And today's commuting highlight is...

[CAPP0]

Oh and the other one. Chappie on a newish sportsbike. Full leathers, and, er, trainers. Ordinary low trainers. WTF?

It didn't stop there. We're on the M20, everyone's doing M20 motorway speeds (which are not 70mph ), but matey boy is SOOOO cool & clever that he not only needs to weave in and out of the traffic at +30mph, but just to emphasise how cool and clever he is, he's doing this with his left hand nonchalantly resting on his leg.

Very big. Very clever.

[CAPP0]

black-k1 said:

Filtering through the traffic at the bottom of the M11 this morning and I came up behind a rider wearing a white helmet and a high-vis jacket with Battenberg blue checks around the edges. He was on a white CBF1000 and filtering slowly between the two lanes of traffic.

After almost a mile he’d still not seen me behind him when a gap in the traffic allowed me to safely overtake him. It certainly took him by surprise as he noticeably jumped as I went passed. This was at almost exactly the same time as I my mirrors caught the first glimpse of his two additional (very bright) LED lights and full beam HID headlight! My eyes fried almost instantly.

I don’t like filtering without a good view in my mirrors but all I could see on either side of my fairing was a blinding brilliant white light. I lasted about 3 cars before I pulled into the traffic and let "Mr HID High Beam" catch me up. I think he understood from my hand signals that his lights were making it very difficult for other road users to make safe progress and, to his credit, he did then dip them!

It did, however, take a fair while until the multi-coloured floating patches in my vision cleared completely. I will never understand the thinking process of a biker who feels that reducing the vision of drivers of vehicles in front by shining an ultra-bright light in their mirrors is going to make progress safer. It certainly did not make progress for me, as a vehicle in front, safer.

I don't have HIDs or LEDs or owt but I confess that if I'm in a tight filter with no other bikes in front, I do use main beam. It does seem to work, drivers noticeably move aside. I always drop the lights again though if I catch another biker up, or stop filtering.

I know it's a contentious issue, it's been mentioned before, but I'd rather get a "look at that nob with his full beam on" reaction that a "what nob? Didn't see him" (lack of) reaction.

[CAPP0]

black-k1 said:

5 degrees when I left home this morning. I used the heated grips for the first time this season. Still it was a beautiful morning once the sun started to rise.

x degrees when I left home this morning. I used the heated seat* for the first time this season. Still it was a beautiful morning once the sun started to rise.

Twas a really nice ride in..






* and it was fantastic! Worth the price of the bike!

[CAPP0]

Once again: if you simply MUST commute, during peak rush hour, with panniers big enough for a fortnight's holiday, with a female pillion (sorry Mitz), then FFS get out of the way, don't sit at the front of a queue of bikes trying to squeeze through an 8ft gap.

[CAPP0]

kiethton said:

trumptriple said:

I've used these guys a couple of times, they're very friendly and not that far from you. I've seen the place at the end of Orpington high street but never tried it.

http://www.mhmotorcycles.co.uk/

Thanks, waiting on a call back

Never used them myself but they do come highly recommended, especially by all the trafpol at Catford (for their personal bikes).

[CAPP0]

308mate said:

....a considerable weave whilst banked right over at about a buck and ten and having a play with a fireblade, because 308 was in race mode and his suspension was in comfort mode. The RT was no match on the tonne-plus peak hour slalom.

• this never happened. Obviously.

There are a few bends on my commute where I find it jolly amusing indeed to blat around the more fancy tackle with the RT on it's ear

[CAPP0]

308mate said:

Meant to say earlier, check the oil regularly, they like a drop. Luckily, its cheap.

Ah thanks. Isn't there an oil level doodah on the dash? I haven't checked it for a couple of weeks. Edit: I just did. The sight glass is fully dark, and clean, so I take it it's (over?) full despite me having done about 2500 miles on it and not having put any in yet? Coopers serviced it before I collected it.

BTW, ref emails, all sorted. Mind over matter, and the mirrors remain pristine

Edited by CAPP0 on Tuesday 27th September 21:09

[CAPP0]

So, back to highlights. Or rather, "highlights".

This morning. A102 towards the Blackwall. Few bikes filtering in a line, bit of a kerfuffle up front. There are two bikers stopped in lane 2, picking up another biker and his/her bike. All bikes and riders now upright, but they've blocked the lane, which is more than fair enough, so people are picking their way around them.

Except for the fkn racket behind me. Yoof boy on his R125, with an end can nicked off the nearest litre bike (bcos R1, innit), sounding every bit as gash as all those 125s with crap cans do. Yoof boy was much too fast and important to be worrying about a biker on the deck getting in his way, so he blasts off right through the middle of everything and down the inside of the queue.

Bit further down, when we're all on the move again, he cuts out towards the outside again, right in front of us. The guy in front wisely just lets him go; I'd certainly rather have him where I can see him.

