If you’re ever injured in a motorcycle accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: www.forthepeople.com/MCRider
I have converted the "Punch Buggy" game into a "Bike Bump" game. My daughter and future driver is now always looking for motorcycles. Even if her motivation is the right to slug me in the arm, she's still being safe towards riders.
Great vid. In my experience, a certain percentage of car drivers give only a cursory glance looking for large car-sized objects, before doing a maneuver in traffic. That cursory glance makes many motorcycle-sized vehicles neurologically invisible or insignificant. Being a motorcyclist made me a more courteous and aware car driver. Cheers.
I'm so glad you don't assume that since I have a phone and car I'm not checking Facebook on my commute... I'm to busy watching Mcrider rider on my commute for that.
When I was a defensive driving instructor, I always educated my student drivers on how to drive around, near, and behind bikers. Same went for driving around semi-trucks since I've been a linehaul trucker for almost 20 years now. Student drivers got the full package with me. Other instructors within the company didn't like it one bit and felt I was jumping off the curriculum. Teaching REAL WORLD driving is more important than teaching students to be scared of nearing the speed limit or going a little bit above.
That’s the reason I don’t like the term “Biker”. I’m not a Biker, I ride motorcycles.😊 You’re exactly right, I’ve been asked if I was drunk the way I move from one side of my lane to the other. I’m putting distance between me and whatever I’m seeing that could be a hazard.
I’m a new rider after driving a car for 43 years. I have always been pretty focused and careful when I drive a car but seeing things from the perspective of a motorcycle rider and developing rider habits has completely changed the way I drive.
“Bringing more trouble on ourselves”… I see this every day. The belief that people are trying to kill you is counterproductive and puts us in an adversarial relationship with every driver. There are aggressive riders and drivers, but they are generally in the minority. Sadly, distracted drivers are too common. You have to be a psychologist when you ride, and try to anticipate bad behavior. Riding is like online dating… you need to look for and see those clues and red flags *before* you get intimate 😅
Sometimes it's enough to just cross behind them and try from the other side. Other times, you just have to change lanes. And a lot of people in cars will give you that extra 3 feet of room to get in front of them to make your pass, because they know they're not going to "lose their space" by doing so. I always gave those that went out of their way a hand wave to show my appreciation.
My own mother. "Why are they always zooming around". My answer is, "They sense you may be a hazard, and they are trying to put distance between you and themselves".
Woman in pickup truck the other day stopped and then pulled out literally missing me by a few inches. I ran off road but got stopped. Daytime with my bright light on. I was going approximately 40mph. I asked her if she was on her phone and she said no. I rode off because further conversation would not have went well.
If they're going to make generalizations about motorcyclists, then I should mention a few about motorists. They think motorcyclists are reckless because we are nimble and they are slow. They never see us, so we're already on the defensive in most instances. They are so detached and distracted from actual driving any sudden movements startles them like deer.
Why fall into the same shouty, divisonal cesspit? It's much better to be fair, honest and open. Proudly challenge opinions that are closed...don't just add to them. Otherwise it never ends.
"They"? We had a light rain the other day and I saw zero motorcycles on the road. We're they all just sitting home doing nothing, or were they driving their car/truck instead? Almost every motorcycle rider is a "cager" also, yet just because they ride a motorcycle occasionally, they think that makes them good drivers. Based on the low mileage on most used motorcycles, I'd even say most riders are driving cars most of the time.
There is an element of fear that riders can use to their advantage. Meaning that having some fear breeds caution and caution can save riders and/or drivers lives! Also, understanding one’s own “state of mind” before throwing your leg over the motorcycle, or getting behind the wheel can save lives! If a person is agitated, angry, impaired or emotionally disturbed for any reason, don’t attempt to operate a vehicle until completely fit to do so in my opinion. This video is absolutely invaluable and should be shown in all riding and driving schools! Awesome. 👏
Fear instigates fight flight or freeze. I try to avoid feeling fear when I ride. Self awareness, training, discipline and situational awareness can inspire effective solutions and responses without the adrenaline dump.
@@tommeyer6033 Respectfully, not all people have those particular skills and abilities. I personally have mastered those skills and abilities that you made reference to over my years of riding and as a Veteran, I have enough discipline to go around! However, I realize that there’s a vast range of individuals whom for whatever reasons have not acquired all of the forementioned skills and abilities. Situational awareness is necessary even if you are walking down the street, but it’s how a person responds to the situation is key, and sometimes people respond differently. So a small amount of fear is not necessarily a bad thing if used to an advantage. Of course if someone has paranoia, then I wouldn’t suggest they should operate a vehicle of any type. However, that’s not what I was referring to. Mainly I was talking about a persons state of mind even if they are an extremely skilled rider, because as humans we do human things! Self awareness can save lives as well is my point. No matter how calm, skilled, highly intelligent and experienced a person may be, there’s always the “human element” that can come into play!
@@RollWithSoul317 indeed. This is why I used the word “try”. I aspire to an ideal. Yamaha School instructors use a phrase “when do we go to the brakes?… when we’re nervous”
@@tommeyer6033 Fear is real and everyone has it to some degree! But it’s how you use it that matters! Some people are afraid of their own shadow, while some are only afraid of land mines! Having the ability to control the fear and think through it as opposed to not controlling it and then overreacting to it can cause major problems. I have my Champ School Certificate and I hope to take a few more courses this year, but the Military teaches how to control fear and use it to your advantage. But, not everyone was in the military, first responders or had martial arts training to learn how to control their fears, especially on the roads. I thank you and respectfully appreciate your insight into this topic. It’s duly noted. 👍
I'm imagining the many truckers, car drivers, bus drivers and BMW drivers who are feverishly searching for "what to understand about motorcycles" and filtering by "motorcycle training" in the channel name.
