Original Post on ClearwaterBiker

Safety Tips / Lane Positions

It always amazes me when I see riders that are riding in the incorrect lane, or lane position.

First I will talk about lane position. The average lane on a road or highway is roughly 8 feet wide, while in comparison the average motorcycle is only 2 to 3 feet wide. This means that there is a lot of unused space around a motorcycle. Wile having space has its advantages there are also a few disadvantages as well.



Diagram 1.1 illustrates that a lane can be divided in to 3 mini-lanes, left (A), middle (B) and right (C). Which part of the lane should a rider be in?

Position (A) or the (blocking position) would be the best choice most of the time. I say most of the time because, sometimes the situation may call for a rider to chose another part of a lane (B) or (C) for short periods of time. It gives the best opportunity for a rider to see as well as be seen by other vehicles.

I do not recommend riding in the middle part of the lane because that is the area where a lot of debris tends to gather, also that is usually where you will find oil, coolant and other slick fluids that are deposited from cars and trucks.

As for position (C) the drawbacks are that the rider may not be visible to other drivers, as well as it might encourage other drivers to try and share you lane and shown in Diagram 1.1A. Were the driver of the blue car attempts to pass the rider in the same lane.
So we see that on a single that on a single lane road the blocking position is on the left side of the lane, but what about a two lane road?




Diagram 1.2 shows the blocking position for the left lane of a two lane roadway.




And finally, when on a roadway or highway with 3 or more lanes what lane should you ride in? The best advice that I can give is to ride in the outside lanes, and try to stay away from the middle lanes Diagram 1.3. These outside lanes (A & C) are considered to be safer because the rider only has to contend with possible hazards from one side. While the rider in the middle lane (C), is vulnerable from both sides. Now I am not telling you that you should never ride in the middle lanes because, that would be unrealistic. I'm only saying that you should be aware of the dangers and try to limit the amount of time that you spend there.

http://www.motorcyclebasics.com/lanes.htm

 

Good post..... also don't ride in people's blindspots!! If you are stuck in heavy traffic and have no other choice hold back and leave a gap in front so you can speed up for a sec beyond the driver's door so they will make eye contact with your bike. This way they at least know you are there before you settle back into that blindspot in heavy creeping traffic...... do whatever it takes for them to notice you......... cruisers are loud enough its no problem......sportbikes.... a quick earfull of 12k+ RPM should do the trick....my $0.02

 

informative post. thanks!

 

Man, I practice this and didn't even know I was doing something that was documented. You can almost always find me in the right side of the left lane when riding. I figured, just as the article said, that I'd only have to deal with asshole from one side that way. Plus, my pipes exist right side, so I figure optimal noise is shot to my right. I habitually stay out of the middle lane, and if in the right lane, sit on the left hand side of the lane for the exact reason that they show there. Some cock did that to me on Gulf To Bay once and sped off before I could pull him out of his window at the next light!

 

i just always ride where i'll be most visible. also, if the little motorcyle guy in the picture was me, it'd be about 200 yards ahead of any of the vehicles ducked down behind the windscreen doing a buck twenty

 

everything but the 120..i cant go that fast.

i mostly ride in a

 

am i the only one who rides like this?


I figure if the bike fits use the road with the least amount of forgiveness. It will make you a better rider in the long run, or a dead one. j/k

 

now you would have skillz if you rode through there on the back wheel Tyler.


Leave it to Cecil to be evryone's Dad here (he's old enough) J/K He's just always looking out for his fellow rider's Thanks cecil (A.K.A--DAD)

 

haha, i tried to make it so the bike looked like it was on one wheel, but my work PC only has MS Paint and I couldn't do it.

 

no aka about it...