Speed is an important part of Society.
Discussion
Ever since the motor vehicle was created, we have been striving for ever higher speeds. With speed, we have faster delivery of goods, and a better life style. Less time commuting, and more leisure time.
With high speed we have safety from falling asleep, and it can be good fun. Technology has advanced a lot, and speed is a major part of that advance. The only other thing to cause such a rapid pace of increase is war.
Being able to go out for a high speed blast, I find myself more relaxed and tolerant of other people. I'm not the only one.
If you reduce speeds, you get bad tempers. YOu get stress, and eventually road rage.
If we no longer have the outlet of speed, what will those of us who need this "fix" do ?
I suggest binge drinking or drug use as a suitable alternative. Mix in a Saturday nights brawl, and a bit of domestic.
Hmmmm. Maybe we do need speed, and all this speed kills nonsense, is just that: nonsense. Better training, better roads, and better vehicles are what we need. Please don't send us back into the days of the man with a red flag.
Anyone else?
With high speed we have safety from falling asleep, and it can be good fun. Technology has advanced a lot, and speed is a major part of that advance. The only other thing to cause such a rapid pace of increase is war.
Being able to go out for a high speed blast, I find myself more relaxed and tolerant of other people. I'm not the only one.
If you reduce speeds, you get bad tempers. YOu get stress, and eventually road rage.
If we no longer have the outlet of speed, what will those of us who need this "fix" do ?
I suggest binge drinking or drug use as a suitable alternative. Mix in a Saturday nights brawl, and a bit of domestic.
Hmmmm. Maybe we do need speed, and all this speed kills nonsense, is just that: nonsense. Better training, better roads, and better vehicles are what we need. Please don't send us back into the days of the man with a red flag.
Anyone else?
hertsbiker said:
If you reduce speeds, you get bad tempers. YOu get stress, and eventually road rage.
If we no longer have the outlet of speed, what will those of us who need this "fix" do ?
I suggest binge drinking or drug use as a suitable alternative. Mix in a Saturday nights brawl, and a bit of domestic.
As a truckie restricted to 56mph I could not agree more. If held up, we have no opportunity to "make up time". Add the driving hours restrictions and we are totally screwed.
Now off for an evenings binge drinking before work at 5am!!!
Steve
It's also true that society's norms have built up around the benefits that 'speed' have given us. We work further from home, live further away from our families and so when the ability to move around freely and quickly is removed (eg by congestion), it erodes our quality of life more rapidly than almost anything else, because we can no longer fulfil our career or family commitments.
hertsbiker said:Agreed Hertsbiker.
Ever since the motor vehicle was created, we have been striving for ever higher speeds. With speed, we have faster delivery of goods, and a better life style. Less time commuting, and more leisure time.
With high speed we have safety from falling asleep, and it can be good fun. Technology has advanced a lot, and speed is a major part of that advance. The only other thing to cause such a rapid pace of increase is war.
Being able to go out for a high speed blast, I find myself more relaxed and tolerant of other people. I'm not the only one.
If you reduce speeds, you get bad tempers. YOu get stress, and eventually road rage.
If we no longer have the outlet of speed, what will those of us who need this "fix" do ?
I suggest binge drinking or drug use as a suitable alternative. Mix in a Saturday nights brawl, and a bit of domestic.
Hmmmm. Maybe we do need speed, and all this speed kills nonsense, is just that: nonsense. Better training, better roads, and better vehicles are what we need. Please don't send us back into the days of the man with a red flag.
Anyone else?
Like yourself, I get a buzz from speeding on my bike, and life would be very dull if that was taken away. In fact I reckon that EVERYONE needs a "fix" to relieve the monotony etc. Just think, smokers need a fix, drug users need a fix, ( illegal and script...valium/prozac etc ), theme park riders need a fix, so I wonder what fix these "speed kills/more camera's tossers" need. Maybe its the "fix" of scamming a motorist!!
Had a good ride out on the CBR1100xx yesterday with my wife on pillion...
Majority of drivers/riders excellent..
