Riding the Center Line

[DTro]

Forgive me for being naïve, but lately I’ve noticed more and more of this. Bikes riding side by side or at a slight offset and the inside bike is pretty much riding the line. So much that in some cases I actually have to swerve over towards the shoulder to create a manageable gap when going by them.

Is there a reason people ride like this?

[MAB]

I have noticed this too even when there is only one bike. I am not sure why you would ride right on the line at any time. I usually ride in the middle of the lane. This is so that when in traffic and there is more than one lane I am more likely to be seen and I have more options for getting out of any problem situations.

[ChemE]

Death wish? Wannabe organ donors? Much more grip within the lane lines than on top of either of them.

[tipup]

I generaly ride on the out side lane towards the line, i do not hug the line or ride on top of it but towards the middle. I do this for 2 reasons, 1. So that i can be seen by the car that may be in front of me and by the car in the oncomming lane!!! If I am behind a car/truck and there is oncomming traffic i want them to be abl;e to see me!! IMO there tends to be more "junk" on the side of the road also!!!

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

I stay away from the line. I ride about where the drivers side car tires touch the pavement. The center has the bumps from the small heaves not being flattened out by tires.

[LoonASea]

I tend to stay to the right side,this gives me an easy out if I need to lay the bike down as I would rather slide on weeds then pavement ,, but since I picked up a tip at the Advanced Rider Safety Course ,,,I like to change my position in the lane to avoid blending in with the vehicle in front of me ,,,Lucky for me I ride on roads where Im usualy the only vehicle on the road ...Lots of wild life tho!!!!

[Whoaru99]

I stay away from the line. I ride about where the drivers side car tires touch the pavement. The center has the bumps from the small heaves not being flattened out by tires.

On the roads that I frequent, it seems near the center stripe or near the fog line/right stripe often seeems smoother than other parts of the lane.

[BoxMN]

What I remember from the test questions (way back) and what I notice, is that the middle of the lane has that heave that is mentioned, and it also is the area where cars are more likely to leak oil... making it slippery especially right at the start of a rainfall.

Myself, I like riding about where a car driver sits, on the inside tire track, but certainly not the middle line. Especially when going by a big truck... gulppp....

[fishinmajishin]

I agree with the Boxman. I avoid the middle of the lane. Especially at intersections where cars sit at stoplights and drip fluids. On the freeway, I ride just off the center line unless there is a vehicle approaching from behind(or oncoming on 2 way roads), or when I'm passing. Then I ride just off the outer line. I can see both lanes of vehicles in front and behind much better just off the center line. Other vehicles see me better too. Never ride ON the center line as the paint might be slick in certain conditions.

[Pooh]

i like to ride the inside of the passenger side of the of the road about 18 inches off the center of my lane. i can move in and out to see oncommming traffic especially if im going to pass. makes your left blind spot smaller if someone is passing you. and a good spot to be if a big rig is comming. maybe its just where i feel the most comfortable

[anyfishwilldo]

I do alot of interstate riding, and always stick tight to the right. That gives me enough time to get out of the way of the one-who-thinks-I-am-silly-no-look-lane-changers. I am not as worried about the cars on my right because they can hear the pipes rumble.

[dan z]

I ride bike and that is how i was taught at a class, my dad is also a rider and the best reason for this in staying out of the cracks and visibility for the rider and other people. another thing is I have heard of people passing w/o actually going in the other lane( just slippin by and pushing the bike to the whilte line)

[mjhowe]

I use the entire lane, depending on the oncoming traffic, time of day etc. I trend towards the centerline when no oncoming traffic. This gives me more manuever room when critters, kids, etc may enter the roadway from either shoulder. We have a lot of deer, and if they come out of the ditch while I am near the right hand shoulder, I have less time to react.

BUT, when traffic is oncoming, I drift more towards the right side of the lane, moving back towards the center as the oncoming traffic passes. I also wear a HI-VIZ jacket all year long and am amazed at what a difference that color makes! People not only SEE me, but even give me more room when they can. If I am coming up on someone in the passing lane, they will glance into their rear view mirror, do the HARD double take and then move over...and its not like I am on their bumper, flashing my high beam either...just approaching from the rear.

Use all the road, make yourself seen, heard, whatever you have too. The good news is, with gas prices the way they are, more and more bikes are on the road, prompting more awareness from the folks in the cages.

[BobT]

When I rode I was taught and believed it was safest to ride in the left-center of the lane (about where the driver's side car tires ride). This makes it easier for oncoming traffic to see me because my headlight will be noticed earliear due to their viewing angle.

Another reason is that I'm less likely to be in the blind spot to the vehicle in front of me because they can see me with both their rear-view mirror and their left side mirror. Many vehicles today have both outside mirrors so this may not be as important anymore.

Third, it gives me more opportunity to avoid collisions with deer and other critters that may dart out of the ditch.

Forth it is safer to ride where the car tires typically do because of the oil issue already mentioned.

Fifth, it discourages those idiots that will try to pass without crossing into the on-coming traffic lane. Trust me, they are out there. Of course there are also those just as much idiots to pass on the right side and I'm not talking about my pet peeve of illegally using the shoulder when there's someone making a left turn.

Two bikes riding abreast is okay and an accepted way to ride but there is no need for them to crowd the center.

Bob

[Walterwontfalter]

Twice this summer I've had some one-who-thinks-I-am-silly pass me in a car that didn't go all the way into the left lane but sped by me about two feet from my foot pegs. There wasn't another car in sight. The second one decided I was going to slow and passed me in a no passing lane with an oncoming car and literally forced me over onto the shoulder. Both of those license plates were called in to 911, don't know if anything ever happened about it. Probably much less happened than if I would have caught either of them stopped at a stoplight.

In motorcycle safety class they recommend riding in the left center portion of a lane which would be about where the drivers side tires run on a car so that you are visible and you yourself have plenty visibility and it gives no room for an one-who-thinks-I-am-silly like the two mentioned above to consider passing in your lane.

Also, MN law allows two bikes to ride abreast in the same lane only if they have previously agreed to it. Haven't had it happen on my normal rides but out in Sturgis I've had bikes pass in my lane while I was riding both in the left half and right half of the lane.