, pull out, gun it, dive back in etc. With the bike it's keeping in same gear, open throttle, back off throttle, repeat, more or less riding down the middle of the road all the time.

Passing hundreds of stationery queuing cars is new to me as well, either down the middle or on the outside - I was following people from work, and it's almost natural for them (it seems) to ride on wrong side of the road.

Maybe today was my first real taste of biking - also got wet through, which was nice :S

Where does the law stand on 'filtering' - threading and weaving through/around slow or stationery traffic? Obviously it's a bad idea near junctions, bends with poor sighting, near crests of hill etc, but otherwise is it an accepted part of motorcycling? At the beginning of today I'd never done it before - just plodded in traffic as if I were driving a car. By the end of today I'd spent the last couple of hours threading through the stationery traffic you get on the A64 to York on a weekend from Scarborough/Bridlington - it really is nasty gridlock stuff, and caravans are a pain in the ass (kept stopping, checking directions, waiting for people, I worked out I passed the same caravan three times on the way back :S)

When I got home I felt like I'd actually learnt something today, though it all could have gone horribly wrong when I was trying to keep up with a mate on his GSXR (and catch everyone else who'd buggered off - he was the only one to slow down/wait for me). Next time if they want to shoot off and not wait I'll do my own thing - I could have had a bad accident trying to catch up to a group of experienced riders, and got away with it, so was lucky. Next time my luck might run out, so I'll go at my own pace

[St0rmer66]

Sounds like you had a good day! I need to go on some longer rideouts but the only person I know with a bike is my Dad! Don't think my XR 125 is gonna be able to keep up with his ZX9-R though .

What bike have you got, just out of interest? Seems like you were having trouble keeping up, is that because your bike is slower or because the other guys were used to it? (or just wankers? )
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[matt89]

with regards to filtering the law is very sketchy, sometimes its ok sometimes its not. if i see a copper i will pull in a couple of cars behind him if i an filtering in the middle of town but if im on a long straight road then i will go past him but a bit slower than usual. i think aswell with filtering that it is not illegal if you do not cross the white line, this only might apply to usual conditions i.e. solid white line etc. i wouldnt worry about it too much mate if your doing it safely then i doubt you would get pulled over and if you did probably just a word with you and a warning would be the max

dont tkae my word on this though because im not 100% sure this is true but then tbh im not sure that anyone is really clued up on filtering as it is quite confusing

Matt

[APNess]

Heh - Yamaha Thunderace - on paper at 145hp I shouldn't have any problem keeping up with most things, but as a new rider I'm trying to take things steady and not scare myself shitless :S

When I overtake I seem to subconsciously change up at 7k - just before it hits it's power band! Only a couple of times today I took it over that, and it's just too quick for me at the moment to do that with any regularity.

I used to have a 400hp/400lb ft car that went like a rocket (left TVRs, M3s etc etc) and it wasn't like this, though I suspect that's a lot to do with being exposed to side/head winds whilst accelerating furiously :S

The other part is that I just don't drive like a nutter anymore, and the main group of bikers today had a head start of around 4-5 mins. A new rider riding sensibly stands no chance of keeping up, hence me having to try to keep up with my mate who hung back in order to catch the rest of the group. First/last time I do that! Sod 'em if they don't want to wait in future!

[APNess]

Thanks for the heads up on filtering - must be one of those "grey area" things as just about every biker (excepting me this morning) does it (and including me this afternoon!).

I never really drove/rode like that before - seems strange to be constantly overtaking cars for mile after mile after mile when they are moving, never mind stationery :S

[matt89]

just out of intrest what 400bhp car did have?

Matt

[St0rmer66]

Same rules as for overtaking apply to filtering (so don't filter on solid white lines etc). In additon, you're not supposed to go past the front car in a queue of traffic (so stop behind it, even if it's to the side of the second car). Technically you're also allowed to filter up the left hand side of traffic, *as long as the traffic is stationary then it's not undertaking*.
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[tatters]

[APNess]

[APNess]

[matt89]

we had a couple of RS6's and they were rapid with the sports exhausts on and they were putting out 480bhp. only problem was the electrics the first one we had kept saying we had 4flat tyres when we had given it a hammering and the air con packed up on it aswell so they swapped it for a brand new one no charge, and guess what the tyre sensor kept saying the same thing aswell. another problem we had was that we kept breaking exhaust brackets. we broke 1 set a month minimum. i think the tops we got out of that was 160-65 gps verified(on private road of course) even though they were meant to be restricted to 155. best thing about them was that it looked just like a normal estate so it was fun trying it on with M3's scoobys and that sort

Matt

[APNess]

RS6 are badass, heavy car (near 2 ton?) mind. Guy who tuned mine is a wizard who tunes everything Audi, RS6 included.

Would have loved one of those, or an RS4, or even S4 with larger turbos on, but age/cost/being sensible kicked in - starting a family it was only going to be a matter of time before the Audi had to go anyway

Biggest pain in the butt was boost leaks - bane of any tuned turbo car owners life!!! Popping hoses off in the rain/dark and limping home at 50mph hoping/praying you're not sucking gravel up from the road was never much fun

[southlondoner]

sounds like you had a good day, if a little painful with regards to what matt89 said about police cars when filtering - I tend to overtake em if the queue is long - not like theyre gonna catch you! Most don't mind anyway though.
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-southlondoner-
2002 Honda CG125

[matt89]

[Marah]

When I was doing my lessons many moons ago we did some filtering in the City Centre. Was told it was legal.

[P1LFC]