[BKK Jack]

I had someone start to pull over and try to block me this morning while I was splitting stopped traffic from the GW Bridge to the West Side Highway. Our mirrors smacked but I kept going. Once I got off of the highway I saw that the mount for my bar end mirror was busted but the mirror is still hanging there...which is good because it's the only mirror that I've got left. The thing is literally hanging on by a thread and I could just pull it off with a little force, I'll grab a pic after work tonight if I think about it.

This is maybe the 3rd or 4th time that someone has swerved over like this in the 3 years I've been riding in the city. In that same time period I've probably had over 100 cars make space for me.

Maybe you should get these:

CRG Hindsight LS (for Lane Splitter)

 

[enrico vespa]

Halloween was nice. Was in the city with a few people and traffic was so bad, we had no room to lanesplit. The cops on one street told us to get on the side walk. He said it with an angry tone. Thinking back he was just pointing to the side. Maybe he wanted us to pull over and I misinterpreted it thinking we were allowed to ride on the sidewalk.

 

[nyc rugby]

Maybe you should get these:

CRG Hindsight LS (for Lane Splitter)

I had the Motrax ones, lost one this spring when it vibrated apart and snapped the other today (have only been running 1 since the spring). I've been looking at one of the CRG LS's for a while but was having trouble stomaching the cost...I guess my decision was made this morning...

 

[BKK Jack]

I don't have any stock in the company, but they are a good quality product, and worth the extra $$ as far as I am concerned.

The one in the picture was on the left side when I went down on the NC30 on rainy/oily roads in Bangkok. The mirror broke, and there is a little rash on the underside of the mount (I didn't have any bar ends). Before putting them on the SV, I got a replacement mirror $12.50 + shipping), took them apart, and swapped the mounts, so the rash is inboard and virtually hidden.

If you want to run the bar ends with the mirror adapters, just drill out the little threaded silver widget that is a part of the CRG adapter, chuck the stock spacer, and replace with the adapter. You can then pass the stock bolt all the way through to the stock rubber "bung", and everything snugs up wonderfully.

 

[nyc rugby]

I don't have any stock in the company, but they are a good quality product, and worth the extra $$ as far as I am concerned.

The one in the picture was on the left side when I went down on the NC30 on rainy/oily roads in Bangkok. The mirror broke, and there is a little rash on the underside of the mount (I didn't have any bar ends). Before putting them on the SV, I got a replacement mirror $12.50 + shipping), took them apart, and swapped the mounts, so the rash is inboard and virtually hidden.

If you want to run the bar ends with the mirror adapters, just drill out the little threaded silver widget that is a part of the CRG adapter, chuck the stock spacer, and replace with the adapter. You can then pass the stock bolt all the way through to the stock rubber "bung", and everything snugs up wonderfully.

They are quality, like everything that CRG makes, no doubt there. I've got to do some research and see the mounting options since I have dirtbike bars with thicker walls than the stock bar. The motrax were easy to rig up with just removing a sleeve from their bar end mount (to make the mount a smaller diameter) - hopefully the CRG is similar.

 

[BKK Jack]

http://www.constructorsrg.com/mirrors/adaptor.html

I would imagine the CRG setup is similar. You can use/not use the outer sleeves as applicable.

 

[wawatusi]

They are quality, like everything that CRG makes, no doubt there. I've got to do some research and see the mounting options since I have dirtbike bars with thicker walls than the stock bar. The motrax were easy to rig up with just removing a sleeve from their bar end mount (to make the mount a smaller diameter) - hopefully the CRG is similar.

rhino moto has what you need.

 

[frick]

Maybe you should get these:

CRG Hindsight LS (for Lane Splitter)

See, I don't like them because that's several inches of less clearance while lane splitting to me. ;D At least I don't have any visibility problems with my elbows/shoulders getting in the way.

I ride in LA/San Diego. While 99.9% of the time I do not have any problems with people while lane splitting, there is the occasional asshat who DOES have a problem with lane splitters.

The most recent time being when I was moving North on the 5 fwy, the border check North of San Diego was active and traffic was backed up 2-3 miles. Lane split the whole way, yeehaw--until some guy in a 535i saw me and deliberately moved over until he was riding on the line to block me (there are bumps on our dotted white lines here so you know when you are changing lanes--no excuse to say you didn't realize). I ended up waiting a bit and then went around him on the other side. Heh.

i usually wait a little bit, maybe 20-25 cars back when the light is red, then accelerate through the middle when it turns green.

I agree that this is a dangerous way to do it. It's far safer to filter up to a light when cars are stopped and then you get ahead of them from the start.

On freeways, I usually don't lane split over 35 and I don't go more than 5-10MPH faster than surrounding traffic. There are motorcyclists who blast by at 80-90, but I'm not one of them and that's just stupid dangerous due to reduced reaction time.

People get mad for many reasons: you scare them and they then feel embarrassed or angry; it's "not fair" for you to "cut in front" of them; they're angry because you may have damaged their vehicle (even if you didn't touch it); they have something against bikers already and it's prejudice; etc.

A friend of mine that rides said that a co-worker of his said that he purposefully pulls out in front of lane splitters (while laughing) because he didn't like that they do it. The friend said, "Do you know that what you are doing is attempted homicide and what motorcyclists are doing is legal?" The guy stopped laughing, at least.

 

[Klyftonite]

That is one law that the rental car companies should tell motorists from out of state. Lane splitters scared the poo outta me the first time I was driving in LA.

