This cyclist video from a Tasmanian rider shows how cyclists use numbers to defy the road rules, prompting more calls for an identification system for bicycles.
Suzuki rider Estelle Rose posted the video on her Facebook page.
Cyclist video
“I’m riding to work this morning, obeying the road rules and such, but then I get to the roundabout to go into the industrial estate near Legana,” she says.
“I have the right of way so I can exit the roundabout, correct? No, not according to the mass group of cyclists that force me to stop in the middle of the roundabout to give way to them.
Angry react only, please and thank you.”
She then adds this later as an edit:
“Been advised that the lead rider yells “stopping” and they all start to slow down. Me, in my situation, saw ahead that not everyone was slowing down so I made the call to come to a complete stop. Saved myself from crashing into the ones that didn’t slow to stop and from causing unnecessary injuries.”
He says bicycles are legal transport and as such should be bound by the same features of ID as other vehicles using the roads.
The issue has been around for a while and divided motorcyclists and cyclists and those who ride both.
We would suggest readers take another look at the TMC’s suggestion which does not include children under 18 and is not a paid registration system.
No stopping cyclists
We have no beef with cyclists. Today’s young cyclists could be tomorrow’s motorcyclists!
In fact, we believe young people should be encouraged to ride bicycles. But “helicopter parents” would need to stop driving their kids to school!
We also believe we can learn a lot from cyclist lobby groups. They seem to be more unified and therefore stronger than motorcycle representative groups.
But we also believe cyclists should be accountable as road users.
On a personal observation, it seems cyclists are reticent to stop for stop signs, roundabouts (as above) and traffic lights because their shoes are clipped into the pedals.
Perhaps a ban on those clips would be more likely to make cyclists obey signs and lights!
Charges against a driver who is shown in a video and photograph to swerve toward legally lane-filtering riders have stalled because the riders have not come forward with evidence.
ACT police have confirmed they are still investigating the October incident and hope to charge the driver.
However, a spokesperson told us that the driver could easily cast doubt about his actions without critical evidence from the riders involved.
Surely it demonstrates the first incident was not accidental and that the driver is intent on causing alarm and/or injury.
The rider in the second incident
Charges stalled
On November 15, we published a plea from ACT Policing for the rider to come forward.
There was no response and the charges have stalled.
The police spokesperson has now asked for us to make another call for help to identify the two riders.
Here is the Police version of the events:
About 4:30pm, the riders were separately travelling northbound on Majura Parkway, Majura, when a green Ford Falcon swerved, almost colliding with the riders. At the time, the riders were lawfully lane filtering.
If you are one of the motorbike riders affected please contact ACT Policing on 131444. Please quote reference 6327970.
Police are also urging anyone who knows the motorbike riders or who witnessed or has dash-cam footage of this incident to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website.
Please quote reference 6327970. Information can be provided anonymously.
ACT Police have confirmed Motorbike Writer “will be the first we call” if/when the driver is charged.
Lane filtering is now legal in all states and territories (except NT and WA which is expected to follow shortly) and has been legal in NSW more than four years.
So there is no excuse for this driver’s ignorance of the laws as the ACT is inside the state of NSW.
Not only is lane filtering legal but it also benefits all motorists as it helps move heavy traffic more quickly.
What does it take for drivers to understand this?
You can do your bit to educate drivers by sharing this article you are reading now as well as this “Open letter to drivers“.
Filtering rage
Drivers trying to obstruct riders has been happening ever since lane filtering was introduced.
Check out this video from last year sent to us by Newcastle rider Harry Criticos.
“I was filtering legally when a driver stuck his whole body out in an attempt to block me,” the 2016 Triple Black R 1200 GS rider told us.
“I did not stop and he did make contact with the bike. I hope it hurt.”
It might be worth telling your driver mates that this particular motorist not only got hit, but also copped a $325 fine and three demerit points.
Lane filtering is legal
Surely it is time for some major advertising campaigns in each state to advise motorists that riders are allowed to filter and what benefits there are for ALL motorists.
So far, lane filtering education campaigns have been minimal and mainly aimed at riders, not the general motoring public.
We not only need major ad campaigns, but also roadside signage such as this photoshopped sign.
Here’s a sign we’d like to see!
We are not aware of any polls about lane filtering in Australia.
