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Video: "WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?!!" Police seek motorbiker after very close pass on cyclist
A cyclist in Reading who was almost knocked off his bike by a motorbike rider who overtook him at as the pair exited a roundabout has posted footage of the incident – and his subsequent exchange of words with the biker – to YouTube, with police keen to track down the biker.
According to the description on the video-sharing site, the incident happened on at approximately 3.25pm on Friday 12 August on Northumberland Avenue, with the motorcyclist who was riding a silver Yamaha R6 with the registration W351JBU speeding past the cyclist with very little space to spare.
Understandably, the cyclist shouts out at the motorcyclist, who returns shortly afterwards, riding on the pavement and an argument – punctuated by swear words – ensues, including the biker asking the cyclist if he has read the Highway Code, and later trying to grab his camera.
The cyclist who shared the footage, who goes by the name uphillfreewheeler on YouTube, said: “The registered owner had recently sold the vehicle and the police would like to speak to this rider on suspicion of careless driving and public order offences.
“If anyone has any information about the rider or the whereabouts of the vehicle please contact Thames Valley Police [on 101] quoting Crime Number 43160223664.”
He added that he had also reported the rider of a second motorbike, a black Kawasaki Ninja, to police. That motorcyclist undertook him on the roundabout moments after the first rider had sped past.
Last year, another of uphillfreewheeler’s videos went viral after he was involved in an incident in which a driver made a close pass on him.
After subjecting the cyclist to verbal abuse, the motorist jumped out of his vehicle to chase after him on foot, only to crash to the ground.
Footage of that incident, uploaded to YouTube under the title A Clown Takes a Pratfall, has been viewed more than 6 million times.
A 51-year-old man from Henley-on-Thames was later cautioned by police after he admitted committing a public order offence, assault, and making threats to commit criminal damage.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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40 comments
Breecho; who hassles you more relative to respective volume, cars or motorcycles? Just can't believe so many on the latter are such wankers.
Breecho; who hassles you more relative to respective volume, cars or motorcycles? Just can't believe so many on the latter are such wankers.
In my 40k+ miles of road and city cycling here in southwest Ohio, I have been buzzed once by a motorcyclist. The idiot was on his Kawasaki crotch rocket. And only once has a person on a motorbike told me to get on the bike trail.
I consider anyone on two wheels, motorized or not, a brother or sister. I find that it is usually reciprocated. This area is very conservative and can be very red neck-like in some quarters. It's hard to believe that such hostility exists in the UK between motorbikers and cyclists. I do expect such crap from drivers.
Maybe uphill needs to turn it down a notch even when he's in the right . He can also attach a rear blinky light to go with the camera. It will help.
I consider anyone on two wheels, motorized or not, a brother or sister.
Yeah, me too.
I find that it is usually reciprocated.
Yeah, me too.
It's hard to believe that such hostility exists in the UK between motorbikers and cyclists.
Come and commute in London.
Maybe uphill needs to turn it down a notch even when he's in the right.
Agreed. Shake yer head, post the video when you get home (or give to Plod).
[/quote]
Know that area well, he's lucky not to be in the Royal Berks with stab wounds
I am a biker and a cyclist. Just as most of us, not all I know, also drive cars. A dickhead is a dickhead, is a dickhead. Based on my 20 plus years biking, he'll not be an issue is 6 months or so.... Natural selection.
No worries, like it was mentioned before, we're in dire need of organs for sick kids. The universe has a way of providing everything we need. Pretty cool.
If someone on a motorcycle site said that about cyclists, you would all be frothing at the mouth demanding retribution.
Double standards perhaps?
1. That's an exaggeration.
2. Maybe double standards, but entirely predictable given the difference in vulnerability. If they said it about pedestrians, wouldn't it seem so much more sinister?
The double standards to get worked up about here concern the safety of different types of users, all of whom have the same rights to use the road.
I didn't say it about motorcyclists. I said it about douchebags.
Sanctimony, perhaps?
the dickhead's riding his motorbike at speed with a pair of tracky bottoms on. Clearly as thick as two short shits. Even a fairly minor bump is going to be serious trauma needing several square feet of new skin.
Pretty normal for Whitley.
Scary stuff. Camera has good sound too but I couldn't ride with that awful clatter coming from below. I think he probably spends more on his camera than his bike.
