Hug the left side in the right lane! : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

Habsfan · 08-17-2007, 02:46 PM

Driving down a 2 lane highway with my son, driving on the right side of the right lane. A car starts passing me in the left lane and out of nowhere another car passes us both between me and the car in the left lane.
You won't catch me riding on the right side of the right lane again.

I wish my son weren't with me, I would of liked to have a talk with that ar@hole.

sthorp · 08-17-2007, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habsfan

Driving down a 2 lane highway with my son, driving on the right side of the right lane. A car starts passing me in the left lane and out of nowhere another car passes us both between me and the car in the left lane.
You won't catch me riding on the right side of the right lane again.

I wish my son weren't with me, I would of liked to have a talk with that ar@hole.

I always ride in the far left of whatever lane I am driving in, the right side can be a blind spot.

KenInVic · 08-17-2007, 03:26 PM

The pros will tell you to ride on the left side of the right lane and the right side of the inside lane. (in the case of a 2 lane highway). I was riding on the left side of the inside lane - that turned out to be a mistake when a jerk pulled up to a light, to the right side of me... in my lane! Lesson learned, take the dominent lane position, left side of right lane and right side of left lane.

nixdad · 08-17-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habsfan

Driving down a 2 lane highway with my son, driving on the right side of the right lane. A car starts passing me in the left lane and out of nowhere another car passes us both between me and the car in the left lane.
You won't catch me riding on the right side of the right lane again.

I wish my son weren't with me, I would of liked to have a talk with that ar@hole.

Just think of this. Had you not been in the far right portion of the lane and the a-hole that split between you and the vehicle passing you didn't see you, there was a good chance that you would have been hit.

With that said, I let the traffic and road conditions dictate what portion of what lane I ride in. I don't get caught up in one thing or another. I am always scanning and looking for hazards and potential hazards.

Lady Godiva · 08-17-2007, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nixdad

Just think of this. Had you not been in the far right portion of the lane and the a-hole that split between you and the vehicle passing you didn't see you, there was a good chance that you would have been hit.

Possibly - but if he had been in the left part of the left lane, the guy might've seen him and not pulled such a dumb@ss move.

If I'm riding by myself, I always ride in the left part of the lane so people can see me as soon as possible - especially on road where there's one lane in each direction. If you're not in the left part of the lane, oncoming drivers can't see you as quickly - especially if you're behind another vehicle. Just my humble two-cents worth!

Glad you and your son got away...

Milehog · 08-17-2007, 05:35 PM

The moron didn't even see you. I try to ride 'large'. Do random unexpected things. Make lane changes quickly and with lots of bike lean. In two lane traffic or with someone coming rapidly up behind you jink to the other side of your lane and back. Within reason and using common sense try to make other drivers notice you.

frydaddy96 · 08-21-2007, 07:22 PM

Of course if you had been in the lefthand track of the lane, S***forbrains may have passed you on the right and lost control on the shoulder. Moronboy was obviously in a big hurry or it was a race to somewhere and you lost and didn't even know it.

R-RatedCustoms · 08-21-2007, 09:39 PM

I hate that it happened to you or to anyone, but it is better that the jerk gets on down the road rather than on top of you at the next stop.

Of course, back "in the day" a certain group of motorcyclists explained that nuts in the left pocket works wonders on vehicles approaching from the rear. Ahem, that is to say these bikes vibrate parts loose all the time.

Thunderhog · 08-21-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habsfan

Driving down a 2 lane highway with my son, driving on the right side of the right lane. A car starts passing me in the left lane and out of nowhere another car passes us both between me and the car in the left lane.
You won't catch me riding on the right side of the right lane again.

I wish my son weren't with me, I would of liked to have a talk with that ar@hole.

Why are cars passing YOU, you should be passing them...

rgraham · 08-23-2007, 09:38 AM

I was riding in the left side of the lane and a guy DID pass me on the right. I wanted to kill that SOB.

The left side is fine, but if there is a line of cars coming, I go right side or middle. If some idiot swerves into my lane, I have way more time to react. Also, some people that are trying to pass the people in the oncoming lane may not see you. They do the quick pullout, and splat. I think it's better to move around as needed.

rides99fatboy · 08-24-2007, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenInVic

The pros will tell you to ride on the left side, in fact in most cases you are better off on the left side of the left lane to enable you to have a better view of cars approaching from the right side. (and if they are babbling on the celphone be ready to take evasive action!).

I just took my motorcycle written test again; the benefit of getting a ticket since I last renewed. Anyway, not wanting to look like a dumbass and miss any questions I browsed the manual before testing.

Regarding where to be in the lane I quote, "In general, there is no single best lane position for riders to be seen and to maintain a space cushion around the motorcycle. No portion of the lane need to be avoided, including the center. Position yourself in the portion of the lane where you are most likely to be seen and can maintain a space cushion around you. Change position as traffic situations change."

The center lane thing bothered me a little because of the oil and crap that usually accumulates there. But the manual isn't saying dead center, it says just right or left of the center of the lane, which is still considered "the center." When being passed it says stay in the center to avoid being too close to the passing vehicle.

So it boils down to ride in the part of the lane that provides you the most safety for the current traffic conditions. IMO, there's two types of bad drivers, a$$holes that don't respect a cyclist and will crap on you no matter what, and those that don't see you for whatever reason. All we can do is lessen the risk they don't hit us by paying attention at all times.

kruppasing · 08-24-2007, 09:43 AM

the most important thing for me is to be able to see the car in front of the car in front of me. so i will constantly shift my lane position to allow that. i also try to follow the tire of the car in front of me in heavy traffic knowing that if they see something in the road they will first try to avoid it and if they hit it, i'll see their car respond and will be better prepared.

rgraham · 08-24-2007, 09:59 AM

When on the freeway, if I'm in a lane that is not the slow lane, I will usually hang out in the right side portion. I can see around the car in front, (to see what is going on ahead, as well as junk in the road), and it gives the drivers in the lane to my right a longer time to see me in their sideview mirrors. This helps them from not flying over into my lane because I'm in their blind spot. Most people don't have their side mirrors adjusted properly to begin with. They use them more as rear view mirrors than side mirrors. Makes for a huge blind spot. But it all changes according to the scene at that moment.

moonshine · 09-13-2007, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rides99fatboy

Regarding where to be in the lane I quote, "In general, there is no single best lane position for riders to be seen and to maintain a space cushion around the motorcycle. No portion of the lane need to be avoided, including the center. Position yourself in the portion of the lane where you are most likely to be seen and can maintain a space cushion around you. Change position as traffic situations change."

it says just right or left of the center of the lane, which is still considered "the center." When being passed it says stay in the center to avoid being too close to the passing vehicle.

In general riding a little left of center will allow you to see further down the road beyond cars in front and allow oncoming traffic to see you. Move to the center or right for oncoming trucks/traffic (increase space incase that cell phone yaking jerk drifts across the center line. Also a bit left of center will allow the person in front to see you in their left outside as well as inside mirrors. Remember to lay back at least 2 seconds.

Lane position is not static.

BOUTYM · 04-05-2008, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rides99fatboy

a$$holes that don't respect a cyclist and will crap on you no matter what, and those that don't see you for whatever reason. All we can do is lessen the risk they don't hit us by paying attention at all times.

Guaranteed these types of a$$holes pretty much view everyone as just something in their way regardless of how they meet.