This a phenomenon that affects all minorities. Because there are so few riders in the U.S. relative to car drivers, the perception the general public has will be of the most heinous acts of that minority. In a way this is kind of built into our internal protection system. If one snake kills one person, it is far better to assume all snakes are poisonous and stay away from all of them when in reality only about 15% a venomous.
Two issues I had yesterday and how I dealt with them 1) Tail gator. Creeping closer and closer. Dropped two and put the 2-second gap between us. They got the hint 2) Preface: Here in the UK we drive on the correct side of the road unlike you in the colonies. The driver pulled straight out in front of me from my left. So I sat behind them waving at them when I saw them looking in their side or rearview mirror. They got the hint No aggression or swearing, flipping off, or mirror smashing. Stay safe and careful out there x
Thanks for the good words. One must, weather a cager or biker, not only judge distance, but vehicle velocity as well. This equals reaction time! So, distance divided by velocity equals reaction time. And driver's training courses for cars don't teach folks to see a smaller silhouette of a bike & rider. I feel this should be part of the curriculum!
It wouldn't help. I rode for a long time, and they still appear out of the blue on me sometimes. Your bike has a lot more acceleration than a car. So, downshift a gear if you've got a problem driver you need to get around. You can also brake a lot harder in case someone doesn't see you and decides that nice clear path on their left would give them an advantage. As a rider, you have a lot of advantages over the guys in cars. Use those advantages if you have to.
Great advice, as always. In the UK, the highway code makes provision for filtering through traffic (rules 88 & 160) but it's very much a "proceed with caution" / keep it slow thing.
The majority of roadway rules are there to serve amd assist the majority of the users of the road. This is a reason pedestrians were forced off the middle of streets and roads a century ago in London and NYC. Motorcycles are a tiny minority of road use in North America and, as he says, the car/truck drivers likely to hit splitters is the prime reason most states here prohibit it. Moving up in stalled traffic, thus alleviating congestion, is typically why filtering is allowed...but every city dweller has seen street fighter wreckless splitters in 70mph traffic doing a ton, and it likely can't be enforced as troopers are mostly in squad cars and can't catch them in such situations. If lane split was common in the days of mostly 50hp bikes...such as Cali or the UK...then by now drivers would be used to it and most riders would see it as a logical and cautious tool. However since it is long illegal in many jurisdictikn...the thrill factor or forbidden fruit and hooliganism comes into play. If most of us stayed right (left for you) while cruising and only moved over into the passing lane to overtake a slow vehicle...then moved back.... The whole issue of filter or not would just abbout dissapear. Simply use the passing lane to...well PASS.
I have you Mr MC Rider to thank for not wiping out today when two deer ran in front of my bike. I recalled your lesson on panic stops. I was going 60 mph. I'd been practicing making fast stops so I was prepared. I did not grab a hand full of brake and crash, nor did I swerve and wipe out. I hit the deer instead of swerving. I was almost stopped at this point. So, the bike and myself are okay. The deer has a bruise to remember me by. Cheers !!
We need the laws and riders to differentiate between splitting and filtering. Filtering is between stopped/slow traffic at no more than 10 mph above the traffic. Splitting is usually at a high rate of speed. Doing 100 between two cars doing 70 for example.
My understanding is filtering is moving up through traffic at a stop light or when traffic is totally stopped. The rider filters through traffic to the front of the line. Splitting is when traffic is moving very slowly like in a traffic jam and the motorcycle splits lanes to keep moving. IMO splitting is only safe or needed when traffic is slower than 10MPH and the bike is no faster than 5MPH relative to the traffic around them.
McRider's explanation is what I have always understood about filtering and lane splitting. The motorcyclists exceeding these parameters are highly prone to causing vehicular accidents and in reckless maneuvers give all riders a bad reputation.
@@MCrider… Here’s not really legal. But there’s a funny grammatical loophole in certain overtaking law, so it’s “not-illegal” and expected. Moving traffic or standing at a red light, I always try not to be 10km/h faster than the cars I’m overtaking and rev up a bit when I can… within reason.
Filtering is what it's called by those that speak British English, splitting is American English. For some reason UA-cam people try to make some distinction as though they mean different things.
@@MCriderBritish law mostly agrees with your assessment regarding speeds. Although enforcement is somewhat laxe (a matter of judgement in most cases), the official rules call anything faster than about 15mph dangerous. Generally I haven't had problems with cars, especially on motorways (which have wide-enough lanes), but I do from time to time run into the occasional Karen or Kevin who think they own the road and can make up their own rules. The Swiss, on the other hand, take this sort of thing quite seriously (I'm told). Filtering is outright prohibited, but both the standard of driving and traffic management felt so good that I never actually felt the need to filter in the week I spent there. Nor did I feel the need to go over the speed limit while enjoying the Alps.
