^ i stay behind the left side of the car infront of me, with bike pointed just past the left side of his car.
Would rather be in the middle of the street, more options, than have to escape into the curb.
I did a forum search before posting and didn’t see anything. If it’s been covered I apologize. Certainly not trying to start a war. Disclaimer, I also mount my ride from the kickstand side. Always have always will, haven’t died doing it yet.
Question: do you sit at traffic lights in neutral? Do you glide up to a stop in neutral?
I have always shifted down to a stop on every bike I’ve ridden, in every situation, racing, woods riding, CBR 600 or Magna Cruiser. I sit in gear with my hand on the clutch at the light. If it’s an intersection wth turn arrows and such and it’s gonna be a while I may click into neutral for a rest or to adjust my position. Basically no rhyme or reason or specific safety issue for me. That’s just the way I ride.
I see people on YouTube videos clicking into neutral before the stop and going into gear when it’s time to take off. Thoughts?
I stay off streets with more than 2 lanes whenever possible - the 6 lane intersections are a big part of the risk, that and anyone trying to make a left turn across multiple lanes anywhere.
I lane split through about 15 miles of that everyday during my 34 mile commute down the freeway..... Saves a ton of time and is a thousand percent safer than getting rear-ended.... I have been doing so nearly everyday for 8 years now. But I know not all states are a motorcycle paradise like California is.... ;-)
When I come to a stop I keep it in gear and hold the clutch in. I only shift to neutral if I need to use my left hand for something while at a stop, which is rarely.
^ i stay behind the left side of the car infront of me, with bike pointed just past the left side of his car.
Would rather be in the middle of the street, more options, than have to escape into the curb.
I lane split through about 15 miles of that everyday during my 34 mile commute down the freeway..... Saves a ton of time and is a thousand percent safer than getting rear-ended.... I have been doing so nearly everyday for 8 years now. But I know not all states are a motorcycle paradise like California is.... ;-)
When I come to a stop I keep it in gear and hold the clutch in. I only shift to neutral if I need to use my left hand for something while at a stop, which is rarely.
When I commuted between Venice and Pacoima In SoCal. it was 27 miles in a car it would sometimes take 2 1/2 hours on a bike splitting lanes it was just over an hour. I did it for 13 years and yea I got smacked but I knew I wouldn't get run over because the cars weren't going any where. LOL.
I understand that as a fail-safe worse case situation, but the intention is to keep one eye in the mirror and not get rear ended, because you have a way out.
I think if you go to the left of the car in front of you, then you have the option to make a left turn (if there is no traffic coming the other way) or go around the car or cars in front of you and let them absorb all the impact of the car that is not stopping.
If you go to the right and hit the curb you are going down right there, right where the accident is going to happen.
Its a bad situation no matter how you look at it, there is no "good" solution, only degrees of increasingly bad options.
One of those options is to drop the bike and make a diving leap for the curb/shoulder. That will look really stupid if you catch the attention of the car that is closing on you, and he stops - so you have just jumped off your bike and dropped it, and he drives away when the light turns green. Or worse yet if the driver decides to swerve and miss rear ending the car, and runs you over.
Yamaha Pat you are right! There is only awful decisions to make! Like i said earlier that I was lucky that there was a large shoulder for me to go to without a curb, just gravel (like I said, it was the 70's! LOL) I'm just glad that I have had a good sense of where I am and what is going on around me with good reflexes! I hope those are staying with me as I'm getting older in my retirement years! I grew up and lived in Illinois until last October so, believe it or not, when spring came it seemed people were watching for the "Farm equipment & Motorcycle season", but it was getting worse as the Farms disappeared! Now that I am here in Arizona I can ride year round but the people here are some of the worse drivers I have ever seen! It's actually sometimes not an enjoyable experience to be on my Raider!
I understand that as a fail-safe worse case situation, but the intention is to keep one eye in the mirror and not get rear ended, because you have a way out.
I think if you go to the left of the car in front of you, then you have the option to make a left turn (if there is no traffic coming the other way) or go around the car or cars in front of you and let them absorb all the impact of the car that is not stopping.
If you go to the right and hit the curb you are going down right there, right where the accident is going to happen.
Its a bad situation no matter how you look at it, there is no "good" solution, only degrees of increasingly bad options.
One of those options is to drop the bike and make a diving leap for the curb/shoulder. That will look really stupid if you catch the attention of the car that is closing on you, and he stops - so you have just jumped off your bike and dropped it, and he drives away when the light turns green. Or worse yet if the driver decides to swerve and miss rear ending the car, and runs you over.
In 1967, I was sitting at a long light in NYC. Finally I decided to put it in neutral to relax my hand. It was slightly misty out and a little chilly. Suddenly, I here a horn from behind me and low and behold in rear view mirror I saw a Greyhound bus sliding towards me. I tried to get it in gear and then popped the clutch. It started to move when the bus rear ended me and shot me thru the intersection where the light had just turned green.
I would legally change my name to CrumpleStiltSkin.
One of the most important skills for riding is having a mental image, almost like an internal sense, of what is all around you, and what is moving around you.
That is one of the reasons I prefer to ride on 2 lane roads, its easier to keep mental track of only one lane coming towards you, and one moving in your direction. The more vehicles there are to keep track of, the quicker it overloads your senses. At some point you cross over to just dodging the next obstacle. They talked about this in the beginners MSF course, and it stuck with me.
I hate it when a vehicle manages to sneak up on me, like they came out of no where. Its like someone sneaking up behind you while you are watching TV...
In 1967, I was sitting at a long light in NYC. Finally I decided to put it in neutral to relax my hand. It was slightly misty out and a little chilly. Suddenly, I here a horn from behind me and low and behold in rear view mirror I saw a Greyhound bus sliding towards me. I tried to get it in gear and then popped the clutch. It started to move when the bus rear ended me and shot me thru the intersection where the light had just turned green.
Over the years I've been rear ended twice in my truck, once while sitting at a traffic light, and the other time when slowing for a light that turned red. In one case the stopped car behind me was shoved into me by the guy who simply was distracted and didn't notice people were stopping when he was blazing up too fast. Had I been on my motorcyle and in neutral, I most likely would have suffered back injuries.
Since those times I have ridden for the last 30 years always preparing myself for the driver who's coming up behind who is going to slam into whoever is in his/her path. I lane position myself to typically to the far left, keep the bike in gear and watch my mirrors, not only for the vehicle behind me, but for the one behind the one behind me. Don't allow yourself to be a target.
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