Lucky To Be Alive

[bgf50]

I was riding with my wife going about 60 on a 3 lane highway. One lane in our direction and 2 in the other. I was concerned because the idiot behind me was way too close when out of nowhere a kayak-- yes a full size kayak !!!! flies off the roof of a car coming in the other direction right in front of us. It spins around in the air about head level maybe 10 yards in front of us, hits the guardrail on my right and then bounces on the road right in front of me as I swerve to the left and miss it by inches HOLY Sh*t. In the short amount of time I had I knew I couldn't brake hard because the guy behind me would have plowed into us and there was oncoming traffic so I couldn't go to far to the left so I braked as hard as I thought I could and swerved as much as possible but I thought for sure I was going to hit it. It took a while to stop shaking. I'm always careful of following pickup trucks or work trucks of any kind when there is a chance of anything falling into my path but as this was coming in the other direction I never saw it coming. Had I been a 20 yards further along I would not be typing this now!

 

Bill

2004 R1150RT

[JayW]

That does sound scary. Sounds like you handled the situation about as well as possible. Being aware of the guy behind you likely saved you from being smashed in the rear.

 

Glad to hear your OK, and this is a good reminder to all of us to be ever diligent about anticipating potential accidents. It would be hard to anticipate a kayak hurtling at you from the opposite lane though!

 

Jay

[GelStra]

Holy flying boat, Bat Guano! I bet reflex had a whole lot to do with the way you handled it. Good for you. Glad you're OK.

[MRB]

Sounds really scary. Like you I often look at the loads people have tied on and think "what if".

This one does remind me of the story of the eskimo who gets lost in the ocean. To keep warm he makes a small fire in the bottom of his canoe - it sinks of course and he drowns.

Moral of the story is "you can't have your kyak and heat it too" (you can't have your cake and eat it too!! Trust you know the saying)

[redryder]

Glad you're ok! Sounds like being aware of your surroundings helped you stay with us. It seems as though I spend as much time looking in the mirrors as I do through the Cee Bailey's. There are a lot of accidents involving rear impact when it comes to bikes, so I try to be vigilant in a 360 degree scan. It certainly paid off with you and just reinforces my habit pattern.

 

Glad you're shaken, but ok. How's the wife? Did this upset her enough that she may swear off riding for a while? Hope not, I'd hate to loose a good pillion rider over an idiot who doesn't know how to tie a kiyak.

[rickmoen]

Happy to hear that this near disaster ended safely! Seems that two other people's errors nearly made you a victim. I believe that riding motorcycles makes us better drivers, but we can't anticipate every situation.

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

Yikes! Did the boat owner stop?

[WayneM]

Other than being constantly vigilant and mentally prepared for fluke stuff like this, there is not much you can do to avoid it.

 

Motorcycling has inherently higher risks from exposure to stuff like this that could wipe us out more likely than if you were in a cage. - Part of the risks we must accept as being motorcyclists.

 

There is little else you can do other than stay away from densely travelled roads to reduce your exposure. Even then the odds still are better for a cage than a bike......

 

Wayne

[bgf50]

Wife is cool. I'm pretty lucky. When I first met her she had been hang gliding for about 10 years so she's no stranger to risk. She was shaken of course but it won't affect my riding or her coming along now and then. The weird thing is it was the first time she's been riding with me for about 6 weeks. It may have actually saved me. The idiot behind me had been tailgating for a few miles through town so when the road opened up I jumped on it but then I decided to slow down since she was with me. Had I continued I might have run right into it.

By the way, MRB, she loved the "can't have your kayak and heat it to" line.

[Laura]

W O W !!!

 

S*@T does happen, doesn't it? Glad you're okay, good reflexes. Your guardian angel needs a vacation after that one.

[MachineJoe]

Your situation reminded me of what I saw on the freeway 2 days ago. A car with four arms sticking out the windows holding tightly onto 2- 4x8 sheets of thin plywood on the roof. How they managed to keep it from flying off was puzzling to me.

 

Very glad to hear that you were able to keep it all togather.

[Intrepid]

Like you and many riders I watch for vehicles with the potential to launch articles onto the roadway but clearly there was nothing to safeguard against your close call. Regarding tailgators, however, I do have a solution: pull as far the right as possible and wave the sucker through to become someone else's problem.

[WeirdHarold]

Regarding tailgators, however, I do have a solution: pull as far the right as possible and wave the sucker through to become someone else's problem.

 

+1

 

 

Don

[Carnadero]

Regarding tailgators, however, I do have a solution: pull as far the right as possible and wave the sucker through to become someone else's problem.

The few times that has happened on two-lane roads where passing would be a dicey proposition, I turned my head around and looked directly at the driver and they backed off.

[Effervescent]

Holy effin' moley! Makes me angry at the kayak owner. Did they stop? Did you?

 

Good work btw.

 

-Eff

[bgf50]

I have no idea if the owner of the kayak stopped. I didn't stop till a couple of miles later when I could get out of traffic. As far as tailgaters go, I have L.E.D. brake lights which I flash if someone is too close and that usually works.

[Endobob]

Timing is everything! Glad you are OK!

 

I had a similar thing happen to me 2 years ago when a canoe came flying off a large trailor loaded with canoes coming from the other direction. The driver never realized he had lost the boat! My timing was good as well and it flew across my lane 15 - 20 feet in front of me.

[WeirdHarold]

Regarding tailgators, however, I do have a solution: pull as far the right as possible and wave the sucker through to become someone else's problem.

The few times that has happened on two-lane roads where passing would be a dicey proposition, I turned my head around and looked directly at the driver and they backed off.

 

I'm glad they backed off.

 

When I'm on two lane roads with annoying tailgaters, I look for driveways, cross streets, hard shoulders, any place where I can pull off the road to let them pass.

 

 

 

Don