Speed limiters on motorbikes

jacks_mum

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They are just saying on the news that the government is considering putting speed limiters on motorbikes to reduce the number of deaths. They say bike riders are 40 times more likely to be killed in an RTA.

I used to ride bikes, haven't had one since we got hit by a taxi that totalled my poor bike.

I can't be the only person out there that thinks the government would be better spending our money on educating other motorists to actually SEE bikes, can I?
 

jo2601

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Jacks Mum- you are totally right, we have a motorbike, as do most of our friends & family, and to be honest of the few accidents which have occured between us, most have been caused by the other motorist.
 

jacks_mum

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totally, my accident was a taxi pulling across infront of us.
My friend was killed by a car pulling out of a side junction when the driver 'didn't see her'.
My OH spent two weeks in a coma and a year in plaster after being hit by a drunk driver who jumped a red light.
I have so many other examples along the same line yet the government think it is bikes at fault!!
 

airedale

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never mind the speed - it's about time the police stopped the motorbikes using the white line between motorway lanes as another 'bike lane'. THAT IS DANGEROUS - but are the blankety blank bl**dy bikers caught and charged with dangerous driving - NOPE - but apparently 'speed kill' - so where are the police when something REALLY dangerous is going on - bl**dy nowhere

example - M3 southbound in rushhour. middle lane cars doing about 75/77, fast lane about 85 and two motorbikes come down the white line between the two lanes doing over a ton - if any car had changed lane..............and the car driver would have been blamed for hitting the poor biker

the sooner these monster bikes are stopped from over/undertaking and made to queue like the rest of the cars - the fewer bikes there will be on the roads.

Their main attraction is to weave in and out of cars in jams to 'beat the queue'. Enforce the Road Traffic ACt to stop them doing that and half the people on bikes would sell them and give up
 

suestowford

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I wouldn't object if similar devices were also fitted to cars!

Again, here we have a prime example of the sins of the few affecting the rest of society. Some bikers do speed, some do take the p*ss when overtaking, and thusly all bikers get the blame. Please don't fall into the same trap of tarring all car drivers with the 'can't see the biker' brush - most DO look carefully. (I have been hit by a car myself so can sympathise with those who have been accident victims - it bloody hurts when you hit the tarmac!). I think it would be a good idea to make candidates for the driving test take to the road on a bike (push or motor) to get an idea of how terrifying it can be.

Now I am exclusively a car driver I find myself muttering at certain bikers - get some hi-viz gear you dummy, is a favourite. But I would say the same to any horserider I saw on the road without any hi-viz. I hope I'm not anti-biker, more anti-idiot.
 

jacks_mum

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I agree with what you are saying on the motorways as that is dangerous but when you take your bike test if you queue along with the cars then you fail your test for not making adequate progress. Are you suggesting by this that the same should be done for cyclists ie "Their main attraction is to weave in and out of cars in jams to 'beat the queue'. Enforce the Road Traffic ACt to stop them doing that " because cycles are probably more guilty of that than motorbikes.

oh and incidentally in the scenario that you posted above, the car driver would not get all the blame, it would be 50/50 - ie the bike shouldn't have been there but the car driver should have looked before moving.

Also it is not just bikes that undertake, plenty of car drivers do it too.
 

Sooty

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They already do this with scooters and mopeds, they are governed to something ludicrous like 35mph which is lethal! Plus you are told to stick near the kerb, so in effect you are forcing traffic to pass you. A motorbike should be treated with the same respect as a car, and should be capable of getting itself out of trouble. Mind you, nobody can legislate for some of the idiots you see hooning about on them, but the same goes for cars.
 

airedale

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whilst bikers on motorways and traffic jams are mainly nutters
I find when out on my horse that bikers are MUCH better at slowing down round here than the car drivers are - perhaps because the bikers know, like the horse riders, that they hit the tarmac in a collision without protection from a vehicle shell as a car has

and I've been hit on my horse - by a commercial horsebox that didn't want to get stuck behind me as he knew that a series of downhill bends was comin up - so he passed dangerously and his wingmirror hit my head
 

jacks_mum

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I appreciate that some bikers do take things to extremes but conversely so do some car drivers. I personally think that before anyone can have a car license it shoul dbe compulsory to spend some time riding motorbikes/mopeds to see just how vulnerable they can be.

