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gcon45
RMS Regular
Awful news.
Just to redress the balance on the subject of incidents like this putting prospective or current riders off the notion of riding on the roads - there is a way you can ride safely.
You simply have to ride like there is a hazard around every corner and at every junction.
That sounds tedious but there’s still room to enjoy yourself once that becomes second nature and I believe that 99% of accidents would be avoided if everyone adopted that approach.
I got driven out on earlier today by a van turning right but had spotted him coming down a driveway from a hundred or so yards back. You approach and think “he isn’t, is he?”... then he does.
I had to come to a complete stop at which point I just shook my head in disbelief at him whilst he stared blankly at me and drove on.
A big problem in this country is that we don’t have the roads to enjoy sports bikes properly and everyone who has ridden a sports bike will agree that they feel very discontented to cruise at lower speeds. They feel like caged animals.
Add this to the fact that they have a riding position which eliminates a lot of your peripheral vision and you begin to see the problem.
Add a group of them together and the risk rises exponentially.
Just to redress the balance on the subject of incidents like this putting prospective or current riders off the notion of riding on the roads - there is a way you can ride safely.
You simply have to ride like there is a hazard around every corner and at every junction.
That sounds tedious but there’s still room to enjoy yourself once that becomes second nature and I believe that 99% of accidents would be avoided if everyone adopted that approach.
I got driven out on earlier today by a van turning right but had spotted him coming down a driveway from a hundred or so yards back. You approach and think “he isn’t, is he?”... then he does.
I had to come to a complete stop at which point I just shook my head in disbelief at him whilst he stared blankly at me and drove on.
A big problem in this country is that we don’t have the roads to enjoy sports bikes properly and everyone who has ridden a sports bike will agree that they feel very discontented to cruise at lower speeds. They feel like caged animals.
Add this to the fact that they have a riding position which eliminates a lot of your peripheral vision and you begin to see the problem.
Add a group of them together and the risk rises exponentially.
warren
RMS Photographer
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I was on the coast road in the car at about 8.15am and that is about the only time I'd ever want to be out there on a bike. The rest of the time its just drivers out for a little tootle up the coast without a care in the world. When I was coming back I was going round one of the very sharp blind corners quite close to Larne and was presented by 3 runners coming towards me running side by side, had the opposite lane not been clear for me to swerve into that would have been a close one. I was fuming, if you want to get wiped out by a car that seems like the perfect way to do it.
As much as I love my R1, as said it feels like a caged animal on the roads thats just egging you on, its just too compentent and too capable for normal roads and you find yourself totally bored on it having to drive in normal traffic. I'm finding myself gravitiating towards the Tracer 9 times out of 10, its more comfy, really punchy torque, very light on its toes and it makes so much noise now that I find myself having an absolute blast even from 20-60mph.
I love my bikes, but half of me thinks I should sell them both and get another Z4 or something as a toy.
As much as I love my R1, as said it feels like a caged animal on the roads thats just egging you on, its just too compentent and too capable for normal roads and you find yourself totally bored on it having to drive in normal traffic. I'm finding myself gravitiating towards the Tracer 9 times out of 10, its more comfy, really punchy torque, very light on its toes and it makes so much noise now that I find myself having an absolute blast even from 20-60mph.
I love my bikes, but half of me thinks I should sell them both and get another Z4 or something as a toy.
If I may add to this @gcon45
A lot of this is down to positioning. The race line as we know it may look sweet on TV at tracks with a lot of run off but it's totally counterproductive on a road ride. It limits your view ahead which limits your space to move, think and stop.
Whereas positioning nearer the offside white line coming to a left opens the corner up, increases the view and space you have to then peel into the apex and setup for the next one. "advanced" riding as such may seem to be R1200GS pipe and slippers boring, it's made me faster and ultimately safer.. That's priceless!
A lot of this is down to positioning. The race line as we know it may look sweet on TV at tracks with a lot of run off but it's totally counterproductive on a road ride. It limits your view ahead which limits your space to move, think and stop.
Whereas positioning nearer the offside white line coming to a left opens the corner up, increases the view and space you have to then peel into the apex and setup for the next one. "advanced" riding as such may seem to be R1200GS pipe and slippers boring, it's made me faster and ultimately safer.. That's priceless!
