Lane Sharing/ Splitting car door opens in my path:

natrab said:

Sounds like you haven't been exposed to the kind of traffic that warrants lane sharing and you are judging it based on an inexperienced opinion. It is not a needless danger. In fact, I find not lane sharing to be a needless danger and I cringe when I see people sitting in traffic waiting to get slammed into by the person texting on their phone behind them. Your post reminds me of the general thoughts I get from people I know who have never been on a motorcycle before: "Motorcycling is extremely dangerous and you must be crazy to do it."

Click to expand...

I thought he just sounded like another grumpy old man: past his prime and resentful of those of us who are not.

brewmeister said:

I see none of the reasons for lane splitting here are valid to me ,!

Click to expand...

The thread is not about you.

Wow brewmeister, who pooped in your cheese curds?

Pretty horrible comments about a lack of sympathy and cleaning the gene pool, strongly implying you think a rider killed while lane splitting is a good thing!?!

Did you read the recent column in the ON about lane splitting? Pretty interesting statistics. Of course it doesn't matter to you as apparently you have final say in what is good and bad, and those that disagree deserve to die.

brewmeister said:

Hey everyone has there own opinion and as I said go for it. I will not have any sympathy so what all kinds of stuff are legal that harm people but I never have followed anyone's judgments about lane splitting or anything else .untie your undies and move on thank you I'm out of here. No harm intended sorry.I never said anything about someone being killed was a good thing. But everything in life has consequences legal or otherwise. There is a good reason lane splitting is illegal in most states because in the end lots of people lose and you will mostly only hurt yourself anyways and you have a right to do that in America.This for me is only a argument for or against it not how it's done. I don't have as many miles riding thru the years with just over 400,000 miles as many here and I have been to California many times .So what I still will never do it .I do respect peoples opinions whether its right or wrong but thank DOG It's not legal here in Wisconsin. I was raised differently and conservatively and spent many years on the fire department hauling body parts to the hospital in buckets.yes this is not about me just as I said. Just a opinion!Oh and the cheese is good here thank you.

Click to expand...

IF you don't ride, they can't get you.

Old dogs, new tricks rarely mix.
"There is a good reason lane splitting is illegal in most states because in the end lots of people lose "

They just keep repeating this BS until people get tired of the smell of Polydent and leave.

brewmeister said:

I see none of the reasons for lane splitting here are valid to me , except the fact that it is legal in California and other places that I am not sure about.This mirrors generally how our society is in such a hurry to get somewhere. If I knew how the traffic is on a daily route to work I would leave early enough to make it there in time so I don't have to do something so foolish even though it is the law. There are many laws in this country that are bad to say the least.Common sense is not common and I will take advice to stay away from California thank you , but if you are dumb enough to put yourself in this kind of needless danger no matter what the circumstances , you get what you deserve law or no law. The attorneys make out good from different laws that's why there is lawyers , but lane splitting is carelessly putting yourself in needless danger among other things too ,especially when you mess with the kind of mass etc.. that a car/truck is , compared to a motorcycle.So go ahead and lane split all you want because it is legal there I'll never try to convince anyone right or wrong,it is still total nonsense none the less .My rant is over so enjoy the right to lane split but you will not get any sympathy from me regardless of the law. It cleans up the gene pool anyway. Motorcycling is dangerous enough the way it is with idiot and distracted drivers . Yet I still enjoy it after more than 40 years. Have a nice day! Laws don't trump common sense or experience no matter what the law says!

Click to expand...

You must have a moped license. You have no logic. Sh!t...I said I wouldn't feed the trolls, and I just did.

brewmeister said:

Hey everyone has there own opinion and as I said go for it. I will not have any sympathy so what all kinds of stuff are legal that harm people but I never have followed anyone's judgments about lane splitting or anything else .untie your undies and move on thank you I'm out of here. No harm intended sorry.I never said anything about someone being killed was a good thing. But everything in life has consequences legal or otherwise. There is a good reason lane splitting is illegal in most states because in the end lots of people lose and you will mostly only hurt yourself anyways and you have a right to do that in America.This for me is only a argument for or against it not how it's done. I don't have as many miles riding thru the years with just over 400,000 miles as many here and I have been to California many times .So what I still will never do it .I do respect peoples opinions whether its right or wrong but thank DOG It's not legal here in Wisconsin. I was raised differently and conservatively and spent many years on the fire department hauling body parts to the hospital in buckets.yes this is not about me just as I said. Just a opinion!Oh and the cheese is good here thank you.

Click to expand...

and again...you're ignorant. Look at the statistics mr. moped. My gosh.

Omega Man said:

Masters of Lane Splitting present-

OM

Click to expand...

That's what I'm talking about! Seen it with my own eyes up close and personal.

and again...you're ignorant.

Click to expand...

This whole thread is based on opinions. Name calling because you don't like an opinion is not how this forum works.
Play nice or don't play at all.
Gary

Omega Man said:

This whole thread is based on opinions. Name calling because you don't like an opinion is not how this forum works.
Play nice or don't play at all.
Gary

Click to expand...

