Lane Splitting - Cali style


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owldaddy

New Member
I wonder if they have organ donor cards in Russia, or maybe they just take the organs whether you want to donate or not?
 
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Spunky99

New Member
owldaddy said:
I wonder if they have organ donor cards in Russia, or maybe they just take the organs whether you want to donate or not?
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If you go on vacation in Russia and wake up in the morning in a bath tub that is filled with ice, you might be an organ donor....
 
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stuna

New Member
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjmtpp7GzhY]YouTube - crazy lunatic driving through traffic[/ame]
 
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owldaddy

New Member
Cripes Stuna, that guy was even blowing through red lights. Looked like he breezed a motor cop as well. He will make someone happy someday soon when they get his organs, if any of them are still useful after he becomes a grease spot on the road.
 
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JSP

Super Moderator
This dude does shit right in front of cops and they dont do crap... gotta watch till the end :)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkidzmFE-ow&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Motorcyclist in Thong[/ame]


/Thread :D
 
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Roaddawg

New Member
I lane split all the time, but in a safe manner. I feel its more of a survival thing than a time savings thing. At red lights I split to the front because I'm afraid I'll get rear ended and sandwiched in between cars. Most people around here expect motorcyclist to split and especially during commute hours. I would say 95% of the time, people move over and make room for motorcycles. The other 5% just aren't paying attention or they're from out of state. It's very very rare that someone moves over on purpose to block me or yell at me....maybe happens once every 3-4 months, if that. There are those riders' that split way too fast and take big unnecessary risks. I probably move over 2-3 times a day to let a crazy rider split past me...as I'm already splitting. Those are the guys that are going to ruin it for the rest of us and also get themselves injured or killed. Here's a video of me splitting lanes and what I deem is safe. Once the traffic speeds up to 30-35 or so, I don't split.: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt8TyISXFds]YouTube - Splitting Traffic Lanes in the Bay Area[/ame]
 
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Roaddawg

New Member
owldaddy said:
While it is legal to split lanes in California, what you saw on that video isn't legal. Splitting lanes when traffic is stopped, or moving extremely slow is typical, at least north of the Grapevine. This guy was speeding and using his video camera to get his 15 minutes of fame. If he had come across a CHP, he would have been nailed if they could catch him. I watched the whole thing thinking maybe I was going to witness a really bad accident...... Another rider whom I hope has filled out an organ donor card.
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JonKerr said:
I didn't watch the whole video, but I saw enough to see that this guy is the reason why sportbike riders, specifically ones who lane split, get such a bad name. I mean the opening of it is enough to show you the guy is a complete tool.

Here's my take on lane splitting. Living in California, I do split lanes. But only in certain situations.

- At a red light: If there's space and there's going to be enough time before the light turns green, I will roll up to the front for two reasons. First, I hate sitting in traffic and breathing exhaust fumes. But the biggest reason is so I'm not exposed from behind. If you're the last vehicle in the line at a stop light, the car coming up behind you may not see you and plow right into you. I even had a cop one time let me go when stopped alone at a four way stop sign being traffic controlled so I wouldn't be exposed. It's our most vulnerable position and if me splitting between some cars and possibly making someone a little angry means I'm safe from getting plowed into, so be it.

- On the freeway: During heavy traffic, in California, it's very common for bikes to split lanes. Mainly between the #1 and #2 lanes. The law is written that you can "Share" lanes with another vehicle if it's done in a safe manor. That means it's subjective. The cop has to make a judgement call to what he thinks is safe. The general rule of thumb that the police use is that if traffic is moving less than 35mph, you can share lanes, but you can not exceed 35mph. So this guy speeding past people at 60 or more is not safe and would be ticketed. If that cop you were following was splitting lanes at 75mph, he's being very unsafe and is a moron too. I will split lanes on the freeway (I've been doing it quite a bit lately actually since I'm working again and commuting on the bike now) but I only do it when I feel it's safe and it meets those requirements.

- Kind of a combination of the two: There's a metering ramp that goes from one freeway to the other in my commute. In the car, it would take about 15 minutes from the time I got to the back of the line, until I got to the light. The last few days, I've split the lanes all the way up to the front, and it takes all of 2 minutes that way.

So the question of how much time does it really save really depends on the individual commute. I would say splitting lanes has taken my commute from 45 minutes, to 25 at the most. So 20 minutes off my commute, doing things in what is considered a safe manner, is worth it to me. But like I said, I don't do it like this guy does.

The original reason this was allowed was back in the day, bikes were all air cooled. And in crappy California traffic (Yes it was worse in the big cities in the 70's) bikes would break down like crazy, causing even more traffic congestion. So they decided to allow bikes to share lanes to keep them cooled. Even though most bikes are liquid cooled now (though not all of them) they still allow it.

