Just saw and interesting blurb on HD forums regarding lane splitting.


https://www.hdforums.com/articles/la...-for-everyone/


As a rider I think it's a great idea, but I'm not sure the mentality of the drivers in my area are at all conducive to safety while lane splitting. In the lower mainland (ie, Greater Vancouver, BC), I think it would work much better than it would here, unless there was a distinct shift in the mentality of the drivers. We have some snow on the ground here now, and the most selfish of drivers make themselves all the more obvious in such driving conditions. Those drivers don't seem to understand that they are sharing the road with others. Around here there seems to be a lot of these drivers.


I remember, some time back, before I got my VTX, I was several years without a bike and there was a rider that always lane split on our drive to work. I remember thinking that this was incredibly irresponsible and he was looking to get hurt. I would never ... EVER ... put anyone in harms way due to their acting, what was in my mind, irresponsible, but many others might. It's,. in the mind of many, unfair that someone on a motorcycle should be able to circumvent the traffic everyone else is stuck in. "How dare they!". Yet as a motorcyclist, I can see how getting bikes, that use up almost as much space as a small car, through lights and bottlenecks faster, does nothing but reduce the amount of time angry cagers need to spend waiting.


What are your thoughts on the local cager population, and would you feel safe lane splitting in your area? Should it be universally adopted?

I live in Colorado.
The first time, about six years ago when I rode my bike to California I gave lane splitting a try. I respectfully slowly passed cars that were standing still or were going very slow in heavy traffic. I did immediately notice that cars in the left two lanes kept plenty distance (thank you).

Until.
Until other motorcycles were flying around me at ridiculous speeds, this while I was already in between cars.

My lane splitting experiment lasted no more than five minutes, after that I just stayed in my own lane.
OK, I understand that there are now some official rules in California around lane splitting, rules about speed of traffic and speed allowed while passing. If motorcyclists hold themselves to these rules, wonderful. I'll give this an other try next time I am out there.


Lane splitting in Colorado?
That scares me: there will have to be a great amount of respect and attention from drivers in cars to make extra space available between the left two lanes, and with that, cars would have to stop swerving between lanes when they see one extra inch of space in the next lane. I honestly doubt we'll ever get to that point here.
100% stopped traffic however? If there is enough room available left and right of me I'd definitely, slowly, start passing cars, but that again depends on there being enough room.


This bad boy right now will do one surely-illegal thing: I sometimes, very slowly, will use the shoulder of the highway, emphasis on 'slow'. Anyone ever having been stuck in east bound weekend traffic on I70 will know that I mean.

As a young man I did it......see no reason to do it today....Happy Trails...

Not me..

in 1986, I was in California.... lane splitting was legal back then.. maybe still is..

NO Way, Not for me.

all it takes is one driver to open his door into you....

NO! even if it were legal. There are enough threats riding normally.

Absolutely.
And if "lane splitting" is legalized in a state, it will take decades before all drivers are educated on the issue and majority does not feel like they have to "train" the motorcyclists to fall in and STFU. Especially in slow-moving traffic, road rage is highly likely and feelings of hatred toward faster-moving traffic (such as motorcycles lane splitting) could easily turn into a deadly or at least very painful encounter.
IOW: people are *******s.

Yes, until just lately, in Cali, it was not illegal. It, recently has been made legal, with rules that need to be followed. A car opening a door on you is as bad as them ramming you. Of course, that doesn't help if you're dead, or critically injured.


This is my primary concern. Too many angry drivers out there. Seems there is a lot of anger out there, everywhere, but it is deadly on the road.

Lane splitting while legal in Ca. is still dangerous. I've done it on my Valkyrie but don't like it. Riding the shoulder is illegal and the police will ticket you, I've done that too. A good story was many years ago on my newer 02 Valkyrie riding back to Az. from Ca. up out of Indio on a very long hill a dufus pulling a camping trailer while not passing a semi. and blocking all lanes got me pissed. after not even trying to pass or slow down to get back into his lane, I knowing how much power and acceleration I had finally blasted by him at WOT and probably scared the crap out of him. Some cagers are real as---les. My friend had a new VTX 1800 and I had the new Valk. We used to race around all the time but our other friend on a new Road King could never keep up.

Interesting reading gentlemen. As a lifetime lane splitter I am pleased lane splitting has become legal in my state in the last six months. It has been common practice as the chances of being busted are slim as you motor away from the lights at the front of the pack. Now it is legal you must be doing no more than 25kph in traffic that is moving at 25kph or less (slowing for the lights). I personally see it as a safety measure, as when I accelerate hard from the lights I move into clear space with no one next to me to change lanes or in front of me to brake suddenly. Of course you will get the occasional arsehole who will move to stop you getting to the front but that is rare, more often its a young bloke pulling hard left to let you past. However the mindset of people in my country is different than in yours and we of course don't allow people to drive around carrying guns. Most folk are happy to see you get on past where they wont have to keep an eye out for you. Mind you, I must have startled a few drowsy drivers in my time as I gun it hard from three car lengths back when the light goes green.
When travelling in Asia the drivers will stop a car length from the line to let all the bikes filter to the front as it is good manners. Cab drivers will move to one side of their lane as they pull up to the lights to make room for the bikes.