I rode in the LA area for about 10 years. This was during the 90s. I did "lane sharing" quite a lot. Local drivers were, in the main, understanding and sometimes would go just a bit too far out of their way to accommodate me, making them a problem for the traffic on their other side. During those 10 years, of course I saw a lot of drivers who simply did not like bikes and would actually close up the distance between them and the car next to them to prevent me from getting by. I guess that the problem was that since they were stuck in traffic, I should be too. Of course, I eventually found a way past them. But, one thing I did notice was that it was mostly the cars with out of state tags that were the worst offenders. Strangely enough, cars with Colorado plates seemed to be a big offender. But by and large, people didn't try to prevent me from splitting the lane. After all, if they let me by, that was one less thing that they'd have to be concentrating on, rather than just driving their car and getting home safely. Drive safe. Ride safe. Be responsible. Arrive alive no matter what you driver or ride. By the way, during all this time, I learned just how good a job the California Highway Patrol did of teaching their bike officers to ride. As wide as their bikes are, I was never really able to maintain a distance behind one of those guys on my Ducati. They just had a better feel for traffic than I did. And it's not because they were mounted on a police bike. You don't really notice that from a car until they're beside you or even with your front tire. Those guys are really just that good, and my hat's off to them!
If all car drivers had to learn to ride a bike, the accident rates would drop substantially. Some of my habits (looking both ways before i go through a green light) i also do when drivin my truck. Thanks Kevin, always god to get reminders!!
Kevin, at the 56 second mark-ypur shirt went from grey to black. Just happened, or, was that for a reason? I enjoy the riders tips every time I view your video presentations. Yes, I'm a "newbs newb", preparing to achieve my endorsement. A 20 year biker told me that the MSF course is easy-don't stress yourself over it. When he shared that with me-I felt 100lbs lighter instantly. Share with your viewers on encouraging new, and, about to be new riders to work on safe technics and enjoy the journey of the 2 wheel ride. It makes a BIG difference! Doug 🏍️😁🤓👍
The weaving within the lane is done for many reasons from reducing rider fatigue to avoiding road debris to creating distance, but the primary reason is visibility and lane ownership. A rider who sits in the middle of the lane like they’re on a rail is inviting disaster. The two issues that weaving avoids is firstly becoming invisible. The second is the imbecile who thinks that they can share your lane to overtake. Although the lane sharing may often be due to being invisible. The human visual processing ability is optimised to track movement, things that don’t move get ignored, they often become invisible due to this. Just think of the chip on a cars windshield or even a dead bug that is in your line of sight but not obstructing the view, eventually even though you can still see it you stop seeing it as the brain pays more attention to everything else. So you weave in the lane to avoid being a bug on the windshield.
I let cars know I'm a crazy f as I'm near them around during a traffic maneuver... right.there are not any actual driving tests , actually or written... for renewal..
I wish all drivers were required to spend at least 2 years riding before being allowed to drive a car or truck. The crap I see people doing in their cars befuddles me. I can't wait for self-driving cars to take over. Clearly people don't actually like driving. They just like getting where they're going.
The DMV "Secretary of State" needs to teach basic drivers about Semi Trucks and Motorcycles. The DMV makes it to easy to get a drivers license 🪪 with that 10 question test. More training should be mandatory
Yesterday afternoon heading into rush hour a car came within inches of taking me out at the entrance to my own driveway. I saw the car coming from way back and moving pretty quick, so I turned my signal on early, and flashed my brake light a bunch of times because I was turning in to my driveway not a street, so I wanted to get their attention. Anyway, I started my turn and there they were, and in that split second I thought, "Why are they passing me on the right? Then, "Oh fu*k!" so all I could do was accelerate. Luckily, I sped up enough that they missed me, by inches. They never honked or even slowed down that I could tell. Honestly, I don't think they ever saw me at all.
I live in Colorado. They just passed SB24-079 in Colorado a couple weeks ago (the governor signed it), which will make lane *filtering* legal here starting August 7, 2024, but currently only for a period of three years. After that, they will re-evaluate. It will allow motorcycles to filter through *stopped* traffic (such as traffic stopped for a red light) at a speed of 15 MPH or less. I am indeed looking forward to it, but I wish it had gone so far as to allow lane splitting. I’ve done lane splitting in California while visiting there, and it’s a game-changer for motorcyclists. But, for the time being, lane filtering will have to suffice.
It's the new world sadly, no one is willing to see the other side of the story. Too much self centered people. Keep up the great work, one day I will visit Texas.
Riding on two wheels comes with ignorant comments from 4 wheeled drivers. The amount of times I have heard "oh, you mean a donor-cycle". I filtered(not lane splitting) once in traffic and a paramedic pulled up next to me at the next light with a comment about how he was sure he would be picking me up later because of my reckless riding. In Canada it is worse because we do not have as much of a bike culture and the drivers do not know how to act when they share the road with us. They are nervous and erratic with their handling of their vehicle.
Good lord I never thought of that. There are a lot of sport bike and harley dudes that are bad actors and ambasadors... I should dress more to highlight myself as a girl rider to differentiate myself from these jokers that have ticked folks off and who may hold an across the board vendetta.
A regular driver’s license is handed out like candy on Halloween. A motorcycle license requires a much higher level of training before ever receiving an endorsement. I’ve been riding a variety of bikes for a long time and have seen a steady and shocking decline in driving skills with regular drivers. Motorcycle Advocacy Groups are failing at exposing this trend.
