Lane Splltting

[AndyfromPoland]

Certainly do look a bit iffy, those cows ...

Middle picture - masses and masses of room. Generally, I'd reckon that it is narrow if you can get through without panniers but couldn't with them.

As for the top picture, you could lane split with a truck!

[daveyoung]

I am a complusive lane splitter. But mostly in stationary or very slow moving traffic. I've been living in Sydney, Australia for just over two years, and the lanes here are narrow.

I am interested in the R1200R (took one for a test ride on saturday and was very impressed), but have been concerned about the additional bulk and width of that bike when filtering past stationary traffic. My current bike ('89 Honda VFR750) is quite narrow and works pretty well for squeezing past traffic. According to sources on the internet, the R1200R is 920mm wide, compared to 700mm for my old Honda, i was quite taken aback by the extra width, I didn't recall the bike being that much wide on the test ride.

Anybody care to comment on whether the wide of the boxer engine (which i enjoyed) poses significant problems for them when trying to filter or lane split?

[chris]

Anybody care to comment on whether the wide of the boxer engine (which i enjoyed) poses significant problems for them when trying to filter or lane split?

I's a lot easier to get through on my skinny XR and I do tend to be more careful on the Beemer but sometimes I jst hold my breath and go for it!

Often though cars will make room if they see you so I give them a wave as I pass. It's the ones who try to squeeze you that p**s me off.
They may get steamed that I didn't have to queue but if was in my car I'd just be adding another box to the congestion!

[bikermeow]

Anybody care to comment on whether the wide of the boxer engine (which i enjoyed) poses significant problems for them when trying to filter or lane split?

general rule .. mirrors and handle-bars clear, cylinder heads no problem. be careful tho; standard panniers are wider than mirrors and handle-bars.

Yes, I split lanes .. necessary where I commute; otherwise I might as well walk.

Cheers

Cat

[tkm]

I commute through S.F bay area traffic most every day and have done this for a very long time. I consider lane splitting to be an essential part of my survival strategy. Done properly it is far safer than sitting sandwiched between cars on all sides where you are at their mercy. Splitting lanes allows you to be proactive and get out of dangerous situations.
tkm

[baltm604]

Living in chicago and commutting 11.5 months a year on the R, I chose a givi rear trunk (e52N) just for this purpose.

I probably save 10 to 15 minutes a day on my commute by being able to slice and dice up to red lights and stop signs.

The standard panniers have cause me problems in the past, maybe I am just not used to the additional width.

Bill

[challey]

I'm always glad to hear that lane splitting/sharing/filtering is well tolerated in many parts of the US and the world. Unfortunately, here on the US east coast, that is not the case.
I am not a compulsive lane splitter and am very, very cautious when I do. I have had people throw things at me, including hot coffee and beer (still in the bottle), have had drivers and passengers open their doors to block my way and most often, have cars swerve to try and block me (or knock me down). Simply pulling to the front of a line of traffic at stopped signal light will almost always result in a cager leaning on the horn or rolling down the window to douse you in expletives.
One of my co-workers, who doesn't ride, often complains to me about bikes lane splitting in heavy traffic or pulling to the head of the line. He gets very angry at this behavior - his chief complaint is that if he has to wait or put up with traffic, then everyone should. I think that attitude is common here in the Philadelphia area.

[rdsmith3]

I'm always glad to hear that lane splitting/sharing/filtering is well tolerated in many parts of the US and the world. Unfortunately, here on the US east coast, that is not the case.
I am not a compulsive lane splitter and am very, very cautious when I do. I have had people throw things at me, including hot coffee and beer (still in the bottle), have had drivers and passengers open their doors to block my way and most often, have cars swerve to try and block me (or knock me down). Simply pulling to the front of a line of traffic at stopped signal light will almost always result in a cager leaning on the horn or rolling down the window to douse you in expletives.
One of my co-workers, who doesn't ride, often complains to me about bikes lane splitting in heavy traffic or pulling to the head of the line. He gets very angry at this behavior - his chief complaint is that if he has to wait or put up with traffic, then everyone should. I think that attitude is common here in the Philadelphia area.

My experiences have been similar in NJ (go back a few pages to what I wrote a year ago in this thread). However, after being rear-ended recently on an interstate highway during rush hour, I have decided that there are times when lane splitting is actually safer than being a sitting duck in traffic.

[riceburner]

I am SOOOO glad sometimes that I don't live in the States....

[socalrob]

Daveyoung wrote:
I am a complusive lane splitter. But mostly in stationary or very slow moving traffic. I've been living in Sydney, Australia for just over two years, and the lanes here are narrow.

I am interested in the R1200R (took one for a test ride on saturday and was very impressed), but have been concerned about the additional bulk and width of that bike when filtering past stationary traffic. My current bike ('89 Honda VFR750) is quite narrow and works pretty well for squeezing past traffic. According to sources on the internet, the R1200R is 920mm wide, compared to 700mm for my old Honda, i was quite taken aback by the extra width, I didn't recall the bike being that much wide on the test ride.

Anybody care to comment on whether the wide of the boxer engine (which i enjoyed) poses significant problems for them when trying to filter or lane split?

Daveyoung,

I find lane splitting on the R1150R with the standard system cases to be fine. The RR mirrors are above car mirrors, below higher truck mirrors, and unfortunately, right at about minivan mirrors. Its just a matter or waggling your bars through, Even though the mirrors are not as wide as the system cases, its the mirrors / car mirror clearance that normally determines the split.

I understand the new system cases on the R1200R are a bit wider.

Maybe not so good for splitting, but the bike without the cases would be no problem IMHO.

I don't think the boxer motor has anything to do with splitting. Its never been the clearance issue for me at least.