A knob in a Renault Laguna had to be spoken with at traffic lights after he had spent a mile travelling about 2 foot from my rear wheel...(I was keeping to the 30mph speed limit due to the amount of parked cars and kids about).
Loads of bikers about and all riding ok...apart from 3 guys who I saw in my mirror approaching at speeds, despite me making some decent 'progress' and overtakes. I was considering another 3 car overtake, but seeing the junction about 500m on the right decided to hang back. Then saw the car at the front put it's offside indicators on and I quietly complimented my decision in my helmet. Then a check of my offside mirror before dabbing the brakes slightly, this check revealed 3 x chummies on the bikes tearing down the outside, obviously going for the big overtake. I managed to grab some clutch with my left hand and taking my right hand off the throttle did a 'slowing down handsignal'. Chummy on the first bike saw it and braked hard, as did number 2. Number 3 went past the first two, just as the car at the front was turning right. Number 3 throws loads of brakes on...the bike stepped out to the left and then bounced back and by the luck of the Gods, he managed to recover it, just missing the rear of the car as it completed the right turn....
Street
Majority of drivers/riders excellent..
A knob in a Renault Laguna had to be spoken with at traffic lights after he had spent a mile travelling about 2 foot from my rear wheel...(I was keeping to the 30mph speed limit due to the amount of parked cars and kids about).
Loads of bikers about and all riding ok...apart from 3 guys who I saw in my mirror approaching at speeds, despite me making some decent 'progress' and overtakes. I was considering another 3 car overtake, but seeing the junction about 500m on the right decided to hang back. Then saw the car at the front put it's offside indicators on and I quietly complimented my decision in my helmet. Then a check of my offside mirror before dabbing the brakes slightly, this check revealed 3 x chummies on the bikes tearing down the outside, obviously going for the big overtake. I managed to grab some clutch with my left hand and taking my right hand off the throttle did a 'slowing down handsignal'. Chummy on the first bike saw it and braked hard, as did number 2. Number 3 went past the first two, just as the car at the front was turning right. Number 3 throws loads of brakes on...the bike stepped out to the left and then bounced back and by the luck of the Gods, he managed to recover it, just missing the rear of the car as it completed the right turn....
Street
Streetcop said:Morning Streetcop, glad you had a good ride. Unfortunatly, I see this sort of thing quite a lot as well, and I too tend to hang back when spotting a junction. Also, have you noticed how you "get a feeling" that a car is about to pull a maneavure which will put you in danger; and you take precautions only to find the car does exactly as you expected?
Had a good ride out on the CBR1100xx yesterday with my wife on pillion...
Majority of drivers/riders excellent..
A knob in a Renault Laguna had to be spoken with at traffic lights after he had spent a mile travelling about 2 foot from my rear wheel...(I was keeping to the 30mph speed limit due to the amount of parked cars and kids about).
Loads of bikers about and all riding ok...apart from 3 guys who I saw in my mirror approaching at speeds, despite me making some decent 'progress' and overtakes. I was considering another 3 car overtake, but seeing the junction about 500m on the right decided to hang back. Then saw the car at the front put it's offside indicators on and I quietly complimented my decision in my helmet. Then a check of my offside mirror before dabbing the brakes slightly, this check revealed 3 x chummies on the bikes tearing down the outside, obviously going for the big overtake. I managed to grab some clutch with my left hand and taking my right hand off the throttle did a 'slowing down handsignal'. Chummy on the first bike saw it and braked hard, as did number 2. Number 3 went past the first two, just as the car at the front was turning right. Number 3 throws loads of brakes on...the bike stepped out to the left and then bounced back and by the luck of the Gods, he managed to recover it, just missing the rear of the car as it completed the right turn....
Hi Blademan..hope you're ok mate...I'm just about to go to work...(just finished ironing shirt..
)
Yep..6th sense with motorbiking....I know what you mean...I've adapted it to car use and find that if I feel just as vulnerable when in my car, my attention is much better...
