Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[iski]

Yesterday afternoon went for a ride with a friend to see how the new pipes and race tune performed on the bike.  Rode to a nearby lake on an absolutely gorgeous 80 degree blue sky Florida afternoon.  Moderately twisty road to ride and life was good. Stayed a while to enjoy the view and then decided it was time to head back home.

My friend passed me as I made the turn back into my neighborhood - I rode home and was having a beer to help forget about the shock I would get from the Visa bill when the pipes, etc. appeared next month when the phone rang.  My friend was VERY excited - had just arrived home. Said at the very next intersection a car had stopped at the stop sign and then just bolted out - right in his path.  His Heritage was traveling about 50 mph, which is reasonable considering the road in that area and he said he decided to head for the ditch, brakes locked front and back, when at the very last instant, the driver jerked her wheel to the left.

She either saw or heard him at the last possible moment.  He managed to stay on the pavement - extreme right side - missed the car by 6 inches or so.  Said he let off the back brake to keep from tumbling and was very glad he did not have to put the bike down in the ditch.  We talked for a while and we discussed other close calls we have had while he tried to calm down.

Perfect day - blue sky - intersection is well cleared.  Some on that road are obscured by trees and a high embankment but not this one.  He is riding home perfectly fine and then some  daydreaming cager almost kills him.  There are other stories similar where the biker is hit or worse killed.  His quick reaction combined with this drivers last minute reaction saved him a trip to the hospital - or worse.

Odd coincidence, first thread I opened here this morning was JCZ's suggestion to start this thread.  Never figured it would be about something that happened yesterday.

Add your own close calls/spills, etc. if you wish. 

[Twolanerider]

Ski, anyone who rides much at all is going to have similar road stories.  The semi that didn't see you and began changing lanes as you were even with his rear tandems.  The guy that ran that stop sign in front of you or jumped a light in a hurry and just never noticed the bike in the alternate line. 

Most would be fender benders among cages.  They are suddenly horror stories when a bike is the dance partner.  Some folks are just poorer drivers than others.  We tend to take it personally when it happens to us on a bike.  But we really shouldn't.  That folks are idiots does not immediately imply that they are intentionally idiotic towards us on purpose.  And sometimes they're not even idiots.  Sometimes it's a perfectly competent driver who simply makes a mistake.  Stuff happens.

I hope this thread turns in to amusing anecdotes that can also carry a lesson rather than a forum for diatribes on all the bad things done to us by those evil cagers.  The latter would just wind folks up while, concurrently, not be a great lot of fun either.

[iski]

Ski, anyone who rides much at all is going to have similar road stories.  The semi that didn't see you and began changing lanes as you were even with his rear tandems.  The guy that ran that stop sign in front of you or jumped a light in a hurry and just never noticed the bike in the alternate line. 

Most would be fender benders among cages.  They are suddenly horror stories when a bike is the dance partner.  Some folks are just poorer drivers than others.  We tend to take it personally when it happens to us on a bike.  But we really shouldn't.  That folks are idiots does not immediately imply that they are intentionally idiotic towards us on purpose.  And sometimes they're not even idiots.  Sometimes it's a perfectly competent driver who simply makes a mistake.  Stuff happens.

I hope this thread turns in to amusing anecdotes that can also carry a lesson rather than a forum for diatribes on all the bad things done to us by those evil cagers.  The latter would just wind folks up while, concurrently, not be a great lot of fun either.

TLR - I have had quite a few instances where "cage avoidance techniques" led to some interesting outcomes.

Once I found myself very near on top of someone's front porch as a result of someone backing out of a driveway & looking back at it, it is rather amusing.  The shock on the person's face at the thought of a bike in their living room was... well... the term is overused now...but it was priceless.  Replacing the tire that won't properly balancewith the flat spot from the rubber lost while braking hard is less amusing and more costly.

A couple of years back a wild turky flew up and hit me on the shoulder.  Black & blue from that one for a while.  Bird did not make it as best I could tell.  Front of the bike was covered in - shall we say - anything/everything that can come out of a turkey.

Anyway, I do not hate cagers cuz I are one much of the time.  Amusing ancedotes/close call posts - might prove to be interesting when one considers we have posters here from all over the world and ride in every condition imaginable.

[Twolanerider]

TLR - I have had quite a few instances where "cage avoidance techniques" led to some interesting outcomes.

Once I found myself very near on top of someone's front porch as a result of someone backing out of a driveway & looking back at it, it is rather amusing.  The shock on the person's face at the thought of a bike in their living room was... well... the term is overused now...but it was priceless.  Replacing the tire that won't properly balancewith the flat spot from the rubber lost while braking hard is less amusing and more costly.

A couple of years back a wild turky flew up and hit me on the shoulder.  Black & blue from that one for a while.  Bird did not make it as best I could tell.  Front of the bike was covered in - shall we say - anything/everything that can come out of a turkey.

Anyway, I do not hate cagers cuz I are one much of the time.  Amusing ancedotes/close call posts - might prove to be interesting when one considers we have posters here from all over the world and ride in every condition imaginable.

Got to wonder how many have had "bird issues."  I still gag thinking about the time I almost laid down an old Knuckle on the highway.  Transistor radio on my belt and headphones plugged in.  Harmonizing to "The Mamas and the Papas" when some flying critter managed to make a deposit while my mouth was open.  Couldn't damn him for his aim.......

