Unmarked crossroads on wet leaves with a cyclist ahead
You are riding a 125 cm³ A1 motorcycle north on Dózsa György utca, a narrow built-up street with a 50 km/h limit, at 43 km/h. It is 18:40 in November; the asphalt is wet and partly covered with wet leaves. Ahead is a four-arm crossroads with no traffic signs and no road markings. A grey estate car approaches from the right at about 30 km/h, its indicator is not flashing, and it slows but does not stop. At the same moment, a cyclist 25 m ahead of you, wearing dark clothing and no lights, wobbles about 1 m from the right kerb. Your visor is clean; your headlight is on dipped beam. You have a single front disc brake with ABS, and tyres at 2.0 bar front and 2.2 bar rear, while the handbook recommends 2.2/2.5 for solo riding. The car driver looks at you and edges forward.
1. Who must yield at the crossroads, and how should that change your approach?
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No signs and no markings mean the right-hand rule applies: the car from the right has priority, so you must give way. Slowing is not yielding, and the driver's glance is not a promise. At 43 km/h you travel about 12 m/s; with 0.8 s reaction you cover roughly 9.5 m before braking begins. Wet leaves can cut grip and stretch stopping distance to 20–25 m. Arrive at the line at 20–25 km/h with both brakes covered and be ready to stop. Do not swerve onto the leaf-covered kerb to keep moving. If the car moves, stop and let it clear, then proceed only when the junction is genuinely free.
2. The cyclist is 25 m ahead and wobbling. What do you do?
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Treat the cyclist as a developing hazard. At 43 km/h, 25 m is too little on a wet leaf-covered road. Reduce speed immediately and smoothly, using both brakes while upright, and do not attempt a close pass. A safe lateral clearance is at least 1.5 m; if you cannot give it, stay back. The wobble may be caused by a pothole, wind or poor visibility, so the cyclist's line is unpredictable. Use the horn only if a warning is genuinely needed, not aggressively. Scan past the cyclist to the junction and road surface rather than fixating. Overtake only when you can see clear road and the cyclist is riding straight.
3. What do the wet leaves and tyre pressures mean for braking and steering?
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Wet leaves act as a low-friction layer; ABS cannot create grip that is not there. Brake progressively with both brakes, keep the bike upright, and avoid a sudden front-brake grab or steering while braking hard. Your tyres are below the handbook pressures: 2.0/2.2 bar versus 2.2/2.5 bar. Lower pressure can make steering slower and the tyre run hotter, and it may indicate a slow puncture. For this junction, use engine braking and gentle brakes early, not late. After the ride, check for punctures and set the correct pressures before riding again.