.... since her anti-motorbike statement on Springwatch last night. She said that when she was world president, she would 'do away with bikes'. I am devastated.
Talking of bikers of the motorised variety - has the warm weather boiled their brains? I've never seen so many "normal looking" bikers doing absolutely stupid things over the last few days. Weird. Anyway I suppose those on transplant waiting lists will be greatful.
Well if i ruled the world the lovely Miss Humble would have her work cut out:-)
What was it that Clarkson said, " when was the last time you went for a drive just for the sake of it? Motorcyclists do it all the time so why don't humanbings?"
Bimbler - you're right. I attempted a wheelie the other day and it nearly ended in tears. Must be the weather.
Warm weather brings out all the biker tarts. They are too scared to get their bikes dirty (might destroy their image). They have delusions about being moto gp riders whilst pixxing off every other motorist and giving people like the misinformed Kate Humble the ammunition to tar all bikers with the same brush.
Bimbler - The fair-weather bikers have all awoken from their winter hibernation and are keen to donate their organs as soon as possible.
Plenty of 'born-agains' out there too. Middle-aged, disposable income and not really aware of just how much more grunt a modern 1000cc has compared to the ones they owned many years ago.
As long as they don't harm anyone or anything else with their mad skills and ability to disregard the speed limit at every opportunity I really couldn't care less how many spread themselves across the road. Unfortunately though there is so often someone else involved.
I heard that as well, shame on the moptopped hottie.
I used to live in Kirkby Lonsdale and in summer the roads round there are an absolute nightmare at a weekend with all the bikers - loads of suicidal riding and usually at least one or two fatalities.
one or two fatalities EVERY weekend, I don't think so. Bikers bring a lot of trade to Kirkby lonsdale.
There does seem to be a growing number of meat-heads and mouth-breathers on spors bikes riding like total knobs. makes me realise I did the right thing by hanging up my leathers. I was more concerned that one of these would take me out than a car driver.
one or two fatalities EVERY weekend, I don't think so. Bikers bring a lot of trade to Kirkby lonsdale.
Didn't mean that sorry - meant one or two each summer. Usually quite a few near misses and non-fatal accidents too.
Bikers do bring a lot of trade to Kirkby, but does that have to involve them riding like total cocks?
They don't all ride like total cocks, only a small percentage. I suspect there wouldn't be such a lot of anti-biker feeling if people fitted quieter cans! (although I've been just as guilty in the past).
It might only be a small percentage but when the numbers are that high it is significant. It's more the overtaking on the wrong side of the road on blind bends that bothers me than the noisy bikes.
We were actually held up by a couple of bikers heading away from MPS south of Oxford at a truly casual pace. So not all bone heads. However my parents are rangers in the Northumberland National Park and they have loads of issues with trail (motor)bikers riding over the Cheviots where they should not be. Cack handed weekend warriors giving it too much loud to try to spin their way out of the gloopy bits seemed to be the main objection.
Those that live in the area near Rykers Cafe will understand the meaning of the term co*k magnet.
Every weekend in the summer it becomes the alternative target (with the Ace Cafe being the other) for DFL motorbikers. Strangely come the winter you rarely see them and their race bike replica matching leathers anywhere near the place.
To be honest with the huge rise in complete chod bikers over the last few years I'm quite glad I got out when I did, although I do miss my old YZF1000 sometimes.
Think the bikers have got over the initial dry weather thing around here, there was about one a week donating themselves on our Mid Wales roads, I drove miles in diversions due to closed roads
I consider myself to be a sensible motorcyclist. I don't ride too fast, or dangerously and my exhaust is standard (and quiet). There are a few idiots that give us all a bad name. I used to be a regular user, rain or shine - but now i've changed job i've become one of those who only drags the bike out on hot sunny days for pleasure - and whats wrong with that? I cannot ride for toffee (by the standards of the idiots who ride at 110% on the road) but I am alive.
I still love Kate Humble whatever she says. Mmmmm Kate...
I've got nothing against motorbikers in general. I'm not even bothered about their excessive speed - if it's done on a road well away from built-up areas and with good visibility.
What I do object to, is the way some bikers behave in traffic. Especially the weekend warrior types in big groups on spotless machines with matching leathers, roaring up to sit right behind you, before flying past at the slightest opportunity to sit behind the next car until they can get round.
They make car drivers nervous and that can obviously lead to accidents.