Haha that's the number one gripe of people who JUST start out driving in LA, even the cops do it! so scary even for me who grew up there :O

 

[CoryUT]

I don't think it ever passed. Where did you copy/paste that from? Looking here I don't see that: http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/TN/content/htm/tn.007.00.000545.00.htm

And exhibit B: http://motorcyclebloggers.com/2006/01/07/texas-lane-splitting-revisited/

Ahh, well I guess I have been misinformed. I just got it from motorcyclebloggers.com. I didn't think I needed to look up the official law because:

1) Others here have told me it's legal.
2) Officers have seen me do it and didn't care.

I apologize for posting incorrect information!

 

[nyc rugby]

See, I don't like them because that's several inches of less clearance while lane splitting to me. ;D At least I don't have any visibility problems with my elbows/shoulders getting in the way.

The point is that you can fold it in to tuck it out of the way while filtering/splitting. When you fold it back it goes to the same spot so you don't have to readjust it. With 2 motrax mirrors on I added about 8" of width, far too much in my mind, so I only ran the rt mirror on road trips...one of which killed it.

Looks like I'll be sending a bunch of money to CRG ;D

 

[Tabasco Sauce]

I live in Cali, so lane splitting is legal (which is really weird cause everything else is illegal ?D)

Some people are overly-angry and its very annoying. I bet most people in cars just get annoyed not because its illegal, but that your getting where you're going faster.

 

[frick]

The point is that you can fold it in to tuck it out of the way while filtering/splitting. When you fold it back it goes to the same spot so you don't have to readjust it. With 2 motrax mirrors on I added about 8" of width, far too much in my mind, so I only ran the rt mirror on road trips...one of which killed it.

Looks like I'll be sending a bunch of money to CRG ;D

Yes, but I like still being able to see behind me while I'm splitting.

I move out of the way for lane-splitters who go faster than I am, or CHP, or any number of reasons.

 

[mohawk]

Most in cali will move. I think its transplanters who come here, but don't know its legal here that are dicks. I had a lady in a volvo start yelling at me after splitting to the front of a light. I locked the front, dropped the clutch and filled the section with smoke.

probably not the best reaction, but she caught me on a bad day.

 

[SVstryker]

thanks everyone for the insight on this. if i do lane split again approaching a red light i'll do it when the light is red, not green like i did before.

and this a$$hole trying to police me up he'll get his for trying to run me off the road in anger.

reaper, you're crazy as phuck lol but i'm with you on that.

 

[Angrysheep]

i live in CA, its legal, and it still pisses people off. try doing it between two cell phone chatting morons on the freeway doing 5 under the limit , driving door to door at identical speeds. scares the crap out of them, and usually one of them road rages. even though as long as you dont break the limit, its completely legal.

having said that, i take lane splitting very very seriously, and have a pretty tough set of criteria that any given situation has to meet before i even think about it. doubly so for splitting rolling traffic. if the cars arent close to equal in speed (no overtaking) and overlapping at least a quarterpanel, its a no go.

 

[eaglefox20]

I'm a daily commuter, putting anywhere from 60-75 miles on my bike a day. I've had the bike brand new since the end of July and already put close to 7300 miles on the odo. As with most states, it is illegal to lane split here in Texas. i rarely do it and when i do i try to stay within my bounds and abilities and just try to make it out safe & unscathed. this morning i was running a bit late and the traffic down my street (about 2 four way stop signs, 4 stoplights, and about 3.5 miles) to the freeway takes anywhere from 25-30min in a car. i made a choice to just go ahead a split the lane down the congested street (7min on a bike). as i'm passing cars, some people honk, and others don't seem to care either way.

here's what happened: i usually wait a little bit, maybe 20-25 cars back when the light is red, then accelerate through the middle when it turns green. during this time i am constantly scanning the front tires of the vehicles i'm passing, how close each vehicle is close to each other, all the while looking anywhere from 8-10 cars ahead. everyone's at a dead stop, i'm doing anywhere from 20-25mph. as i pull over into a space between 2 cars because i didn't make the light, this 40something guy in a lexus next to me honks his horn at me, rolls down his window (******) and says:
"What you're doing........IS ILLEGAL!!!!!"
I don't pay attention. I hear this guy and he is just stark raving mad----no he is MOTHERF***ING infuriated about what I did. He says "Hey, I'm talking to you PUNK!" I flip my visor up and give the universal hand signal for "what" and then he says "I'm going to write your plate number and I'm calling the police." I then say "Call them. They'll laugh at you. Imagine if everyone called in traffic violations."

Light turns green and ahead there isn't much reason to lane split anymore, and the guy just speeds ahead of me and cuts me off abruptly, causing me added frustration. He then changes lanes AGAIN and slows down (so I speed up to get away from the maniac) and then he begins to speed up and gives me the impression he's trying to force me off the road on purpose. I manage to just accelerate away and make it to the highway. Needless to say, it was a close call, but ****, the road rage on his part was ridiculous and uneccessary.

As for a lesson learned in all of this, I'll just wake up earlier and avoid this kind of crap, saving me from doing a lane split and causing some ****** off idiot to make my commute more dangerous than it needs to be.

*I read an interesting article BTW on the subject:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/10/30/MN87097.DTL

Texans just get angry if you get in front of them. Then they make every effort slow you down.

 

[evilseed]

Pass him and kick off his sidemirror. Violence solves all of lifes problems. Says so in history books! Whee!

 

[SVstryker]

Pass him and kick off his sidemirror. Violence solves all of lifes problems. Says so in history books! Whee!

punching off his mirror was def an afterthought, but hard to do unless i was on the other side of him.

 

[yttfdyvt]

A friend and I were discussing this and we were wondering which would fetch you a higher $$$ ticket: splitting a lane on a highway or ridding on the shoulder of the highway?

Any ideas?