copycat riders

Tellox

Noticing this a LOT lately - when filtering through traffic, a bike/scooter (usually scooters) in the queue will hop out, and start following you without looking out for himself.

Just a week or so ago I was heading home from work, and doing some heavy filtering due to town being entirely backed up with traffic. All of a sudden I see this chap on a scooter move out behind me, and he starts following me through filtering. Whenever I looked around to check for any cages coming out of junctions, or switching lanes coming against me etc, he was happy as larry to just sit behind me and assume he's perfectly safe.

The breaking point came when I shot out onto a roundabout - enough time for me, not enough for him. He caused a car to come to a dead stop on to avoid hitting him. The only real way to get rid of him was to put the throttle on, and hope he gets the hint.

Anyone else having issues with prats relying on you as a personal escort?

kowloon

I sometimes follow other bikes. I follow them home. And wait.

Run_to_da_hills

Its called dicing, Who ever reaches the next set of traffic lights is the winner.

KTRIC

I had a similar experience when driving through Tallaght village one day. I thought my W650 sounded a bit odd, I was leaning down to listen to the engine and everything , could put my finger on it. I knew every little sound the bike would make off by hearth.

I looked in my mirrors and there was no one behind me , so not another bike. Only when I went to move around a car I got a fright, there was a scooter right at my back wheel and I mean right at the wheel, so much so I couldn't see him in the mirrors. When we got to the lights I stopped and he pulled up beside me, I lifted him out of it and then hit him a slap on the helmet fairly hard. I told him that slap was about one twentieth of what it feels like to hit the ground and if he tries **** like that again he could kill himself.

BigglesMcGee

Just a week or so ago i was heading home from work and some guy in front of me was going kinda slow filtering through traffic. He kept looking back at me instead of ahead of him and i nearly went into the back of him a few times because he ekpt slowing down to look back.

Then he shoots out on a roundabout, still looking at me behind him and causes a car to jam on the brakes and come to a complete stop. Then off he goes full speed ahead into the distance, oblivious.

Green_Martian

I sometimes follow other bikes, sometimes im sitting in traffic and see a few bikes going by so i decide to filter as well........

When i say i follow them i still do my own checks and do not be right on their back tyre that would just be too dangerous.....cos if they had to brake hard to avoid something the person behind would run into the back of them

Run_to_da_hills

If I am riding my scoot (Not Scooter) through traffic and some idiot is crawling along at snails pace through traffic with no intention of filtering or letting me past him I will obviously be stuck up his hol*e until I can find a break in traffic to get past him.

BlueBandit

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If I am riding my scoot (Not Scooter) through traffic and some idiot is crawling along at snails pace through traffic with no intention of filtering or letting me past him I will obviously be stuck up his hol*e until I can find a break in traffic to get past him.

Why?

Its much easier to plot your way through traffic when you have clear road infront of you, sticking right behind another bike and you stuck when they are give yerself space and you can see further ahead and work your way around them. Thats what I do anyway, if whoever in front of you is going very cautiously and slowly having you stuck up their arse is only going to slow them down further

Dorsanty

BlueBandit wrote: »

if whoever in front of you is going very cautiously and slowly having you stuck up their arse is only going to slow them down further

Had one of these on the M50 heading to M1. Spent 10 minutes behind waiting for him to let me by or to see a space to get by. I personally consider having a bike on your back wheel as a sign that the person behind believes they can filter faster then you and you should move out of the way when you can.

In my case the guy was slowing to a stop every time two vehicles were side by side, feet down and all. But for some reason I was able to cruise through the gap. No major size difference between our bikes either. Took a gap in traffic for me to be able to get passed. I think it was an 08 though so maybe he was being overly protective of his new baby.

On the other side of the coin, I had a ped following me into town this morning. And he was hovering in my blind spot too which was annoying

Run_to_da_hills

BlueBandit wrote: »

Why?

Its much easier to plot your way through traffic when you have clear road infront of you, sticking right behind another bike and you stuck when they are give yerself space and you can see further ahead and work your way around them. Thats what I do anyway, if whoever in front of you is going very cautiously and slowly having you stuck up their arse is only going to slow them down further

Maybe they might get the hint and let you past :rolleyes:

dubtom

BigglesMcGee wrote: »

Just a week or so ago i was heading home from work and some guy in front of me was going kinda slow filtering through traffic. He kept looking back at me instead of ahead of him and i nearly went into the back of him a few times because he ekpt slowing down to look back.

Then he shoots out on a roundabout, still looking at me behind him and causes a car to jam on the brakes and come to a complete stop. Then off he goes full speed ahead into the distance, oblivious.

The cheek of him:D:D:D

BlueBandit

Dorsanty wrote: »

I personally consider having a bike on your back wheel as a sign that the person behind believes they can filter faster then you and you should move out of the way when you can.

Fair point thats what I would do to but driving right up somones arse in heavy traffic is only increasing the risk to you. If theyre driving too cautiously or nervously Id see it as a warning that they could do anything and its probably best to give them a wide berth. Just my way of dealing with it;)

lord lucan

following a courier down the quays or the canal,best white knuckle ride EVER:D

rameire

i filter everday from mad cow to leopardstown and back, as traffic between these two points are really bad, and due to the fact i go on and off the m50 at these points, but when filtering i hate idiots who do not move out of the way when you clearly have caught up on them, i was stuck behind one for half the journey last week and he didnt move once out of the way for me,
if i have a biker catching up on me i move over to let them pass.
and i always have a rule for myself where i will never hover over a persons back wheel, i will instead wait in the next gap between vehicles until the biker infront moves through to the next gap like so:

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car

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car --------car

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car

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me

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bike

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car

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car

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car

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car