There's a time and a place for letting rip. Why some people can't ride responsibly until they get a clear stretch of road is beyond me.
the A470 around by abergavenny seems to be a hot spot for motorcycle organ donors, as the road seems to be closed every few weeks due to a fatality/bad accident.
Rich - A470 and A40 are the roads on my door-step
Certainly will be donors if they get sent to Nevill Hall
Is miss Humble actually a miss?
Dunno, She always tells me to call her mistress.
Rivington on a Sunday is always fun. One was inches away from finding out if my A-pillar or his helmet was strongest on one of the bends up there. I suspect that whilst it may have made a mess of my car, his head may have lost out somewhat. He seemed to forget that cutting the corner as tightly as possible whilst leaning over as far as possible might just put the bit he's supposed to think with squarely in the path of oncoming traffic...
It's more the overtaking on the wrong side of the road on blind bends that bothers me than the noisy bikes.
If you've never ridden a bike, you'd be amazed that so many things that look stupid and letal from car drivers point of view, are actually very safe and easy to do on a bike, overtaking being the main one.
A bend that's blind in a car, might not necessarily be so for a bike. It's all to do with road positioning, anticipation, careful planning, an elevated and wider field of view..... And of course acceleration far in advance of what a car can do, and being physically a lot smaller
I'm not saying there aren't some risk takers around, plainly there are. but I'd say 98% of the overtakes I do on a bike you couldn't even begin to think about looking at in any car, and probably half of those would look risky to the uninitiated.
And there's nothing illegal, wrong or risky about overtaking or being on the 'wrong' side of the road either. In fact the IAM teach you to get well over the other side bfore you even start to overtake.....
🙂
In fact the IAM teach you to get well over the other side bfore you even start to overtake.....
I can't say I ever learnt the 'overtaking on blind bends' maneuver when I did my IAM. That must have been an optional unit.
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Kate Grumble more like! She did some NSFW scenes during her early acting career... and she's got an Inbred!
If you've never ridden a bike, you'd be amazed that so many things that look stupid and letal from car drivers point of view, are actually very safe and easy to do on a bike, overtaking being the main one.
As a biker I'm amazed by the number of bikers who think they are safe while committing to stupid overtakes and pretending to be a MotoGP racer on public roads - I'm not trying to suggest you are unsafe Pete but I've seen a lot of people who are.
The problem is that all the bikers who don't do stupid things and don't have super loud exhausts don't stick in the mind as much and the ones you do remember are the d1ckheads.
IAM will teach you to pull out (to get a clear view) and make your mind up if the overtake is safe before committing to it.
The Llandovery GP as it is known goes from Abergavenny bus station to Llandovery and sadly claims a fair few victims. Gong to Llangorse the other week we got over taken buy some sports bike lads at well over a ton. It was just shy of Crickowell on the straight by the Army Camp. One of them actually went the wrong side of a rider coming in the other direction. Couldnt believe my eyes just utter madness. I ride trials and have had sports bikes but even at my stupidest I have never contemplated anything like that.
Car drivers can be blind cocks but if you ride like that you have only yourself to blame.
Humble in dodgy film past shock!!!! really tell me more 😀
Humble in dodgy film past shock!!!! really tell me more
Google is your friend! 😉
I remember the motorcyclists we stumbled across near Bridgnorth a few years ago about 2 minutes after they'd passed us going well over the ton.
Although as they were very clearly dead and had left numerous body parts in the verge, the hedge and field beyond it was the man still sitting in his burning car that took my attention somewhat.
The fireball just before we came round the corner was quite impressive as well.
Bimbler - MemberTalking of bikers of the motorised variety - has the warm weather boiled their brains? I've never seen so many "normal looking" bikers doing absolutely stupid things over the last few days. Weird. Anyway I suppose those on transplant waiting lists will be greatful.
yes I would thanks!
I once broke down just outside crickhowell, and the bloke doing the break down mentioned how they were asked by the Police to keep an eye out in the autumn once the growth at the sides of the road had died down for bits of bikers they couldn't find after the accident.
Worst thing he said he had spotted/found was a couple of boots complete with feet still in them and a glove with some remains of fingers in them 😯
Whilst I don't agree with Kates views about bikers, I'd like her to prove me wrong then I guess I would have to eat humble pie ...
