Moped riders think they're on Motorbikes

Time Man

Tunney, yeah does happen quite a lot with dumb motorists. Had a run in years ago at on the coast road at the bottom of the Malahide Road, the junction there has a land for turning left, then the cycle lane then the lane for straight ahead. A dumb lady in the lane for straight ahead decided she wanted to go left and swung right in on top of me in the cycle lane. After hitting the side of her car with my front wheel she slammed on the brakes, I was so livid I pounded her passenger window then smashed off her mirror. Then as she took off she nearly smashed into another car. Jeez, the roads are full of them spas

Dub13

Well car drivers piss me of when I drive my 50cc scooter,they seem to think they are allways right...they just think that because you are on a scooter you are 17/18 and a Leaner.I have most of my licences every thing from car to bus to truck,I still drive HGV and its great to just jump on the bike and not worry about traffic.I have also done the Driving Instructor Test so it pisses me of to have some clown in a car think he owns the road.

When I started driving the bike I drove it like I would a HGV,but car drivers made me change a bit for example If I am on a road and a car is tring to turn across my path i will slow down and try to give them a bit more time as you do,now when I do this driving a HGV 9 times out of 10 I will get a little wave or a nod just to say thanks while driving a bike this has NEVER happend they just think you are a 17/18 yearl old learner and I dont have to nod at him.

So just because you drive a 50cc bike it does not mean you are a novice,in this day and ago of mad traffic more and more car drivers are getting bikes.

Fionn101

granted she was in the wrong and i'm glad your ok but i think that was a bit of an overreaction tbh ,

it would have landed you in more trouble I think had the law been about cause it would have been considered a fender bender and then an incident of road rage , just so you know for future reference .


Fionn

p.s. whats with the austin powers massive pic in the sig

tunney

it would have been considered a fender bender

There is no such thing when a cyclist or pedestrian is involved. All it takes is a slight knock to seriously injury or kill. Again motorists would do well to realise this, and pay more attention to it (myself included).

Time Man

It might have been an over reaction but she didnt even look to her left, or else she did and just decided to cut me off. It could easily have ended with me dead or brain damaged. If I was in a car it wouldn't be so bad but on a bike I have no protection. At least she has to think about what shes done while she forks out for a new mirror


P.S. Austin is my hero, thats why he's on my sig.

Originally posted by Fionn101
granted she was in the wrong and i'm glad your ok but i think that was a bit of an overreaction tbh ,

it would have landed you in more trouble I think had the law been about cause it would have been considered a fender bender and then an incident of road rage , just so you know for future reference .


Fionn

p.s. whats with the austin powers massive pic in the sig

batman_oh

i always hang my right leg when taking off from lights, its a habit i built up from burying it off lights where it helps to keep the front down, i drag my feet as well a lot
but i dont drive a scooter or race things i can beat off the line-not much
i hate when slower things try racing u, especially really really ****ty cars
its annoyin, whereas a dice with a decent car can be a bit of fun

Fionn101

Batman , can you explain the leg dragging and also one leg down theory in a bit more detail ??


is it that when you want to speed away from the lights you keep you leg down for extra weight on the front ??? and why drag your feet , is this for more weight , just curious


Fionn

heh , also , i'd own you from a standing start at a set of lights ww) , i'm that decent car , ehh , not wanting to promote racing or dangerous driving of course .......

batman_oh

if u lean forward to weigh the front(which u have to do to minimise the front skipping) u cannot put both legs on the pegs, just the gear changing one until u get moving, so u drag the other, if u sit upright u will go skywards
also u wud own an rs250 and rvf400 from a set of lights??
i seriously doubt it
whats the car, and if u say starlet turbo u really have no idea!

batman_oh

oh and before you reply
heres the rs250 test from essential superbikes
0-60:3.43 secs
0-100:8.96 secs
standing quarter mile 12.4 secs@112mph
so ask urself one question, does your car accelerate as fast as a lambourghini diablo??
coz my bike does
also have a goo here, it quotes 12.6 quarter, but ive seen 12.4 stock, and 11.65 tuned and geared
http://www.syclone.freeserve.co.uk/rivals.htm

rymus

Originally posted by batman_oh
so ask urself one question, does your car accelerate as fast as a lambourghini diablo??
coz my bike does

Great.. I just hope for your sake you never come off it...

tk123

I saw 2 cyclists being skittled today - one this morning and one this evening! :eek:

Fionn101

thanks for the info on the leaning forward , no doubt it will come in handy when i get the full bike licence and upgrade (after the long wait , that power to weight restriction etc)

heh , also from the first pic it looked like your bike was a wee 125cc , hence I fancied my chances

that other bike is well tidy , hope you have colour leathers that do it justice .

actually since your around , do you know about getting the restricitors taken out of a moped ? i'm picking up a moped on sunday , but i wanted to know the effects on the engine over time , and also what the process involves (anyone else know about this?)

take it easy
Fionn
(of course I own a lambourghini )

seamus

Originally posted by Fionn101
actually since your around , do you know about getting the restricitors taken out of a moped ? i'm picking up a moped on sunday , but i wanted to know the effects on the engine over time , and also what the process involves (anyone else know about this?)

