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 Post subject: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 18:42 
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Location: A Dark Desert Highway
I was proceeding along a dual carrageway this afternoon, flatout as normal (23.7 mph!) so had plenty of time to look around. I was obviously in lane one and everyone seemed quite keen to overtake, can't think why. Anyway, there was a Merc Sprinter in lane 2 with an ER5 behind, he might have been dispatch, certainly looked like he rode alot. But he overtook the van while it was still in lane 2, the van just moved over as far as he could and he squeezed between van and kerb. I'm still not sure if is should condem this manover (sp) or admire his judgement. He had a really good look and the van driver seemed complicit.


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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2008 23:18 
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saw a similar dispatch last week, but he was doing that between cars moving in opposite directions on a country road and on 50-60mph! and the road was full of corners and blind spots. i have to admit that he looked confidant.

i've seen quite a few of those riders, they have some similar style in the way they approach and overtake vehicles.


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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2008 12:33 
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10-20 seconds later and the overtake could have been a bit safer, so i'd either pass before or after, but avoid 3 abreast


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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2008 16:13 
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Sounds to me like a really daft thing to do, even with the "help" of the sprinter driver.


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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Sat May 31, 2008 17:37 
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from my own observation though; most motorcyclists are obsessed with overtaking


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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 21:11 
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I would not put it as strongly as that myself ghost, but I think it fair to say that most tend to overtake more than car drivers simply because they can.
I suspect that in these days of increasing congestion (and drivers who will stick rigidly to the most inapprpriate of speed limits under any conditions,) that this is one of the major reasons of using powered two wheelers.
A bike can fit in a much smaller space or through a narrower gap. Most also have better accelleration. All factors that make overtaking possible more often than for cars. To my mind it would be odd not to take advantage of this within reason. This particular case though does seem to be beyond what can be called reasonable.


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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 18:53 
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Location: Warrington ex Sandgrounder[Southport]
As a BaB (Born again Biker)and a HGV driver for over 35 years I can see both sides of the debate as when I get on my trusty Kawasaki 1000GTR to go home from work and also when I go out at the weekend for a run on the steed I like to use the machine for what it is designed for and that is to use the road and the machine to SAFELY PASS other vehicles and hopefully without inconveniencing other road users!

As for the statement about "inappropriate speed limits" unfortunately I don,t make the speed limits on the roads, that is done by the powers that be in parliament but what I do try to do as much as is legally and humanly possible, is to comply with them whether I like them or not!

Purely and simply because A) I value my licence and my livelihood and I enjoy my job as well and B) I have no intention of facing a magistrate or judge on charges of causing death by dangerous driving by exceeding the speed limit :roll: :roll: :roll:

I certainly don,t agree with the siting of "SAFETY CAMERAS" as all they do is monitor 50yards or so of road so the poor guy who once in a million years exceeds the limit by a couple of MPH is suddenly deemed to be a "CRIMINAL" (not my words but those of "Buffoon Brunstrom" of North Wales police fame) who must be dealt with using the full force of the law! :twisted: :twisted: :evil: :evil:

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 Post subject: Re: interesting overtake
PostPosted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 18:41 
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gh0$t wrote:
from my own observation though; most motorcyclists are obsessed with overtaking


It could be said 'Most car drivers are obsessed with tail gating', they catch the veh ahead and FAIL to overtake the slower veh for a number of reasons but do they space themselves at a safe dist apart or do they queue till the next dual carriageway or their turn off? the choice is yours if you can see the answer.
Couldnt you look at bikers as riders who catch slower vehs then correctly and safely overtake them ? I doubt it. :D Overtaking is a natural fear/concern for most drivers as they are taught very very little on the subject and virtually nothing in a practical sense, yet it is a perfectly ligitimate action and should get more attention in training (or perhaps it should be banned :roll: ), the fear of the unknown clouds judgement. Bikes overtaking gets bad press from the majority of startled drivers who often fail to see the bike and only visualise the sudden blur of a biker zipping passed quickly and dont see the skill and judgement or efficiency or simply a perfectly ligitimate overtake, yet overtaking slowly is the wrong option, the less time you spend on wrong side of road the safer.Im not saying bikers are all good riders, far from it, but where overtaking is concerned they do it cos they can and most car drivers are either incapable of doing it , poor at doing it, feel they shouldnt do it or see no advantage in doing it and of course there are occasions where they simply cannot do it and happy or not join the queue and being in the uniformed queue gives them a sense of belonging I suppose :D ,whereas a biker can make advantage from it.There will always be the 'us them' viewpoint circling about the brain receptors of many ,which also clouds judgement. In many many yrs of driving and perhaps 3million miles so far,all the times bikes have passed me and the number of times Ive ridden with other bikers I have only had cause on a few occasions to think they got it dangerously wrong in some way (speeding not really the issue) but I can assure you I have seen hundreds maybe thousands of car drivers get it dangerously wrong over my 34yrs on the road.


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