[url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_20060604/ai_n16456512/ ]Humble data
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i've ridden for quite a few years now, and think i'm safe. i overtake when i [b]know[/b] it's safe, ie i can see where i'm going and know what i'll do if i can't get there. i ride within my limits and am completely prepared to back off the throttle or abandon an overtake for no other reason than i don't feel comfortable with it.
someone i know passed their test recently. on passing his test, went to the ducati dealter and walked out with branded leathers and a amonster with termis. you might be able to guess where this going. his more interesting tricks included, undertaking in the same lane on a single cariiageway, overtaking on blind and reverse camber corners and sitting with his does just off the ground (just waiting to hit a pot hole. even after being spoken to about his riding, he kept it up. i shared a lockup with him for a short while but moved out because i didn't want people associating me with him.
then he went on holiday - riding his unfaired m600cc monster to greece. afaik, he has never and doesn't know how to check his tyre pressures, oil levels or chain tension. he reckoned that an old combat jacket constituted "waterproofs".
i think all this is because people are taught to pass their test, not to ride bikes, and if this is the standard people are being taught to, i'm surprised there are so few fatalities on the road. i'm also not surprised there is such a strong anti-biker vibe.
that said, i was up the west highlands this weekend, totally c)ck free riding (which can be taken several ways, but i'm sticking to topic here), and some generally poitive vibes from the motorists. but then the highlands are someplace you need to think abut going to and they're only really attractive to people ready to make the effort to go there.
If you've never ridden a bike, you'd be amazed that so many things that look stupid and letal from car drivers point of view, are actually very safe and easy to do on a bike, overtaking being the main one.
A bend that's blind in a car, might not necessarily be so for a bike. It's all to do with road positioning, anticipation, careful planning, an elevated and wider field of view..... And of course acceleration far in advance of what a car can do, and being physically a lot smallerI'm not saying there aren't some risk takers around, plainly there are. but I'd say 98% of the overtakes I do on a bike you couldn't even begin to think about looking at in any car, and probably half of those would look risky to the uninitiated.
And there's nothing illegal, wrong or risky about overtaking or being on the 'wrong' side of the road either. In fact the IAM teach you to get well over the other side bfore you even start to overtake.....
Even if all that might be true, scaring the shit out of car drivers by overtaking is liable to make them crash.
The fact is, the reason why many people ride motorbikes is the thrill of pushing it - I imagine it's amazing fun but it's pretty selfish.
[i]i think all this is because people are taught to pass their test, not to ride bikes[/i]
good point. After I passed my test 15 years ago I then spent a weekend with an "advanced instructor", chasing him across S Yorkshire & actually learned how to ride the thing. I'd pretty much agree with PPs assessment, but that doesn't mean accidents don't happen.
I don't mind bikers killing themselves in high speed accidents, I'd just prefer it if they didn't do it near where I am.
If you've never ridden a bike, you'd be amazed that so many things that look stupid and letal from car drivers point of view, are actually very safe and easy to do on a bike, overtaking being the main one.
A bend that's blind in a car, might not necessarily be so for a bike. It's all to do with road positioning, anticipation, careful planning, an elevated and wider field of view..... And of course acceleration far in advance of what a car can do, and being physically a lot smaller
this is absolutely true. Non bikers have no idea of the abilities of bikes. Often you know the roads well as well - altho I have not ridden for a couple of years now there are favourite roads that I know every corner, braking point and so on on. Many of these I know of totally safe overtakes on corners as by looking further up the road you can tell that the corner is clear to overtake on. Glen Dochart being one. From knowing the road you can watch a section a couple of miles ahead and thus know when the set of corners has no traffic on it.
i didn't want people associating me with him.
I must admit that when I go out riding in the summer I try and go early in the morning before there are many other bikes about. I was on the road at lunchtime on a sunny Saturday recently (bad planning on my part) and saw some quite frightening riding from people going in the same direction overtaking in/through traffic on a single carriageway/NSL A-road (as well as into and out of 30 limits in villages along the route). I became very conscious of people thinking I might be with 'them'.
scaring the shit out of car drivers by overtaking is liable to make them crash
As PP says, there are many more overtaking opportunities on a bike than car - partly down to acceleration, but a lot down to the ability to choose a road position to see further ahead, but this isn't always obvious if you've never ridden.
Certainly not my intention to defend bad riding, but sometimes you see people 'surprised' in cars because they simply haven't been watching what's happening behind them - they would be equally surprised being overtaken by a car (probably even if it came up behind them with flashing blue lights on it...)
Often you know the roads well as well - altho I have not ridden for a couple of years now there are favourite roads that I know every corner, braking point and so on on
Assuming there's no diesel / oil / gravel on the road, new potholes etc. Unfortunately familiarity can also be an exceptionally dangerous thing (and not just for motorbikes).
