View Full Version : Wiltshire Bikers and the cloaks of invisibility!
BladeTriple
12-02-11, 06:09 PM
Sunny day , fairly dry roads and more idiots in cars with tunnel vision than anything else. Is it because its still deemed too cold and damp for the average car driver to expect to see bikers on the road that they just pull out from anywhere or think you've got a forcefield around you so they can drive like dicks or are we going out with our 'Harry Potter-esque' cloaks of invisibility on.
We lost count of the amount of blind b@$t@rds who just pulled out then cringed or just rode off our back wheels or far too close to us for the conditions today it was unreal. We were not riding fast or our usual summer style especially as one of us was getting their road confidence back after a recent off , just enjoying the ride and getting on the road again.
When I was out in Canada once the weather improved the local radio stations had a big bike awareness gig on , however with 2 seasons over there, Winter ... 6 months and Summer 6 months and lots of snow its understandable , over here we can ride pretty much all year round yet people seem to forget we exist in the winter .
Has anyone else suffered at the hands of the bike blind cage driver in the last couple of months?
Since being knocked off the bike by a Clio driver who 'didn't see me' last June it is my considered opinion that all bikes should be fitted with an exhaust system loud enough to drown a police siren - by law.
It's worked for me so far ;D ;D ;D
Mitch9128
12-02-11, 07:10 PM
Yeah, turned out to be an undercover filth wagon, bastids. 6 Points and £800 for putting a couple of cars between me and them, entrapment i say!!!
redken1
12-02-11, 07:45 PM
Since being knocked off the bike by a Clio driver who 'didn't see me' last June it is my considered opinion that all bikes should be fitted with an exhaust system loud enough to drown a police siren - by law.
It's worked for me so far ;D ;D ;D
When you reach our age most of us are deaf as a post anyway. ;D
Squashed_Fly
12-02-11, 08:15 PM
SMIDSY
some t**t pulled out on me today funny enough on a roundabout, then realizing what he had done for some reason thought he should emergency stop blocking the whole road! he did say sorry, but wow some peoples driving is CRAP!
Was having this discussion today with two bikers who are both ex-plod. The upshot was if you want to be seen, ride a big white bike with big blue and yellow reflective blocks down the side.
Mitch9128
13-02-11, 08:00 AM
Was having this discussion today with two bikers who are both ex-plod. The upshot was if you want to be seen, ride a big white bike with big blue and yellow reflective blocks down the side.
There is such a bloke, seen him twice on the M4, telling cars to move out of the outside lane, and bollocking bikers on the move. I thought he was plod and held back until my exit, then i could see he was a walter. Second time i saw him, i flew past him and gave him the bird, he chased me until jnc17 with his orange light flashing, utter cock. There is an old thread on VD in spotted about him.
Ghost has an invisibility cloak, seems to use a lot -bike, car, van or truck! ;D
BB
bobf279
13-02-11, 02:11 PM
I had a couple of days with cars pulling out to pass parked cars assuming that I would move to ride in the gutter. I hate the driver who pulls out and after you have adjusted to the idiot move compunds the error with an emergency stop
Ducatista
13-02-11, 04:29 PM
I know some people don't like high viz but I rode to Bristol on Weds morning in thick fog.
The conditions were far from ideal, but I had a service booked first thing.
All I can say is that I am jolly glad I had a high viz jacket on.
I don't assume people can see me, but I am sure it helped.
bobf279
13-02-11, 04:34 PM
I tend to wear Hi Vis this time of year, particularly when commuting, makes you stand out in the gloom.
Was having this discussion today with two bikers who are both ex-plod. The upshot was if you want to be seen, ride a big white bike with big blue and yellow reflective blocks down the side.
There is such a bloke, seen him twice on the M4, telling cars to move out of the outside lane, and bollocking bikers on the move. I thought he was plod and held back until my exit, then i could see he was a walter. Second time i saw him, i flew past him and gave him the bird, he chased me until jnc17 with his orange light flashing, utter cock. There is an old thread on VD in spotted about him.
Ooooh, that's a bit cheeky! Be funny to see him getting pulled by an unmarked car ;D
Not heard the expression Walter before, what's one of them?
White bikes definitely get you seen, I had a white Fazer with blue LED sidelights and a white topbox and lid and cars would be a lot more wary around me than when I was on the Falco, so it definitely works.
Mitch9128
13-02-11, 09:41 PM
http://www.visordown.com/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=4&UTN=385590&last=1&V=5&SP=
Scrol back to page1 of that thread.
Walter Mitty, get a lot of people pretending to be forces, nicknamed Walters/walts.
Dan_Morgan
16-02-11, 10:17 PM
I had it happen the other night.... First time it ever happened, wasn't nice! :( I swear she looked at me, then a car pulled from the main road into a side road, once that car had finished its turn, she pulls out onto the main road where i'm coming from her Right, she pulls out 4-5ft I slam my brakes on, (I used back and Front break ... Mark told me to use just front brake next time) but my bike was sideways and I am sure my arse was infront of my handle bars, she stopped after the 4-5 ft, i managed to basically throw myself and the bike round the front of the car.... I then continued on as I didnt know what else to do!