Don't bother. 50cc vehicles are 50cc for a reason. They're even more dangerous unrestricted (not to mention noisy). If you want something with more power buy a 125cc scooter.

Fionn101

Damn,

can you explain the process a bit more seamus , the bike only does around 30-35 , but my old katana did 40 no bother

so i was going to get the restrictors done (before i pick it up) just so i can do the speed limit .

ohh and what makes them more dangerous unrestricited ? i hope it's not going to blow up on me , 'Casino' style

cheers

Fionn

seamus

Originally posted by Fionn101
ohh and what makes them more dangerous unrestricited ? i hope it's not going to blow up on me , 'Casino' style

It's not the danger of the engine, it's the lightness and instability of them. Add that to high speed....

No idea how it's done.

Kazujo

I think my main gripe about mopeds other then them cutting infront of me and generally driving without consideration for anything else on the road, is the fact that they are the main reason why bike insurance has gone up so much. Hibernian had to pay over 12 MILLION in compo for moped pillion passangers last year who aren't even covered by the insurance as the majority of people on mopeds do not have full licences, but the EU insist that the insurance company must pay.

But I cant solely complain about mopeds I've had a few close calls with idiots passing me on the motorway at high speed and not leaving proper clearance. Or generally driving way over the limit.

Man Time

The pipe has a run off that slows it down, they usually say to leave it on untill the first service. They just cut it off, bend the rest down and weld it. The other I'm not so sure about, I think it has something to do with a clutch plate being taken out. A lot of knackers widen their fuel lines and this causes the increase in engine noise

Originally posted by Fionn101
Damn,

can you explain the process a bit more seamus , the bike only does around 30-35 , but my old katana did 40 no bother

so i was going to get the restrictors done (before i pick it up) just so i can do the speed limit .

ohh and what makes them more dangerous unrestricited ? i hope it's not going to blow up on me , 'Casino' style

cheers

Fionn

batman_oh

Originally posted by rymus
Great.. I just hope for your sake you never come off it...

and to u too, dont really see the problem in racin a car off the lights every once in a while, not as if i do it durin the day or on busy streets, and if u fall off goin straight, well..no comment, bikes are meant to be fun and nobody who drives them does so without the odd bit of messin

a derestricted 50cc will be less dangerous than a 125cc model, in general the 125s are the same weight and usually have all the same parts(gilera runners spring to mind), so all it will be is less powerful
takin the restrcitors out will compromise the reliabilty in general, but it shud be easy enough, im not sure myself of the individual restrictions in mopeds, but if u arent plannin on keepin it years i wud do it

Eye

Originally posted by MojoMaker
After a head of steam is built up, certainly, but away from the lights a 50cc scooter will take a heavy Star any day of the week. Why these chimps want to prove that to you when you are doubtless already aware is anyone's guess though. Clowns. When you catch up to them, as you say, merely rumble by and watch the muppets swaying from the turbulence

well i dunno if you've ever driven a "heavy Star" at all, i myself have a 650 drag star and my brother only recently got rid of his 1100 drag star, and one thing i can tell you is that there ain't no 50cc scooter gonna have a hope in hell of beating one of these off the line from lights.

i don't often race my 650 from lights, but every now and again i pull up beside a car at some lights and it turns out to be some ejit in a suped up starlet/civic/whatever sometime ever an NSR125 and i ain't been beatin yet, funniest one of all was about 3 weeks ago, pulled up beside a mini cooper that was suped up and a tool of a boy roacer inside started revin it up and edging his way forward (no doubt trying to impress his gf), so i waited and was gonna leave him go but at the last min i said feck it why not, as the lights when green all you could hear was the wheels on the mini spinning like crazy (outside the local cop shop). needless to say i gave it a bit of welly too and he was able to keep up with me until i was in 3rd gear, at that point i smoked his ass

not the safest thing to be doing i know but if i thought there was any danger ahead in any shape or form i would not have been doing it, those boy racers are so funny
but back to the scooter issue, like oldyellar pointed out, about the fools who have the helmets sitting on the top of there heads so they can have a smoke or drink a can of coke or something stupid like that, it's cruel i know but i look forward to the day that one of them comes off like that and hurts himself, that way maybe all his buddies might cop the hell on, they obviously don't care too much for their own safety :rolleyes:

rymus

I had some stupid bitch in a bog standard Nissan Micra yesterday trying to race me off lights. It really was pathetic... I dunno how she expects a 1L Micra to be able to move faster than a 1.3L Star. Bloody woman just about blew her engine trying to keep up with me off the lights.

Jaysus Eye, you're making me miss my 650cc drag star

vector

Originally posted by tk123
I saw 2 cyclists being skittled today - one this morning and one this evening! :eek:

skittled = ?

rymus

what happens to skittles (not the sweeties either) when something (i.e. a ball) hits them? They fall down. I think that's what he was getting at.

vector

Insurance aside...

