Motorway riding

[Loops]

You'll be fine Dan.

Lots of good advice already, but mainly just do lots of checks before you make a move, give yourself more space, and aim to just keep up with the traffic for your first few runs - chill out in the slow lane 8-)

[supermancss]

suprised nobdy else seems to have mentioned this, but you will find it very windy. Due to all the traffic pushing the air in both directions. Depending on what bike you have you will obviously feel it more/less than others.

I usually try and get it over with ASAP and stick my head down under the screen lol. As others have said, mirrorrrrss... I adjust mine slightly if going on motorway so they provide better coverage for swapping lanes rather than just general riding.

Btw dont turn around completely at speed, you will get pushed by the wind and wobble, done this myself.. scary!!

[Scotty]

...chill out in the slow lane 8-)

I'd definitely advise against hanging around in the slow lane Dan! That's where the trucks predominantly live, the carriageway surface is often distorted into shallow ruts, it's the dirtiest lane with oil deposits and tyre debris, and you want to keep yourself as far away from trucks as you can - they're unpredictable (especially the foreign ones), the drivers' visibility of other road users is compromised (ditto foreign ones) and you really don't want to get amongst them if at all possible. Keep your speed to at least 70 and keep an eye on one truck following close behind another, it could easily pull out for the famous three-mile overtake and might not see you (or indicate) before doing so. Stay sharp to stay alive...

[Jon_W]

...and watch out for these:

[Snowy]

Give yourself plenty of time and room to move over into the first overtaking lane when anticipating traffic that is merging from the left onto the motorway. Things have a habit of happening very fast at junctions when you have been sat on a long stretch at a constant speed. Don't undertake either unless you really want to end up in A&E. I would leave filtering to when you have a bit more experience but if you do do it, not at 70mph!

[Squashed_Fly]

The motorway is the safest place you can be (other than at home in the garden sunbathing!).

All the traffic is going the same way, at give or take the same speed, and you can only enter in 1 direction (not the band!).

By law, you have to stick to the slow lane unless overtaking, and you can be pulled for middle lane hogging, even though as Scotty says, it's the dirtiest lane usually. Even so, you're going in a straight line so shouldn't have any probs.

If you are in heavy traffic and filtering, THE SAFEST PLACE TO FILTER IS BETWEEN THE MIDDLE AND FAST LANES!!!! Just keep an eye on your mirrors, remember lifesavers, and watch thehead of the driver of the car in front to see where he's looking, and therefore likely to go. Also, it's a good way to spot undercovers, as they quite often still wear uniform in unmarked cars...

[Rossio]

[quote author=Squashed_Fly link=1332796573/15#15 date=1332860626]THE SAFEST PLACE TO FILTER IS BETWEEN THE MIDDLE AND FAST LANES!!!! quote]

Great fun on the m25 isnt it

[Nikki]

Arghhh we don't have a slow and fast lane on our motorways its lanes 1, 2 and 3...sorry but it drives me mad that...feeling better already

[Nikki]

Another thing to be aware of is the indent in lane one from the lorries etc., it can catch you out a bit. Its really bad between Chippenham and Swindon.

[Dan505]

Thanks for advice everyone and [smiley=thumbsup.gif] cheers Jon, Scotty and Snowy some good points that have really made me think