Just watched 2 of those Sport Bike idiots weaving in/out of traffic @ 100mph+ 5 hours ago. No protection but a helmet. At least they weren't wearing flip flops!😊
Lane splitting is inherently unsafe. I'm sitting in a traffic jam, I'm not expecting another vehicle to appear out of no where along side me. The other issue is speed differential. When I check my mirrors before a lane change, and you're bearing down on me 20+40 mph up, literally, by the time I act on the information, you bike has literally appeared out of no where
If you're sitting in traffic, why does it matter if a vehicle "appears out of nowhere"? Your other " issue" is irrelevant as it would fall under reckless even in splitting permissive locations like California.
While I'm a car, I have seen a lot of motorcyclists filtering through a slow moving traffic jam. If they go a few mph above the rest, it's totally fine. You can see them coming, in time before you want to make a maneuver. Also, if you go towards the direction within your lane to the side you want to go and use your blinker, all should go safe and well. I'm not speaking for the idiots going 30 mph faster than the rest of traffic while filtering
@@beerdedwanderer It matters if the car decides another lane is moving, and they want to get over. It matters if they open the door. It matters if a car is pulling out of a parking space when you're on the curb side. I shouldn't have to tell you this. You're the one on the motorcycle.
@@scottchamberlain5594 yes lane changers are hazards you can identify and prepare for. It's also customary to check your mirror before changing lanes. door openers? I have actually had it happen once when a car was broken down in traffic. I avoided it, exceedingly rare. Why am I on the curb side? Splitting would actually keep me away from people pulling away from the curb.
Why do you think you need to "act on the information"? I rode a lot, as in about 80,000 miles on a bike in the LA area. Not once did I depend on the driver doing something different because I was there. In fact, it's better for everyone involved that you not try to do something to make their life easier. If you move over, there might be a car that's drifted out of their lane, or even a different bike coming past on that side. Just drive your car. The bikes will take care of themselves unless you deliberately do something to make life hard for them. Why? Because bikes don't have any door pillars or front mirrors in the way of their vision. Not only that, they're higher above the road than you are. Essentially, bikers have more information to work with than you do. Trust the biker to know what he's doing. Trying to "help" may just ruin someone else's day.
I really dislike when drivers start their left turn before I clear the intersection. If there are no vehicles behind me, it happens every time. Scary when a 3/4 ton pick up is assuming I'll be out of the way. I've had cars pull up right beside me and take my space because I'm off to the side in case I need to avoid a rear ender and look at me like I'm the stoopid one 😂 My city has some terrible drivers and riders. 2 dead already this season and it's only April and I'm in Canada so season just started 😢 Local headlines heartlessly read "Rider #2 2024". Not enough love for anything but possessions in our modern world. It hurts my heart 💔
As much as this is just a UA-cam promo show, I've just got to say motorcyclists in general attitude seem to think they must speed and cut through traffic. The explanations you say motorists seeing a motorcycle weaving and or riding left or right in the lane being an aggressive rider is wrong in my opinion, most bikers in my area are on Harleys which we all know break the sound barrier sitting still! And make more noise than a train when trying to get to 30mph! and as for lane splitting, I find it reckless to ride up between vehicles, and selfish to squeeze up to the stop light! There is absolutely no reason to do that under any daily riding or driving situation. If your concern is that you'll get squished between cars then you're gonna argue with that so cry me a river!
We have right wing media helping weak governments by causing division - so they use straight terms like 'drivers', cyclists or 'motorcyclists' in stories rather than prefix them with 'some' (as MCrider thankfully does). We also have social media that basically acts as an echo chamber, slowly grouping similarly minded folk together and targeting them with specific content. Sadly, due to the way 'news' is funded it's more right dominated. This perpetuates the 'us against them' feeling for say car drivers vs motorcyclists or cyclists. And a feedback loop starts. When people are sucked in by these addictive media on their addictive devices that feeling can become entrenched and this is where sometimes it can even lead to aggression. Everybody needs to challenge where they just see catch alls like 'motorcyclists' rather than 'some motorcyclists'. It's good for ourselves to open our own minds and to dilute the ever increasing pool of people who have given up critical thinking when looking at their tiny screen device and not appreciating the nuances of language. Afterall, we are all equal.
Time and place. Where I live (large regional city 90 minutes from Sydney, NSW) drivers are not used to lane splitting, so you get some pushback. However in Sydney, a much larger city with a lot of commuting motorcyclists, lane splitting is more common and so less pushback and risk.
@beerdedwanderer I wouldn't..... the problem is other people think lane splitting is cool..... and those that lane split will eventually be involved in a collision
If you’re ever injured in a motorcycle accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch.
To start your claim, visit: www.forthepeople.com/MCRider
Why is diesel David conner of the video
I have converted the "Punch Buggy" game into a "Bike Bump" game. My daughter and future driver is now always looking for motorcycles. Even if her motivation is the right to slug me in the arm, she's still being safe towards riders.
Great vid. In my experience, a certain percentage of car drivers give only a cursory glance looking for large car-sized objects, before doing a maneuver in traffic. That cursory glance makes many motorcycle-sized vehicles neurologically invisible or insignificant. Being a motorcyclist made me a more courteous and aware car driver. Cheers.
I'm so glad you don't assume that since I have a phone and car I'm not checking Facebook on my commute... I'm to busy watching Mcrider rider on my commute for that.
I wish they would teach some of these things within driver education so they understand us better.
They can, by making it compulsory to get a motorcycle licence first.
@@Robert-xs2mv😀👍
When I was a defensive driving instructor, I always educated my student drivers on how to drive around, near, and behind bikers. Same went for driving around semi-trucks since I've been a linehaul trucker for almost 20 years now. Student drivers got the full package with me. Other instructors within the company didn't like it one bit and felt I was jumping off the curriculum. Teaching REAL WORLD driving is more important than teaching students to be scared of nearing the speed limit or going a little bit above.
