I was driving home on the freeway tonight, going about 30-40 mph in the #3 lane in medium density traffic. I glanced in my side view mirror, and there was a guy on a motorcycle in the #2 lane just behind me. He seemed to be looking at me. I nodded at him, mostly to let him know I saw him (and maybe to kinda thank him for thinking my MINI is cool).

Maybe 30 seconds later, we approached a section of slower traffic. The #1 and #2 lanes were pretty much stopped, but my #3 lane was still moving along. The moto was still next to me, and I figured he would ride on between the #1 and #2 lanes. But then I heard him downshift just as I got past the first slow car in his lane and heard a thud.

I looked back in my side mirror, and saw what I'm pretty sure was him getting back to his feet with his bike on the ground. I don't know if he hit the car in front, or laid his bike down or what. I was way too far down the road to stop, but it looked like he was okay.

Bottom line: I think my MINI was a hazardous distraction tonight. Please tell your non-MINI driving friends not to stare!

 

But its so hard not to. They are so amazing.

 

Since you're in CA, and the way you described it, I'm assuming he was straddling the lane. Honestly, it serves him right.. I'll never understand how people can ride between lanes like that, legal or no. What if I stuck my arm out the window?!

At any rate, your Mini must be hot

 

I pulled up to a stop light behind a LY MCS the other day, it was just the two MINI's sitting at the light so I'm sure it was cool to see. I noticed a lady coming in the other direction was looking at the cars and smiling and as I followed her in my mirror she *almost* took out the car to her right because she was still looking at the cars. I couldn't help but laugh since nothing actually happened. I love getting looks, I hope they won't cause accidents, but it's fun to get stares and smiles in these cars.

Drew

 

Yeah what if someone suddenly opened the door to throw up at the sight of another SUV? What's a cyclist to do?

 

No, he was in his lane! I think he just wasn't paying attention to what was happening in front of him because he didn't slow down much at all. Even if he was going to split the lanes he would have slowed down as he approached the traffic.

(And my MINI isn't hot - other than my shorty antenna and debadged boot, there isn't much to admire about it if you're not behind the wheel.)

 

!!!!

thats classic

 

That's gotta be the ultimate "made 'em look" story...now we all have a new goal to achieve!

 

Something similiar happened last year at the Houston Mini Motoring Society meeting. We were at a restaurant and were all parked on a side street. Apparently a car on the main street spotted all of the MINIs and drifted into the adjacent lane as he was looking at us. Too bad he did not miss the car next to him. The good thing was no one was hurt.

 

It happened to me in '02 (when MINIs were still new and rare). Lady and passenger in the lane next to me were looking and pointing and talking to one another without paying much attention to the road ahead. My lane was actually moving slower than hers for a bit and she was pacing me so she was also leaving a gap ahead of her and undoubtedly pissing off the folks behind her. Then we caught up to the spot where the traffic in her lane was at a standstill and mine was not.....can you see what's coming next? Yup, I kept going and she didn't.....when she slammed into the line of stopped cars ahead of her at about 30mph or so.

 

Here's one that's happened to me more than once.
While waiting at a side street to try to take a left I see a car/SUV approaching from my right. It slows down just enough to screw up my chances of getting out and when it passes in front of me I realize the slowdown was to get a better look at El Kabong. Usually I'm ok with this, but when I'm running late I really want to yell "take a picture!".
Annette

 

I've often wondered if two motorcycles were in say, the #1 and #2 lanes and in the middle of those lanes what they would do if I passed between them whitelining it like they so often do. Bet they'd be pissed! But, I soooo want to try this sometime, if nothing more but to give them a taste of their own medicine.

 

I imagine their are NAMers with motorcycle experience who can speak to this based on experience, but what I've been told in the past is that it is more dangerous for a motorcyclist to try to ride in stop and go traffic within one lane than it is for them to split the lanes.

No doubt there are cyclists splitting lanes in traffic moving more quickly than stop-and-go, and that is risky behavior, but I don't want to throw all the cyclists into the fire.

 

Dude! That sounds like SUV bashing. Did you get your vote in at the Car BASHING THREAD???

Please do so we know exactly which cars NAM HATES the most

 

It really depends how it's done. When lane splitting is done leagally there isn't nearly as much chance of a motorist getting a start from it. CA law say that lane splitting is legal only when the motorcyclist is going 35 mph or less and not more than 15 mph over than the flow fo traffic. I used to do it all the time when I still rode, unfortunately the need to fit two car seats in to my daily driving routine got rid of that for awhile, but I never would do 50 between parked cars, it's just dumb and way to nerve racking looking for that one guy who is pissed that you can go and he cannot so he's going to pull towards you or open he's door to stop you.

 

bee1000n , are you wildly attractive or had any articles of clothing removed while you drove? this could be the reason why too. hahavbmenu_register("postmenu_1090868", tr, are you ar wildly attractive

 

Uh, no. I'm not sure he was looking at me - with the MINI's big mirrors I just figure people can see my face if I can see theirs, you know?

(And as a straight male, I don't really want guys on bikes staring at me [not that there's anything wrong with that!])

 

I'm not sure what this rider was doing. People who have been riding for awhile learn to pay attention. I have ridden motorcycles for many years and many miles in California and I lane split when it is safe. There is a greater risk of being hit from behind in traffic than from having a door opened or being cut off. I have been hit twice in my truck by drivers not watching in stop and go traffic. If that happens on the bike you are in real trouble. A bike will be totaled with only a 5 mph hit and you can be slammed to the ground and spend weeks in the hospital. Why risk it? Besides the bike can overheat and you wear the clutch in stop and go and it isn't any fun sitting when you don't have to. Part of the reason to ride a bike it to be able to get through backed up traffic. You learn to watch the hands on the steering wheels of the drivers to anticipate sudden moves. No reason to get upset as long as they are riding safely. I would rather have them splitting lanes than talking on their cell phones while drinking coffee and driving behind me in an SUV or adding to the backup in front of me.

 

Well, thanks everyone for giving me a new goal-- taking out one car a week for staring at my Mini. Hopefully not a car that's following directly behind me.

 

<< I've often wondered if two motorcycles were in say, the #1 and #2 lanes and in the middle of those lanes what they would do if I passed between them whitelining it like they so often do. Bet they'd be pissed! But, I soooo want to try this sometime, if nothing more but to give them a taste of their own medicine. >>


This is the attitude of so many drivers who feel that if they can't get where they're going as fast as possible, that no one else should, either, legally or no. A perfectly understandable, though selfish, thought pattern. >>

The hypothetical incident you describe has actually happened to me, although not with 2 bikes. I was riding in my lane, and some ricer decided to pass me in my lane. There was plenty of room for him to change lanes to do this. My first thought after it happened was, 'what an a-hole.'

A motorcycle doing the passing is different than when a car does it. The burden of avoidance of injury is always on the cyclist. If I make a questionable move on a bike, and the cars around me do nothing to contribute to a mishap, then that's my problem. If a car makes the questionable move and the rider is injured, then it's still the rider's problem.

And cars can't 'white line.' The width makes it impossible.


<< It really depends how it's done >>


The only time I lane split is when traffic is not moving, like moving up to the front of a line of cars at a traffic light. If they're not moving, they can't hit me. And if someone opens up a door with the intent to injure me, they had better hope I can't stand up after the impact.

How do I determine intent? Watch the drivers' heads and the side view mirrors.