Anyone know what the penalty is for riding past a twunt like this and kicking him off? Or do you actually get a prize?

[CAPP0]

Another one, odd one, on the A20 around Sidcup on the way out of town this morning. There's no hard shoulder there, but there was a bike (looked like an old Diversion or similar) leaning on a post facing the wrong way, a car half in and half out of lane 1, and ambulance and BiB present. Strange place for a car and a bike to come together, unless the bike went over and the car stopped to help. It was interesting enough for all the London-bound traffic to slow to a crawl for a gawp, causing a few miles of tailback.

[CAPP0]

sjtscott said:

I'm actually off work next week so no commuting for me but.... Tower Bridge is closed from 1st October!!!!
This will completely cluster f**k traffic even more in this central London area from Monday onwards, so be warned if you use this area as part of your commute!

TFL Warning:

---

Inner Ring
[A100] Tower Bridge (E1W ,EC3N) (Tower Hamlets)
Closures

From: Friday 30 September 2016
To: Friday 30 December 2016

Last updated 13:04 Thursday 29 September 2016

Works | Borough

[A100] Tower Bridge (Both Directions) - Closed to all traffic, including bicycles, from Saturday 1 October to approximately Friday 30 December during structural maintenance and refurbishment works on behalf of the City of London. Northbound traffic is diverted via London Bridge and southbound via Southwark Bridge. Pedestrian access is maintained through most of the works, bar the weekends of 26 and 27 November, 3 and 4 December and 10 and 11 December. Find out more about the Tower Bridge closure, including a map of the diversion route and likely traffic impact.

---

I bet they don't amend the congestion charge for those who have to pay it! Isn't Tower Bridge the only possible eastern crossing outside the zone, without going down to the Blackwall? Will probably screw that route too.

[CAPP0]

Fleegle said:

A strange one. I saw a cyclist look over his shoulder before attempting a manoeuvre

Custard or it didn't happen.

[CAPP0]

What are you commuting on 3DP? You're on my daily route.

Mind you, I don't filter inside the tunnel. I'm far from "holier than thou" but they periodically broadcast warnings about crossing the solid line(s) and I'm fairly sure they could nab you on CCTV. That aside, how some bikers don't get clipped in there I'll never know!

[CAPP0]

spareparts said:

Just started commuting again on the GS after a year off.

Did you come in via the A20?

[CAPP0]

3DP said:

I was on my Honda Vision 110. It was basically flat out everywhere

I imagine there is a certain amount of fun & freedom to be had from commuting on something like that!

[CAPP0]

Unfortunately, today's "highlight" was a bike lying on it's side just by the old Royal Mint at Tower Bridge, with a private-hire-stickered black Ford Galaxy halfway through completing a U-turn right next to it. Pretty much a classic "sorry mate, I didn't even think of checking before I swung round" from the looks of it. Are drivers really still that dopey?

Sadly it looked like they were carting the biker off in an ambulance - that headed off just as I got there, with police in attendance and the bike still lying under the side of the Galaxy, but no biker standing around. Couldn't quite see but from the colour I suspect it was a Triumph, possibly a Sprint.

Hope the fella is OK.

[CAPP0]

I watched a horror film on the way in this morning. It was called "The Return of the Rail Strike Wobbler".

[CAPP0]

An open letter to the Hoodie-and-Jeans wearing Streetfighter Rider:

Dear Hoodie fella,

I'm sure that when you crashed your Suzuki decided to turn your nice Suzuki into a street fighter, you would have decided that not only would the widest Renthals money can buy look jolly cool dahn the caff, but also that the "look" would be massively improved by fitting those w@nky bar end mirrors that widen the bars by about another eight inches.

However, I have to break it to you that those mirrors don't work. If they did, you'd be able to see the 20 bikes in line behind you as you wobble down the A102 at 10mph, because your bars/mirror combo won't fit through gaps that a fully-dressed Goldwing would sail through. You'd be able to see them weaving from side to side, you'd be able to see them flashing their lights; hell, you might even be able to see some of them yelling at you. I guess the reason you can't hear their horns is because you've got Yoof FM blaring out inside your strangely-beige helmet.

Speaking of helmets - stop being one and move out of the way, there's a good chap.

(Twice this week. I'll have to leave earlier. Or wfh).

[CAPP0]

Today's highlight was the start of half term. Blissful ride in and out. In fact, when I'm PM for the day, I am going to make half term permanent.

[CAPP0]

Unfortunately today's commute came back to earth with a bump. A texting driver veered towards me whilst I was filtering, threatening to squash me if I hadn't alerted him with a toot. Whilst his first reaction was to drop the phone like it was a red-hot poker, his second reaction was to jump out and want to fight me for having the temerity to ask him not to crash in to me.

Tw@t.

[CAPP0]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I came home early today, 1530, and was looking forward to a free flowing run through the tunnel (Docklands to Kent) - however, it was significantly worse than it normally is at 6pm! Don't know why though.