My car has side impact bars, ABS, twin-air bags etc and it's very easy to feel invincible, so my theory certainly means I can keep my full no-claims bonus..(touch wood)
Street
) Yep..6th sense with motorbiking....I know what you mean...I've adapted it to car use and find that if I feel just as vulnerable when in my car, my attention is much better...
My car has side impact bars, ABS, twin-air bags etc and it's very easy to feel invincible, so my theory certainly means I can keep my full no-claims bonus..(touch wood)
Street
blademan said:
Loads of bikers about and all riding ok...apart from 3 guys who I saw in my mirror approaching at speeds, despite me making some decent 'progress' and overtakes.
Have a good day at work Streetcop.
P.S. Was the decent progress of the two or three digit variety?
You know I'm always straight with you....Only two digit progress...wife on the back and all that...also it was very warm and was a Sunday, so the percentage of other road users being muppets was very high..
Street
Streetcop said:I knew you HAD to answer this one
Streetcop said:
Loads of bikers about and all riding ok...apart from 3 guys who I saw in my mirror approaching at speeds, despite me making some decent 'progress' and overtakes.
Have a good day at work Streetcop.
P.S. Was the decent progress of the two or three digit variety?
You know I'm always straight with you....Only two digit progress...wife on the back and all that...also it was very warm and was a Sunday, so the percentage of other road users being muppets was very high..
Street
Yep......you're always straight with me.
My missus has only been on the back of my Fireblade once, because I was a bit naughty
I was giving it a bit of an airing
and she tapped me on the back; I took this to mean she was loving it, so I accelerated even harder
When we stopped, she told me she was terrified and wanted me to SLOW DOWN
Aye...it's a bit of a worry with pillions....
My wife prefered my BMW that I had previously; ie not too fast accelleration and comfy seat..
The blackbird is 'OK' according the my Darling, but I know she can only abide 100 miles on the bike before it becomes too uncomfortable for her and she's only a size 10...
Street
My wife prefered my BMW that I had previously; ie not too fast accelleration and comfy seat..
The blackbird is 'OK' according the my Darling, but I know she can only abide 100 miles on the bike before it becomes too uncomfortable for her and she's only a size 10...
Street
Streetcop said:Yep.
Aye...it's a bit of a worry with pillions....
My wife prefered my BMW that I had previously; ie not too fast accelleration and comfy seat..
The blackbird is 'OK' according the my Darling, but I know she can only abide 100 miles on the bike before it becomes too uncomfortable for her and she's only a size 10...
Street
Read in the press that good as the 'bird is, 100miles is about tops for the pillion. Whats the main seat like........I ask 'cos as you know, thinking of trading my 'blade in for one
The main seat is ok...it's quite wide and relatively comfortable..It's certainly not horrible..
The tank is good for 150-200 miles, so it's possible to be in the seat for a while..
I'm seriously considering a 'Corbin' seat (approx £250) that are supposed to make all the difference. The seats are more comfortable and also stop the pillion sliding forward..
I would certainly consider the Blackbird, if I were you..(even if you had to change your pistonheads username)..It's superbly fast and nimble..especially as it's such a big bike. It's also very comfortable (position wise)..seat obviously needs changing..It's also strikingly beautiful...especially for a Hypersportstourer thing..
Street
The tank is good for 150-200 miles, so it's possible to be in the seat for a while..
I'm seriously considering a 'Corbin' seat (approx £250) that are supposed to make all the difference. The seats are more comfortable and also stop the pillion sliding forward..
I would certainly consider the Blackbird, if I were you..(even if you had to change your pistonheads username
)..It's superbly fast and nimble..especially as it's such a big bike. It's also very comfortable (position wise)..seat obviously needs changing..It's also strikingly beautiful...especially for a Hypersportstourer thing.. Street
Streetcop said:
The main seat is ok...it's quite wide and relatively comfortable..It's certainly not horrible..
The tank is good for 150-200 miles, so it's possible to be in the seat for a while..
I'm seriously considering a 'Corbin' seat (approx £250) that are supposed to make all the difference. The seats are more comfortable and also stop the pillion sliding forward..
