Pucker moments....Lets hear about yours and learn from them

[gat803]

I rarely have pucker moments any more, but the last one was epic....from a year or so ago.

There are a series of curves not far from my house that are posted at 35 mph. This means that they are fun to run at 60 to 70 mph. The area is farm country, and the first clue that I missed was that the corn was down.

This road is in good shape and usually the curves are free of any road debris. I had run thru a couple of the esses dragging floor boards on the big Venture and as I approached the final one I thought it was odd that someone had dumped (or lost) some yellow paint in the road right in the corner. No big deal.

I was set up to do an outside/inside/outside and as I crossed the center of my lane just before the apex of the curve I hit that paint with both tires at almost the same time. The problem was that the paint wasn't paint. It was corn that had been harvested and spilled and then had piled up in the center of the lane from previous traffic.

Ah, remember the empty corn fields? Oh yea, too late! So I'm just about to dragging the boards when both ends of the bike make a jump about two feet to the left. When they did this the scooter went into a little more lean and it folded up the inside running board and knocked my foot off that board.

Did I mention that I running something close to 70 mles an hour? There's going to be pieces of broken motorcycle everywhere. I wonder how I'm going to get home? The ambulance will probably take you, Dummy. Aw man, I'm going to need a new motorcycle. I wonder how bad this is going to hurt?
While one part of my brain is busy doing hypotheticals, some other part notices that were still in some form of control of a motorcycle. As much as I'd like to take credit for some fancy riding....can't do it. The bike took its two foot step to the left and then the rubber caught, dug in and we continued on around the curve just like we meant to do that.

While you pretty much bleed the same, whether it's you're own mistake or that of another, if I'm going to be in pain I'd much prefer it's due to my own error in judgement. Then again, some times you just get lucky.

[Hondaguy]

Originally Posted by gat803

I rarely have pucker moments any more, but the last one was epic....from a year or so ago.

There are a series of curves not far from my house that are posted at 35 mph. This means that they are fun to run at 60 to 70 mph. The area is farm country, and the first clue that I missed was that the corn was down.

This road is in good shape and usually the curves are free of any road debris. I had run thru a couple of the esses dragging floor boards on the big Venture and as I approached the final one I thought it was odd that someone had dumped (or lost) some yellow paint in the road right in the corner. No big deal.

I was set up to do an outside/inside/outside and as I crossed the center of my lane just before the apex of the curve I hit that paint with both tires at almost the same time. The problem was that the paint wasn't paint. It was corn that had been harvested and spilled and then had piled up in the center of the lane from previous traffic.

Ah, remember the empty corn fields? Oh yea, too late! So I'm just about to dragging the boards when both ends of the bike make a jump about two feet to the left. When they did this the scooter went into a little more lean and it folded up the inside running board and knocked my foot off that board.

Did I mention that I running something close to 70 mles an hour? There's going to be pieces of broken motorcycle everywhere. I wonder how I'm going to get home? The ambulance will probably take you, Dummy. Aw man, I'm going to need a new motorcycle. I wonder how bad this is going to hurt?
While one part of my brain is busy doing hypotheticals, some other part notices that were still in some form of control of a motorcycle. As much as I'd like to take credit for some fancy riding....can't do it. The bike took its two foot step to the left and then the rubber caught, dug in and we continued on around the curve just like we meant to do that.

While you pretty much bleed the same, whether it's you're own mistake or that of another, if I'm going to be in pain I'd much prefer it's due to my own error in judgement. Then again, some times you just get lucky.

Wow...I agree though...... allow me to solely control my own pain.

I have a couple of "35MPH" 90 degree turns between a 1/4 mile straightaway on my commute. I have been tempted on many occasions when geared up to test my limits when geared up. Met a doe on the back side of one at 40MPH last year planted in the middle of my lane...Accelerated and rode around it. Wake up call number one.

Thanks for wake up call #2

Those sweepers have been calling my name for years.

[tgelphman]

I was making a u-turn on a deserted two lane road. As i complete the turn, making it pretty wide, i realize there is a ditch running along the shoulder in the direction i am now heading. I am just an inch or two from going into it. You know that feeling when you are straddling something with your tires and you can't easily pull away from it, like walking a tight rope. I didn't want to hit the brakes and i was gripping pretty tight. Had the clutch in and my right grip was revving the engine. About 10 yards of this before i was able to regain perfect balance and pull safely away from the ditch. A pretty scary moment after as i considered what would have happened had i run into the ditch. I have been fairly lucky in that all my crashes and close calls have been when i have been all alone with no vehicles around. I have to learn to be as diligent with no traffic as i am with traffic.

[vito]

Sunday I was in a foul, dark mood and decided a ride would be good. That was my first mistake. My second mistake was I disregarded my own mantra to 'relax and enjoy'

There is a stretch of rt 100 that is one lane that opens up into two as it goes up an incline for about ½ mile. It then merges into one lane at the top of the hill going into a fairly sharp right curve.

Angry me is stewing behind a bunch of slow cars and once the road opened up I flew past all but one going up that hill. I 'had' to pass that last one though and raced up that hill focusing more on the car until I passed it and realized the lanes were merging and I was going into a curve much faster than I ever had before. I eased up on the throttle just enough and leaned like never before, barely making it around the curve....crossing the yellow line by about a foot.

