I have re-played this thing over and over. This one shook me up a little. I actually had planned to ride back to my other office that day and decided to just take my Deuce home and park her in the garage. I will ride...and I love to ride but man when I think about my little ones at home and how quick this whole thing could have been different. I am just not one of those dramatic people but I wish I had a video of how close this was. The road I was on is a road I travel all of the time it is a back road from my house to my main office.
Couple of things this has reminded me of:
1) DON'T ever think the other guy sees you!
2) Prepare in advance that the other guy isn't going to stop! (This is something that I did do and I am glad but maybe I could have acted sooner...)
3) Drive defensive ALL of the time!
4) Have a fresh pair of boxers with you at all times! J/K 
Seriously guys I do appreciate your words of wisdom too. I have been riding for a number of years but I am not to foolish to think that I can not learn. I was leaning hard in the turn and as I said I didn't think about what I was doing but I would have assumed if I went into a panic braking situation like that with the front brake I would have lost control. As I said I have been re-playing this in my head over and over. Hopefully this will make me a better rider...
Again... I'M SO GLAD that you were able to respond quickly and pull out of this! It's good you were on your Deuce... If you had been on a much heavier a touring bike, you may very well have not been able to avoid going down.
Most of us have been in situations similar to the one you experienced. They really make you stop and take stock of things. Some people just stop riding after a close brush like you had... and there's no shame in that. I think it's better to learn from experiences like this, and become an even better rider.
Two years ago, just before I bought the Honey Badger, I was riding my old '95 Police E-Glide, and I was almost taken out in a FLASH running northbound on GA 400 at 53 in Dawsonville - by an IDIOT in a Tahoe who suddenly decided he needed to make a LEFT TURN FROM THE RIGHT LANE. I had been passing him in the left lane, and he obviously did not know I was there. He suddenly pulled into my lane at 50 MPH without signaling, and slammed on his brakes so he could get into the left turn lane.
I hauled down HARD on both of my brakes, and came within two feet of his rear bumper. My wife was on her bike behind me, and she thought "OH CHIT! My husband is going to get KILLED right in front of me!"
Well, the guy realized at the last moment that I was there, because he could see me in his left side mirror, I guess. He pulled back into the right lane, but I kept slowing down and did not pass him. He then pulled BACK in front of me and darted left, across a wide gap with painted yellow lines, and rolled into the left turn lane for 53, stopping very quickly to avoid rear-ending the cars sitting in that turn lane.
I couldn't believe it! As I accelerated past him, I gave him the one-finger salute nice and high, and everybody saw it. We kept riding, with me shaking my head and thinking "Well, I must have some feline blood in me... and there went ONE of my nine lives!"
Looking back on it, I firmly believe that only my years of riding experience, and responding instantly and instinctually because of it - plus some dumb luck in being in the left tire track instead of the right one - saved my ass that day... because I know in my heart that idiot never looked in his mirror anyway. My wife still can't believe that I am still around.
Some say that when passing someone, you should be in the tire track closest to them so they can see you in their rear view driver-side mirror. I had been in the left tire track, with my wife behind me in the right tire track, and he probably couldn't see me, as I was only about two car lengths behind him when he pulled this little stunt. However, if I HAD been in the right tire track and he had done this, he WOULD have taken me out. And if the fool HAD ever looked in his mirror, he WOULD have seen wife there.
Another time, in Houston, we were on a rented Softail Custom, on wet streets going about 40 MPH, and suddenly a car about 4-5 car lengths ahead slammed on its brakes and plowed into a stopped car in front of it. I slammed on both brakes, and the rear end started going left on me. I let up on both brakes, brought the rear end back in line, pulled the front brake and then started manually pumping the rear brake in a crazy "human ABS" manner. We stopped literally 2" from that car's rear bumper. This all happened in just a few seconds, and I didn't even have time to downshift. The bike was still in 5th gear when we stopped! I normally use engine braking by downshifting... but there simply was not time to do that.
My wife had been calculating which way she was going to jump when we hit that car... but thankfully we didn't hit it. After we came to a stop, I immediately looked in my mirrors to see if another vehicle was behind us and was going to plow into US... So we could jump off the bike if needed. But fortunately, there wasn't a vehicle behind us. WHEW! Another instance of instant, instinctual response from years of experience riding... and another one of the nines lives gone?
It makes me feel really good that I was able to save both of us from injury that day. Having a BSR on board makes me ride extra carefully. Since then, my wife has told me several times, "I remember 'Houston, we have a problem.', and I know that you are a good rider because we are both still alive and uninjured." Hearing your wife say that is truly PRICELESS...
Sorry for the long reply...
RIDE SAFE, everyone.Ken
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Topic: Close call... (Read 6654 times)