Amen.

I was riding in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago, and it wasn't my first time. I really enjoy Wisconsin (and some fried cheese curds). For some reason there are quite a few drivers that seem to enjoy going 10mph or so under the limit in the left lane, right next to somebody doing the same thing in the right lane. No amount of light flashing or horn honking seems to get them to move over. More than one local rider has told me that it's a pretty common occurance, and seems to be worst in the NE part of the state.

I stopped into Tytler's BMW in the Green Bay area for tires and was really impressed with the dealership and its personell.

jeffkruger said:

... For some reason there are quite a few drivers that seem to enjoy going 10mph or so under the limit in the left lane...

Click to expand...

So it wasn't just me. I drove out to Mt Rushmore etc. with the family for vacation last month. The worst two states for having slow pokes in the left lane on I-90 were WI & MN; most of the time with a WI plate on the car. Here in OH, we just have drivers in the left lane who ride your bumper in traffic and then slow down to your speed when you move over to let them pass and drivers in the right lane who speed up as you pass them. I guess we have sympathetic drivers.

Sorry - that was completely off topic - back to the show

Wait, no, I'm not quite through...
I think we need to step back, take a breath and see what caused this mess.

brewmeister of the cheeseheads - I'll start by snipping your words:

brewmeister said:

...if you are dumb enough to put yourself in this kind of needless danger... you get what you deserve... you will not get any sympathy from me... It cleans up the gene pool anyway.

Click to expand...

You may not have meant to be crass and suggest that had Ric (or any other motorcyclist) met his end lane splitting you would have no sympathy and would be happy to have his potential future offspring prevented, but it is pretty much what you said. Choose your words carefully, friend. We've never met in person, but past exchanges online suggest that you aren't really that guy.

jcj78 - Just because someone doesn't share your view of motorcycling, they aren't automatically retirement age. It is more likely that their experiences in life are different than yours + our brains are all wired a bit different. What works for you may not work for someone else, regardless of age. There are guys who race and are fabulous riders who refuse to ride on the street because of the risks. I see their point of view; my life insurance provider, not so much. The point is it would be nice to have a little respect for other people's views and not fan the flames with a leaf blower and a can of brake cleaner.

My take on the difference of opinion (outside of CA) is that it is one of culture and perceived courtesy / rudeness. Many of this country's drivers see the road as their domain and anyone who gets ahead of them or slows them down is a hinderance. Courtesy is usually hard to find on our roadways and often misguided. Drivers take offense to motorcycles and and bicycles filtering / splitting because they view it as someone line jumping instead of seeing it as an effective way to move more people down the roadway at the same time and reduce congestion. Commuters on bikes should / could be seen as people willing to take a risk which rewards us all with lighter traffic, but we aren't there yet. As a nation, we view motorcycles as frivolous recreation, not practical transportation. The weekend warrior pirate crowd and hooligan squids / stunters do nothing to change that perception so we can probably blame ourselves as much as anything else. From the standpoint of guys like Motodan and brewmeister, splitting isn't courteous when the majority of our road users view it as a problem and because of that the risk of altercations caused by it is only there if you do it. If you view it in this light, splitting is rude and potentially dangerous. There will have to be a significant mindset change on the roads in our country for what could be a non-issue to become one. While I don't particularly like this view, there is no need to belittle or badger those who have it. A gentle nudge of "this has benefits for everyone" is a better approach, but we all have opinions and some are pretty firmly rooted. We can at least be as courteous to each other in here as we should be on the road.

If you head to Western Europe where it is the norm and drivers are civil, you see the best case scenario where the practice is accepted, encouraged and expected by other road users who will use their mirrors and leave space for two wheeled vehicles. I got to drive a Volvo wagon through Paris in rush hour a few years back and despite the madness and gridlock, drivers tried to make room for bicycles and scooters + some motorcycles, even leaving gaps between lanes where they could ride abreast at times. This is in a city where all traffic rules go out the window twice a day and traffic lights go through multiple cycles while you are in the middle of an intersection slowly merging with cross traffic. Personally, I prefer the sanity of driving in Germany and filtering / splitting works quite well there too + only American tourists go slow in the left lane on the Autobahn.

Side note: The only rude person I met in Paris was a woman from the god ol' USA - go figure.

I'd love to see lane splitting & filtering legalized in every state and accepted on the road by drivers and LEOs. There are times I will do it regardless of legality if I think it is the best option for myself and the bike. If it is something you believe in, press your legislators and make your case to others without calling them names or being rude about it. Pissing people off really does nothing to advance the issue. It just makes the opposition more resolute. Regardless of which side of what coin we are on, common sense is only common when we share a viewpoint and the experiences that led to it. The rest of the time it is just a term in insinuate that someone else's view of the world is wrong. My common sense says put snow tires on and drive in the unplowed lane where the traction is better and you can pass traffic easily. My wife's says drive in the most plowed lane below the speed limit and if people get stuck behind you, it is because they were driving too fast in the first place. At the end of the day, we both know who is right... right?