@@XxGyromancerXx I did similar
That’s the reason I don’t like the term “Biker”. I’m not a Biker, I ride motorcycles.😊 You’re exactly right, I’ve been asked if I was drunk the way I move from one side of my lane to the other. I’m putting distance between me and whatever I’m seeing that could be a hazard.
I’m a new rider after driving a car for 43 years. I have always been pretty focused and careful when I drive a car but seeing things from the perspective of a motorcycle rider and developing rider habits has completely changed the way I drive.
“Bringing more trouble on ourselves”… I see this every day.
The belief that people are trying to kill you is counterproductive and puts us in an adversarial relationship with every driver. There are aggressive riders and drivers, but they are generally in the minority. Sadly, distracted drivers are too common. You have to be a psychologist when you ride, and try to anticipate bad behavior. Riding is like online dating… you need to look for and see those clues and red flags *before* you get intimate 😅
Sometimes it's enough to just cross behind them and try from the other side. Other times, you just have to change lanes. And a lot of people in cars will give you that extra 3 feet of room to get in front of them to make your pass, because they know they're not going to "lose their space" by doing so. I always gave those that went out of their way a hand wave to show my appreciation.
My own mother. "Why are they always zooming around". My answer is, "They sense you may be a hazard, and they are trying to put distance between you and themselves".
I go back in forth iny lane half the time because there are potholes bad enough to damage my bike up here.
Woman in pickup truck the other day stopped and then pulled out literally missing me by a few inches. I ran off road but got stopped. Daytime with my bright light on. I was going approximately 40mph. I asked her if she was on her phone and she said no. I rode off because further conversation would not have went well.
If they're going to make generalizations about motorcyclists, then I should mention a few about motorists. They think motorcyclists are reckless because we are nimble and they are slow. They never see us, so we're already on the defensive in most instances. They are so detached and distracted from actual driving any sudden movements startles them like deer.
Why fall into the same shouty, divisonal cesspit? It's much better to be fair, honest and open. Proudly challenge opinions that are closed...don't just add to them. Otherwise it never ends.
"They"? We had a light rain the other day and I saw zero motorcycles on the road. We're they all just sitting home doing nothing, or were they driving their car/truck instead? Almost every motorcycle rider is a "cager" also, yet just because they ride a motorcycle occasionally, they think that makes them good drivers. Based on the low mileage on most used motorcycles, I'd even say most riders are driving cars most of the time.
There is an element of fear that riders can use to their advantage. Meaning that having some fear breeds caution and caution can save riders and/or drivers lives! Also, understanding one’s own “state of mind” before throwing your leg over the motorcycle, or getting behind the wheel can save lives! If a person is agitated, angry, impaired or emotionally disturbed for any reason, don’t attempt to operate a vehicle until completely fit to do so in my opinion. This video is absolutely invaluable and should be shown in all riding and driving schools! Awesome. 👏
I agree. Also, if I'm in a rush, I don't ride. Being in a rush can cause distractions
Fear instigates fight flight or freeze. I try to avoid feeling fear when I ride. Self awareness, training, discipline and situational awareness can inspire effective solutions and responses without the adrenaline dump.
@@tommeyer6033 Respectfully, not all people have those particular skills and abilities. I personally have mastered those skills and abilities that you made reference to over my years of riding and as a Veteran, I have enough discipline to go around! However, I realize that there’s a vast range of individuals whom for whatever reasons have not acquired all of the forementioned skills and abilities. Situational awareness is necessary even if you are walking down the street, but it’s how a person responds to the situation is key, and sometimes people respond differently. So a small amount of fear is not necessarily a bad thing if used to an advantage. Of course if someone has paranoia, then I wouldn’t suggest they should operate a vehicle of any type. However, that’s not what I was referring to. Mainly I was talking about a persons state of mind even if they are an extremely skilled rider, because as humans we do human things! Self awareness can save lives as well is my point. No matter how calm, skilled, highly intelligent and experienced a person may be, there’s always the “human element” that can come into play!
@@RollWithSoul317 indeed. This is why I used the word “try”. I aspire to an ideal.
Yamaha School instructors use a phrase “when do we go to the brakes?… when we’re nervous”
@@tommeyer6033 Fear is real and everyone has it to some degree! But it’s how you use it that matters! Some people are afraid of their own shadow, while some are only afraid of land mines! Having the ability to control the fear and think through it as opposed to not controlling it and then overreacting to it can cause major problems. I have my Champ School Certificate and I hope to take a few more courses this year, but the Military teaches how to control fear and use it to your advantage. But, not everyone was in the military, first responders or had martial arts training to learn how to control their fears, especially on the roads. I thank you and respectfully appreciate your insight into this topic. It’s duly noted. 👍
I'm imagining the many truckers, car drivers, bus drivers and BMW drivers who are feverishly searching for "what to understand about motorcycles" and filtering by "motorcycle training" in the channel name.
This a phenomenon that affects all minorities. Because there are so few riders in the U.S. relative to car drivers, the perception the general public has will be of the most heinous acts of that minority. In a way this is kind of built into our internal protection system. If one snake kills one person, it is far better to assume all snakes are poisonous and stay away from all of them when in reality only about 15% a venomous.