Sad to hear about the chap, he was local to me although I didn't know him personally. Feel for his wife and teenage kid.
Of course my mum and dad, mother in law, wife are all now on at me too, "do you really need a bike", "would you not be safer selling that thing" "sure it sits in the garage 8 months of the year". I've only just got the damned thing, exactly for the reason that it's not a sports bike and therefore 60 feels like 60, 80 feels like 80 and so on. The point of changing was that it's too easy to go too fast on a fully faired bike of a sporting nature.
Anyone can get on a motorbike and go faster than 90% of cars will ever see without even breaking a sweat, until they come to a corner which tightens unexpectedly or has a tractor on the far side of it. Until someone overtakes a tractor with the sun in their eyes or reverses out of a drive. Bikers will blame cars for turning without indicators while they're overtaking, shouldn't be even thinking about overtaking where there's somewhere to turn into or someone may come out of.
Group positioning is something people should learn too, also how your group rides. Is your mate on a V-twin which engine brakes more severely than a 4 cyl? Will he even use his brakes going into a corner?
I don't like going out with large groups of people I don't know in general, never mind on the bike. People can and do turn into complete nutters, we all push the boundaries at times but some folk, i dunno, it's like they've been let off their leash or something. People who can ride, do. They do it well, they do it safely on roads they know.
Of course my mum and dad, mother in law, wife are all now on at me too, "do you really need a bike", "would you not be safer selling that thing" "sure it sits in the garage 8 months of the year". I've only just got the damned thing, exactly for the reason that it's not a sports bike and therefore 60 feels like 60, 80 feels like 80 and so on. The point of changing was that it's too easy to go too fast on a fully faired bike of a sporting nature.
Anyone can get on a motorbike and go faster than 90% of cars will ever see without even breaking a sweat, until they come to a corner which tightens unexpectedly or has a tractor on the far side of it. Until someone overtakes a tractor with the sun in their eyes or reverses out of a drive. Bikers will blame cars for turning without indicators while they're overtaking, shouldn't be even thinking about overtaking where there's somewhere to turn into or someone may come out of.
Group positioning is something people should learn too, also how your group rides. Is your mate on a V-twin which engine brakes more severely than a 4 cyl? Will he even use his brakes going into a corner?
I don't like going out with large groups of people I don't know in general, never mind on the bike. People can and do turn into complete nutters, we all push the boundaries at times but some folk, i dunno, it's like they've been let off their leash or something. People who can ride, do. They do it well, they do it safely on roads they know.
You've a point there about engine braking. Out and about solo as I normally am, I really don't brake a great deal unless I'm downshifting beyond 4th where I'll pull a touch of front.
The bike (SV650S) I think I ride to it's strength, which is the torque it produces
The bike (SV650S) I think I ride to it's strength, which is the torque it produces
gcon45
RMS Regular
You’d think that when an engine (especially a big Twin) is pulling a certain amount of back torque it should activate the brake light as a safety measure.
I’ve seen boys who have ridden in line 4s all their life jump on a Twin for the first time and lock the rear wheel into a corner.
I’ve seen boys who have ridden in line 4s all their life jump on a Twin for the first time and lock the rear wheel into a corner.
As standard from factory. There are a few magic boxes out there that do this
Some real sensible responses here lads 
If not done already, advanced / safety riding courses should be considered. I did a star rider course yonks ago and is has proved invaluable over the years esp reinforcing the defensive riding ethos.
If not done already, advanced / safety riding courses should be considered. I did a star rider course yonks ago and is has proved invaluable over the years esp reinforcing the defensive riding ethos.
I'm doing Bikesafe again next month, hopefully take feedback with me to an IAM or ROSPA group and progress through the test.Some real sensible responses here lads
If not done already, advanced / safety riding courses should be considered. I did a star rider course yonks ago and is has proved invaluable over the years esp reinforcing the defensive riding ethos.
£12 for a 6 hour course of theory and observed riding
I ride differently now than I did a year ago, and ride totally differently to me of 10 years ago, that's solely down to internet theory and youtube demos.
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My 2 cents - Be careful who you ride with...
