j0hn Posted November 16, 2012 Posted November 16, 2012 I'm a new rider so this is a whole new level for me. I've watched a few filtering tips and guides on youtube (by sensible riders) and have been attempting on stationary traffic - when necessary and safe - to get to the front of the lights. Two months on and I've managed to clip two wing mirrors, latest being just last week. The second time it happened, I knew it was too narrow but I had committed so I ended up squeezing through only to fail miserably. Both times I pulled up on to the side of the road and apologised, they were both women drivers and after checking there were no serious damage we parted ways. I guess I've been lucky so far to not have any claims made against me but these incidents have created a major set back. I'm not as confident filtering anymore and even when an opportunity arise I hesitate and only commit when there is enough space for 3/4 of a car to squeeze through lol. I'm interested to see how many of you riders actually filter and what your wing mirror clipping rate is, if you've ever clipped at all. Would also love to read some tips and tricks
blackhat250 Posted November 16, 2012 Posted November 16, 2012 Aye john"o , when in holland this year returning from Spa" our squad had a deadline for the ferry, we came apon a thrree lane traffic jam, well some os us took the middle [ fitre] and some took the hard shoulder, ,, we were filtering at 25-30 mph, so if some one opened a door" it was curtians, A plonker seen us in mirror, and pulled into hard shoulder, diagonal, not breakdown, we took the grass , and saluted him with the finger, never clipped a mirror yet,
Grouch Posted November 16, 2012 Posted November 16, 2012 There are certain times and places to filter. Some roads aren't wide enough, and I personally have seen two bikers knocked off by cars pulling out of the queue to turn around. It all boils down to common sense.
j0hn Posted November 16, 2012 Author Posted November 16, 2012 we were filtering at 25-30 mph Oh mahn that's some crazy filtering lol, lucky no one was hurt! It all boils down to common sense. True, I try to take in to account all factors... like slowing down when going past side roads, wheels turning and generally doing it below 5 - 10mph if space allows.
clarke Posted November 16, 2012 Posted November 16, 2012 I filter through stationary traffic everyday at about 20mph... But it's on a two lane road. Thing to remember about filtering is slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary. If a gap is tight you might want to wait until the traffic starts to move again then you can normally slip through & rejoin traffic if appropriate. Be careful about clipping wing mirrors. I once had someone want to fight me because I filtered passed him at traffic lights & I didn't even touch his car... I tend to avoid filtering if cars are moving at about 20mph but I've seen bikes filter at 40+mph.
j0hn Posted November 17, 2012 Author Posted November 17, 2012 Yea, I try not to exceed 10mph, not experienced enough to hit 20mph just yet. I don't usually get many opportunities to filter either or filter for longer than a minute, just the odd occasion. Sometimes the lights changed before I get to them and generally the drivers here are pretty decent and let you rejoin the traffic without you having to stay stuck between traffic moving either side. One thing I remember about my clipping incidents was that the traffic was almost in line so the wing mirrors were directly opposite each other rather than the ideal staggered arrangement. Maybe that's something to look out for before committing to filter?
wild foamy Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 I will filter trough traffic up to about 10-15mph, anything above that i see it as overtaking and look for a space to pull in (remember to leave enough room for you to stop safely if the car infront should do something drastic, and the car behind you to be able to stop safely), also whilst filtering examine every car you can, run through all the scenarios i.e. if that BMW pulls out where can i go? can i move into the other lane(s) or is the traffic too fast moving? if you cannot predict a safe way out, dont do it, cover your ass as much as you can and ride defensively
kenDAWG Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 ive never eventried this i was under the impression it was frowned upon? when stuck in traffic on the way back from work in the mini bus i often see bikers filtering and thinking "you lucky git" so is it perfectly legal? or is it a case of if the traffic is at a stand still its ok? cheers ken
FZR1690 Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 ive never eventried this i was under the impression it was frowned upon? when stuck in traffic on the way back from work in the mini bus i often see bikers filtering and thinking "you lucky git" so is it perfectly legal? or is it a case of if the traffic is at a stand still its ok? cheers ken It is legal to filter but then again it depends if plod are watching and if they deem your actions to be safe or not. I filter when stuck in traffic all the time as I am impatient and even with full luggage but that adds a whole new dimension to spacual awareness! I was on the Paris ring road in rush hour last year and let me tell if you dont filter and at speed you get pelters from other riders, then again the drivers seem so much aware of motorcyclists that they get out your way or make sure there is plenty of room for you to pass, not like this country where they do their best to pull out on you or even close the gap as they are pissed off that they have to sit in their tin can whilst you whizz by. My rule of thumb is if I can pass without thinking about it then I do but if I have to think about if there is enough room then there probably isnt so I would wait til the gap widens. Whatever you decide be careful cos if there is a collision then you will always be at fault.