Two issues I had yesterday and how I dealt with them
1) Tail gator. Creeping closer and closer. Dropped two and put the 2-second gap between us. They got the hint
2) Preface: Here in the UK we drive on the correct side of the road unlike you in the colonies.
The driver pulled straight out in front of me from my left. So I sat behind them waving at them when I saw them looking in their side or rearview mirror. They got the hint
No aggression or swearing, flipping off, or mirror smashing.
Stay safe and careful out there x
Excellent information and presentation...as usual.
Thanks for the good words. One must, weather a cager or biker, not only judge distance, but vehicle velocity as well. This equals reaction time! So, distance divided by velocity equals reaction time. And driver's training courses for cars don't teach folks to see a smaller silhouette of a bike & rider. I feel this should be part of the curriculum!
It wouldn't help. I rode for a long time, and they still appear out of the blue on me sometimes. Your bike has a lot more acceleration than a car. So, downshift a gear if you've got a problem driver you need to get around. You can also brake a lot harder in case someone doesn't see you and decides that nice clear path on their left would give them an advantage. As a rider, you have a lot of advantages over the guys in cars. Use those advantages if you have to.
Great advice, as always.
In the UK, the highway code makes provision for filtering through traffic (rules 88 & 160) but it's very much a "proceed with caution" / keep it slow thing.
The majority of roadway rules are there to serve amd assist the majority of the users of the road. This is a reason pedestrians were forced off the middle of streets and roads a century ago in London and NYC.
Motorcycles are a tiny minority of road use in North America and, as he says, the car/truck drivers likely to hit splitters is the prime reason most states here prohibit it.
Moving up in stalled traffic, thus alleviating congestion, is typically why filtering is allowed...but every city dweller has seen street fighter wreckless splitters in 70mph traffic doing a ton, and it likely can't be enforced as troopers are mostly in squad cars and can't catch them in such situations.
If lane split was common in the days of mostly 50hp bikes...such as Cali or the UK...then by now drivers would be used to it and most riders would see it as a logical and cautious tool.
However since it is long illegal in many jurisdictikn...the thrill factor or forbidden fruit and hooliganism comes into play.
If most of us stayed right (left for you) while cruising and only moved over into the passing lane to overtake a slow vehicle...then moved back....
The whole issue of filter or not would just abbout dissapear. Simply use the passing lane to...well PASS.
I have you Mr MC Rider to thank for not wiping out today when two deer ran in front of my bike. I recalled your lesson on panic stops. I was going 60 mph. I'd been practicing making fast stops so I was prepared. I did not grab a hand full of brake and crash, nor did I swerve and wipe out. I hit the deer instead of swerving. I was almost stopped at this point. So, the bike and myself are okay. The deer has a bruise to remember me by. Cheers !!
Timely advice. It is wise to heed it.
Great vids, great experienced advice., well explained in an articulate manner of clear speech. THANX.
Great video, Kevin
Thanks
marcus
Well said as always
We need the laws and riders to differentiate between splitting and filtering. Filtering is between stopped/slow traffic at no more than 10 mph above the traffic. Splitting is usually at a high rate of speed. Doing 100 between two cars doing 70 for example.
My understanding is filtering is moving up through traffic at a stop light or when traffic is totally stopped. The rider filters through traffic to the front of the line.
Splitting is when traffic is moving very slowly like in a traffic jam and the motorcycle splits lanes to keep moving.
IMO splitting is only safe or needed when traffic is slower than 10MPH and the bike is no faster than 5MPH relative to the traffic around them.
McRider's explanation is what I have always understood about filtering and lane splitting. The motorcyclists exceeding these parameters are highly prone to causing vehicular accidents and in reckless maneuvers give all riders a bad reputation.
@@MCrider… Here’s not really legal. But there’s a funny grammatical loophole in certain overtaking law, so it’s “not-illegal” and expected.
Moving traffic or standing at a red light, I always try not to be 10km/h faster than the cars I’m overtaking and rev up a bit when I can… within reason.
Filtering is what it's called by those that speak British English, splitting is American English. For some reason UA-cam people try to make some distinction as though they mean different things.
@@MCriderBritish law mostly agrees with your assessment regarding speeds. Although enforcement is somewhat laxe (a matter of judgement in most cases), the official rules call anything faster than about 15mph dangerous.
Generally I haven't had problems with cars, especially on motorways (which have wide-enough lanes), but I do from time to time run into the occasional Karen or Kevin who think they own the road and can make up their own rules.
The Swiss, on the other hand, take this sort of thing quite seriously (I'm told). Filtering is outright prohibited, but both the standard of driving and traffic management felt so good that I never actually felt the need to filter in the week I spent there. Nor did I feel the need to go over the speed limit while enjoying the Alps.
Be an ASSERTIVE rider. Not an aggressive rider.
I rode in the LA area for about 10 years. This was during the 90s. I did "lane sharing" quite a lot. Local drivers were, in the main, understanding and sometimes would go just a bit too far out of their way to accommodate me, making them a problem for the traffic on their other side. During those 10 years, of course I saw a lot of drivers who simply did not like bikes and would actually close up the distance between them and the car next to them to prevent me from getting by. I guess that the problem was that since they were stuck in traffic, I should be too. Of course, I eventually found a way past them. But, one thing I did notice was that it was mostly the cars with out of state tags that were the worst offenders. Strangely enough, cars with Colorado plates seemed to be a big offender. But by and large, people didn't try to prevent me from splitting the lane. After all, if they let me by, that was one less thing that they'd have to be concentrating on, rather than just driving their car and getting home safely.