However, in California where lane splitting (filtering at higher speeds than 30km/h) is legal, polls have found it is vastly unpopular among other road users. The main objection is that it’s unfair!
That breeds hostility which results in stupid behaviour such as in the above video.
Lane splitting is unpopular in the USA
So long as lane filtering remains unpopular and/or erroneously believed to be illegal, motorists will do stupid and dangerous things to stop riders filtering.
Police ‘not interested’
Not only are authorities not interested in educating the motoring public about lane filtering, but police don’t seem to help, either.
Harry says police were initially not interested in following up on his complaint about this driver.
After we published the video, Harry went back to the police to find out why charges had stalled.
What better way to see the scenic Adriatic country of Croatia but with a local couple who have more than 20 years of motorcycle experience!
Robert and Andrea Vrabec of Moto Tours Croatia have planned a 2400km ride through their home country which, as the map shows, is dominated by a rugged coastline, multitudes of islands and craggy mountain ranges.
Unforgettable Croatia
“The nature, the sea and the cities we will go through, with their history and culture, will make this trip unforgettable,” Robert says.
“Some parts of the routes we ride are truly spectacular and majestic“.
“The cities we will visit like Rovinj, Zadar, Dubrovnik count among the most beautiful tourist destinations, while islands like Cres, Mali Lošinj, Hvar will leave you breathless.”
They promise that their customers will truly “feel Croatia”.
Their tours range in price from €2990 for a rider and €2290 for a passenger for the eight-day Feel Croatia Small tour to €4290 and €2790 for the 14-day Croatian Island tour.
Price also depends on the type of motorcycle hired. Robert says they only use high-high-performance KTM and BMW motorcycles.
Tours run from May to October, but not the hottest months of July and August.
Riding passion
“It is difficult to explain even to ourselves, from where we draw such will and passion to go along the same road, same curve, to sit in that same coffee bar,” he says.
“There are no special words to describe it; just that sense of freedom, contact with nature; that smile on our faces when we meet those wonderful people who share the same and true passion for motorbikes, nature, travel, adventure.”
Robert and Andrea have worked in real estate, so they know the best places to stay and eat in no less than four-star comfort.
“After an exhausting ride, dinner will be served,” says Robert.
“For this we will also choose the places whose food and wine offer follows the customs of their geographic location.”
Moto Tours Croatia plan only small groups so they can devote their attention to each guest.
“Whenever we travel, we always find a new curve and pass the old ones with a smile,” Robert says.
“We plan our trips with a lot of attention to details and we also know that mileage is not the only purpose of travel. Therefore, the journeys we plan for you will always have additional content, depending on whether we are on the sea side where we will sail to a hidden cave, or we are on a hill where we will try zip-lining, or we will simply enjoy a glass of Croatian wine and watch the sunset.”
“These tours are ideal for romantics who love the sea, scenic coastal roads and impressive sunsets, as well as for gastronomes and fine wine devotees,” he says.
Moto Tours Croatia also organise tours through the mountains in neighbouring countries such as Slovenia, Italy and Austria. They can even arrange a unique, customised tour to your requirements.
Guided tours include:
Late-model BMW and KTM motorcycles with lockable hard luggage and tank bags plus a third party liability insurance and comprehensive vehicle insurance;
Experienced motorcycle guide;
Support van for luggage and 1 or 2 passengers;
All accommodation in mostly four-star hotels and apartments;
All buffet breakfasts;
All dinners, mostly in traditional local restaurants (except on rest days);
All ferry rides and tolls (according to tour program);
All fuel during the tour;
All entrance fees for national parks and museums (according to tour program);
Airport transfers on arrival day or one day before and on departure day;
All maps with marked routes for the region being toured;
Extensive tour booklet; and
GPS with all the routes uploaded.
Not included in the price: Airfares, dinners on rest days, most lunches, drinks, personal spending and tips.
***Team launch coming soon!*** Here’s a look at last year’s team launch video! Can you imagine what it’s like to ride for @KRT_WorldSBK?
Unveiling of the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR KRT 2018 for the WorldSBK Championship. #NinjaSpirit “Racing. A world where you come to achieve dreams and defend… Source: Jonathan Rea On Facebook
Viñales’ win at the Australian GP softened the blow of last season, but if anything, it was a sure sign that Yamaha was back heading in the right direction. The Spaniard then kicked off preseason by topping the Valencia Test, while finishing fourth overall when the paddock went testing in Jerez.