[HogBreath]

My cousin was riding down I-55 in Mississippi on an old Honda 750. He said he was running about 75 MPH and came upon a housetrailer being pulled down the interstate. He pulled out in the left lane to pass it just about the time the front door blew opn on the trailer and blew a bay window out right in front of him. Instinctively he hit the brakes, just as he ran up on the huge piece of glass that didn't break. Bike just instantly fell over. He just held on for the ride. Luckily he had chrash bars on the bike and the only place he ever touched the ground was his elbow. Scraped it up a little bit. Wore the chrash bar to a nub. How would you be prepared for that?

[Fired00d]

Got to wonder how many have had "bird issues."  I still gag thinking about the time I almost laid down an old Knuckle on the highway.  Transistor radio on my belt and headphones plugged in.  Harmonizing to "The Mamas and the Papas" when some flying critter managed to make a deposit while my mouth was open.  Couldn't damn him for his aim.......

TMI!!!!!

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[CVOJOE]

Got to wonder how many have had "bird issues."  I still gag thinking about the time I almost laid down an old Knuckle on the highway.  Transistor radio on my belt and headphones plugged in.  Harmonizing to "The Mamas and the Papas" when some flying critter managed to make a deposit while my mouth was open.  Couldn't damn him for his aim.......

 

 

Don,
Man that was a tasty tidbit   "California Dreamin" in a whole different meaning of taste.
Whoa.

[iski]

Got to wonder how many have had "bird issues."  I still gag thinking about the time I almost laid down an old Knuckle on the highway.  Transistor radio on my belt and headphones plugged in.  Harmonizing to "The Mamas and the Papas" when some flying critter managed to make a deposit while my mouth was open.  Couldn't damn him for his aim.......

LOL

California Dreamin' never tasted so bad.

[Screamin]

Got to wonder how many have had "bird issues."  I still gag thinking about the time I almost laid down an old Knuckle on the highway.  Transistor radio on my belt and headphones plugged in.  Harmonizing to "The Mamas and the Papas" when some flying critter managed to make a deposit while my mouth was open.  Couldn't damn him for his aim.......

That hopefully makes you the only one that can tell someone to "eat chit" and know from whenst you speak.

p.s. or was it white?

[Twolanerider]

That hopefully makes you the only one that can tell someone to "eat chit" and know from whenst you speak.

p.s. or was it white?

The jaw and t-shirt residue was the white speckled variety.  Still makes me cringe just thinking about it.

[Twolanerider]

My cousin was riding down I-55 in Mississippi on an old Honda 750. He said he was running about 75 MPH and came upon a housetrailer being pulled down the interstate. He pulled out in the left lane to pass it just about the time the front door blew opn on the trailer and blew a bay window out right in front of him. Instinctively he hit the brakes, just as he ran up on the huge piece of glass that didn't break. Bike just instantly fell over. He just held on for the ride. Luckily he had chrash bars on the bike and the only place he ever touched the ground was his elbow. Scraped it up a little bit. Wore the chrash bar to a nub. How would you be prepared for that?

Not a door.  But how about one of those travel suit case storage thingies you see strapped on the top of cars and vans sometimes. 

Was northbound in Minnesota (at least I think it was Minnesota) heading toward the international border.  Car in front of me, in my lane, had one of those fiberglass things on top.  Had just gotten close enough to begin changing lanes to go around when the thing just raised up a bit and slid back.  It did a 360 in the air and then slammed down on the pavement. 

I'd made a quick lane change when I noticed it even start to move.  Lord knows where it might have gone but your first reaction is "anywhere but here" so had jerked over to the left lane.  This thing hit the ground still just forward of where I was and exploded.  Clothes went everywhere.

Flying bloomers, shirts, shorts and bras and god knows what else.  Had an immediate mental image of dieing with someone shorts draped across my face.  But everything flew around, over or under me.  To this day that's one of my favorite non-injury road incidents.

[Hoist!]

How about that dog that came flying at me on a highway doing 80. Damn thing jumped right at me, bounced off the engine guard and went tumbling about 20 yards. Put me, with the Ex OL on the back, into a real nice wobble, that I got out of. Stopped the bike to see if the dog's OK and he just gets up and runs to his house. Folded  my engine guard up good. I don't think he chases bikes anymore! At least I hope not! Hoist!

[Twolanerider]

How about that dog that came flying at me on a highway doing 80. Damn thing jumped right at me, bounced off the engine guard and went tumbling about 20 yards. Put me, with the Ex OL on the back, into a real nice wobble, that I got out of. Stopped the bike to see if the dog's OK and he just gets up and runs to his house. Folded  my engine guard up good. I don't think he chases bikes anymore! At least I hope not! Hoist!

Dogs can be so damn dumb around bikes.  Just no clue what to expect out of them.  Charge, run away, or just sit with their head cocked looking stupid.  Hopefully that one learned a lesson.  But...... probably not.

[HogBreath]

Two lane, DANG, THAT would been skeery! I can see the headlines now, motorcyclist dies while sniffing women's panties.

Last fall I was headed home abour dark thirty. I was late and was wasting no time. I had it laid down in a curve pretty hard when out of the corner of my eye I saw movement. Four deer decided to cross the road before I ride by. I locked it down, in the curve, and of course the rear wheel locks up, slides, wobbles, and I let off the brake and then hit it again as soon as it straightens out, one deer went by, second one, third one, and the fourth one went by and I'd swear the 4th one's tail brushed the fairing. MISSED, barely. It was only like a mile from the house. I pulled in the driveway parked thre bike and swung a leg off only to find I had no knees.

[Twolanerider]

 only to find I had no knees.

Damn!  Amen to that man.  I've been fortunate on the Bambi front (knock on wood) and never had one seen on the side of the road step toward the road as I went by.  But four, all at once; geez.  Did you have to get a new seat?