Ok - that should be long enough to bore you to sleep so you can wake up on the right side and play nice

rxcrider said:

So it wasn't just me. I drove out to Mt Rushmore etc. with the family for vacation last month. The worst two states for having slow pokes in the left lane on I-90 were WI & MN; most of the time with a WI plate on the car. Here in OH, we just have drivers in the left lane who ride your bumper in traffic and then slow down to your speed when you move over to let them pass and drivers in the right lane who speed up as you pass them. I guess we have sympathetic drivers.

Sorry - that was completely off topic - back to the show

Click to expand...

Indiana just (July 1) made it illegal to use left lane unless passing. Ticket/fine of $500.00.

rxcrider said:

So it wasn't just me. I drove out to Mt Rushmore etc. with the family for vacation last month. The worst two states for having slow pokes in the left lane on I-90 were WI & MN; most of the time with a WI plate on the car. Here in OH, we just have drivers in the left lane who ride your bumper in traffic and then slow down to your speed when you move over to let them pass and drivers in the right lane who speed up as you pass them. I guess we have sympathetic drivers.

Sorry - that was completely off topic - back to the show

Click to expand...

Isn't it funny how some behaviors are regional?

I wish more states would pass laws about use of the left lane.

The closest I've ever come to being in a bike wreck was in Wisconsin. Coming back from last year's rally, I got off the Interstate in a small town. The road was empty. I signaled a left-turn and while in a left-turn lane, some idiot passed me on the left! I've never had a car come that close. He must have been a fast-mover who got off the Interstate behind me and decided like a complete jackass to pass me on the left despite the travel lane being empty and available to him.

Please don't tell me about how well people in Wisconsin drive!

Harry

Motodan said:

Indiana just (July 1) made it illegal to use left lane unless passing. Ticket/fine of $500.00.

Click to expand...

It is that way here in Lousiana also. But what good is a law you can't inforce. The only time this is going to be is after the wreck has happen. It is not just a problem in one state. No one has come since anymore. To much of being PC today.

Don

AKsuited, you probably noticed some of the large groups of HD riders while you were there too? I am accustomed to seeing some pretty big groups traveling together during Sturgis, but have seen large groups in WI many times.

A couple of weeks ago, getting close to the MN border I came upon a group of 30+ bikes, riding in such a way there was no safe way to pass them without passing the whole group. I wouldn't trust one of them to make room if I needed to get over. The group was longer than a semi pulling triples. They were riding a bit under the speed limit.

Can't imagine the likely carnage if a deer of something hopped into the midst of them. Would be a lot of scratched chrome and live to ride farkles. Of course none of them were wearing a helmet. Brewmeister doesn't like legal lane splitting in CA. Wonder how he feels about residents of his own state sustaining an injury or dying while not wearing a helmet?

rxcrider said:

jcj78 - Just because someone doesn't share your view of motorcycling, they aren't automatically retirement age. It is more likely that their experiences in life are different than yours + our brains are all wired a bit different. What works for you may not work for someone else, regardless of age. There are guys who race and are fabulous riders who refuse to ride on the street because of the risks. I see their point of view; my life insurance provider, not so much. The point is it would be nice to have a little respect for other people's views and not fan the flames with a leaf blower and a can of brake cleaner.

Click to expand...

Thanks

jcj78 said:

I deal in reciprocity. I've had dealings with some of these posters before, and I stand behind everything I wrote. Thanks though.

Click to expand...

So in your world - never mind - best to let it go.

Well said.

I'm not a fan of helmet laws, but choose to wear a helmet every time I am on a bike, regardless of local laws. I know some folks ride because of a feeling of total freedom, and for them that might mean a leather vest and no helmet. They ride for their reasons and that's their choice. I have a sister in law that riding is about what she wears and being seen. That's her thing.

If a rider without a helmet sustains a head injury, a fatal head injury, or needs skin grafts because of a lack of protective gear during a crash, I would like to believe that most riders would be sympathetic or compassionate. Riders know the risks associated with their behavior and assume those risks. It still sucks when something bad happens to a fellow rider.

AKsuited said:

The closest I've ever come to being in a bike wreck was in Wisconsin. Coming back from last year's rally, I got off the Interstate in a small town. The road was empty. I signaled a left-turn and while in a left-turn lane, some idiot passed me on the left! I've never had a car come that close. He must have been a fast-mover who got off the Interstate behind me and decided like a complete jackass to pass me on the left despite the travel lane being empty and available to him.

Please don't tell me about how well people in Wisconsin drive!

Harry

Click to expand...

HEY!

Born and raised in WI and still live here. All this WI bashing................... Oh My!

That being said, I got back last week from rolling thru 15 different states (and the District of Columbia) in 11 days on a motorcycle, the odometer spooling to a stop after 3,068 miles.

Worst drivers I encountered?

Yup - when I got back to WI.

I'll go to my room now.