Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi I've been riding for a few months and I'm having a lot of trouble filtering. I would really appreciate a step by step guide on exactly when to filter, where to indicate, how to get back in lane and all of this. I literally need every single thing there is to know about filtering. If anyone can help I would so appreciate it I spent £2,000 on this bike, it would be a shame to waste it by not being able to even filter which is the reason I bought it in the first place!! I'm especially uncomfatable coming up to round abouts and also when the traffic stops and moves again at a fast pace. Please help.

One simple step:

If you don't feel comfortable doing it, don't do it.

Pushing yourself to do something you aren't sure you should do, or don't feel safe doing is the surest way to split your attention increasing the probability that something could go wrong and potentially cause yourself to freeze up if something goes wrong.

So take things easy at first and as you get used to the bike you'll start to naturally push yourself a litle harder.

NinjaMonkeys wrote:Hi I've been riding for a few months and I'm having a lot of trouble filtering. I would really appreciate a step by step guide on exactly when to filter, where to indicate, how to get back in lane and all of this. I literally need every single thing there is to know about filtering. If anyone can help I would so appreciate it I spent £2,000 on this bike, it would be a shame to waste it by not being able to even filter which is the reason I bought it in the first place!! I'm especially uncomfatable coming up to round abouts and also when the traffic stops and moves again at a fast pace. Please help.

what is filtering???

Riding down the white dotted line when the cars around you are stopped or going very slow. You "filter to the front."

I dont know about where you live but here it doesn't sound like a very smart idea to me

nothing wrong with filtering ... we do it in Italy all the time. It's actually much better for traffic and I feel alot safer doing it (As opposed to sitting in traffic and waiting for someone to rearend me - plus I get to the front of the pack and can separate myself from the traffic when the light changes.)

Unfortunately for Ninja, I have no advice for you. Here in Italy, I just find an opportunity and take it - basically I filter whenever and wherever I can. That includes on the Center line and often in the opposing lane of traffic. Sounds nuts, but the cagers here actually SEE motorcycles and make an effort to AVOID them - even if you are going down the wrong lane here, the opposing traffic will actually MAKE ROOM for you.

In a place like the US or UK, there are too many self-righteous safety dweebs and also too many people who simply don't pay attention to motorcyclists. In the US, there are also plenty of idiots who would gladly swerve IN your way and try to hit you because you are passing them (Road ragers).

As someone else stated, if you aren't comfortable doing it, don't. other than that, someone from the UK will have to help you out ... I would hate to give you advice that will get you into trouble with the law

Kal wrote:Hello Ninja.

Sev is bang on with the "if not comfortable dont do it" advice, if fact it applies to anything you are doing on a bike, some days I really ride, and others I sit in traffic and wait to get to my destination.

Filtering as I understand it;

Technically 'filtering' through low speed or stationary traffic is legal, however because of the way it is worded in law should you have any kind of accident, including someone being a **** and pulling out into you, the accident is YOUR fault.

This is because if there was an accident then it was obviously not safe to filter.

That said I do filter a lot. I keep my speed low 10-15mph so I can react to cages being ****'s, I've had people pull their cars across to block me, and also so I've got plenty of time to maneavour where there is a car sat close to or no the white line.

At the end of the day I am still travelling a lot faster than if I were sat in traffic.

When you have negotiated all the cars and are near the front I understand that we are not allowed to pull in front of the line of traffic. The stop line still applies, even though you are not in a traffic lane. Depending on the situation I pull in where I can behind the lead cars, or if no space available pull along side up to the stop line.

This can be a bit dodgy as while you are waiting for the lights or whatever is causing the hold up to change some drivers can be wound up so as soon as the lights change you need to open her up and get clear.

Not sure what the gearing is like on your ride but you should be the quickest thing off of the lights most of the time. Once you are clear of the cars slide yourself into a legal lane.

As mentioned before dont do it until you are confident on your ride, especially with the weather closing in, the confidence will come with riding.

Something that may help with your confidence is to get yourself a High Visability vest, like you wore on your CBT, I know its not the most fashionable item on the face of the planet but it does increase the chances of cages seeing you and let you get on with the business of riding. I wore one for a few months after I passed my CBT while I was gaining confidence in my riding and in my bike. It helped, especially after dark.

Right, you have some questions about roundabouts?

Oh and welcome to the forums.

Hey Kal, you are getting like elequent and stuff, that was a really good post. I concur with just about everything you are saying. In SA we lane split all the time, for two reasons. 1 when we get grid locked, everything just stops dead. 2 most drivers will drive over the limit on the highways and we lane split until we can find a safe "bubble" to ride in. And yes sometimes it is dangerous but much less than relying on stupid cagers rushing home to their soaps to be alert for you. I make myself a right pain in the butt because I have no problem hooting horns, using flashers, hazards, whatever gets me noticed. We also had a spate of cars that would pull over to block bikes but we also had a spate of pissed off bikers who knocked off car mirrors and the rumour mill went around and this habit seems to have stopped. Not that I would do anything like that Think of this one, if you keep your finger on the horn constant, is it considered polite. If you go TOOT TOOT is this polite. this is purely dependant on what bike you ride. Like all motorcycling skills, filtering has to be learned and adapted to the traffic conditions.

In the US, there are also plenty of idiots who would gladly swerve IN your way and try to hit you because you are passing them

And, illegal or not, thats exactly why I don't do it. I've seen motorcycles splitting lanes, and they NEVER get to the front...there's always someone who thinks the biker is doing something wrong, and thinking themselves the hero, throws their car in their way to block them.

After all if THEY can't cut in traffic down the middle of the lane, they'll be darned if anyone else will.

I'll admit that if I need to make a right hand turn at a light, and it just turned red and there's only 1 or 2 cars ahead of me who want to go straight through, I'll sneak up along side them, do the full and complete stop, then take off.

Biking is more about managing risks, and watching for problems down the road so you have avoided them before they get to you, then it is about looking cool.