I'm new to riding, and have been helped a ton by this forum. I've got about 550 miles experience since April.

I take heed to the advice around here about riding within my comfort level, and ignoring the temptation to do things beyond my confidence level. Even when traffic slows down on the 101, I do not have the moxy to lane share (even though it's perfectly legal). As a result I am routinely passed by more experienced riders on bigger bikes who make it look so easy.

I am committed to being safe and staying within my skills - but I'm just curious - what is your experience regarding learning to share lanes? Does it just "happen" one day once you've been riding enough? Thanks for your thoughts!

 

Do NOT try to lane share . You don't have the experince to try it yet. You should wait till you have a hell of alot more miles. Watch those other people. You might learn something.

 

I love to lane split when I ride in California, but pick and choose where and when to do it. There are times when the traffic is moving fairly well and don't bother - while other riders still do.

You have to be very comfortable with your bike and your riding skills, enough to make emergency maneuvers if needed and your awareness has to be at a higher level than normal riding.

I would wait until you have more experience and everything about the bike is second nature to you. When you are ready to try lane splitting, do it following someone you trust until you are comfortable on your own - and don't try to keep up with them if it takes you beyond your comfort level.

 

I've got thousands of more miles experience than you and I lane share when the traffic is either stopped or only going up to twenty miles per hour. Over that I get in line.

Even then a car can and will change lanes when you least expect it and scare the whillys out of you.

Most sport bikers will do it at speeds far in excess of what I'll ever do. I'm not in that big of a hurry.

Stay in line until you've got more experience so we don't have to send flowers.

 

When your on your bike anywhere any decision you make ends one way or another there aint no grey area your either ridin or slidin! .... like the others say get a lot more experience not only on the roads but with the bike because thats your best friend out there everyone else is out to get ya ...... everything will be good enjoy the lifestyle

 

Me and the homies switch out as lead man i dont know about our experience but we made it from downtown l.a back to down town riverside in less then an hour during rush hour hahahaha

 

I have almost 13,500 miles, mostly ridden through London. Lane sharing (or filtering, as we call it) is always a bit risky. There can be very little margin for error when sliding between traffic, although if that traffic is at a stand-still and you have the room you can sometimes make a surprising amount of ground.

However, if the traffic is moving at anything much above a walking pace, I usually get back in line. Even moving forward slowly, the cagers are going to be focussed on the vehicle directly in front of them, or looking for gaps up ahead. They aren't necessarily giving their mirrors and what's behind them much attention. If someone changes lanes without looking while you're filtering, it can get expensive very quickly!

Pay attention to the road conditions as far ahead as you can and make a call on whether filtering is appropriate. Don't worry about being passed by other bikes. It's your paintwork, insurance and neck at risk, not theirs. Be confident in your decision to stay put until you feel more confident in your abilities and the capabilities of your machine.

 

I've seen quite a few HD riders do this also.

I probly split lanes (lane share) everyday I ride to work.
A little scary at first but once you do it lot,its not too bad.
I watch the vehicles very carefully and my mirrors for other riders .If some bike comes up from behind going faster, I'll get in line to let them pass.

 

You bring up a good point with the gaps.
When the traffic is moving slowly,some cagers are looking for these gaps thinking they will get in there and be able to make some ground.
When I see gaps like this,I always expect someone to change lanes.

 

even though I have thousands of riding hours, most have been in the Texas Hill Country. I lived in San Diego for 4 months a couple of years ago - lane splitting scared the crap out of me.

I'd say - wait until you have a lot more experience and let someone else lead.