Crossing Solid White Line to your offside, What's It All About?

[Debs]

Exactly Winston..

I did my bikesafe course and thats what the Police told me... Get right over to the line to see round the bend. It also gives on coming traffic more time to see you.. so its a win win situation. 

[Lonewolf]

Debs that is an extremely good illustration of what this is all about. However even being that close if your elbow should marginally overlap the solid white line to your offside thats a no no apparantly.

On the other hand on a straight section of road with no opposing traffic but a line of constant traffic in front of you, it may be appropriate to move out to the centre of the road to open up your view and to make yourself more visible to vehicles immediately in front of you. This being the case if a solid white existed to your offside then it is probable/possible that your pannier, mirror or elbow could encroach over the solid white line. WY group of RoSPA would mark you down and subsequently fail you if you did not cease this practice with great haste!

Chris, good to have you back by the way. 

[Winston Smith]

Cheers Steve.  He is talking out of his arse as is the examiner.

Sanctimonious is the most appropriate word without swearing.........

[Lonewolf]

Chris next time we meet up I'll fetch along my debrief report from the test I did for you to have a look at. I had another ride with my trainer last week, he totally disagreed with my test result and reckons I've been screwed over. I talked through some scenarios with him of what I did on the test and he confirmed he would have dealt with the hazards exactly as I did.
I've had some emails from Mike (you know who) and he confirms that I am not the only person very recently who has raised serious concerns regarding the consistency of the training and what the examiner is looking for.

[Debs]

I shall never forget that first ride following the pink armbands.

Whats this 'Pink Armbands' thingy? Never heard of it before 

[Mogster]

Can I say at theis point....FFS! lighten up, stop trying to see who sits the up straight the best... get on your bike and have some fun!!!

If you're spending time worrying about all this Rospa crap you'll gonna make mistakes... and end up in a Hedge! 

You need to add 'up my own arse arrogance' to that motto as well.

[100milesaway]

I think you must be from the follow the pink armbands school of motorcycling, Mogs

[Mogster]

I think you must be from the follow the pink armbands school of motorcycling, Mogs

I'd wear 'Hot Pink' leathers if it made me a safer and faster rider   

[O.C.]

Pink armband and a few brews is my chosen method....good craic too 

[Winston Smith]

Sorry Mogs - disagree with you.  All each to their own.

I've scraped too many up who 'knew better' in my previous life and anything that helps individuals do as your 'poster' says can only help.

Not for everyone I know, but for those who want to what's the problem.

And as for having 'fun' and 'getting out there' most advanced riders I know (and there are the beardy wierdy, sanctimonious, up their own arse brigade whose image stops a lot trying it) have a bloody good time and the advanced method helps them do so by seeing further ahead and riding to a higher standard.  I know you raced, you maybe have a 'natural' talent and are graced by good advanced observations with 'no' need to be shown anything else.  Most riders will always benefit.

Unfortunately consistency issues like these don't help those involved which is what the question was originally.

The white line issue is a real hang up with advanced riders, it attracts 3 points (whether you agree or not George) and a £60.00 reminder.

IMO the authorities have chosen white line painting as a cheap engineering resolution instead of looking for better methods and some great roads have been buggered up by them. Combined with 40 & 50 mph indiscriminate speed limits on rural roads, the country is getting shite for riding.

I suppose if eveyone rode to advanced standards at speeds appropriate for the circumstances (and didn't crash by overestimating their abilities) there would be no need for paint/speed limits/GATSO's etc.

[Gonome]

Whats this 'Pink Armbands' thingy? Never heard of it before 

Debs, see picture below.

[Lonewolf]

Mogs, that picture you put on, I'm sure the riders bars must be over the solid white.   

[Mogster]

I don't disagree that Observation training has its place, but there is too much emphasis put on 'Road positioning' and not enough on the art of motorcycle control.

A hell of a lot of riders are but passengers when they get on a bike and sit on it like a sack of spuds... they have no idea what they are doing apart from the basics, countersteer, weighting pegs, late apexe's, transfer of body weight and trail braking are something that Moto GP riders do as far as they are concerned, they never actually go out and practice their skills.

I have had a Bike safe course and after we got back, the Instructer asked me how the hell do i get round bends like i do... now this bloke was a fully paid up member of the safe riding dayglow jacket crew and had been riding for many years..... I explained to him about 'Chasing the vanishing point' ... something that he had heard of but never understood ... we chatted for ages and then I went out with him and taught him some of my road craft... He's got a Blade now and we still go out fer a hoon along the Thaxted road even now, after 10 years... and I can tell you he's a quick and safe rider now, and looks far more relaxed.

I'm not advocating that we should all get sports bike and tear up the road.... something btw i don't often do, cos any arse can go fast in a straight line.... but how about spending the day practising cornering, or do a trackday, yes I have seen GTRs at the track, their owners grinning like a 6 year old at Christmas....

Riding a Motorcycle is a life long journey of discovery and learning.... and as such you should never stop exploring, whether it's Foriegn climbs or your own abilitys..... I don't know it all .... far from it... but I'm determined to have a darn good go at learning as much as i can.

Mogs

[Winston Smith]

I am gob-smacked Mogs!

Chasing the vanishing point is one of the main elements of road craft and is one of the very basiscs that any advanced rider should know.  Christ, that dictates position, speed, gear and acceleration.

With no knowledge of that the rider would be as you described a sack of spud passenger on the bike.

I coordinated BikeSafe in our area for some years, but I have doubts about it's effectiveness due to instances as you describe and who turns up for them generally.  Usually the once a year RoSPA / IAM for their MOT and to be told how good they still are!

[Mogster]

Chasing the vanishing point is one of the main elements of road craft and is one of the very basiscs that any advanced rider should know.  Christ, that dictates position, speed, gear and acceleration.

Yup for sure... but i am constatly amazed buy the staggering amount of riders that go  when you mention it.....

Rather too many times, when i have been out on the Twistys, have i come across a trail of plastics ending in 12k worth of scrap and i look at the where the road goes and think 'How the Fook did you manage to crash there!!!'

TBH... i do know... I hear riders talking about 'near misses' all the time... In to a bend a tad too fast... panic!!!.... pick it up... target fixate on the nearest immovable object ...and .... Crash!!... easy really.. takes no skill at all.