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Riding the speed limit on the highway?

slydrite said:
remember, many times on the freeway, a good offense is your best defense and that's why I am 100% against low power bikes and/or submissive riding posture on the freeway

:2cents
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What is a 'submissive riding posture' ?

Hwy 280 is a good example with the "problem" with the fast lane. Since I've had the bike, I don't ride on 280. 280 is evidently a fly-by for German and Scandinavian wagons 4-wheelers and whatnot-- it's too dangerous to ride the bike constantly at 85!!! (well, for newbies as we have here with the OriginalPoster.)

When I ride on 280, it is for 6 miles , only in the right lane, at 70-75mph, and only to get to Alice's on a weekend..


Another problem with the fast lane (more evident on 101 actually) is that traffic jams there are sudden, bigger and more frequent. Yaayyyyy "faaast" lanee
 
Kawowie said:
IMHO. riding in any lane other that the fast lane greatly increases your chances of an incident. in the fast lane going slightly faster that traffic (not necessarily speeding) you only have to worry about people on the right and in front of you (keeping checking you mirrors a jackass who might be coming up on you though).

But in the slow lane or second to slow lane going with the flow of traffic, you have to worry about the people in front (all three lanes) the people next to you (two lanes) and the ones behind you (three lanes). It certain (crowed circumstances) it doesn't give you many escape routes.

In the fast lane, (most of the time) there is the shoulder you can swerve into to avoid unexpected incidences.

I'm always in the fast lane, i get to nervous anywhere else.
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+2
 
Kawowie said:
yeah but a speeding ticket is better than a wrecked bike or a broken leg.
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I have wrecked on the street several times, never, never has it been the fault of anyone but myself.

I am the biggest risk to myself riding, so controlling my speed to reduce braking distance, reaction distance and speeding tickets is more valuable then worrying about the 1% of the time someone drives like an idiot.
 
Sidewalk said:
I have wrecked on the street several times, never, never has it been the fault of anyone but myself.

I am the biggest risk to myself riding, so controlling my speed to reduce braking distance, reaction distance and speeding tickets is more valuable then worrying about the 1% of the time someone drives like an idiot.
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I have had street wrecks also, none of which were my fault. I have had people open doors, jump 3 lanes, come over the double yellow, etc....... I worry about the 99% of the time which people drive like idiot
 
Sidewalk said:
I have wrecked on the street several times, never, never has it been the fault of anyone but myself.

I am the biggest risk to myself riding, so controlling my speed to reduce braking distance, reaction distance and speeding tickets is more valuable then worrying about the 1% of the time someone drives like an idiot.
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I have also never had a moto accident caused by someone else (maybe one marginal one) (cages are something else, rear-ended, twice, and cut-off with contact), but I'll take it. The frequency may be much higher, but a cage can *really* hurt you on a bike (marginal one put me in the hospital). I would much rather be in a situation that I can can control, which is why I am rather anal about not handing out free passes to take a shot at me on the street.

That being said, I've gotten to old enough to be a grandpaw (although the kids don't seem to be in a hurry to oblige :teeth), and my last crackup (one in the last two years) *was* my fault (not trusting the bike to do the turn, stand it up, run off) and completely without consequences.

Keep the rubber side down, don't ever count on anyone saving your life if you're on two wheels, and stay sharp. Even at speed, dropping a couple of gears gives you great acceleration options, you can stop faster than anything out there will (not can, but will) (if you practice). One size does not fit all, there's strategies and tactics. Conditions change, from moment to moment, and you must adapt, so play the "what if" game.

It comes down to finding a style that *you* are comfortable with, and a realistic assessment of the risks out there and your power to manage them. If it's not fun, why ride?

Cheers

Lou
 
You are invisible and everyone wants to kill you, and a moving target is harder to hit. I stay to the left, but move over for faster traffic (which isn't all that often). Just be aware that if you get caught speeding by Officer Friendly, they don't care about your experience, training, or skill. It's not about safety. And you have my condolences if you're a chick over 40, 'cause you ain't cute enough anymore to catch any slack.
 
yama-emma said:
If traveling on 280 then being in the far left lane means you do have to speed. The cars bum rush you at 80-85 miles an hour and sometimes you have to get up to 90 to safely get out of their way. I agree that this may be the lane with the least variables... but I have a great fear of the CHP and don't want another performance award from 280 thanks. So when on 280 I ride 2nd lane from right, passing far right, staying super aware, expecting people will try to kill me. Working so far. :crossfingers
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280 is bi-polar. Sometimes that stream moves at 100, other times barely 80. I can't figure it.

But, while maintaining vigilance, drivers are normally very alert and respectful of motos coming up. And that's why I like to 280.
 
Always have a way out. Being in the middle lanes does not leave a way out.

Consider what will happen if you do fall. Falling onto the shoulder or into a lane next to the shoulder enables cars behind you to use the shoulder to go around you. Falling in the middle lanes after being bumped by a car may not kill you, but being run over three times will.

I stick to the edge lanes most of the time.
 
You cannot gain a benefit without assuming an additional risk when riding - increased visibility tends to lead to reduced manuevering space, for example.

