It's FILTERING, NOT lane splitting!

[Bandit Bill]

About gas mileage. The question is which can do the best Mpg with appropriate driving and IMHO an R1 can do much better than the F150 if both are driven as conservatively as possible.

I won't comment on Harleys because I am sure someone will be offended.

Theoretical conservative riding on an R1 don't fly. Everyone, including the Legislator's, know that anything that looks like a Supersport bike around here is generally moving like a bat out of hell, ergo, not conservatively riding. On most roads about here, if you are riding as slow and conservatively as you can in the interests of fuel economy, even at the legal speed limit, and you end up having a line up of cheesed-off, finger waving motorists behind, or worse, trying to cut you off or run you over in order to pass at the first opportunity.

I said the first part of this partially tongue in cheek.. but in the end, it's true about the Eco footprint, and how motorcycles are generally ridden here.

In the end I would like to see both lane sharing (in between cars while moving if there is space) and filtering while stopped.

Am I unreasonable?

Yes. You are being relatively unreasonable. Only the state of California in the US allows lane filtering/splitting, in certain situations and within constraints. Motorcyclists still encounter more than their fair share of careless and/or homicidal motorists who are ignorant of the California laws, and either passively, or actively try to terminate the motorcyclists legal lane filtering/lane sharing advantage.

It goes beyond what in theory makes sense in terms of the motorcycle Eco footprint, and physical footprint. Simply put, there is no driver road culture for lane splitting or filtering here. People are too egocentric, drivers are poorly trained for predictable driving situations as it is, and as an example, the culture of motorists "sharing the road" with bicyclists in dedicated bicycle lanes, or not, is pretty darn shaky as it is. There is simply far too few motorcycles vs the car traffic, for motorists to be routinely aware of, accomodate, and be courteous to motorcyclists who are following the present letter of the law.

Simply put, in Greece, there is one hell of a lot more motorcycles, than here. Motorists are used to that volume of motorcycles and adapt accordingly. Here, even if the laws were to be changed, i don't think that motorists would adapt, without a lot of carnage being suffered by motorcyclists in result.

Transportation wise, North America is predominately a car culture, not a motorcycle culture. Motorcycles are considered more of a recreational after-thought, when it comes down to it.

 

[awyala]

Well I am Driving a Citroen C2 1600cc and a Yamaha TDM 900cc in Greece and the consumption of the TDM900 is exactly half.

Where do you get your data? Not form the datasheets I hope, because the datasheets say that yes, the Citroen and the TDM have equal mileage. The gas pump though says different.
It is a matter of driving style of course but I can't imagine that a Yamaha R1 will worse Mpg than a ford F150.

My ZX10R was near 12 km to the L. Mia Kia spectra was 8 km to the L city driving , and 11km to the L on highway only. There is no way in hell an R1 consumes more than a Ford 150!

 

[caboose56]

My 4400lb SUV gets better highway gas mileage than my 2004 ZX10R did.

 

[unL33T]

I get my data from real world numbers and examples. Yes, compared to a high consumption vehicle like a pickup, a bike will be better. However, most vehicles on the hwy are not pickups and SUVs but compact cars which are only getting more and more efficient.

 

[drosei]

Transportation wise, North America is predominately a car culture, not a motorcycle culture. Motorcycles are considered more of a recreational after-thought, when it comes down to it.

That's what I was afraid of. It doesn't seem to make sense to get a motorcycle in Canada.

If it is treated as a recreation activity then I might as well get a snowmobile or a jetski...

Not everything is bad in Greece...

 

[awyala]

I get my data from real world numbers and examples. Yes, compared to a high consumption vehicle like a pickup, a bike will be better. However, most vehicles on the hwy are not pickups and SUVs but compact cars which are only getting more and more efficient.

You're comparing apples to monkey turds here! a 1 L SS is the performance equivalent of a Ferrari, 911, or Lambo. Compare fuel efficiency of that lot to a 1L SS. Or compare the fuel efficiency of a 500 commuter to the likes of a ford focus.

Next point, the "real world" commuting consumption of my 1L SS is 11km / L, and that's urban riding. Not even fuel efficient compact sedans get those numbers! There is no way in hell an SUV is getting better than 10km / L in urban traffic. On the highway the new cars are matching 1L performance.

So go compare a new civic to a ninja 250 and come talk about efficiency.

As far as I am concerned I unleash 911-like power for $20 / wk of premium fuel and commute every day of the week.

 

[jonpurdy]

Adding to our fuel economy numbers:

My BMW F800R gets, at worst, 5.5L/100km, in the city doing fast starts and such. At best, 4.0L/100km on the highway. When I borrow my parents' car, a 2.0L turbo Saab, it gets 7.5L/100km on the highway and 10.5-12L/100km in the city (driven conservatively).

