Motorbikes above the law?????????

[sheerwater]

So the new front facing speed cameras cant catch motorbikes because they dont have front numberplates. Now we find that most councils are not charging for motorbike parking places. I also find that the congestion charge does not apply to motor bikes. What next ? no tax and insurance, etc. What happened to the Human Rights Act where everyone is treated equally or is there a distinction in words such as
an aeroplane driver is called a pilot, a boat driver a captain, a car driver is a car driver but a motorcyclist is a rider. Wow!!
Cheers Nigel

[jamie28]

i ride a bike and drive a t5 i must say as a biker i get a lot more hassle than a car driver.it isent all one sided, for example tinited visors are all but illegal but you can but similar devices for car drivers to stop the glare from the sun.

Motorcycles take up less space than other vehicles & therefore help relieve congestion. The same applies to parking spaces.
As for the lack of front number plates, I can only wish that my 480 didn't have one a fortnight back!..............
Mike S (480 owner & motorcyclist)

As a biker and a driver I have to agree with whats been said above - on the bike I get soooo much more hassle than when driving (people often seem to want to kill bikers, claiming they didn't see my headlight / white / red leathers with reflective strips, or the rear lights etc which are always on). Also as said bikes releive congestion and also use less fuel (normally).

Big one you'll like though - here in holland there's no MOT for bikes......... Scary, and yes I do keep mine in tip top condition with regular services (most people over here do...)

Chat later

Stu

PS Digital cameras are not the only ones bikes are imune to - the early types with round flashes / lenses also take a pic of the front......

[sheerwater]

Have to disagree about motorcycles taking up less room on the road. As with cyclists they take up a length of road the same as everyone else and its only when doubled up at traffic lights or when parking they take up less room. Its not that I have anything against bikers as in fact I was going to get a scooter for my daughter. This is where we find the inequalities against bikers/moped drivers. Insurance is frightening. Why ? because a third of all scooters are stolen and never recovered. Its almost impossible to get anything but third party only for younger people. Bearing in mind what has been said above it seems that it is bigger vehicle drivers who hit the motorcyclist so why are the younger drivers penalised especially as they have to have compulsory basic training before venturing out on L plates. Congestion on our roads could be the topic of a whole new debate. Kids are desperate for independence but in the UK they have to wait until they are 16 for a moped. I understand that in France it is 14 so kids are tuned onto 2 wheels earlier and once they find the advantage of 2 over 4 wheels often stick to that form of transport. Here in the UK we encourage the theft of scooters and mopeds (no we are not sending somebody out to you, have a crime number instead) This brings me back to my first point. If car drivers are scrutinised by the new cameras which can check your speed, photograph you, check the details with swansea and then stealth tax you , then there is more chance of getting stolen , untaxed ,uninsured etc cars. This does not happen to motorbikes/scooters etc. Cheers Nigel

Bikes have anumber of advantages that help congestion. Firstly when there is congestion bikes are only involved when drivers go out of their way to make sure bikers can't get through (and add to the congestion), secondly at traffic lights and the such again bikers do not increase the sixe of the queue unless drivers make it impossible to get through. Also along motorways if bikers ride correctly (and I must admit most of the Ducth ones seem to) then you have two lanes for every lane. If I ride on the left of the lane the guy behind rides on the right, the guy behind him rides on the left again.

As for them being above the law, in fairness they should be treated the same as cars, but on the other hand, if it were cars that got away with it would you complain (Like I said before I have both sides to deal with so I consider myself neutral..... :P }>

Chat later

Stu

A number of issues here I think, the first is that front facing cameras cannot "catch" bikers.

Now as a biker for over 17 years (starting in Guernsey, where you can ride a poweful motorbike on the road at age 15) I have to say that there are a fair number of "nutters" on bikes that endanger other road users by driving much to fast and without due consideration for other users (including other bikers). On the other hand there are many of us bikers ( mine have are (Cb400/4 and GPZ 750 Turbo) that drive well, and respect life and other road users.

In the bike community Volvo owners are frowned up as driving around in bullet proof boxes with out a care for bikers or any other road users, or if a woman in a Volvo estate, they are seen as permenantly distracted by bickering childern. As a Volvo owner and driver (480 and 960) I disagree with these stereotypes as well.

At the end of the day if anyone drives badly and endangers other users I hope they get nicked, having said that, if there is a stretch of open clear road with no other users or potential hazzards, who wont open up their car/bike and let loose a bit.

Tim:9

[jamie28]

i must admit there is a fine line between being quick and reckless on a bike .however its not untill you ride a bike that you really appreciate how poor the standard of driving and road conditions are becomming. most people cant spell rear view mirror let alone use them. the stereotypical captain volvo in his bullet proof 240 estate wiping out bikers at every t junction is in my opinion unfair. where i live ( outer london) the most arrogant people are bemmer drivers with vans a close second.and lets not forget cabbies have their own version of the highway code.bikes do help conjestion(ive yet to master filtering in trafffic in my t5)and require little space to park. with referance to free parking if you ever pay for a ticket and put it on your bike it gets nicked or blown away.

I rode a motorbike once - didn't like it and would never try it again !!!

I suspect there are bikers who drove a car once and didn't like it as well!!

Having said that, there's room on the road for everybody whether they drive a car or ride a bike.

Some car drivers could learn a lot from bikers and try putting some lights on when conditions dictate and some bikers could learn from car drivers that a gap between vehicles is left for a reason and its not to allow bikes to fill it up!

Probably more examples but at the end of the day if we all get on with one another the road will be a safer place for all.

Mike

Yeah, good old bikers!!
Me also a volvo driver and biker too! Started out as a biker when a volvo apprentice and that was the only means of transport I could afford. Went away from bikes for years but got back into it 3 years ago, now ride a Triumph 900 on Sundays and sunnydays only.
I will say that being a biker makes you much more aware of whats going on around you on the road, car drivers take alot for granted. A biker who is also a car driver is, I think, probably a better driver for that experience.
Like others have said, theres room for all.
I live in a seaside resort and there is no way I want to drive a car into town in the summer, traffic jams and nowhere to park. A sensible driver should also have a scooter I reckon.
Good luck and safe driving.

Karl