Can I ride a 50cc moped (class M) on a car (class full licence?
Can I ride a 50cc moped (class M) on a car (class provisional licence?

seamus

Originally posted by vector
Insurance aside...

Can I ride a 50cc moped (class M) on a car (class full licence?
Can I ride a 50cc moped (class M) on a car (class provisional licence?

Yes and No, respectively.

mudflapgirl

hmmm....lot's of driver bashing here.
I drive a car - the hubby is a biker. Granted I have the pleasure of having it drummed into me to pay attention to what the biker behind (or indeed in front) is doing - most drivers don't get that - even though in general it is . So 9 times outta 10 I'll get out of the way of the guy on a R1 or Hyabusa or whatever - if they obviously want to go faster than I do, or just even out of courtesy to them. Of those times I prolly get thanked maybe twice, if I'm lucky.
Mopeds drive me insane - it's the ignorant little b***ards who drive down the middle of the road doing 35mph, head down and not giving a sh**e about anybody else on the road but themselves. I've been cut off at lights numerous occasions cause they think they can race me in my car. I had one guy last week come up along side me - glace in my direction then try to overtake me (I was doing bout 30 at the time) When I slowed down enough for him to manage it, he pulled right across to my left and pulled into the next turn. What? he couldn't wait the extra 20 seconds to turn after me? I nearly creamed him, except for the fact that I'de been paying attention to the little S***e. A coupla days later, I had some hero on a 'ped pull out onto a roundabout when I had right of way. Cue slamming on of brakes, and honking of horns to which I got the lovely reply of the finger.

Some Moped drivers are grand - but IMHO a majority should be shot. They have no idea of the rules of the road, no consideration for other roadusers at all, and prolly shouldn't be let out of their homes - let alone onto the country's roads. Bikers have a little more consideration - but most act like p****s anyway cause they assume all car drivers are b*****s.

A little give and take in all directions should be the order of the day. Moped drivers need to cop on before they get themselves killed. Car drivers need to pay more attention to bikes/peds and give way when it's called for and Bikers need to give us drivers the benefit of the doubt maybe then they'll rid themselves of the image of being p****s - some might be bad and pay no attention - but some of us pay attention and give way. Couriers are a class unto themselves and I won't rant about my hatred of them.

seamus

Originally posted by mudflapgirl
Of those times I prolly get thanked maybe twice, if I'm lucky.

Ah, you're probably just not seeing it. It's difficult to accelerate and remove your hand to wave simultaneously, so usually my wave is a slight raising of the fingers, which most people probably miss. I'd say most bikers would wave, simply because of the rarity of a driver who a) Sees you, and b) Actually gives enough of a damn to get out of your way.

Mopeds drive me insane - it's the ignorant little b***ards who drive down the middle of the road doing 35mph, head down and not giving a sh**e about anybody else on the road but themselves.

Last night, I saw a moped with two people on it, and a guy on a bike holding onto the back of it, driving down the middle of Cypress Grove road, with no lights at all. And nothing. This morning, I briefly cross a continuous white line to overtake stationary traffic, and Garda tells me if he sees me doing it again, I'm going to court. Where's the sanity? Not to say that what I did wasn't wrong, but plenty of these little scumbags constantly get away with blatantly dangerous and illegal things, while the rest of us get stung for slight speed limit violations and other minor infringments.

Booster

Originally posted by Time Man
You can drive in the lane next to them at the same speed then slow down just a tinch and watch them crouch down as they think they are starting to out run you.

Booster

Originally posted by seamus

Last night, I saw a moped with two people on it, and a guy on a bike holding onto the back of it, driving down the middle of Cypress Grove road, with no lights at all. And nothing. This morning, I briefly cross a continuous white line to overtake stationary traffic, and Garda tells me if he sees me doing it again, I'm going to court. Where's the sanity? Not to say that what I did wasn't wrong, but plenty of these little scumbags constantly get away with blatantly dangerous and illegal things, while the rest of us get stung for slight speed limit violations and other minor infringments.

We pay a fine. The scumbags are either let go, go to court or maybe prison and we still pay. Big no win situation. Welcome to planet Ireland.

mudflapgirl

Originally posted by seamus
Ah, you're probably just not seeing it. It's difficult to accelerate and remove your hand to wave simultaneously, so usually my wave is a slight raising of the fingers, which most people probably miss. I'd say most bikers would wave, simply because of the rarity of a driver who a) Sees you, and b) Actually gives enough of a damn to get out of your way.

Eh, Ok, I've driven bikes and whatnot (as you might know) so I know what it's like to accelerate and change gears when passing cars etc. I also know when I'm being thanked and when I'm not.
Even the hubby is sometimes shocked at the manners of some bikers. And he's one of them.
Some of them just don't have manners or consideration.

seamus

Originally posted by mudflapgirl
Eh, Ok, I've driven bikes and whatnot (as you might know) so I know what it's like to accelerate and change gears when passing cars etc. I also know when I'm being thanked and when I'm not.
Even the hubby is sometimes shocked at the manners of some bikers. And he's one of them.
Some of them just don't have manners or consideration.

*shrug*
Maybe I should remove these rose-tinted glasses