Motorcycle Security Guide & Best Ways to Prevent Theft
March 25, 2020
Theft is every biker’s worst nightmare and tragically, is still a huge problem, especially in big cities. As...
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Continuing on from my previous post on motorcycle filtering tips on motorways and dual carriageways, today I’m going to talk more specifically about filtering in the city and more suburban roads (that’s lane-splitting for US readers). In the city, one needs to be far more alert and aware of upcoming hazards. There is much more to watch out for compared to the motorway, lanes tend to be tighter, traffic is turning and pulling out of everywhere, you have to contend with delivery scooters, cyclists, pedestrians and all their related street furniture and road markings. After riding through the city a number of years, filtering has become almost second nature, below are some filtering tips and advice I have accumulated.
As mentioned in my previous post, it is legal to filter in most instances. Below are some instances where the highway code says you must not do something and are thus making filtering illegal in these cases. You must not:
Below are instances that the Highway code says you do not or should not, thus not illegal, but will potentially be held against you when assigning liability following an incident:
In general, the best advice is to keep speed low, cover your brakes and look far ahead. No, even further ahead! Hazards can appear quickly and split-second reactions are crucial. It’s imperative to look ahead, read the road and second guess what the traffic is going to do. ‘Why’s that taxi slowing and pulling into left – because he’s going to pull a U-Turn – ahh!’
Speed-wise, a good rule of thumb is not to filter more than 10-15mph faster than the neighbouring traffic and not to filter at speeds above 40mph.
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