Edit: I just skipped through and watched some more of that video and realized he's in San Diego and the freeway he's on is highway 52. One I have commuted on and off for the last 13 years. That is probably the freeway in town where you get the most insane crazy guys splitting lanes at 70mph all the time. That's one of the reasons I don't take that freeway any longer.
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I'm on the same page as both of you about.
 
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Detrich

New Member
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bjs045

New Member
Roaddawg said:
I was ok with this guys until about 5:38 when he's starts in and out of traffic at high speed. Just because you can weave in and out of traffic at high speed doesn't mean its "advanced" lane splitting....it's called "stupid".
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Agree 100% with ya. I find it disturbing how all the non-SoCal-guys are saying lane splitting is crazy and we're saying its normal everyday riding. Are we that out of touch of what "safe riding" is due to our environment? I'd say we ride the way we do to survive.

Numbers don't lie...Los Angeles County has the highest motorcycle death rate in the U.S. So bad compared to the rest of the country that the FBI started an investigation a few years back. Is it the Motorcyclist, Cagers, or combo of both? Or do we just have that many "tools" out here?
 
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Spunky99

New Member
bjs045 said:
Agree 100% with ya. I find it disturbing how all the non-SoCal-guys are saying lane splitting is crazy and we're saying its normal everyday riding. Are we that out of touch of what "safe riding" is due to our environment? I'd say we ride the way we do to survive.

Numbers don't lie...Los Angeles County has the highest motorcycle death rate in the U.S. So bad compared to the rest of the country that the FBI started an investigation a few years back. Is it the Motorcyclist, Cagers, or combo of both? Or do we just that many "tools" out here?
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According to the results of those investigations, 90% of the accidents involving motorcycles were the cagers fault. Add the fact that most drivers in SoCal are from other states and you get the picture. The "Tools" are out of state cagers....
 
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flyingminno

New Member
Well, I do agree that lane splitting is safe when done right, and don't guys like downshift83 leave a stigma on lane splitting, I actually avoided a rear end collision just last Monday, when the freeway came to a stop and the car behind me locked up and collided with the car I was following. So yes it can be viewed as crazy by others, but I don't comfortable sitting at a stand still on the road.
 
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bjs045

New Member
flyingminno said:
Well, I do agree that lane splitting is safe when done right, and don't guys like downshift83 leave a stigma on lane splitting, I actually avoided a rear end collision just last Monday, when the freeway came to a stop and the car behind me locked up and collided with the car I was following. So yes it can be viewed as crazy by others, but I don't comfortable sitting at a stand still on the road.
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Yes I've had one of those situations too but the never hit the car I was behind. He basically skidded onto the spot I just left.

I recently had a friend and his GF from Oregon come down to visit. He thought he was driving fast at 65 until he noticed an elderly lady passing him up in an 1985 Buick doing 80+mph. First thing he said was you guys drive fast and crazy out here.
 
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flyingminno

New Member
bjs045 said:
Yes I've had one of those situations too but the never hit the car I was behind. He basically skidded onto the spot I just left.

I recently had a friend and his GF from Oregon come down to visit. He thought he was driving fast at 65 until he noticed an elderly lady passing him up in an 1985 Buick doing 80+mph. First thing he said was you guys drive fast and crazy out here.
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Haha well we do have little old lady's of Pasadena out here, so being passed by one is just natural.
 
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Spunky99

New Member
bjs045 said:
Yes I've had one of those situations too but the never hit the car I was behind. He basically skidded onto the spot I just left.

I recently had a friend and his GF from Oregon come down to visit. He thought he was driving fast at 65 until he noticed an elderly lady passing him up in an 1985 Buick doing 80+mph. First thing he said was you guys drive fast and crazy out here.
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Try Florida
 
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lwclancers

New Member
Spunky99 said:
I lane split at every red light.
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I should have been more clear...around HERE I would be beat down, whether it's legal or not.
 
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Spunky99

New Member
lwclancers said:
I should have been more clear...around HERE I would be beat down, whether it's legal or not.
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Dang....rough area there.....

I usually ride to work and home in my cowboy boots....
 
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JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
lwclancers said:
I should have been more clear...around HERE I would be beat down, whether it's legal or not.
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I have more people move over and make room for me splitting lanes than anything. I think it's just a difference in the fact people in San Diego know it's legal and expect it. Not that EVERYONE is that courteous and understanding. But I think there are more like that than aren't when it comes to lane splitting.
 

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2w05thletes

New Member
As I watch that video I think to myself does his speedometer say "IDIOT"? I'm not a lane splitter as it's not legal here...that I'm aware of. I can see how it can be extremely advantageous...from an outsider peering in I can say this, HE'S OUT OF HIS GOURD!! Just don't hurt yourself guys.

*edit* Confirmed. Not legal in OK...at all...under any circumstance...
 
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