Filtering, why don't learners do it?!?!

Filtering, why don't learners do it?!?!

Author
Discussion

Rubin215

2,084 posts

195 months

Wednesday 2nd February 2011
quotequote all
I spent en years instructing bikes at all levels.

I would never teach a student filtering on Compulsory Basic Training (CBT); learn to crawl before you can walk.

On a 125 lesson, I would consider it if I felt the student had good enough control and observation skills to do it without putting themselves at risk.

On a 500 (Direct Access Scheme) I would expect the student to have the observation skills, but maybe not the machine control until a second lesson.


However I did pull one student in and bk her for her over-enthusiastic filtering, only to discover that she hadn't realised that the queue of vehicles she had just stormed past weren't actually parked...

DialSquare

46 posts

162 months

Wednesday 2nd February 2011
quotequote all
Fred Leicester said:
gr88 said:
No matter how may times I watch that clip, it still frightens the life out of me...
+1

Sleepy nic

207 posts

173 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
I used to do it all the time on my 50cc v-clic and my 125cc megelli when i was a learner. Was never taught about doing it, just saw other bikers doing it and put 2 and 2 together. It is more than likely a case of confidence than anything else.

And as was said above I wasn't ever told to do it but was never told not to do it either. Was only told about it on the way back from skeg one lesson when we went past about 2miles of tailback all the time me in an instructor sandwich and repeatedly told "DONT do this on your test"rolleyes

God i need a bike againfrown

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
I used to follow a guy on my commute who rode a 600cc sized bike of some description. He would never filter, and I never saw him doing more than 25 even when the traffic was clear. Very odd.

greggy50

6,161 posts

190 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
I always used to filter on my scooter was one of the only reason's I bothered to insure it when I had a car as it meant I could get to work a lot quicker as the traffic was always awful.

Ballon

1,172 posts

218 months

Thursday 3rd February 2011
quotequote all
I was taught to filter when I was doing my training.

CSM Wimbledon where the riding school, mind you they have gone bust now.

odgeuk

1 posts

137 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
I realise this is a very old thread but I found it interesting. I've just completed my CBT and am out on a 125 for the first time. I found myself today sitting in a long line of stationary traffic that was waiting for some level crossing gates.

I must admit, I felt a bit of a plum sitting there on a bike, with a (mostly) clear lane on the other side but I didn't filter for two reasons.

1) Not being totally at one with the bike yet, I wasn't entirely happy about making the gap between the parked cars and the oncoming cars from the other direction (yes, the gates were down, but there was a junction further up to the right where cars were sometimes coming from). My instinct said the bike should easily fit, but I didn't have that much faith in the car drivers on the other side of the road giving me the room I needed, especially as I would appear on the wrong side of the road to them.

2) I was unsure as to how to position myself once I got to the front of the traffic queue. If I positioned the bike next to the lead car, or slightly in front,I SHOULD get away quicker, but as a lot of pedestrians and push bikes build up at these gates, getting away can sometimes be slow, as people spill into the road and cars have to react by moving over. Therefore I had a concern that the lead car would move away at the same pace as me, leaving me stranded and being undertaken by the queue of, now moving, cars, none of which might let me back in!

Of course I felt like a total knob when some kid on a moped sped past me, right up to the gates! I did notice though that he didn't go straight to the gates, he filtered into available gaps where cars had left half a car length, then reassessed and moved on. But you can't be sure, until you move along the line of stationary cars, if you'll find a gap like that.

Some advice here is to sit behind the lead vehicle, this seems to me to, firstly put you on the wrong side of the road (if the road is tight, which this one was) and makes you suceptible to not being let back in if the lead car takes some time to move on.

Of course I'm a total newbie and these points probably seem silly, but they don't teach you anything about filtering in the CBT and it's only now I'm out on the bike that I'm really learning.

Advice appreciated!