I absolutely cannot stand riding with guys who spend all day trying to get the knee down/filtering at stupid speed (Guy went between me and a car on motorway this am at 100mph plus)/passing cars with no room to spare.
What is the point?! You don't get there any faster and it's not enjoyable riding...
Nothing better than a group of mates on a good run together but there are at least 2 sets of friends who I won't go out with anymore because they ride like this...
I absolutely cannot stand riding with guys who spend all day trying to get the knee down/filtering at stupid speed (Guy went between me and a car on motorway this am at 100mph plus)/passing cars with no room to spare.
What is the point?! You don't get there any faster and it's not enjoyable riding...
Nothing better than a group of mates on a good run together but there are at least 2 sets of friends who I won't go out with anymore because they ride like this...
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mikey
RMS Regular
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Always sad to hear. Will never ride the coast road again myself (only ridden it twice) due to the standard of riding I witnessed on it. Two boys on a Zx10 and R1 racing each other entering blind left hand corners on the wrong side of the road after coming up the inside of me as I was positioned towards the white line for entering said corner. Then the other time met a group of boys passing a line of cars forcing me to literally scobe up the side of the grass (big sod got stuck in my footpeg) to avoid them. Much prefer going over the mournes for a spin. A lot quieter.
Can you send me a map of where to go lol
hannakournikova
RMS Regular
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Has it been confirmed the jeep was at fault?
j44nty
RMS Regular
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I was sitting outside my caravan with a coffee at about 8am in cushendall and a motorcycle went down the coast road as hard as he could travel. I wondered to myself that bai is not gonna end well. Wonder was it him il never know. I tutled home the coast road barely braking 30 and eating an icecream in the jeep was mint only to get rudely interrupted by a biker coming round a bend behind me and almost ate the spare wheel on the back door of the jeep. We all have to use the roads and respect those of us who don't wish to sit at the national limits. RIP anyway to the poor sod.
Nothing either way afaik
I'm a relatively new rider, only a few years and I'll not lie. I've been a bit silly sometimes but I've also been on the receiving end of a few people exiting side streets without a care in the world. Most recently just last week, 24mph tootling along after exiting a gsrage and just managed to bump his front right tyre, he didn't even slow down to give way but luckily I spotted him and was quick on the brakes. I honestly much prefer going for runs on my own and take in everything around me, mostly the scenery but all the dangers along it too. It's crazy to me to see boys overtaking on bends, overtaking over crests etc at silly speeds.
I get people being put off by news like this but Gcon45 hit the nail on the head. That's the definite best way to ride. If getting a licence is something you've thought about doing a lot, just do it you'll not regret it.
I get people being put off by news like this but Gcon45 hit the nail on the head. That's the definite best way to ride. If getting a licence is something you've thought about doing a lot, just do it you'll not regret it.
Not condoning rash moves but sometimes a car drive looks at a biker and thinks they are more mental than they are. They don't really comprehend just how responsive and agile a bike is in terms of riding in a city or working their way past a line of traffic on a B road. They see a bike leaning over in a corner and think it's dangerous, but if you don't lean over you don't get round.
The field of view from many bikes is fantastic and because they are narrow you can move around the road a lot more to get a better view past traffic. They can also straighten a corner better because they are narrower than a car.
The field of view from many bikes is fantastic and because they are narrow you can move around the road a lot more to get a better view past traffic. They can also straighten a corner better because they are narrower than a car.
gcon45
RMS Regular
I was out for a leisurely buzz this morning and got pulled out on yet again. It's a daily occurrence.
Just happened to have my GoPro on this time.
If I was doing any sort of big speed I'd more than likely have been into him.
This is what you're dealing with so no wonder there are so many accidents.
Just happened to have my GoPro on this time.
If I was doing any sort of big speed I'd more than likely have been into him.
This is what you're dealing with so no wonder there are so many accidents.
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genman
OP
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the SLOW on the road must be for that van man
genman
OP
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when i had RSVs a mate borrowed one and nearly fell off at the 1st roundabout. he was used to rolling IL4s through it but didnt realise he had to actually ride a vtwin or pull in the clutch.
genman
OP
- Thread Starter
- #50
slow moving and eating... great example of respect for others
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