The Honda Owners Club

To on coming traffic that is.

Looks like I'm the first guy in here, and on my second day as a member!

Here's what I've come to realize in my short biking career. Everyone says "pretend you're invisible". Well, by and large you are, especially on two lane blacktop. Here's what I've noticed;

When a line of traffic is coming toward you and you see maybe three - four cars, and as you approach come to realize there's actually about six!! You can't see them cause they're tucked in behind the car/truck in front. This means they can't see you!! If I have no traffic in front of me, I move to the right of the lane to "present my headlight" a little sooner to those idiots who are tucked in that close they can't be seen. This may help save you from getting creamed if one decides to overtake and changes lanes right on top of you.

The other part is when you're following a larger vehicle. I like to get 3-4 seconds behind to make sure I'm not hiding my headlight. This also allows you to be seen sooner without having to be right on the line.

Well, ride safe and remeberto LOOK AT YOUR TIRES EACH TIME YOU RIDE!!

I suppose us here in the UK should be thinking a 'mirror image' of what you are saying! (We drive on the right side of the road........the LEFT.)
If we did what you are saying, many of us here would be completing our journeys in the gutter as many of our roads are rather narrower, so to appear visible we'd need to be hard over to the left (and picking up the debris there too......).
As there's often long strings of traffic going the other way (well, there is where I live), then the tailgating car (or white van) would try and overtake us at a time we didn't want them to, as here there's a 'got-to-overtake-if-there's-half-a-gap' mentality. If drivers in a string of vehicles are thinking of overtaking they are usually near the middle of the road waiting for a chance to get by, rather than sitting near the kerb and then suddenly pull out. I know it does happen with some idiots though.
I understand your theory, but on our crowded roads here, I'm not sure it would always be of benefit.
I expext others will disagree, though.

(Are they tires in Canada, or tyres? If you bought them in the US, I suppose they would be tires..........)

To be honest you should try and not follow cars/vehicles in there tracks, but you should always be in a position towards the centre/ right so you can have a clearer view of the road ahead. You should also make sure that you follow at a safe distance always atticipate that the vehcle in front may stop suddenly or do something that may cause you to stop suddenly, plus this too also gives you a better view of the road ahead. There are also times when you need to keep a clear view ahead, but not always safe for you to ride to the centre/right of the white line, this is when you will need to ride further over towards the kerbs side left of the road especially if the road bends to the left, you will get a better view forward beyond the next/following vehicle.

This is also the case when going round bends, stay near to the kerb side/left for a right hand bend and centre/right for a left hand this will give you good vision forward and also makes entry/exit more smooth/ Also practice 'Target fixation' i.e. look round the corner and watch for the vanishing point/apex rather than looking at the road directly in front of the wheel this is where you get the 50 pence effect whilst turning rather than a smooth and steady cornering. A good example of this is motorcycle racer they look round the corner looking for the next apex/vanishing point of the corner and make sure they line up ready for the next corner and so on

You may have guessed that I have done my IAM and although it sounds complicated, it does become second nature if you do it often enough.

Fit yellow coloured running lights, they are legal and help you to stand out.

One of the things that was taught to me by an instructor friend of mine was not to move to the centre of the road when the vehicle in front was turining left as this would put you in the blind spot of any vehicle turning out of the junction. The stats proved this is one of the most common accidents motorcyclists are involved in (happened to me many moons ago).

Regards

Chimpy

Sorry, didn't know you were all lefties till i started looking at tthe Word Association game. I guess you just sub right when i say left and left when I say right, right? So when I say left I mean right and right means left, right? Oh he**, just keep doing what you're doing. You're obviously all succeeding as you're all still here!!

On a seroius note. A woman rider was killed recently in a nearby community. She'd just gotten her licence and was so excited that while she waited for her husband to suit up she went for a short jaunt around town. Her route brought her to the TCH and somewhere in or around the intersection a guy in a minivan got her head on. I wish I could have seen the circumstance (no I'm not wishing to have seen the collision) that led to it. Makes me wonder if someone was hidden from view if you know what I mean.

The tire bit ( OK,tyre tyre tyre) came from another aquaintance. He showed me the tire on the rear of his bike and it was worn so much that he'd gone through the inner cords!! His cousin, who was riding with him, pointed it out!!!