There is no single correct lane to ride in when you're looking for generalizations, as all riders/bikes/conditions are different. You can be safe in the left lane above the speed limit, and you can be safe in the right lane at or below the speed limit. All you need to do is be aware of traffic hazards and try to predict them before they happen, and be aware of the risks you're assuming vs. the benefits you're gaining when selecting any particular lane or lane position on the freeway (or on any other surface road, for that matter).

We all know that inattentive car drivers seldom think twice about bombing across multiple lanes to either exit or merge onto the freeway. We also know that with the greater speed in the #1 lane comes greater potential for injury if we do crash - so choose your path on the freeway based upon current risks/benefits, not theoretical or potential risks/benefits.

I tend to ride at a faster pace and towards the left lanes in order to do so, but have no hard, fast rules (I'm of the "room for escape" mentality more than the "space for warning/reaction" mentality). The only advice I will give is be aware of your reduced visibility to other road users if you find yourself boxed into a static position within the slower lanes - this severely increases your risks when coupled with agressive mergers...

And good on you for thinking this much about your ride before you find yourself out there unprepared to deal with these risks. :thumbup

Just make sure you don't find yourself riding as if you were behind the wheel of your car - steady speed and static lane position can lead to inattention and complacency by lulling you into a false sense of security, whether you're in the left-most or right-most lanes. ;)


-Q!
 
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I just scanned most of the replies here, and didn't see any reference to one of my biggest fears.....lane sharing in the car pool lane during heavy traffic and an SUV driving dipshit with no passengers decides he's "cheated" long enough and dives across traffic into the other lane. THAT has been in the back of my mind for quite some time now and it happened a couple days ago.

It was the morning commute...the driver of green Toyota SUV (Sequoia?) was cruising on 85 north at about 75 mph for several miles. he then slows to 60...I'm thinking :wtf and watch him closely. he doesn't make a move or look in any direction....just as I go to split between him and traffic on the right, he lunges...could have crushed me.....and at the very last possible second he decides it might be a good idea to LOOK where he is going. By then I've emergency braked out the danger zone...BARELY....and he sees me. So HE hits his brakes (oh shit..I ony have like a foot...) forcing me back between him and the other traffic. I wave "hello, asshole" gun it, and make the pass with maybe inches of clearance.

WATCH THOSE CAGERS!!! PLAN AHEAD!! THERE IS NO "SAFE" LANE OF TRAVEL!!
 
sounds to me like you just need more saddletime

For me, if i just chilling the slow lane and really slow down, not only do i run the risk of someone hitting me while merging in or out,

i tend to zone out...
 
Zed10R said:
I just scanned most of the replies here, and didn't see any reference to one of my biggest fears.....lane sharing in the car pool lane during heavy traffic and an SUV driving dipshit with no passengers decides he's "cheated" long enough and dives across traffic into the other lane. ..

It was the morning commute...the driver of green Toyota SUV (Sequoia?) was cruising on 85 north at about 75 mph for several miles. he then slows to 60...I'm thinking :wtf and watch him closely. he doesn't make a move or look in any direction....just as I go to split between him and traffic on the right, he lunges...could have crushed me.....and at the very last possible second he decides it might be a good idea to LOOK where he is going....
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Sorry to hear this bad thing happened, but it seems to me ---
-- that you shouldn't have been splitting at 60mph at the edge of the carpool lane.

Esp. near big SUVs
 
There's way too much action in lane 3 and 4.

I was cruisin' lane 1 and a jetta in lane 3 exited immediately, hitting a focus in lane 4 and cresent moon head on crashed into my cage in lane 1.

In a bike, I would have been able to move faster, but not if I didn't see that cresent moon swerve coming at me from the far right lane.

fun fact: I hit the car head on with a pathfinder with a grill guard and made it spin twice or thrice off the edge of lane 4.
 
AbsolutEnduser said:
Sorry to hear this bad thing happened, but it seems to me ---
-- that you shouldn't have been splitting at 60mph at the edge of the carpool lane.

Esp. near big SUVs
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I beg to differ Sir. The quicker you go by, the less time you are in the danger zone. But that idea has it's limits. I feel too much at risk to split any faster than 80.

Your critiqe is welcome...but this was not a crash. I was able to plan, react, and observe in a situation that could have killed some one with less milage time and experience. I'm not happy about it...just sayin....
 
Just because you didn't crash doesn't mean it's safe to split cars at 60+MPH.
 
You know, the whole freeway commute thing is pretty dynamic, and I am leary of any hard and fast rules - always do this, never do that - and the only exception that comes to mind is that I prefer to move faster than the flow of traffic. It's easier for me to cope with hazards I am overtaking than it is to deal with hazards that are overtaking me. Sometimes that involves a laneshare at a relatively high rate of speed, though not with a terribly high speed differential. That said, there are still times I'll sit and wait.

To the OP, running relatively slowly in lane three or four requires frequent (as in every few seconds) use of your mirrors, and rotating your head like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. They can come from anywhere at any time, and they do dive from the number one to the exit way later than any reasoning person would expect. For that matter, I've seen grannies dive from the on ramp to the number one lane like it was a lifeline, even though they NEVER drive faster than 58 mph. You've got to be prepared to deal with all of it. If you understand your risks, and have a plan to deal with those risks, go for it.
 
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