Drive safe. Ride safe. Be responsible. Arrive alive no matter what you driver or ride.
By the way, during all this time, I learned just how good a job the California Highway Patrol did of teaching their bike officers to ride. As wide as their bikes are, I was never really able to maintain a distance behind one of those guys on my Ducati. They just had a better feel for traffic than I did. And it's not because they were mounted on a police bike. You don't really notice that from a car until they're beside you or even with your front tire. Those guys are really just that good, and my hat's off to them!
thank you
If all car drivers had to learn to ride a bike, the accident rates would drop substantially. Some of my habits (looking both ways before i go through a green light) i also do when drivin my truck. Thanks Kevin, always god to get reminders!!
Kevin, at the 56 second mark-ypur shirt went from grey to black. Just happened, or, was that for a reason? I enjoy the riders tips every time I view your video presentations. Yes, I'm a "newbs newb", preparing to achieve my endorsement. A 20 year biker told me that the MSF course is easy-don't stress yourself over it. When he shared that with me-I felt 100lbs lighter instantly. Share with your viewers on encouraging new, and, about to be new riders to work on safe technics and enjoy the journey of the 2 wheel ride. It makes a BIG difference! Doug 🏍️😁🤓👍
LSD flashback?
If you pay attention to the background, you can see that the lighting changed. It is also right at the transition for the video sponsor.
The weaving within the lane is done for many reasons from reducing rider fatigue to avoiding road debris to creating distance, but the primary reason is visibility and lane ownership.
A rider who sits in the middle of the lane like they’re on a rail is inviting disaster.
The two issues that weaving avoids is firstly becoming invisible. The second is the imbecile who thinks that they can share your lane to overtake. Although the lane sharing may often be due to being invisible.
The human visual processing ability is optimised to track movement, things that don’t move get ignored, they often become invisible due to this. Just think of the chip on a cars windshield or even a dead bug that is in your line of sight but not obstructing the view, eventually even though you can still see it you stop seeing it as the brain pays more attention to everything else.
So you weave in the lane to avoid being a bug on the windshield.
I let cars know I'm a crazy f as I'm near them around during a traffic maneuver... right.there are not any actual driving tests , actually or written... for renewal..
I wish all drivers were required to spend at least 2 years riding before being allowed to drive a car or truck. The crap I see people doing in their cars befuddles me. I can't wait for self-driving cars to take over. Clearly people don't actually like driving. They just like getting where they're going.
The DMV "Secretary of State" needs to teach basic drivers about Semi Trucks and Motorcycles. The DMV makes it to easy to get a drivers license 🪪 with that 10 question test. More training should be mandatory
I mean... have you seen the standard for rider training too? That whole system is a joke.
Let's hope they train professional drivers better.
I ride as if every one of THEM wants to kill me…. 📱
I drive my car that way too. Didn't take long to adjust after I got my bike.
Colorado is going with lane splitting this summer!
All drivers are A holes. Expect them to do A hole things. At the same time be courteous to try and make the world a better place.
Yesterday afternoon heading into rush hour a car came within inches of taking me out at the entrance to my own driveway. I saw the car coming from way back and moving pretty quick, so I turned my signal on early, and flashed my brake light a bunch of times because I was turning in to my driveway not a street, so I wanted to get their attention. Anyway, I started my turn and there they were, and in that split second I thought, "Why are they passing me on the right? Then, "Oh fu*k!" so all I could do was accelerate. Luckily, I sped up enough that they missed me, by inches. They never honked or even slowed down that I could tell. Honestly, I don't think they ever saw me at all.
According to a quick google search, California is the only state that allows "lane splitting", was wondering how accurate this info is.
I think there are a couple of others...if I am not mistaken Colorado recently passed it.
I think Montana and Arizona did as well.
I live in Colorado. They just passed SB24-079 in Colorado a couple weeks ago (the governor signed it), which will make lane *filtering* legal here starting August 7, 2024, but currently only for a period of three years. After that, they will re-evaluate. It will allow motorcycles to filter through *stopped* traffic (such as traffic stopped for a red light) at a speed of 15 MPH or less. I am indeed looking forward to it, but I wish it had gone so far as to allow lane splitting. I’ve done lane splitting in California while visiting there, and it’s a game-changer for motorcyclists. But, for the time being, lane filtering will have to suffice.
It's the new world sadly, no one is willing to see the other side of the story. Too much self centered people. Keep up the great work, one day I will visit Texas.
geared scooter/ manual cars/ motorcycles- all clutchwork
Simple solution, make it compulsory to pass a spatial awareness test prior to learning to operate any vehicle.
No spatial awareness, no license!
I can care you may need a law firm just to get a fair deal with your own insurance company. Remember that.
Riding on two wheels comes with ignorant comments from 4 wheeled drivers. The amount of times I have heard "oh, you mean a donor-cycle". I filtered(not lane splitting) once in traffic and a paramedic pulled up next to me at the next light with a comment about how he was sure he would be picking me up later because of my reckless riding. In Canada it is worse because we do not have as much of a bike culture and the drivers do not know how to act when they share the road with us. They are nervous and erratic with their handling of their vehicle.
Good lord I never thought of that. There are a lot of sport bike and harley dudes that are bad actors and ambasadors... I should dress more to highlight myself as a girl rider to differentiate myself from these jokers that have ticked folks off and who may hold an across the board vendetta.