Is anyone on this board from over here?

bguy wrote:Sorry, didn't know you were all lefties till i started looking at tthe Word Association game.

This is the 'Honda Owners Club (GB)'...........it says so at the top!
Lefties, is that what we're called then? What gave the game away in the Word Association then?

bguy wrote:On a seroius note. A woman rider was killed recently in a nearby community. She'd just gotten her licence and was so excited that while she waited for her husband to suit up she went for a short jaunt around town. Her route brought her to the TCH and somewhere in or around the intersection a guy in a minivan got her head on. I wish I could have seen the circumstance (no I'm not wishing to have seen the collision) that led to it. Makes me wonder if someone was hidden from view if you know what I mean.

What's the 'TCH' ? I guess it's the 'Trans Canadian Highway' ?

bguy wrote:The tire bit ( OK,tyre tyre tyre) came from another aquaintance. He showed me the tire on the rear of his bike and it was worn so much that he'd gone through the inner cords!! His cousin, who was riding with him, pointed it out!!!

Surely the tyre couldn't have been looked at for many a ride. The rest of the bike must have been in a pretty poor shape if the tyre was that bad!

bguy wrote:Is anyone on this board from over here?

Sadly, many do not give a clue as the where on this planet they are, unlike us. Hopefully someone will notice your wherabouts and contact you. (But aren't you nearer us than the other side of Canada? ) Keep with us though, it makes a change to have opinions and contact from 'across the pond'.

Hi FB & welcome to the forum!

Interesting discussion... thank you... the only comment I feel able to make (as a new rider) is that I was taught to keep my distance behind large vehicles and ensure that I was visible in their mirrors, (if I can see their mirrors they can see me (if they're looking of course)).

I'd be interested also to hear views of members here who are in the IAM and what their take on it is?

Anything that makes us safer on two wheels is worth considering.

Shellshine wrote:Interesting discussion... thank you... the only comment I feel able to make (as a new rider) is that I was taught to keep my distance behind large vehicles and ensure that I was visible in their mirrors, (if I can see their mirrors they can see me (if they're looking of course)).

Quite a lot of trucks now have signs on the back "If you cannot see my mirrors, I cannot see you!" And you don't have to be tailgating to be able to read them!

The OP was really referring to traffic coming towards and out of sight to him, due to them being to close to the vehicle in front, and nearer to the kerb.
I know someone (not a motorcyclist, thank god), who said he never looks at the vehicles going the other way! He probably doesn't use his rear view mirror much either. How he's never had to sweve out of the way of an oncoming nutter with a death-wish, I really don't know!

Shellshine wrote:I'd be interested also to hear views of members here who are in the IAM and what their take on it is?

Well, KnightVeffer said he has!

My comment about keeping distance from the large vehicle in front (and in their sight) was in response to the original poster's comment that he keeps 3-4 seconds behind...

Surprisingly enough, it would seem, I had actually managed to work out that he was talking about presenting your headlight to oncoming road users... (I'm not THAT thick!!)

Shellshine wrote:(I'm not THAT thick!!)

Well, you can't read Slovak, can you ?

Red V Four wrote:

Shellshine wrote:(I'm not THAT thick!!)

Well, you can't read Slovak, can you ?

That's very true...

KnightVeffer wrote:This is also the case when going round bends, stay near to the kerb side/left for a right hand bend and centre/right for a left hand this will give you good vision forward and also makes entry/exit more smooth/ Also practice 'Target fixation' i.e. look round the corner and watch for the vanishing point/apex rather than looking at the road directly in front of the wheel this is where you get the 50 pence effect whilst turning rather than a smooth and steady cornering. A good example of this is motorcycle racer they look round the corner looking for the next apex/vanishing point of the corner and make sure they line up ready for the next corner and so on

You may have guessed that I have done my IAM and although it sounds complicated, it does become second nature if you do it often enough.

This is quite correct for those of IAM standard, and as stated, better forward vision is a benefit. However, for beginners it is perhaps best avoided in case they misjudge their ability to make the bend. If they're already over to their left on a right hand bend, or vice versa, they have nowhere to go if the bend gets too tight for them. Braking isn't the most appropriate remedy at this point.......