mealexme Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I like to think I'm a fairly nice person. I'll help people out when I can and I believe fairly strongly in karma. Not the "if I'm good I will get wealth/good luck", superstition sort of karma, but the "If I'm nice to people they are more likely to be nice in return and make my life easier/be more willing to help if I'm ever in need of it" sort of karma. Anyway. At the other end of this story, I bought a new (to me) bike a month or two ago. Totally fell in love with it. I paid a bit over the odds for it because it was in perfect condition, 400 mile round trip to get it etc. It only had one scratch, a couple of tiny wear marks from leathers on the tank and a stress mark around one of the bolts. Not bad for a 5 year old bike and thats the condition I want to keep it in. Totally worth the extra money paid for it in my opinion.Now, I'm not the sort of person who sticks to the speed limit (bare with me, I do get to the point eventually). In fact I'd say that on the average day I would break every speed limit I go through due to the time of night I'm on the road to and from work and the very low volume of traffic. Especially when I'm the only one on the motorway. So today I'm on the way home when I get to some roadworks on the motorway with 50mph speed limit signs. There are a couple of places that I would never speed through, roadworks being one of them (due to the potential of debris etc hitting any workers). As its quite dark and with a strangely high amount of other road users, everybody else carries on at 70+ through these roadworks with me in lane one doing 50. A van overtakes me and comes back into lane one, but due to the loose road chippings between lanes, I get pelted with stones. I get a face full on my helmet, feel them on my shoulders but my poor bike now has a load of dimples If this was my previous bike, I wouldn't care one bit, but this bike I am mortified (maybe thats a bit of a strong word). The thing that makes it worse is that it seems that every time I do the speed limit there is always someone up my ass with their headlights on full beam, people start pulling out on me or I get pelted with stones, but if I'm going a bit fast I don't get into as many close calls or have any damage done to the bike. Its like reverse karma. I do actually feel a LOT safer above the speed limit - is anyone else the same, or is it just me being... weird?Disclaimer: The above is all a complete lie and therefor cannot be used in a court of law as evidence.Also I'm an astronaut - and obviously a compulsive liar so nothing I write on the internet can be used as evidence against me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Unless I'm at the front or rear of a line of vehicles (Both places you're likely to get nicked) I go with the flow and sod the limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techno Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Yeh sod the limit unless cameras or cops, I spent 6 months after getting pulled doing the limit after getting my bike license as I wasn't sure on the 2 year 6 point rule at the time, turned out to be the most terrifying time on the road I've ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benn Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Damn Can't you do anything with the insurance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankbag Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 It just proves you're a good rider as normally you'd create your own safe bubble away from the idiots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattDWrecker Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Yeh sod the limit unless cameras or cops, I spent 6 months after getting pulled doing the limit after getting my bike license as I wasn't sure on the 2 year 6 point rule at the time, turned out to be the most terrifying time on the road I've ever had. Much the same, I tend to ride to the conditions and what's around me. Often that means putting as much space between me and other stuff on the roads as I can. On another note, this is one of the reasons my bike is all tucked up for the winter now. I was heading down the M4 in a company van a couple of days ago and you could hear the grit bouncing off the van all over the place. Not great in itself and then there is the corroding effect of the salt too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mealexme Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 I'm quite glad it's not just me then! I feel like I'm making a bad name for bikers sometimes. not because I'm riding extremely fast, but because I'm rarely doing what is expected of me by law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joeman Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Speed limits are for the idiots who are incapable of determining for themselves the correct speed for the situation. If everyone was a good driver/rider there would be no need for speed limits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinkbiker Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Speed limits are for the idiots who are incapable of determining for themselves the correct speed for the situation. If everyone was a good driver/rider there would be no need for speed limits.Our whole road system is designed to account for the lowest common denominator, i ride a marked bike so have to be seen to be adhearing to thew law but i too would much rather be managing those that i am catching up with than those sat a few feet from my rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 I'm just back from 3 weeks in Germany and the standard of driving doesn't seem to be any better there than here.......but they cope with unlimited speeds on the autobahns. Is the accident rate and serious injury rate much different to the UK?Just curious really...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorian Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Disclaimer: The above is all a complete lie and therefor cannot be used in a court of law as evidence.Also I'm an astronaut - and obviously a compulsive liar so nothing I write on the internet can be used as evidence against me Laughed.But seriously i ride a 125 ( ) I get overtaken all the time even when im at my fastest (70) i do feel quite un-safe when people cut back in suddenly!! So i imagine when i get a bigger bike i will probably got a bit over the speed limit but on the A12 95% of people drive at 80-90 mph anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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