I don't want to ride with a camera, but I'm glad others do. In my opinion, if it makes the general public, the non-cycling public, think about their driving, and give cyclists just a little bit more room, it has to be a good thing. It's a shame the police gave up having coppers in cars and went all out for fixed speed cameras...
"The registered owner had recently sold the vehicle"
Of course they did. That's why its still taxed to the end of the November.
lying to the police is a serious offence.
And what about the other biker?
I thought that now, when you sell a vehicle, DVLA send you a refund for the months you had left... so it becomes untaxed as soon as you sell it. New owner has to tax it straight away if using on the road. If they can't trace the rider, presumably it's not in the database as insured either then? Pretty good reasons to find this twunt, along with those on display in the video.
Come to Reading and see how you get treated on a bike...
The moron on the motorbike does not seem to understand that even if the cyclist had been in the wrong he still has an obligation not to travel at a foolish speed around said cyclist. Isn't that something taught to all road users? "Assume that the other users may be foolish, unlucky, ill, distracted and conduct yourself so as to leave a reasonable margin for error"?
Love the Paul Calf mk.III variant.
Motorcyclists are the same as car drivers I find....99% are ok, 1% are cunts. Handy for organ donations though.
It's like anything though, mostly drive your car - everyone else is a cunt. Mostly ride a motorbike - everyone else is a cunt. Mostly ride a bicycle - everyone else is a cunt.
Best thing to do which ever form of transport you're using is assume everyone else is a cunt. So far it's working, until the day I come across an utterly out of control cunt and then it's a roll of the dice.
This cyclist seems very unlucky, first he had the "pratfall" experience, admittedly that was hilarious but a hairy experience all the same. Then he gets these f*cktards on motorbikes being total f*cktards. Hope they catch and punish the f*cktards. Good luck to uphillfreewheeler, bringing justice to f*cktards!!
Not unlucky, just average judging from my experience. If you ride every day, you'll have incidents like this regularly, it's just a matter of time.
Perhaps it's time that cyclists received some sort of allowance for policing our streets? We seem to catch many more imbeciles using motor vehicles than the police do. Free vidcams for cyclists anyone?
I dont know if its regular, its something that happens every so often IME, but maybe its because I dont video my rides I dont have the ability to review them back. So they happen in a blink of an eye sometimes, you maybe swear (and that motorbike rider must have exceptional hearing fwiw), shake your head & carry on,then maybe moan about it on the internet later and try to forget about it. whereas if i recorded it all, posted it on youtube, slowly it becomes a back catalogue of videos that makes it feel far worse and Im then getting weekly incidents/confrontations.
I guess I'm referring to the whole situation/confrontation/bring chased rather than just being overtaken at close range. I ride almost daily/commute etc and I certainly don't have incidents like that regularly.
(Both) bikers' leg ware is a bit of a give away. Having said that, there's a moustachioed, fully leathered bellend* who prides himself on dangerously using cycle lanes in central London, but in the main, proper kit = proper biker.
*Phnaar/snork etc
A vehicle can be driven 15 yards along a right of way but only to park, only if it does not cause an obstruction (1988RTA section 34) and only if the landowner agrees. Riding as he did he commited an offence under section 72 of the 1835 highways act which is subject to a FPN. Pitty being a total got isn't an offence
Had something very similar with a motocyclist, who rode his bike at me because I had the nerve to point out that it was illegal for him to use the ASL, verified by another cyclist, and similarly, stolen/unregistered.
The funniest thing is his claim that it's legal to ride 25 feet on the footpath. Must try using that argument next time a pedestrian tells me not to ride on the pavement.
Motorcyclists and scooters sit in ASLs all the time: I think they figure, "Well, we're on two wheels too..." and want to avoid the lorries the same as cyclists. They don't consider that their internal combustion engines and rate of acceleration are part of the reason that the ASL is there in the first place.
It does seem a pity that cyclists need to protect themselves by having to use video camera(s) when they cycle. Nethertheless, those cyclists who do use video cameras are providing a measure of safety for other cyclists and road users. If other road users need to think whether their behaviour is being recorded they are more likely to take greater care, or curb their berhaviour. I do like the checks that users are making using reg info and publishing it on this website.
What are the odds it was a cash sale, no receipt... he didn't give me his name...
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