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Ducati North America on the move

7849 Views 23 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  Steven_Verschoor
Here's my off-topic comment for the day...



I've ridden through Cali twice now and I've decided one of the best parts about it is lane-splitting. While there are those who scoff at such behavior, in my defense, I only did it when traffic got really gnarled.



The question I would like answered is: What steps were taken that lead to lane-splitting being legalized in California, and what are some opinions on how to lobby for it in my own state?



Perhaps I should mention that "my own state" also happens to be the home of a certain Motor Company that builds big, slow, and heavy motorcycles that generally wouldn't fit well between lanes anyway.
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Re: there IS a law in california ...

Thanks ValkBandit. It's nice to know someone else out there pays attention to traffic laws.
Re: lane spilting in CA

Once again you are inncorrect the reason i know is because. WHEN I WAS AT THE MOTORCYCLE SAFTEY CLASS ON THE MILITARY BASE IN SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA WE HAD A CHP MTORCYCLE OFFICER COME IN AND TELL US THE EXACT RULES FOR LANE SHARING AND AS I AND VALBANDIT HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE LAW IS. You might live in california and you might ride but I live in southern orange county and commute to san diego 70 miles both ways in gridlock. I have passed every form of law enforcement and have yet to be ticketed. It is legal to lane split until traffic reaches 45mph. I am not saying it's safe but it is legal.
Just had to put in my two cents...



That Motor Company also happens to build bikes that are a little smaller and faster now, don't forget "Buell".
No disrespect to you 4in6, but if there is such a law, how come it was never mentioned when I attended California Motorcycle Safety school?

In fact we students asked our instructor the very same question: is it legal to split lanes? He told us that it is legal so long as you don't go more than 10 mph faster than surrounding traffic, and so long as you don't exceed the maximum speed limit.

I did a little research on the Net, and came accross this FAQ page maintained by the California Highway Patrol. According to the CHP...

Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible under California law but must done in a safe and prudent manner. The motorcycle should be traveling no more than 10 mph faster than surrounding traffic (without exceeding the speed limit) and not come close enough to that traffic to cause a collision.
I don't know where you got this 45 mph limit to lane splitting, but you could help us out by posting the California Vehicle Code number so we can look it up. The last thing I want to do is get a ticket for splitting lanes at 46 mph.
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