Near thing!

[Gerard C]

Scooting down the M1 this morning. Doing over 80 in the right hand lane. Major braking all round - ABS on. Cars going in all directions. Got stopped OK. Two blokes just pulling a full size roofing length ladder out of the middle lane - cross ways! Their pick up was on the hard shoulder about 200 mtrs down the road. Doesn't take a lot to imagine what could have happened a few cars on. Take care out there.

[masterchop]

Scary

[johnp]

That could have been nasty.

[capitano]

Cue headline tomorrow:

"STEPS on the road again!"

I'll get me coat....

[Gio]

Hope the idiots were reported to the police ? Would not like to think what the outcome could have been through the unsecured load.

[melpotter]

Scooting down the M1 this morning. Doing over 80 in the right hand lane. Major braking all round - ABS on. Cars going in all directions. Got stopped OK.

Just wondering, I'm relatively new to two wheels and I remember during my CBT the instructor demonstrating why favoring the front break was a good idea. I've always been impressed with how effective that method of braking is and, even with linked brakes, how unnerving a locked rear wheel is. Is ABS significantly better on a scoot?

[scorpakid]

hope you all do it already but...ALWAYS look as far ahead as poss on motorways especially.... some proper fookwits out there...an also rear view mirrors coz car drivers dont anticipate hazard like a 2 wheeler has to.....

[Gerard C]

Re. ABS. All I can say about it in this instance - and its the first time I've had it come in in for real, (I have braked hard on empty roads just to get a feel for it), When it kicked in I felt like the bike was stopping well but I definately would have been able to steer either side of the car in front under control. Which was my plan anyway to avoid becoming the meat in a sandwich.
Luckily for me it happened quickly and the car in front started moving again pretty quickly as well so I was lucky. It was a Saturday morning so quieter on the M1 than a weekday.

I would agree totally with scorpakid - look ahead and then some more! I'm doing my advanced rider training through the IAM. It's what they constantly preach. Observation - observation and observation. It keeps you alive and your riding is generally better all round as you are already reacting to potential danger. Motorways are the hardest, (in my opinion anyway), to maintain high concentration levels as they are so boring.

[Ferrit]

I keep awake on motorways by trying to predict which car in front will change lane next. Not only does it keep you concentrating but you tend to spot the idiots much earlier.

I did IAM for a while but did not get on with the locals groups mindset that progression was everything.

[Gerard C]

Hi Ferrit - thats very interesting you should say that. I was out on a ride the other day with my observer and we ran into another bunch from a different branch. The conversation turned to this very topic and apparently in the past there was a lot of emphasis on progress or bust. Speed limits were what you could get away with. It had become a source of conflicting views to put it mildly. All I can say now is that I don't feel in any way pressured to go faster than 1. I feel safe and 2. the limit. In fact it is stressed all the time that speeding is going to fail me on test. I found it very hard at first to restrain myself. Having said that on a Scooter or Bike we do have a lot of advantages as regards being able to see situations and patterns in the traffic, utilising that advantage is what makes the progress for me anyway. What I found surprising was, for example, when I came up behind a car in a 50 limit doing say 45 then up to 50 and back down again. Do I overtake for the sake of a few miles an hour? I didn't and it was suggested that next time it happened that I got past - IF IT WAS SAFE. So I did. By the time we had been through a few bends we were so far in front of the car I thought he had either turned off or stopped. The car driver was dictating my speed, once past without breaking the limit or being in danger I was my own boss making time and miles up. Some of the Guys I have riden with are almost psychic in seeing opportunities. They ride big bikes, 1200cc BMW's are common. I reckon they would thrash me on a 125! Theres another Guy on a 650 Burgman like mine and a T Max turns up when its warm! So its not the bike it's the riders skill.