Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I would never do it, but does anyone here do it?

I always want to conveniently open my door when someone else is doing it. I wouldn't do either of these (door or lane splitting), but I've wanted to both at times.

When I rode in Taiwan it was pretty much a rule, bikes/scooters go to the front, the drivers were fine with it. It was also normal for bikes/scooters go inside of a car when turning left across a busy road (we called it 'the shield').

Here, in Hungary, it's against the law but everyone does it, and you get strange looks if you don't. It was even one of the questions on my license exam (which was a total joke btw), after I answered 'yes, it's illegal' the examiner laughed and said 'right answer, but everyone does it anyhow'.

I would were it permitted here. I don't mean flying down the road at speed and doing it but if traffic were slow I would. Also filtering to the front in stopped traffic or at red lights as well. I hate sitting at lights in traffic. I'm paranoid some "O Ring" clown not paying attention 2 cars back is gonna rearend someone and start a chain reaction. I'd rather filter to the front and be able to get out of the way easier just in case. Plus it eases traffic congestion by making for more room for cages.

I don't lane split, but sometimes I'll sneak behind the cars lined up to go straight through a red light and the cars parked on the side of the street when I want to take a right turn at the light.

Tempting when the sun is beating down on you and you're a giant ball of sweat but its not legal in Washington. With so many idiots out there I would never risk it anyways, theres already enough problems to deal with.

http://home.ama-cycle.org/amaccess/laws ... p?state=wa

Its perfectly legal here, and whilst you won't lane split as such on your test / training, there are some times where you will be expected to use the maneuverability of your bike, and its size to be more progressive.
such as on a wide road, if a bus infront starts to slow down and stop, you're expected to overtake pretty much immediately.

Getting the cautious/progressiveness balance right makes the test here much more tricky imho, than any of the maneuvers themselves.

When the subject of lanesplitting and techniques came up, my instructor was clear and said "If you aren't going to use its strengths, why ride a motorbike?"

As Nibblet said, in the UK if you don't use your bike to its strengths even your examiner will wonder what you're doing. I got dinged on my DAS test for 'hesitation' on turning right, across a lane of traffic not fast enough. Fair enough for that, but at least he didn't get me for not filtering (lane splitting).

I've heard that insurance won't cover your for filtering (lane splitting) even thought the traffic code says it legal.

As far as doing it day to day I'm undecided. If legal, only when safe and trafffic is slow. If illegal...not sure.

As far as the door openers are concerned, get ready for a world of hurt. If I could walk after that, you'd better run!

Fast Eddy B wrote:I've heard that insurance won't cover your for filtering (lane splitting) even thought the traffic code says it legal.

I think its treated like overtaking: you're the one performing the maneuveur, its your responsibility/liability for making sure it is safe to do so.

If something happens its your fault as you misjudged the safety aspect.

I may not like that, but it does make a hell of a lot of sense

Fast Eddy B wrote:I got dinged on my DAS test for 'hesitation'

not sure what they were for exactly, but I got 1 ding for stopping with a rear wheel in a keep clear zone, (just outside the test centre - nervous as hell) all my others I think were in hesitancy and lack of caution... Luckily, not enough to fail me though

Strange I should log on after a long while and see this post first. Have just done about 15miles of filtering/lane splitting on the M25 (our motorway ring road around London. for once it was almost like riding in France, in other words cars were moving to open the gap for me to get through. It could be because I have a white VFR750 and they might now be cursing because I wasn't a cop.
The longest filter/lane split for me was on the M4 in the wet but drying road for about 40 miles. I thought I was doing reasonable well at 10 - 15 mph faster than the cars i.e. 35-40 mph but bikes were getting past at rediculous speeds. In Europe bikes riders are given a lot of courtesy both on and off the road, just wished it was the same in the UK.
I'm for filtering and when I'm in my car I would rather have the bike in front than on my rear bumper/fender.