I'm a motorcyclist (for a few months of the year at least) and while I rarely ride anywhere with traffic that dense when I do I've split a lane or two it beats the hell out of directly inhaling exhaust fumes.

Motorcyclist used to do that a lot when I was in California. During that time I would ride when the weather permitted, but I just never did the lane splitting thing. I do remember one time someone a few cars ahead of me threw coffee out the window just as the rider was passing them and hit him right in the face guard. I couldn't help but think that was intentional.

doyner: dj_bigbird: Lane splitting is legal here in CA, it's a great way to deal with heavy traffic. And, it's safer.

IIRC, it doesn't apply to moving traffic.

Incorrect. It's legal up to 30mph, with certain restrictions.

1.2-liter engine on two wheels and a 600-pound body

Yeah, but what about his twin?



I'm surprised he could fit between two cars

Lane-splitting SUV

Welcome to the thread where a bunch of automobile drivers stop willfully ignoring the presence and safety of motorcyclists just long enough to wag their fingers at them for "dangerous behavior" while simultaneously texting, putting on makeup, eating a Big Mac, posting to Fark, and disciplining their crotchfruit in the back seat.

And all because they're butthurt that someone who chose to drive a smaller vehicle is able to pass them in a traffic jam.

As someone who has ridden all year every year, for two decades: Please, please... just shut the hell up and go back to ignoring me. After all these years of learning how to survive your indifference, entitlement, and stupidity, I now find it preferable.

cmunic8r99: Incorrect. It's legal when done in a safe and prudent manner. It is not advised when traffic is flowing at speeds over 30MPH, or with a differential speed over 10MPH.

I stand corrected. But I'll be damned if the last time I looked up that law, the "10mph difference" and "not over 30 mph" were listed as "advice" and "general guidelines". I remember it being worded more along the lines of, "It's legal if you do it safely. Here are some of the things a police officer will NOT consider safe as he's writing you a ticket..."

one thing I have been seeing a lot of is mopeds and motorcycles using the bike lanes my fine city recently installed. That scares the shiat out of me.

Some Bass Playing Guy: Z-clipped: Welcome to the thread where a bunch of automobile drivers stop willfully ignoring the presence and safety of motorcyclists just long enough to wag their fingers at them for "dangerous behavior" while simultaneously texting, putting on makeup, eating a Big Mac, posting to Fark, and disciplining their crotchfruit in the back seat.

And all because they're butthurt that someone who chose to drive a smaller vehicle is able to pass them in a traffic jam.

As someone who has ridden all year every year, for two decades: Please, please... just shut the hell up and go back to ignoring me. After all these years of learning how to survive your indifference, entitlement, and stupidity, I now find it preferable.

Welcome to the thread where bikers with entitlement issues think they can do whatever the fark they want.

You're confused. This thread is about motorcyclists, not bicycle riders.

Beerguy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GH8D2EqDZs

Funniest video I've seen all day. Thanks!

Jeez what's the big deal? This is SOP for motorcyclists in the UK.

I've heard that the Police unions have something to do with keeping it legal in California.

I moved to Sacramento a few years ago from the coast, and you never see lane splitting on the freeways here. I think word has been passed around that people in the area simply do not signal for lane changes.
/miss my bike

Z-clipped: Welcome to the thread where a bunch of automobile drivers stop willfully ignoring the presence and safety of motorcyclists just long enough to wag their fingers at them for "dangerous behavior" while simultaneously texting, putting on makeup, eating a Big Mac, posting to Fark, and disciplining their crotchfruit in the back seat.

Where did that happen? Everyone hates both of these groups equally.

Why make shiat up?

Nefarious: Around Philly the most bizarre traffic move I've seen isn't a motorcycle splitting lanes or farkwits shoulder riding but when faced with a massive backup on I-95 I have on numerous occasions seem people who have no issue with putting their cars in reverse for a half mile to get to an exit.

Meh, South Philly cars park in the median (illegal, but never ticketed). Philly has its own rules, along with Chicago.

Fo Shiz : So these donorcyclists who split lanes at 80 are breaking the law?

In CA it's legal if (IIRC) the traffic is moving at less than 40 MPH.

