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'Big bikes' filtering - Suitable responses?
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Someone I know has had the following rant (I've corrected the spelling
and punctuation a bit) and I'm torn how to respond.
"I must plead to any one out there who rides big wide motor bikes to
not try and filter round the outside of traffic while there are cars
coming the other way.
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This brings to mind the image of Dodger.
On the 'wing.
With ironing board.
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In my opinion it’s just a bit rude. Riders on sports bikes are not a
problem but when a great big chromed Harley starts filtering round
traffic and you have to almost stop so he can find a place I can’t
help thinking they give bikers a bad name. You have chosen a bike that
is as wide as a small car, live with the fact you can’t filter :)
And does any one know what was going on at Donington park on Sunday,
the traffic was awful."
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It was a Clio racing thing.
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Not just Clios - it was the world series by Renault , so all sorts of 4
wheeled contrivances including some very nice 3.5 litre V6 megane
look-alikes.
And anyway the Clios made the best spectator sport as they were all drive by
17 year olds with no sense of fear.
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Perhaps if this person worried about their own driving and road positioning
in response to the audio-visual inputs they are doubtless getting from the
riding fraternity?
Are they also of the headlight flashing, horn sounding persuasion? We are
all aware they are only persons on the road able to judge all distances,
gaps and overtaking opportunities.
My K1100 filters quite nicely thanks and does so even better if the cage
drivers leave the recomended seperation distances and use, where applicable,
correct road positions.
No idea, far too pikey over that part of country. :)
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Anyone who can filter on a sportsbike can filter on anything else, unless
they're a shandy-drinking, bed-wetting girlie man. In 2000, I went from an
R100/7 that was 24" across the bars to a Kawasaki Drifter that was about 37"
across. The first day I had it, I filtered between two lines of buses on
the deck of a P&O ferry in Calais to get to the front of the queue. I've
just been out with the tape measure - the VFR is 33" across its widest part
(the mirrors) and the Wing is 40". Big deal. Both bikes filter just fine.
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Was that VFR with or without hard panniers? I remember coming back from
Spain up the A34 having skinny sports bikes move out of my way as I
filtered through fully loaded.
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Happens to me often enough on the BMW K series. Although, I suspect
it's only a couple of inches wider than the ZXR750. Feels a lot more
though.
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Heh. I remember filtering up Crickley Hill on the Glos/Cirencester road on
a VFR with GIVI panniers. The middle of the three lanes was coned off so I
was filtering between the slowly moving traffic and the cones. Apparently
every now and again I clipped a cone sending it into a mad spin. My mate
was following behind and had several cone dodging moments. I've been a big
fan of soft luggage since then.
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I used to be, at least until the Chimay run this year when, on the
return trip, my throwovers did what Champ's did on the outward leg and
caught fire.
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The choccies in the Wing's aft cargo hold slumped a little in the heat.
Didn't stop them being scoffed at the other end, though.
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The Galaxy/CDM that was delivered to the SoFrance after two days in
the Wing's pannier were Daliesque, to say the least.
After they'd been in the fridge for a few hours.
Before that, they were liquid.
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Panniers don't make that much of a difference - they're usually below the
level of car mirrors, so you've got a few extra inches clearance.
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Soft ones aren't. I used to have the mirror to prove it.
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Givi Maxias on CBR1000's aren't. Oh no.
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Mind you, Harleys. They may have a point.
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