There's no way that bikes use more fuel in the city than cars, considering my quick bike beats the fuel economy of any car that uses gasoline.

Now compare a hybrid to a Ninja 250R and the numbers are even more in favour of bikes.

 

[Baggsy]

A couple of things:

1. I don't support lane sharing or splitting. I find it dangerous from both ends, so why should I try to make it sound less dangerous?
2. California doesn't disallow lane splitting, which is different from allowing it.
3. Motorcycles don't come with the anti pollution devices that cars do, so most comparisons between the two are moot. A 1000cc motorcycle should be compared to a 250cc motorcycle and a 50cc scooter, before it's compared to a car. My van can fit 8 in a safer and more comfortable environment, than my motorcycle.

 

[nakkers]

Fuel consumption is only a small part of the eco impact. There is emissions to consider and motorcycles/scooters emit much higher. A lot of newer bikes are coming out with better controls but, then again, they get modified afterwards.


Back on topic. If you are riding in grid lock traffic and complaining about being parked with everyone else and the inability to filter, there is a much more efficient, effective and better way to travel. It's called transit.


If you want to enjoy a motorcycle, get out of city limits and find some empty two lane roads.

 

[jonpurdy]

Back on topic. If you are riding in grid lock traffic and complaining about being parked with everyone else and the inability to filter, there is a much more efficient, effective and better way to travel. It's called transit.


If you want to enjoy a motorcycle, get out of city limits and find some empty two lane roads.

I love the TTC but only because it's perfect for my commute (I live on Bloor and had school/work on Bloor). But for those not on the subway it's woefully inadequate. And with our city's current administration I don't see it getting any better anytime soon.

 

[drosei]

Back on topic. If you are riding in grid lock traffic and complaining about being parked with everyone else and the inability to filter, there is a much more efficient, effective and better way to travel. It's called transit.

.

:confused2::confused2::confused2::confused2:

 

[LannyNguyen]

Why is this thread still going?

 

[nesobriquet]

Why is this thread still going?

It is still going due to other posters who are sharing relevant opinions and comments.
This is a lot more than you can claim of any of your vacuous 3 or 4 posts throughout the thread.

Do us all a favour and quit checking the thread if these feeble contributions are the best you have...you only log on to it to see if there is arguing to be read...how weak is that? Save it..rhetorical.

 

[Outlaws Justice]

Here is another article

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-...ane_sharing_cost_lives_or_save_emissions.html

If we the riders do not bring up this issue and talk about it, no one else is going to do it for us.

 

[unL33T]

So is riding in the parked car lane legal or illegal? I know it's dangerous. Who gets a ticket if someone gets a "door prize"?

 

[Rob MacLennan]

So is riding in the parked car lane legal or illegal? I know it's dangerous. Who gets a ticket if someone gets a "door prize"?

Same as with a bicycle, if you're behaving yourself; the person who opened the door into traffic.

 

[drosei]

Here is another article

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-...ane_sharing_cost_lives_or_save_emissions.html

If we the riders do not bring up this issue and talk about it, no one else is going to do it for us.

From the Report:

"

That report found lane sharing may reduce motorcycle collisions, and that bikers may be safer when traveling in between lanes. Another study done in Europe, where lane sharing is accepted, found motorcyclists were at much greater risk for injury when stopped in traffic than when maneuvering through it."

That is my experience from driving a motorcycle in Greece. Driving between two parallel cars acts as a shield. I am actually more afraid when I am alone on the road because car drivers don't pay attention to motorcycles and tend to violate stop signs and traffic priority.

Furthermore when moving in between parallel cars with a speed differential of less than +10-20Km/h I have found that it is less likely to be bumped by car trying to change lane because the car on the adjacent lane "registers better" on the attention of the car's driver and hence he knows not to change lane.

Still, I believe that it is a matter of majority.

I have made this discussion with a number of people since I arrived in Toronto and they either don't get it or they don't care, or they don't want to be bothered to be alert for yet another class of vehicles on the road.
​

 

[Outlaws Justice]

This is the information that needs to be taken to represenatives and in our own community if there is ever going to be the hope of someday making a change.

 

[Griffin]

Lobbying against HTA 172 is far higher on my priority list. And I'm not doing anything effective about that.

Filtering/splitting is a low probability proposal but good luck to anyone that wants to pursue it.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Lobbying against HTA 172 is far higher on my priority list.

As it should be, since you have to get past HTA 172 in order to pursue the lane splitting issue. That's why I asked OpenGambit to create that sticky post for me, so that it would explain the current legal landscape.