[i]Only[/i] downside of this glorious weather is I now have one of the 30 bikes in the company bikeshed - as opposed to the one of 5 I have had for the last 9 months
I try and look on the brightside
The donor list goes down every summer. 😳
Sootyandjim "I can't say I ever learnt the 'overtaking on blind bends' maneuver when I did my IAM. That must have been an optional unit."
Good road positioning can make a "blind" bend safe to pass on, as you must know if you've done IAM- the entire point of offsiding is to improve visibility through the corner, and in some cases this means you can safely make progress when normally you couldn't.
-m- - Member[i] Often you know the roads well as well - altho I have not ridden for a couple of years now there are favourite roads that I know every corner, braking point and so on on[/i]
Assuming there's no diesel / oil / gravel on the road, new potholes etc. Unfortunately familiarity can also be an exceptionally dangerous thing (and not just for motorbikes).
Correct - but I am still only riding at 70 - 80 % leaving the remaining 20 -30% for such eventualities.
Have you ridden a fast bike?
Of the 4 bikers I have dealt with recently, all were over 45, all had been riding continuously since their teens and the only one who appeared to be 'at fault' was the wrong side of 60 and happily admitted to laying the bike down before he hit a wall after overcooking it into a bend (at least he managed to finally get some scuffs on his sliders) 😀
they would be equally surprised being overtaken by a car (probably even if it came up behind them with flashing blue lights on it...)
Sometimes even that + sirens doesn't waken them 😯
I thought she was an idiot when she told the viewers of autumn watch one year that spotting deer in the wild was 'indeed a rare sight', this isle as everyone knows has a really big deer population and unless you live in a city you can see them everyday if you wish!
Her latest statement just underlines her stupidity.
And she was crap when she did top gear.
oh and Bill Oddy, he's a kent!
Tj in I am the best rider on earth shocker...
Juan - why the personal attacks all the time? It really gets dull. I didn't say that - I merely pointed out that what appears to a car driver as unsafe overtakes may not be.
Have you ridden a fast bike?
The relevance being?
There are a number of bikers that boil my piss. You see when you're going round a right hander at speed and your wheels are inches to the left of the white line, the rest of you is on the wrong side of the road.
The roads aren't a race track anyone that rides or drives too fast on them is a pure and utter cock. If you want to go fast do it on a track, its much more fun.
m - the relevance being that if you have never ridden a fast bike you don't understand the capabilities of them.
Have to agree that what often looks a bit dubious from a car in terms of bikes overtaking is down to perception - I don't overtake on the bike anywhere I feel it would be dodgy, but I can still make passes where I wouldn't dream of doing it in the car. Just the size, agility and sheer speed of the bike is in an utterly different league (955 Speed Triple).
I know that road down Glen Dochart well TJ - and have been known to upset people in a variety of cars overtaking on "blind" corners as far as they are concearned - but there are loads of places you get great sight lines up or down the road that let you know exactly what is coming. It's loads of fun going up/down there too... I miss that run through to Glencoe from Stirling now that I have moved south 🙁
Ms Humble though - don't really care what she has to say on the matter, I still would 😉
That said, people that don't ride motorbikes just don't get it though! I suspect that she is picking up on the antics of the cockmerchants on sports bikes who seem to think the world is out to get them since they get pulled over for riding with illegal plates, illegal exhausts, illegal visors and doing a gazillion mph by the rozzers. Persicuted they are, I tells you.
I know that road down Glen Dochart well TJ - and have been known to upset people in a variety of cars overtaking on "blind" corners as far as they are concearned - but there are loads of places you get great sight lines up or down the road that let you know exactly what is coming.
Presumably peeps in socking great 4*4s are even better placed to see down the road than motorbikers?
When I mentioned that I'd noticed "normal looking" bikers seeming to take more risks I actually meant normal commuter type bikers with fluoro sashes and commuterish bikes - it's a given that a lot of race replica/sports bikers are c*cks.
[i]Have you ridden a fast bike?
The relevance being? [/i]
would've thought that was obvious
m - the relevance being that if you have never ridden a fast bike you don't understand the capabilities of them.
I've made it clear that I ride in my previous responses. I'm not sure the relevance of a 'fast' bike as opposed to any other, particularly in respect of the point(s) I was making. And define 'fast'...
M - I am sorry but I didn't know that you did ride bikes. Define fast? In this context anything faster than a commuter bike I guess.
It was fairly clear if you'd read the response before the one you quoted...