From keyboard to an annual motorcycle meet to a legitimate brick-and-mortar business
Equal parts bar, restaurant, and lounge space, the Bike Shed occupies four giant brick railway arches that have been converted into the coziest of spaces…
The 2019 running of the Island Classic saw another highly successful event at the famous Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, boasting international legends of motorcycling on a bevvy of rare and precious classic machinery.
There was plenty going on over the weekend, with over 50 races, so here’s a look at some of the smaller classes, which while not as renowned as the International Challenge, still feature amazing racing and incredible machines.
350cc Forgotten Era
While the focus is regularly on the Unlimited capacity class in Forgotten Era, which is not unexpected with bikes that are easy to source and easy to tune, the 350 class is one that is sometimes overlooked.
Lachlan Hill – Yamaha TZ350 – Image Rob Mott
The 350 class is dominated by true period Grand Prix class TZ350s and regularly puts on some of the best racing of the weekend, making it something not to miss.
However for 2019, with the loss of leaded race fuels (the 40+ year diet of 350GP bikes!) kicking in, there was a chance that this class could be a lottery as riders and tuners got to grips with the various replacements that have come to light.
Martin Morrison – Image Rob Mott
While there was a little mechanical mayhem which unfortunately beset a couple of front runners, including Kiwi Steve Brown and Taswegian Grant Boxhall, the fuel change didn’t put a damper on proceedings.
The headline should read ‘Lachlan Hill Dominates Again’, but that would ignore the enormous efforts that class newcomer Keo Watson put in riding Western Australian Neil Robinson’s immaculate TZ350.
Keo Watson – Image Rob Mott
Lachie has dominated the class for five years and rightly so, with his riding efforts, but also a willingness to develop his bike, which has put him less than 1/10th of a second outside the lap record.
In 2019 Lachlan took four wins from four races and his excitement in doing so was visible on the last lap of race four.
However, Keo Watson wasn’t concerned with reputations and methodically went about taking the fight to Hill with three strong second place finishes. Racing saw Watson get ahead of Hill a number of times, including in a spectacular Race 2 on Saturday afternoon.
Keo Watson – Image Rob Mott
Watson led on the last lap and after trying a move at the exit of Turn 2, finally making a pass under brakes at the Turn 4 hairpin on the last lap. The pace was strong enough that Hill reset his own personal best lap time and had a moment or two at MG.
By race four, Hill was in a relatively safe position on points for the class at 75 to Watson’s 60, but he would have had one eye on the Phil Irving Trophy as well. For four laps Watson and Hill were hardly separated, until suddenly there was only one of them.
Lachlan Hill, Chris Hayward and Keo Watson – Image Rob Mott
A tyre experiment for the last race proved costly with Watson tucking the front and low siding at Hayshed, leaving Hill a very large gap over second placed Christopher Hayward. This one DNF unfortunately dropping Keo Watson from second down to sixth overall for the weekend.
Forgotten Era 350 for years has also had a strong Kiwi presence, fielding many riders in the class every year for 19 of the 26 years the event has run. 2019 was no different with eight riders and they were somewhat hampered by only being able to tune for the new fuels from Thursday onwards. However they were well on the case by Friday, though many of the team had made use of the exceptional talents of Bruce Woodley of Powerflow Engineering to keep things under control.
Jock Woodley – Image by Rob Mott
Jock Woodley was the most consistent of these, again landing third place overall with four strong rides – the same overall result as 2018. Chris Hayward had a number of lonely rides for second overall.
The unlimited Classic bikes were run concurrently with the Forgotten Era with Garth Francis taking four class wins on his 750 Norton, mixing it with the mid-field TZ350s.