I stopped and sat in a Sunoco gas station lot for about 20 minutes thinking about what I had just done and how I let my emotions take full control of my riding. The only thing that saved me was that no car was coming in the opposite direction as I hit the crest of the hill.

What really got to me was this was without any doubt totally avoidable and I let it happen.

[gat803]

Originally Posted by vito

What really got to me was this was without any doubt totally avoidable and I let it happen.

Amazing how that works out, isn't it?

[vito]

Originally Posted by gat803

Amazing how that works out, isn't it?

+100.
I have had a stomach ache over this since.
The absence of a car in the opposing lane is the only reason I wasn't killed...period. Most unexplainable, stupidest, careless, wreckless thing I've ever done on a bike.

[1234thunder]

My pucker moment was two summers ago riding home from work in the middle of July on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Unknown to me a brief summer rain had had occurred 3 blocks from my home and right before I arrived there. I am looking around wondering how the hell the streets are all wet on a sunny afternoon.

The pavement also had a a crack filled with tar. The tar had been hot and was now wet -- And slippery. I touched my brakes to stop at a light and my rear tire was out from under me in a flash. I never braced for impact. I never released the brakes nor let go of the grips. My helmet went bang off the pavement and I just slid into the car in front of me at slow speed. I got up off the ground just fine.

I have no problem riding in the rain. i won't ride however just after it begins to rain on hot days. Tar patches are unavoidable and killers.

[Hondaguy]

Originally Posted by vito

+100.
I have had a stomach ache over this since.
The absence of a car in the opposing lane is the only reason I wasn't killed...period. Most unexplainable, stupidest, careless, wreckless thing I've ever done on a bike.

Same here with mine. There is something about our own failings that in my case scares the hell out of me. How could I be so stupid.....? I know there are many who have gone down and said the same. We are only the "lucky" ones but for a few tenths of a second here and there and brain farts. It only takes a second of fog and shyte happens.....fast.

I got out of them though instinct and shear survival mode, not any special skillset. I had "overhead" for a mistake. Many don't leave any on the table.

When one is suddenly in self induced dire straits we just react and hope the bike obeys. If we have enough "overhead," it does, and I am always surprised, I just look at my floorboards height of the ground and wonder how in the hell I EVER could scrape them. But it has happened.

[jpr1968]

I've had 2 pucker moments last year. The first one was on my way to work on a four lane street, coming from a just turned green light in right lane when idiot next to me cuts over into my lane without looking(I was looking in his right mirror when he crossed over and he was not looking my way) and I managed to swerve to the right just enough so that my highpeg just tagged his bumper and I was able to straighten up without going down. The other accident was on the same road but goin home in the opposite direction. I'm in the left lane in fairly heavy traffic when this moron on an Iphone next to me decides he wants to be in my lane. He starts coming over, I hit my Stebil, loud as hell horn, swerve to he left onto the other side of the road(luckily no traffic coming) and manage to get back in the lane behind the moron. without him either acknowledging me at all. I get up beside him at a light just past this almost accident and get his attention and he won't roll his window down. Instead he takes his Iphone and starts taking pictures of me yelling at him. I gave up on getting him to roll down his window and turned left at the light. He turns left at the light and follows me down the road, so I figure I'll just drive over to the police station just down the street but he must have figured where I was going and made quick u-turn and left. He is one of the reasons I have Jimmy Buffets I-95 song on my Zune(subtitle is "A$$h&ll song). It is the only favorite I have on my player and can bring it up with one push.

[invalidsession]

Originally Posted by jpr1968

I've had 2 pucker moments last year. The first one was on my way to work on a four lane street, coming from a just turned green light in right lane when idiot next to me cuts over into my lane without looking(I was looking in his right mirror when he crossed over and he was not looking my way) and I managed to swerve to the right just enough so that my highpeg just tagged his bumper and I was able to straighten up without going down. The other accident was on the same road but goin home in the opposite direction. I'm in the left lane in fairly heavy traffic when this moron on an Iphone next to me decides he wants to be in my lane. He starts coming over, I hit my Stebil, loud as hell horn, swerve to he left onto the other side of the road(luckily no traffic coming) and manage to get back in the lane behind the moron. without him either acknowledging me at all. I get up beside him at a light just past this almost accident and get his attention and he won't roll his window down. Instead he takes his Iphone and starts taking pictures of me yelling at him. I gave up on getting him to roll down his window and turned left at the light. He turns left at the light and follows me down the road, so I figure I'll just drive over to the police station just down the street but he must have figured where I was going and made quick u-turn and left. He is one of the reasons I have Jimmy Buffets I-95 song on my Zune(subtitle is "A$$h&ll song). It is the only favorite I have on my player and can bring it up with one push.

There's not much that scares me including getting into it with a careless driver who has almost caused me to lose my bike or my life but an incident involving a friend gave me pause for thought a few years back. He had been forced onto the shoulder on LSD Chicago by some moron who (I suppose) never saw him. My mate pounded on the guys roof at the next light to get his attention but was ignored. At the subsequent light the car driver smashed through my friends bike and peeled off right never to be seen again. My mate lost three fingers from his right hand and has never ridden since.
Moral of the story; People don't like to admit they were in the wrong and pointing it out to them can cause irrational behavior. 3 tons of steel is more than a match for 700lbs of bike and rider.