And I totally agree with the HI-Viz comment.
 

airedale

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yes - cyclists should be forced to obey the rules of the road - and in London certainly there is current action against, for example, cyclists turning left when the traffic light is red. This is dangerous to pedestrians.
 

suestowford

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I would like to point out that when I was a cyclist in London I did obey the rules of the road - to the letter. If I thought it was too dangerous on the road I would get off and walk my bike along the pavement until past the danger spot. It didn't help me when I met an inattentive driver though (despite being covered in dayglo gear!). I would like to see EVERY road user obeying the rules of the road, no matter what sort of conveyance they are in/on. Wouldn't that be nice? Mind you, if it ever did happen I'd think I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone!
 

SJFAN

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You are so right! Unfortunately many cyclists in London have total disregard for traffic lights etc. I am sure that more deaths & injuries are caused by bad driving/riding than by actual speed. I write as a non-driver - it has always seemed wrong to me that people pass their driving tests without having any experience of motorway driving and may have no experience of driving at night.
 

Onyxia

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GOOD...when are they going to do it with everything?
I really dont understand why we make and sell cars that go well over the speed limit
crazy.gif
 

rema

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As a biker myself i can see both sides to the coin.At times a biker needs that extra bit of speed to get out of the way of a motorist that hasent seen them.You can Hi Viz yourself up to the eyeballs but yet you are still invisable to a few people.I think instead of limiting bikes how about putting some money into saftey awareness.Some bikers ride like lunatics and earn themselves the name of Donorcycles.I have two mates who both ride supped up R1's.one lost his eye and one lost his lower leg due to accidents but does it stop them no it dosent.They often overtake me doing a ton plus on their back wheels.But neither of them would be safe on a moped.
crazy.gif
 

PaddyMonty

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Another example of this dam nanny state.
If someone wants to buy a fast bike then ride it beyond their capability and kill themselves then it is their decision and no one elses provided they dont take anyone with them.
and yes I used to be a biker and yes I have travelled at excessively high speeds (only on open roads) but frankly I am at greater risk running the XC phase eventing.

Perhaps the government should ban that due to the number of injuries.

You pays yer money and takes yer choice whilst we still have a little of each left.
 

Rambo

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[ QUOTE ]
frankly I am at greater risk running the XC phase eventing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps you should ride it next time instead of trying to run it then
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wink.gif
 

squirtlysmum

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IMHO there are equally as many appalling car drivers as motorcyclists. I've ridden extremely big sports bikes that will out perform the average car and it amazes me how some car drivers act when they see them. When filtering on the motorway through static traffic I've even had one particular BMW driver pull across in front of me and open the drivers door to stop me from passing!! Imagine his utter horror as he slowly read the wording on the front of my lid 'POLICE' and realised he was in fact stopping an unmarked police motorcycle from attending the RTC which was the cause of the standstill!! It is small minded people with both four and two wheels that make it worse for the rest of us, obviously I advised the BMW man with words he would understand.
As for speed limiters well it will be fair if all vehicles had them not just targetted motorcycles!!
 

icklechlo

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as a biker myself, and with bf and other mates as bikers, i can understand both sides of the coin as it were! at 16 om a moped, i think going slowly is dangerous, some peds dont go about 25 mph as they have cpi restrictions, and as a results, people ride in the gutter (something they tell you not to do on your cbt... more likely to fall/skid due to debris etc) however, implimenting restrictions on all bikes would be madness, at the age of 17 id you do your test, you are restricted to 33bhp, so you can either have a bike under 33bhp, or over and have a restriction kit put it... the trouble then being that you have a certificate saying your bike is restricted.. and they arent that hard to take out to be honest! Unless they could find a way of putting in a kit/incorporating it so it cannot be removed by people who know how to dismantle bikes, it would never work!
 

Onyxia

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[ QUOTE ]
If someone wants to buy a fast bike then ride it beyond their capability and kill themselves then it is their decision and no one elses provided they dont take anyone with them.

[/ QUOTE ]
trouble is, they often do.
 

hairycob

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Eldest has just come back from casualty after coming off his bike this afternoon - his fault he braked too hard when vehicle in front had to stop suddenly. Not badly hurt, but helmet is in a scarey state
shocked.gif
. Thing is he was only doing 25mph at the time so speed limiter wouldn't have helped at all.
Now if a van hadn't parked too close to a bend meaning a car had to overtake without being able to really see, the car wouldn't have had to brake suddenly when there was something coming the other way & none of it would have happened.
 

Breezesbenefactor

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You clearly don't like motorbikes. I must admit they can be a bit of a pain however, they keep me on my toes and I'm more prone to using my mirrors & indicators just in case they're about. Sadly though I don't agree with restrictors, I do agree however, with the old public awareness commercials being put back on the TV. TBH I'd say I've seen more stupidity in cars than I have on bikes. As for white lining, you'd do the same opposed to sitting in traffic don't feel bitter get a bike
 

Dutch

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I have seen most motorcyclists speed consistantly 10 mph faster at least than the cars they are overtaking, they often too take a lot of risks, it is very sad that people drive and ride so badly sometimes.

