Filtering - am I morally right with my aux lights?

[Guru Gora]

Rider maths 101…..

White bike plus white helmet plus black leather gear, plus polite hi viz minus cop riding = bell end.

 

[JoeBiff]

Jesus fucking Christ . I reckon it’s a wind up . Probably that Steve from A Bike Thing trying to drum up trade for his In Denial lights and WankerWizards

You generally talk a lot of shite but I’ll make an exception on this one special occasion post.

You still can’t help yersell with the 1300 though, can you?
Have a free mug for the cockpit. Ask nicely, and I’ll send one for the copilot too.

 

[Guru Gora]

Black Gear - check

Bell End Vest - check

Utter bell smeg - affirm

 

[siddo]

In stationery traffic, I have my Lone rider lights on 100% and hazards on. It clears a path.

 

[Arsey]

In stationery traffic, I have my Lone rider lights on 100% and hazards on. It clears a path.

Well, on paper , yes

 

[MILLE_RIDER]

Filtering is illegal in Germany.

And Switzerland. I think it is more Southern Europe that 'get' bikes because everyone has one. Not worth splitting hairs with the UK is crap crowd though

 

[snelly]

I filter a lot, I like it and feel smug as a bug when I get the front of the queue at the lights.
On Sunday I was coming back through Reading and caught in heavy traffic on the 40mph dual carriageway that seems to have traffic lights every 300 meters and was happy filtering and splitting the lanes where the cars would allow. I got to a point where two cars were close to each other and not enough room for me to pass in between them; thinking they hadn't noticed me, I switched on the hazard lights. I have some Denali DL6 Aux lights (in yellow) wired up to my Hexcan that flash on the opposite pattern to my indicators when the hazard lights are on.
From this point the traffic parted like Moses was passing through the red sea. I think my Denali lights are set to 20% ish on the hazard flash so traffic much further up the queue was parting and I had a clear run through all the lights, it was great!!!
My dilemma came to me when I was clear of the traffic, did those car drivers think I was some form of emergency vehicle and if so, when I passed and I was clearly not, would it have made them hate filtering bikers even more?

That's a very small percentage of drivers you will have pissed off; iwould'nt lose sleep over it because i'am a driver who would have made way for you lights or not.

 

[snelly]

I have used my hazard lights when filtering in France and a couple of other countries. I just sort of copied the local riders. Car drivers do seem to be much more accommodating of motorcycles over the water. Apart from in Germany, the Germans don’t seem to like filtering.

And yet they don't mind being passed at 160mph even the coppers;; funny lot.
not on my gs at 160;

 

[iRider]

There are a few questions in your post, should you use hazard lights in any configuration whilst filtering, under the letter of the law, no. However, your bike, your hazard lights, your licence, your choice mate. Did the car drivers think you were some form of emergency vehicle? Probably but that’s their own ignorance of traffic law not your’s. As for would it have caused them to hate filtering bikers more? WTF cares, I know I don’t care what other drivers think.

 

[Arsey]

There are a few questions in your post, should you use hazard lights in any configuration whilst filtering, under the letter of the law, no. However, your bike, your hazard lights, your licence, your choice mate. Did the car drivers think you were some form of emergency vehicle? Probably but that’s their own ignorance of traffic law not your’s. As for would it have caused them to hate filtering bikers more? WTF cares, I know I don’t care what other drivers think.

And that’s the attitude that makes car drivers hate bikers in UK .
In France I find bikers are much more considerate and so are car drivers who pull in to let you through . In the UK some actually pull out to block you

 

[EKIMYRF]

TBH i find very little animosity while filtering ln fact the opposite

Maybe because I dont have more spotlights than a Mods 1960s Lambretta

A lot of adv bikes these days look like Christmas trees

 

[Oldrat]

A noisy exhaust is 10 times safer than putting hazard lights on.

If they don’t see your headlight, they ain’t going to see those blinkers.

 

[Arsey]

TBH i find very little animosity while filtering ln fact the opposite

Maybe because I dont have more spotlights than a Mods 1960s Lambretta

A lot of adv bikes these days look like Christmas trees

Whole businesses are built around outfitting bikes with needlessly bright lights and fitting ‘wizards’ to blind all and sundry

 

[Teamin]

come to London ,
i'll take you on a lap of the M25 in the rush hour.

I have done that once and it was as scary as feck.
Bikes were filtering at 50mph plus some, the biggest problem was from other bikes.
They did make it look like the dark arts

 

[er-minio]

The French, from what I remember, put the blinkers on when filtering in heavy traffic on the periferique around Paris.

I remember noticing it back in the day, because in Italy we filter(ed) the same way as the French but never used blinkers.

I guess the habit caught on and spread around.
Also: more bikes have hazards these days…

Perfectly ok with normal lights, and I suspect no copper (anal retentive ones apart) will have anything to say, same way as the Germans are ok with some considerate filtering here and there (don’t do it at traffic lights though ).

Of course, if you go around with 70.000 lumen wank-lights or “rev bombing” any car that is slightly out of the line because you cannot manouver your motorbike at low speeds… it’s a complete different story. And… if it needs explaining…

 

[er-minio]

Additionally, on people getting pissed when you filter…

In most places the “social contract” is that bikes filter ahead, because they travel faster than the rest of traffic.

Growing up in Rome, trust me, no one will fucking move to make you space as you slither through a mile of standing traffic till the line at the lights, but no one complains.

That is because they know that the exact moment the light turns green, I’d already be 300 meters ahead of them, disappearing into the horizon (figuratively ).

If you get in front of someone at the lights and then proceed to barely progress at 15mph blocking the entire lane, or get distracted playing with your phone (delivery riders, I’m looking at you) people tend to be less understanding…

I don’t justify people getting pissed off by any means, but I begin to think that could be one of the reasons from observing behavious (and having had to overtake bikes hogging the road a few times while driving the car)

Again, if it needs explaining…

 

[iRider]

And that’s the attitude that makes car drivers hate bikers in UK .
In France I find bikers are much more considerate and so are car drivers who pull in to let you through . In the UK some actually pull out to block you

If you find “car driver’s hate bikers in the U.K.” maybe it says more about your riding than “attitude”. I never get hate from car drivers in the U.K. just because I don’t give a toss what they “think” doesn’t mean I do anything to antagonise them.

 

[glenn2926]

And yet they don't mind being passed at 160mph even the coppers;; funny lot.
not on my gs at 160;

That’s because on the (unfortunately getting fewer) unrestricted autobahn there isn’t a speed limit. Very scary when pulling out to over take and there’s an Audi or other generic German car coming up flashing its lights at around140 mph. No problem on my old Blackbird but not so good on the smaller/slower bikes.

 

[theoneandonly]

off topic ,
don't bib your horn at the Italian , on his scooter who keeps getting in the way , cos they get REALLY upset about it .
he proceeded to go to the kerb side of the cars , and pop out in front of me at the lights , he was on the path at one point!

 

[er-minio]

cos they get REALLY upset about it .

Lots of arms waving