Went to see Mark thinking my brakes had something wrong with them, after he checked it and said nothing was wrong, on the way home I noticed my foot was slightly touching the brake the whole time i was riding! Must have been nerves!
Not nice experience for someone thats done under 150 miles! Least I was going slowly if something had of happened. I was at 28mph before braking!
BladeTriple
17-02-11, 08:18 AM
Bloody hell Dan, so glad you're ok ! It's never nice for this to happen even less so when you're just getting your confidence or getting it back after an off!
I found on saturday riding for the first time since my spill (read boy racer incident) that I was uptight on the bike and very wary of everything and everyone around me and it took me ages to relax , in fact it wasn't until our return journey from Salisbury did I start getting back to my more relaxed style or riding.
Anyway , so happy that you came away unscathed and just putting this one down to experience, the only good thing that comes of it is the adrenaline hit that your body gives you later on ;)
Chappers
17-02-11, 05:45 PM
I had it happen the other night.... First time it ever happened, wasn't nice! :( I swear she looked at me, then a car pulled from the main road into a side road, once that car had finished its turn, she pulls out onto the main road where i'm coming from her Right, she pulls out 4-5ft I slam my brakes on, (I used back and Front break ... Mark told me to use just front brake next time) but my bike was sideways and I am sure my arse was infront of my handle bars, she stopped after the 4-5 ft, i managed to basically throw myself and the bike round the front of the car.... I then continued on as I didnt know what else to do!
Went to see Mark thinking my brakes had something wrong with them, after he checked it and said nothing was wrong, on the way home I noticed my foot was slightly touching the brake the whole time i was riding! Must have been nerves!
Not nice experience for someone thats done under 150 miles! Least I was going slowly if something had of happened. I was at 28mph before braking!
The two best pieces of advice I had on that were:
- courtesy of Michael Caine in Zulu - wait until you see the whites of their eyes - until they are totally fixed on you assume they are going to pull out and kill you so prepare for it - once you have decent eye contact your chances of being mowed down decrease
- courtesy of someone in some bike mag - adjust road position slightly so that the car driver can register something moving. They are expecting a car or something else bigger than a bike so their brain doesn't register. A bit like waving a torch to attract attention, if you move a few feet within the road it increases your chances of being spotted.
Nothing's perfect. It's all about putting the odds on your side.
Uber Dave
17-02-11, 05:51 PM
This is why I took the baffle out of my exhaust (if you believe that you will believe anything! ;-) ) but it does help. When I have used my bike the 4 or 5 times since the start of Jan through town I dont have any problems with people pulling out as they hear me and then seem to look out for me.
Actually the closest thing I had to a near miss was a scooter pulling out on me, but been on L plates and near a college I put it down to a 16/17 year old with little to no experience.
Chappers
17-02-11, 06:03 PM
No amount of exhaust noise from 20+ yards away will get through sealed car windows and the sound of child/ren in the back and radio / CD playing.
I can't say I have ever heard a bike before seeing it in nearly two decades of driving a car.
That said, an R6 with baffle out is very funny ;D
That said, an R6 with baffle out is very funny ;D
I take it that's aimed at me sleepy??
I will get the pit crew to remove it before the season starts! ;D
roxy
redken1
17-02-11, 06:20 PM
I am deaf as a post so I would not hear a bike with a loud exhaust anyway. I was caught out by an ambulance on an emergency call up the rear of my van once. I never heard the siren, but noticed the flashing light in my mirrors and then took action to let it pass.
Chappers
17-02-11, 07:14 PM
That said, an R6 with baffle out is very funny ;D
I take it that's aimed at me sleepy??
I will get the pit crew to remove it before the season starts! ;D
roxy
nope, meant it as in v noisy funny.
especially with dave's can on!
Uber Dave
18-02-11, 02:59 PM
No amount of exhaust noise from 20+ yards away will get through sealed car windows and the sound of child/ren in the back and radio / CD playing.
I can't say I have ever heard a bike before seeing it in nearly two decades of driving a car.
That said, an R6 with baffle out is very funny ;D
Trust me in the traffic through Lincoln at rush hour when cars are doing no more than 10mph they here me coming!
Richzx10r
18-02-11, 07:02 PM
White bike?.I had a 03 sp2.white with castrol decals.
Loud? blue flames with no baffles(could easily set off car alarms and be heard for a couple of minutes after leaving the house according to my other half)
This didnt stop an 18 year old pulling out in front of me in lynham and righting my bike off,fracturing my knee and tearing my quad muscle.
He said"i didnt see you".I said"because you were looking left whilst turning right".
Seeing the whites of their eyes is the best advice.
P.S My accident happened in a 30 zone and the collision must have been at no more than 10mph.I treat everyone as an idiot and make them prove me wrong.
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