Edited by odgeuk on Thursday 4th October 20:14

Slink

2,947 posts

171 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
I got caught behind one car on my CBT and when we were stopped I went round it.

the instructor told me, "good you know about filtering but dont do it when your with me"

fair enough, so didnt do it on my test either, as i recon the examiner would have taken a dim view on filtering.

vonuber

17,868 posts

164 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
I was taught how to filter on my CBT mainly because on the road section we got stuck in traffic - it was getting late and so we had no option but to do it.

strudel

5,888 posts

226 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
If you're going to filter past traffic, make sure you have a gap to pull back into before you pull out. If you're approaching that gap and you spot another up ahead, reasses if it's safe and make a decision. But always have somewhere to go back into safely!

Personally I do not like lane splitting because I feel very vunerable. You also had the situation I had this morning where the lane markings are naff and big cracks are in the middle of the road which the bike rides along and are difficult to get out of. Then it's hard to steer and next thing I knew, donk, my wing mirror had hit a car's mirror and I had a bit of a wobble. Unless the traffic is stationary and the road condition good and spacious, I'll stay put. Sometimes it's worth it though when you get to the front, momentarily free of traffic and let the bike stretch its legs! biggrin

LiamB

7,922 posts

142 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
I'm a learner, I filter and fking love it.

No idea why, but is is really enjoyable.

Pothole

34,367 posts

281 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
blueg33 said:
Filtering is overtaking and undertaking so surely its at the filterers own risk? especially as cars changing lanes without looking properly is a common event in a traffic queue. IMO some people filter way too fast
There is no such thing as undertaking, unless you are describing the collection preparation and burial of corpses.

Define 'way too fast'.

creampuff

6,511 posts

142 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
jonpe69 said:
If you are using a bike to commute and don't filter through traffic then you might as well get a car. There aren't too many advantages to riding a bike for commuting especially in this weather so you might as well use every advantage available.
MC Bodge said:
Exactly. There's no point sitting in traffic jams on a bike when you could be doing the same in a heated car, sitting in an armchair, listening to the radio and drinking coffee (when not on the queen's highway).
Yes and yes.

Cars are safer, more comfortable and once you pay the initial purchase price, many of them are cheaper to run than a bike.

If you go out on a bike and don't filter is standing traffic you should be asking "why am I on a bike....?"

creampuff

6,511 posts

142 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Jezz172 said:
They never taught me anything to do with filtering on my DAS.
As soon as I'd passed on the way home from the test centre they gave me a 20 min lesson then
The purpose of DAS is to pass the motorcycle test.

The best way to pass the test not to make progress, it is to waste as much time as possible.

Being stuck is a queue of standing traffic is a good way to waste time and achieve this objective.


Errrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhh: I've just replied twice to an 18 month old post. :Facepalm:

Edited by creampuff on Friday 5th October 08:54

srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
I hate filtering and avoid it where I can. I'll do it if I have to, but as the poster above mentioned at railway crossings, that's about the only time I ever have to.

Even then I'll sometimes just chill and sit in the traffic, I'm never in much of a hurry on a bike smile

Steve Evil

10,653 posts

228 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
srob said:
I'm never in much of a hurry on a bike smile
Probably a good thing considering what you ride tongue out

mr wiki

373 posts

205 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Yesterday, no word or a lie a 15 year old learner on a scooter was filering on the pavment!

I came up along side him and began to go round the outside of the car in front and the next thing I see is that the scooter has mounted the pavement gone round a bin, dodged a lampost then hopped back on the road again next to me.

srob

11,563 posts

237 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
Steve Evil said:
srob said:
I'm never in much of a hurry on a bike smile
Probably a good thing considering what you ride tongue out
Life's too short to rush smile

creampuff

6,511 posts

142 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
srob said:
Life's too short to rush smile
Yes, nothing like a nice relaxing wait in a long queue of traffic while those loose canon filterers rush home for a cup of tea!

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 5th October 2012
quotequote all
It depends how much there is to gain. If I stop at a set of lights and I'm only 3-4 cars back then I won't bother, but if it's a long queue then definitely. I was suprised how helpful people actually are, there's virtually always a few gaps to slot into if you need it.