boon Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 do you know what the bit between the two solid white lines in the centre of the road is called? the motorcycle overtaking lane!
mike1949 Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 do you know what the bit between the two solid white lines in the centre of the road is called? the motorcycle overtaking lane! Yes, as long as it is legal to cross that line, i.e. a broken line not a continuous line or a thatched area. By the way boon, I didn't know there was a space between two solid white lines, unless you mean the thatched area?
beef Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 i filter all the time. live in oldham and work all over manchester. some times its between two lanes heading in my direction some times it outside of my lane and against on coming traffic. i know some people say you shouldnt but my 20 min ride to work would be almost an hour if i sat in the traffic all the way just look at the gap between the traffic and judge it, you will get some times when you can wizz through no probs other times you will get part way down a line and have to stop because the gap is not wide enough. just be sensible, aware and as you do it more and more you will gain the confidene and experience you need.
j0hn Posted November 17, 2012 Author Posted November 17, 2012 Yea, I'm slowly getting back into it. I didn't think it was legal to filter against on coming traffic, is it?
clarke Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 I once had a motorbike 'filter' between me (in my car) and another car on the M1... I was in the outside lane overtaking a car in the middle lane at. 70 mph! The biker was gone in seconds - me & other driver just looked at each other in disbelief! You can filter legally so long as it's not dangerous, ie watch your speed & rejoin traffic once it begins moving again. One article I read in a magazine suggested only filtering in moving traffic up to 30mph - personally I only filter through stationary or slow moving traffic but you have to judge each situation for yourself and see what you're comfortable with. One thing to bear in mind is (generally) if you filter down the outside of a lane and a car pulls out of a side road to your left & hits you the law will say you're liable. If a car in the queue does a U-turn & hits you then they're to blame (as long as your speed isn't excessive).
j0hn Posted November 17, 2012 Author Posted November 17, 2012 One thing to bear in mind is (generally) if you filter down the outside of a lane and a car pulls out of a side road to your left & hits you the law will say you're liable. Oh something similar happened to me recently, except I didn't filter down the outside of the lane. Caught it on video too
clarke Posted November 17, 2012 Posted November 17, 2012 I'd say in your clip the car driver didn't look properly before pulling out. As said by above by Wild Foamy, you have to ride defensively all the time and expect the unexpected
tgsm7 Posted November 18, 2012 Posted November 18, 2012 Theres a section of the A21 where it goes from 2 lanes to 1, i usually filter then, as theres about 5 foot of space for a few hundred yards, then down to about 2 foot. Never at more than 20mph in wide bits, slowing down to 10-15 in the narrower bits. I never filter to the front of the lights, as thats frowned down upon by the law. Through Maidstone is quite easy though.
bippo Posted November 18, 2012 Posted November 18, 2012 I'm still new to riding and for a good long while I didn't even attempt to filter. So was left sitting in traffic while bigger bikes and mopeds cruised past me, ha ha! I'm not very adventurous and will only do what I feel comfortable with. My commute into work is so early I haven't got to worry about traffic, likewise my weekend rides are quite leisurely. There are two roads I filter down during my commute home from work, in standstill, single lane traffic. The roads have good visability ahead. I'm sure my confidence will build overtime but I won't risk a move if I'm not comfortable with it.
tgsm7 Posted November 18, 2012 Posted November 18, 2012 I'm still new to riding and for a good long while I didn't even attempt to filter. So was left sitting in traffic while bigger bikes and mopeds cruised past me, ha ha! I'm not very adventurous and will only do what I feel comfortable with. My commute into work is so early I haven't got to worry about traffic, likewise my weekend rides are quite leisurely. There are two roads I filter down during my commute home from work, in standstill, single lane traffic. The roads have good visability ahead. I'm sure my confidence will build overtime but I won't risk a move if I'm not comfortable with it. I was the same till i kept meeting this guy who would filter past me, so one day i followed him as he seemed the sensible type and i gained confidence through that,
bippo Posted November 18, 2012 Posted November 18, 2012 I was the same till i kept meeting this guy who would filter past me, so one day i followed him as he seemed the sensible type and i gained confidence through that, Really good idea there. I've done that once which was good, and in a way I think it helped drivers notice us even more as there were two headlights bouncing around. I could see more eyes looking in their mirrors which was quite confidence inspiring.
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