Ah but when we're clearly "girl riders", they gawk and stare and get distracted either way! Lol,!
A regular driver’s license is handed out like candy on Halloween. A motorcycle license requires a much higher level of training before ever receiving an endorsement.
I’ve been riding a variety of bikes for a long time and have seen a steady and shocking decline in driving skills with regular drivers.
Motorcycle Advocacy Groups are failing at exposing this trend.
Just watched 2 of those Sport Bike idiots weaving in/out of traffic @ 100mph+ 5 hours ago. No protection but a helmet. At least they weren't wearing flip flops!😊
This is all fine. But I do see a LOT of riders speeding and passing very aggressively...
We tend to get the stereotypes we create...
Lane splitting is inherently unsafe. I'm sitting in a traffic jam, I'm not expecting another vehicle to appear out of no where along side me. The other issue is speed differential. When I check my mirrors before a lane change, and you're bearing down on me 20+40 mph up, literally, by the time I act on the information, you bike has literally appeared out of no where
If you're sitting in traffic, why does it matter if a vehicle "appears out of nowhere"? Your other " issue" is irrelevant as it would fall under reckless even in splitting permissive locations like California.
While I'm a car, I have seen a lot of motorcyclists filtering through a slow moving traffic jam. If they go a few mph above the rest, it's totally fine. You can see them coming, in time before you want to make a maneuver. Also, if you go towards the direction within your lane to the side you want to go and use your blinker, all should go safe and well.
I'm not speaking for the idiots going 30 mph faster than the rest of traffic while filtering
@@beerdedwanderer It matters if the car decides another lane is moving, and they want to get over. It matters if they open the door. It matters if a car is pulling out of a parking space when you're on the curb side. I shouldn't have to tell you this. You're the one on the motorcycle.
@@scottchamberlain5594 yes lane changers are hazards you can identify and prepare for. It's also customary to check your mirror before changing lanes.
door openers? I have actually had it happen once when a car was broken down in traffic. I avoided it, exceedingly rare.
Why am I on the curb side? Splitting would actually keep me away from people pulling away from the curb.
Why do you think you need to "act on the information"? I rode a lot, as in about 80,000 miles on a bike in the LA area. Not once did I depend on the driver doing something different because I was there. In fact, it's better for everyone involved that you not try to do something to make their life easier. If you move over, there might be a car that's drifted out of their lane, or even a different bike coming past on that side. Just drive your car. The bikes will take care of themselves unless you deliberately do something to make life hard for them. Why? Because bikes don't have any door pillars or front mirrors in the way of their vision. Not only that, they're higher above the road than you are. Essentially, bikers have more information to work with than you do. Trust the biker to know what he's doing. Trying to "help" may just ruin someone else's day.
I really dislike when drivers start their left turn before I clear the intersection. If there are no vehicles behind me, it happens every time. Scary when a 3/4 ton pick up is assuming I'll be out of the way. I've had cars pull up right beside me and take my space because I'm off to the side in case I need to avoid a rear ender and look at me like I'm the stoopid one 😂 My city has some terrible drivers and riders. 2 dead already this season and it's only April and I'm in Canada so season just started 😢 Local headlines heartlessly read "Rider #2 2024". Not enough love for anything but possessions in our modern world. It hurts my heart 💔
That's way I don't agree with lane splitting, that lane belong to the bike and it also belongs to the car.
Lane splitting is crazy!! imho
As much as this is just a UA-cam promo show, I've just got to say motorcyclists in general attitude seem to think they must speed and cut through traffic. The explanations you say motorists seeing a motorcycle weaving and or riding left or right in the lane being an aggressive rider is wrong in my opinion, most bikers in my area are on Harleys which we all know break the sound barrier sitting still! And make more noise than a train when trying to get to 30mph! and as for lane splitting, I find it reckless to ride up between vehicles, and selfish to squeeze up to the stop light! There is absolutely no reason to do that under any daily riding or driving situation. If your concern is that you'll get squished between cars then you're gonna argue with that so cry me a river!
We have right wing media helping weak governments by causing division - so they use straight terms like 'drivers', cyclists or 'motorcyclists' in stories rather than prefix them with 'some' (as MCrider thankfully does). We also have social media that basically acts as an echo chamber, slowly grouping similarly minded folk together and targeting them with specific content. Sadly, due to the way 'news' is funded it's more right dominated. This perpetuates the 'us against them' feeling for say car drivers vs motorcyclists or cyclists. And a feedback loop starts.
When people are sucked in by these addictive media on their addictive devices that feeling can become entrenched and this is where sometimes it can even lead to aggression.
Everybody needs to challenge where they just see catch alls like 'motorcyclists' rather than 'some motorcyclists'. It's good for ourselves to open our own minds and to dilute the ever increasing pool of people who have given up critical thinking when looking at their tiny screen device and not appreciating the nuances of language. Afterall, we are all equal.
Lane splitting.... legal or illegal..... it's just a bad idea..... imo 😊
Time and place. Where I live (large regional city 90 minutes from Sydney, NSW) drivers are not used to lane splitting, so you get some pushback. However in Sydney, a much larger city with a lot of commuting motorcyclists, lane splitting is more common and so less pushback and risk.
@jayrovers then don't do it.
@beerdedwanderer I wouldn't..... the problem is other people think lane splitting is cool..... and those that lane split will eventually be involved in a collision
@@jayrovers that's your problem, because?
@@beerdedwanderer it makes people dislike bikers