350cc Forgotten Era / Unl Classic Race 1
Lachlan HILL (VIC) 7:28.326
Keo WATSON (NSW) +0.226
Christopher HAYWARD (SA) +9.698
Jock WOODLEY (NZ) +18.418
Trevor TAYLOR (NZ) +43.875
Garth FRANCIS (VIC) +43.933
Andrew McLAREN (NZ) +53.017
Andrew PITMAN (SA) +54.228
Jason HOWCROFT (NZ) +54.249
Bob SAYER (NSW) +1:06.492
350cc Forgotten Era / Unl Classic Race 2
Lachlan HILL (VIC) 9:10.046
Keo WATSON (NSW) +0.528
Steven BROWN (NZ) +20.106
Christopher HAYWARD (SA) +24.079
Grant BOXHALL (TAS) +51.375
Trevor TAYLOR (NZ) +57.771
Andrew McLAREN (NZ) +58.408
Andrew PITMAN (SA) +1:01.021
Jason HOWCROFT (NZ) +1:06.185
Jock Woodley leads fellow Kiwi Steve Brown – Image Rob Mott
350cc Forgotten Era / Unl Classic Race 3
Lachlan HILL (VIC) 7:16.508
Keo WATSON (NSW) +13.392
Christopher HAYWARD (SA) +18.027
Jock WOODLEY (NZ) +38.496
Andrew McLAREN (NZ) +45.835
Trevor TAYLOR (NZ) +56.749
Robert HEATHER (VIC) +1:00.192
Jason HOWCROFT (NZ) +1:00.937
Garth FRANCIS (VIC) +1:09.734
Andrew PITMAN (SA) +1:10.471
350cc Forgotten Era / Unl Classic Race 4
Lachlan HILL (VIC) 9:07.796
Christopher HAYWARD (SA) +18.391
Jock WOODLEY (NZ) +40.970
Andrew McLAREN (NZ) +53.058
Andrew PITMAN (SA) +53.714
Trevor TAYLOR (NZ) +59.035
Jason HOWCROFT (NZ) +1:06.288
Kevin McDONALD (NZ) +1:07.944
Phil OADES (NZ) +1:20.652
Garth FRANCIS (VIC) +1:30.929
350cc Forgotten Era Standings
Lachlan HILL 100 points
Christopher HAYWARD 73
Jock WOODLEY 68
Andrew McLAREN 61
Trevor TAYLOR 60
Keo WATSON 60
Andrew PITMAN 54
Jason HOWCROFT 51
Phil OADES 42
Kevin McDONALD 34
Unlimited Classic Standings
Garth FRANCIS 100
William MOONEY 70
Dan GLEESON 56
Brendan BURNS 49
Bob SAYER 40
David WEATHERHEAD 18
500 Forgotten Era / Open Post Classic
Based upon current form, the question was going to be who was going to come second? Current ASBK Supersport 300 champion Tom Bramich on the incredibly reliable Ron Angel Racing Paton 500 was looking too strong to bet against, which was a prediction seen out by the weekend.
Tom Bramich – 1973 Paton BM3 500 – Image Rob Mott
The answer as to who would claim second was Keo Watson with four second places, but don’t let the results let you think these were processional. Yes, Bramich was away in race one and two but also had Unlimited Post classic bikes to play with. By Race 3 on Saturday afternoon, Watson was well on to his game and running with Bramich, never more than a second apart the whole race with neither having a speed advantage.
Tom Bramich – 1973 Paton BM3 500 – Image Rob Mott
Race 4 saw Tom in a strong position chasing for an overall win, which ensured the clean sweep with Watson second, while Christopher Hayward put in four great rides in third each time for third overall.
Due to an accident in the International Challenge Beau Beaton on the big Irving Vincent didn’t feature in the Unlimited Post Classic past Saturday lunchtime, but in his earlier showing he reset the lap record in race two for a run away win by 10 seconds up over Dean Oughtred on his immaculate Carl Cox Racing / Dynoverks CR750, backing up his win in race one.
Tom Bramich on the Paton – Image Russ Colvin
With Beaton out for the weekend, Oughtred had a clear run in Race 3, but a DNF in race four let evergreen Laurie Fyffe through for the overall win, with Robert Wallace just missing out pushing him back to third.
National and state championship Suzuki riders to be rewarded for results.
Image: Foremost Media.
Suzuki Motorcycles Australia has confirmed the continuation of its Suzuki Support Rider (SSR) contingency program for 2019, outlining details and benefits for riders piloting machines from the Japanese manufacturer.
SSR offers racers a chance at being rewarded for their commitment and results by offering contingency for national competitions, including the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) in the Superbike and Supersport categories, while also being available to Motorcycling Australia (MA) recognised state road racing and premier class championships.
Riders who compete on the current generation GSX-R600 or GSX-R1000/R are eligible to register for the SSR, where the rider must register with their VIN number through the application process.
For national series’, contingency is offered for each and every round from positions one through to 10, while a championship bonus is also on offer for a top three placing.
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