If traffic is moving over 40MPH it's illegal even in CA. The idea being that air cooled bikes would overheat in stop and go traffic (also, with the way monkeys drive in stop and go traffic, I don't even want to be in the lane in a car).

// I ride way to the left of the #1 lane to give them plenty of space to pass through, unless I'm going at the CA standard speed range (65-85), you've got to be nuts to try lane splitting at those speeds.

Splitting moving traffic is kinda terrifying.

People can change lanes and when they do, they check for an opening in the destination lane and whether there's a vehicle immediately in front or back of their opening moving in to cut them off, or if this is a middle lane, that no one on the far side is trying to change into the same lane.

We don't check for a slim, faster-moving incoming bike 3 cars back between lanes. That may be in the blind spot too- and really this sort of check every time would be an unsafe distraction overall.

So we can create a situation where there's a car to the left, car to the right, and suddenly the car in front of both of them cuts off the split and there's nowhere for you to go. I don't know what to tell ya, I try to signal and all, but we could be going 60 mph and if you can't stop in time it's not gonna be just the differential of you hitting my bumper at 10 mph faster than me if you lose it- there's a car on the left and one on the right and you may end up bouncing off them or going under one.

Visited N. Cal and tried lane splitting with Honda CB650SC. Wished for crash bars. Lost my nerve and stood with traffic.

Oznog: We don't check for a slim, faster-moving incoming bike 3 cars back between lanes.

When you say "We", you really mean "all of the people who don't check for motorcycles" and not "everyone that drives".

Because "We" do check for motorcycles.

// IMO, there's a lot of people that shouldn't be on the road driving to begin with, those are the "We" you're referring to. Hell, some of them don't even bother checking for CARS, let alone motorcycles. YMMV according to state.

// I don't tailgate, I use my signals, I added wide angles to my side view mirrors so I can easily check lanes for cars/motorcycles, I don't run lights, etc ... but I speed like a motherfarker!

Z-clipped: And all because they're butthurt that someone who chose to drive a smaller vehicle is able to pass them in a traffic jam.

I'm not taking on extra responsibilities because you make terrible choices in life.

You'll get the exact same courtesy anybody else does, but if you get run over because you were in my blind spot driving a short, squat vehicle that's not reasonably visible?

Well, sorry you chose to die.

Some Bass Playing Guy: Welcome to the thread where bikers with entitlement issues think they can do whatever the fark they want.

We CAN do whatever we want, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. So you may as well quit throwing stones from inside your enormous glass house, and pay more attention to your own driving than you do to mine.

This happens all the farking time in Boston. I secretly hope all of them get into an accident and learn their lesson.

Z-clipped: Welcome to the thread where a bunch of automobile drivers stop willfully ignoring the presence and safety of motorcyclists just long enough to wag their fingers at them for "dangerous behavior" while simultaneously texting, putting on makeup, eating a Big Mac, posting to Fark, and disciplining their crotchfruit in the back seat.

And all because they're butthurt that someone who chose to drive a smaller vehicle is able to pass them in a traffic jam.

As someone who has ridden all year every year, for two decades: Please, please... just shut the hell up and go back to ignoring me. After all these years of learning how to survive your indifference, entitlement, and stupidity, I now find it preferable.

Yeah, except I don't do ANY of those behaviors while driving, so fark you.

lordargent: Oznog: We don't check for a slim, faster-moving incoming bike 3 cars back between lanes.

When you say "We", you really mean "all of the people who don't check for motorcycles" and not "everyone that drives".

Because "We" do check for motorcycles.

// IMO, there's a lot of people that shouldn't be on the road driving to begin with, those are the "We" you're referring to. Hell, some of them don't even bother checking for CARS, let alone motorcycles. YMMV according to state.

// I don't tailgate, I use my signals, I added wide angles to my side view mirrors so I can easily check lanes for cars/motorcycles, I don't run lights, etc ... but I speed like a motherfarker!

Pretty much.

A good driver checks for everything on the road. EVERYTHING, regardless of its size, or its state of motion, should be paid attention to as long as there's the slightest chance that your vehicle can make contact with it. It's really not that hard,