Saw the aftermath of stupidity on the way home today.....

[Popeye the Sailor]

Rush hour, Friday, almost 5PM, 101 North.


Surprisingly, traffic was moving well....cruising about 75 or so, some guy on a Honda sportbike just goes zipping along, splitting lanes at 80+.

About five miles further, traffic comes to a dead stop, and about a mile after that, there he is, being strapped to a board by the EMTs, bike on it's side, fairly make the beast with two backsed up. near as I can tell, there was a car stopped with a clipped rear quarter panel. I'm guessing either 1) he misjudged it and hit the car or 2) cager was changing lanes and didn't expect him to be coming up like that.

I haven't the faintest if he'll be ok.

While I was stopped, quite a bit of other idiocy was going on with the lane splitting. One guy passing to my left (I'm in the cage), so I move right, where...surprise! Is another biker! Almost mooshed him. Great. Now the biker looking for bikers to give them room is almost hitting them.

My point? If you happen to be riding like one of the dumbmake the beast with two backss I saw today, please consider what is could happen to you, and those around you, and kindly leave the dumbmake the beast with two backsery at home, or the track.

[Blake]

You know it's funny, not really...but... I was stuck in traffic on 680 SB around 6:00 tonight as well and there were guys splitting/sharing/filtering on either side of me, more than once on both sides of me at the same time.  I'm in the same mindset as you.  I see a bike coming up from the rear and I naturally want to make extra room, but sheesh...I can't do it for two of 'em at the same time    
Hopefully the person who went away w/ the EMT's is o.k.  I'm all for lane sharing, but not on either side of me at the same time. 

Later

[TCK!]

Darwin is working OT.

[duckwrench13]

Darwinism. 'Nuff said.

[mostrobelle]

...derby.   

[duckwrench13]

...derby.   

He clicked faster than I did. Hey, I'm old and broken. I'm allowed to be slow.

[mostrobelle]

He clicked faster than I did. Hey, I'm old and broken. I'm allowed to be slow.

It was meant for the O.P.   

[duckwrench13]

It was meant for the O.P.   

Like I said, I'm slow.

[mostrobelle]

So's he.  Y'all make a cute couple.   

[somegirl]

Coming down Page Mill from some MTBing at Russian Ridge this evening, saw what looked like a formerly shiny new CBR1000RR totally rashed up on the shoulder (wasn't there on our way up), not to mention some other fine displays of riding.

[johnc]

well, we are at the height of darwinism season (sing it now: "summertime, and the newbies are squiding").

most, if not all, of the MOBsters i have met have it together and save the testosterone enhanced riding for the track. 

[Magneto]

I'm new to biking, and to the area, so I don't pretend to know anything more than the next guy. However, I try to follow a little rule about lane-splitting, one I picked up while overseas (the Greeks not only invented lane-splitting, they invented TRAFFIC):

ONLY lane split/share if traffic is moving 15 mph or less.
ONLY lane split if the difference between you and ambient traffic is 15 mph.

This means that I never lanesplit over 30 mph, and never do it needlessly (like splitting at 30 when everyone else is 25).
I try to think that following this formula will increase my survivability if I screw up.

Splitting at 75 isn't splitting, its just dumb.

// Magneto

Obviously I converted from kph to mph, but you get the idea.

[Gimpy]

I start to feel uncomfortable splitting lanes at about 45-50mph, and I have definitely passed people in the same lane where I didn't need to.  I like to think I'm smarter than the average stunta doing 90 on one wheel down the freeway, but I have my moments where I give in to the temptation provided by having all that maneuverability and  an awesome power to weight ratio.  Maybe the important part is I recognize how stupid that is?   

[mostrobelle]

The thing is this...there's no absolute definition of "safe."  Keeping speed deltas on the low side and giving yourself a buffer for emergency maneuvering in traffic is generally a good idea, but it's no guarantee that you're not going to get taken out in some sick game of bowling-for-bikes if the Gods are going for a 7/10 split and you happen to be in the line of the proverbial Brunswick. 

I've personally done a lot of stuff that falls into the category of "stupid" and so far have managed to escape relatively unscathed (knock on carbon fiber.)  However, my worst street crash involved a mellow pace, a straight line, and an unfortunately large tree root.  Couple that with a borrowed bike and limited skills on what to do when a motorcycle suddenly decides to buck you off and you end up with mangled Monster and a fairly effed up girl lying on the side of the road.  I was riding up around Alice's at the time and I'm sure that most of the motorists that passed figured I "had it coming" when in fact it was a rather unfair and brutal lesson in statistics and timing.  I "had it coming" just about every other ride I'd ever been on up to that point--but not that day. 

I ride what I personally think is safe for my abilities and the conditions.  Sometimes that means I'm doing things at speeds that would have most of you wincing and the cops hauling me away in cuffs.  At other times it means that I'm getting passed by old ladies on scooters.  I've seen some people do things that I know would result in nothing but a ride in the meat wagon for me.  Others manage to wad their shizznit doing a move that I would rank on par with chewing gum in terms of difficulty and riskiness.  <shrug> 

[duckwrench13]

+1 to Belle's assessment of "safe." In the last year I've found myself riding a pace that is better suited to the track. Add that to the rash of fatalities we've seen early into the season, subsequent ticket happiness of the local LEOs, a general dislike for majority of the motorists, and an increasing hatred for irresponsible reckless riders, and I think that pulling the 916 off the road, and non-op'ing it, was the right thing to do for now. 


I can get just as much thrill, and far more near death incidents, riding my bicycles. If I feel I need more, then I'll just do a track day or three.