Lane splitting now legal in AZ!

[AZ7000']

Maybe in the downtown or train traffic I would try, the 125 isn’t the best candidate for roads over 35-40mph…

Pretty sure there will be plenty of really pissed off motorists who are not aware of the law change! I’d need to be in the right mood to toy with them!!

 

[ChiefPockets]

Is the law in effect already? Last I read it was passed but wouldn't go into effect until sometime in '23. I believe it also specified that it was only legal under 15mph and on roads slower than 45mph, but I could be misremembering the exact numbers.

 

[Kev250R]

This is great news! It's legal here in So.Cal. and is something I do (at low speeds) frequently, mostly at traffic lights. The smaller bikes are well-suited to it; it takes more skill on my larger Adventure bike so I rarely do it on that bike.

 

[AZ7000']

Is the law in effect already? Last I read it was passed but wouldn't go into effect until sometime in '23. I believe it also specified that it was only legal under 15mph and on roads slower than 45mph, but I could be misremembering the exact numbers.

Took effect 9/24/22, 90 days after the end of the session. Exactly right on the speed limit being under 45 where legal and 15mph limit. So mostly at stoplights...

 

[AZ7000']

Train crossing through downtown, cars maybe 15 deep in each lane. Turned into the center and ran it all the way to the gate and in front of the lill Honda civic. I didn’t have the guts to look back but crossed the intersection then a right turn at the next street. No horns!

 

[ShieldArc]

Watch out for road rage, there are drivers that don't want you if front of them!

 

[Gene56]

I wish Hawaii had that, I can see it as usefull coming up to stop lights and in slow moving traffic. I believe it would help keep traffic flowing.

 

[SneakyDingo]

So mostly at stoplights...

No joke, this is where I wish I could lane split the most.

Watch out for road rage, there are drivers that don't want you if front of them!

Yesterday I was at the fuel station and someone got pissy that instead of filling up at the bay they were at, they wanted to fill up one bay forward of that. I was all, "uh, ok, weird flex but whatever." (and of course, with the giant fuel tank this bike has, I was done way before he was).

People get pissed off at the stupidest things.

 

[Kev250R]

No joke, this is where I wish I could lane split the most.


Yesterday I was at the fuel station and someone got pissy that instead of filling up at the bay they were at, they wanted to fill up one bay forward of that. I was all, "uh, ok, weird flex but whatever." (and of course, with the giant fuel tank this bike has, I was done way before he was).

People get pissed off at the stupidest things.

I loathe buying gas. On Road Trips I find it breaks-up the flow of the trip and despite my best efforts always takes a minimum of 30 minutes (or longer if someone wants to eat or if I stop a Truck Stop and loose an hour shopping for chrome and CB accessories). At home most of the gas stations near me are too small or crowded to accommodate the Diesel F-550 Service Truck I drive daily. Plus, near me most gas stations now have Convenience stores attached to them, meaning people pull-up to a pump, maybe they buy gas, maybe they don't then they go inside the store and buy crap for what seems like hours. I actually have taken to buying most of my gas/Diesel at self-service (no staff, restrooms or store) stations which are popping-up in my area. Larger stations, fewer public (because most think they can't go there, though they can) and less drama.

Don't even get me started on Costco gas. My GF is a huge fan and will leave for work early just to get there before the crowds but even at 6:30 in the morning I've seen people lined-up almost to the street to get gas. Later in the day the lines reguarly extend into the streets and sometimes begin wrapping-around the block!

Rant Over

 

[SneakyDingo]

Don't even get me started on Costco gas. My GF is a huge fan and will leave for work early just to get there before the crowds but even at 6:30 in the morning I've seen people lined-up almost to the street to get gas. Later in the day the lines reguarly extend into the streets and sometimes begin wrapping-around the block!

Rant Over

I actually love Costco gas. Apart from being popular to the point that they're constantly cycling out the petrol for fresh fuel, their pumps are one of the few ones without the vapor lock (IIRC it also doesn't have the trigger lock so you gotta stand there pumping it, which is exactly how it is in Australia). On the CT125, you gotta pull back the vapor lock to trigger the flow of fuel at those stations, which means filling is a two handed operation the entire time. The Costco pumps also have a lower flow rate; I usually fill the tank at the lowest rate I can squeeze the nozzle at to prevent spillage. Of course, the price is usually pretty decent, and because it is ONLY a fuel refill point people get in their cars and leave straight away.

Most of those reasons can also make for a pretty negative experience filling a big tank though. Like a slow pump over 1.4 gal is not so bad, but over 40 gal adds a lot of time. There is an environmental reason for it, but that's usually why you have the vapor lock.

 

[dmonkey]

I've more often heard what Arizona legalized referred to as "lane filtering", passing stopped vehicles, which IMO is the one that makes the most sense. Still have to keep an eye out for car doors opening, vehicles switching lanes, large dogs hanging out of car windows, etc. same as with bicycling. I hope the precedent continues and that it becomes legal (and standardized) in more states! I have a few riding friends from Southeast Asia, so before any state legalized it they were doing it stateside anyway on their scooters. The first time I saw them filter to the front of a red light (illegal) to turn right on red (legal) and not have to wait for the light to change and traffic to move, my eyes lit up with the temptation of realizing that some of the time saving things you can legally do on a bicycle in cities... could also be applied to motorcycles!

I'm a party pooper and not a fan of actual lane splitting in moving traffic like CA has. I'm on the road in SoCal right now and have been tempted by it 0 times. With the wide highway lanes it sounds fine for making your way forward in slower traffic, but with distracted drivers and the reality that very few drivers check their mirrors and maintain 360 degree situational awareness, it ends up being sketchy. Then for legality, it's not well defined and because of that there's more rumors than there are facts about what you can and cannot do, and many CA residents still don't know it's legal, so they don't expect it. There isn't a speed limit on CA's lane splitting, just a pamphlet from CHP warning that risk increases as speed difference increases with nearby vehicles. That leaves it up to law enforcement to have the discretion of deciding if a motorcyclist lane splitting at 40 mph when traffic is going 30 mph is "unsafe for conditions" or not. The big issues are motorcycles moving much faster than traffic around them, and lane changes. Would be curious to hear what the current stats are, but it used to be that nearly 1/6 motorcycle accidents reported by CHP involved lane splitting.

On the CT125, you gotta pull back the vapor lock to trigger the flow of fuel at those stations, which means filling is a two handed operation the entire time. The Costco pumps also have a lower flow rate; I usually fill the tank at the lowest rate I can squeeze the nozzle at to prevent spillage.

There are some very crude nicknames out there for those vapor recovery systems! Instead of holding the seal boot with your hand, I have seen many motorcyclists carry clips that compress the boot, or for the ones that work off suction there is a small hole in the boot that you can cover to have the pump dispense fuel. I agree that they're a good thing for the environment, but it's annoying that they didn't do enough R&D to come up with something that "just works" for all vehicles and fuel canisters. For motorcyclists it now means using weird workarounds, getting residual fuel on your hand or glove pulling back the seal boot, and potentially increasing the risk of spills since the boot gets in the way of seeing how full the tank is.