Yeah I don't think they need to change the limits for them, just inforce it.
 

Christmas_Kate

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WHAT is the point in having a bike that can do 180 odd mph??? It's ridiculous.
Friend has a Fireblade and often does 160mph on it. Well, he did till he overtook a car on a junction and wrote it off. If he hadnt had his back board etc on, he wouldn't be walking today.
OH motorbikes, he only has a small bike himself, but does ride friends. And TBH it terrifies me. The temptation to 'see how fast it will go' is always there, moreso on a bike as you can weave in and out of traffic,
On the way back from the east coast last summer we saw alot of bikers, and no less than 5 ambulances at accident scenes involving bikers. I saw no cars involved.
Yes, I think either put restrictions on (and the same goes for cars too, who needs to do 140mph anyway?) or make people take special licences for these powerful bikes and cars and up their bloomin road tax. If they want to hog the road and cause accidents they should pay for it. They did it with 4x4's......
 

Ashf

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I'm sorry but I don't buy into this nanny state thing.

There are plenty of people who want to ban horse riding on the roads. There are plenty of people who don't have the skills to handle a difficult horse in this environment, and there is no requirement in law to take any sort of training or certification to show a minimum level of proficiency in this aspect. I see accidents reported on forums all the time where people have fallen off, or got thrown off. I've been out on hacks from trekking centres and their has been rider who have never been on the back of a horse before taken straight out onto busy roads.

Just because you don't ride motorcycles, it doesn't give you the right to dictate what others should ride.

As for this 125 limit, you can buy an unrestricted Aprillia 125GP which will do a true 120mph, so where is the logic in limiting the cc ?, there are 50cc bikes which will do 70mph now.

I do both so I see both sides of the coin. I have ridden out with people on both horses and motorcycles who have behaved very irresponsibly towards themselves and others.

How long do you think it will be before they turn their attention to horseriding on the roads to massage their stats, it is seen as an elitist pastime and one done by the idle rich ( read - tory supporters)- another high risk pastime ?
 

Gingernags

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I think its a combination of a lot of things, yes we can't be forced into a total nanny state, but it DOES irritate me that so many bikers seem to ignore the laws of the road. Yes its not all but when they do go flying past at excessive speeds and you rarely see a biker pulled for speeding it does annoy me.

However, it wouldn't make me take less care and not watch out for them or deliberately do anything...

But locally here we have a real problem...

Article from Northern echo re: "Helmsley TT"

This road is notorious for bikers driving at excessive speeds and with quite often fatal consequences, and the council need to look again at the road markings and maybe better enforcement of a lower speed limit as this is killing innocent people too when bikers lose control taking a very twisty road - too fast - for fun.

I do think that road laws should apply equally to ALL road users and should be enforced as such, and seen to be enforced equally.
 

Ashf

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But what you have quoted is an enforcement issue, not a 'speed kills' issue, don't buy a big bike, and it enforces the falacy that its impossible for someone to own a big bike and stay within the limits.
 

jacks_mum

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"there are 50cc bikes which will do 70mph now."

I had one of those 22 years ago!! A derestricted Fantic 50cc which did more than 70. and no it wasn't exactly 'legal'.

from my POV I think it is wrong that bikers are being picked on in this fashion and I firmy believe that people should be educated to look for bikes.
 

MagicMelon

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As a person in a family full of bikers (all except me... although I did my CBT and I have never been so scared!) - I strongly think that MOST bikers DO follow the law. I think its just the fact that there aren't so many bikers as there are cars therefore we seem to notice what they do more than usual.

To be honest, WHO here has NOT ever gone over the speed limit in a car??? C'mon honestly?! Im sure everybody has broken the law at one point or another.

A lot of bikers are responsible and extremely wary on the roads since they know they can be a target for moron car drivers. I dont think anyone has a right to limit a bikers speed, as much as you cant ever limit a car.

Of course you get the odd stupid biker going nuts on the roads, but no more so than boy-car-racers. And to be honest, I think its MORE dangerous for the speeding cars since they can potentially kill a lot of other people, whereas usually a biker will only kill himself. Obviously still awful, but you know what I mean!

To be honest, I know plenty of bikers and they are all very responsible people. And they are also the nicest on the roads, when I used to hack I never ever had a problem with a biker slowing right down for me whereas a lot of cars which downright dangerous.
 

Cloudhorse

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I agree, bikers have always slowed down for me while hacking on roads, I can't remember a single case when one sped past or blew their horn. I can think of a few car drivers that have though.
 
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