I would certainly consider the Blackbird, if I were you..(even if you had to change your pistonheads username
Street
Hey Street. What do ya reckon to "Bladebird" as a username
Streetcop said:
Had a good ride out on the CBR1100xx yesterday with my wife on pillion...
Majority of drivers/riders excellent..
Street
That's nice to hear, folks having a good time, on two wheels or four, and keeping it safe - even if not always strictly legal.
I remember one of the early programmes in the 'Traffic Cops' series, which mentioned a motor cycle club (known as the Blue Knights or something?) and they were members of South Yorkshire Police Traffic Department. There was a sequence in which they were having a trip out as a group one day, and one of them came off while slowing down for a red light, resulting in a broken leg being suffered by the rider's wife who had been on the pillion. IIRC the rider was an instructor for SYP and he said he had been slowing down at about 15 mph, and the front wheel just 'washed out' or words to that effect, which seems to be a bit hard to understand. After all, it appeared to be a fine, dry day and a very low speed, so I can't see why that should happen to an advanced driver/rider in such good conditions, but that's what was reported. Diesel spill maybe? That was a low speed incident, but even so it was no joke for the lady to suffer a broken leg.
Last summer I was out in the car one Sunday afternoon driving up a hill out of Helmsley, and for a moment I thought I was about to be involved in a very nasty shunt. I was going up the hill at a quite leisurely pace heading towards a RH bend. Shortly before I reached it two motorcycles came round the bend at a brisk though not excessive speed. They were fairly close together and on their side of the road, so I saw no problem with them. It was the third biker that bothered me. He appeared quite suddenly, travelling a good deal faster than the first two, whizzed round the outside of them in an overtake that had him on my side of the road, on what was (to them) a downhill LH bend. For a moment I feared he was going to come off and hit me head on. Fortunately he got away with it, but it looked to be a very rash move to me, though I'm not a biker and do not profess to understand their capabilities. Would it be fair to say that while the priority is of course the maintenance of practical safety, it is also best to try and avoid alarming other road users? Well I try to anyhow.
I know what you mean about this sixth sense business though. Quite often I watch another driver and I think 'I don't trust this fellow, I'll keep a wary eye on him' and quite often they then do something quite odd. It doesn't always happen of course, but in many cases it is the slower drivers that cause you these concerns, rather than the quicker ones. It is often quite helpful to observe the body language of other cars, and if you travel for some distance in convoy with another vehicle you can develop a nice degree of understanding with the other driver, particularly if you are both pressing on. There's always something new to be learned if you're in the right frame of mind.
Best wishes all,
Dave.
If I have company on the bike I always tell them one thing before going out. If you want me to slow down, bang me hard twice on the hips with your knees and I'll back off. That way they can signal without letting go of their grip.
I always have an image of a passenger hanging on for dear life thinking "how can I get him to slow down"
Seems to work so far.
I always have an image of a passenger hanging on for dear life thinking "how can I get him to slow down"
Seems to work so far.
TripleS said:
I remember one of the early programmes in the 'Traffic Cops' series, which mentioned a motor cycle club (known as the Blue Knights or something?) and they were members of South Yorkshire Police Traffic Department. There was a sequence in which they were having a trip out as a group one day, and one of them came off while slowing down for a red light, resulting in a broken leg being suffered by the rider's wife who had been on the pillion. IIRC the rider was an instructor for SYP and he said he had been slowing down at about 15 mph, and the front wheel just 'washed out' or words to that effect, which seems to be a bit hard to understand.
Hi Dave.
Hope you're well.
Yep, I saw the program too...very nasty business that...even at slow speed. The rider in question is one of the top instructors in the UK..(often seen on Sky's Men and Motors program 'Used Bike Heaven' giving legal advice. I suppose if it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone.
The Blue Knights is an international law enforcement motorcycle club..(I'm a member too...
)..Originally started in the USA, now in virtually every country of the world. I went on the 'rally' to Germany last year..20+ of us coppers on bikes through Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg and Germany...Great time..fabulous roads....
Street
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