My very first STUPIDITY......

[Francois_Dumas]

Been thinking about writing it or forgetting it..... but it won't go out of my mind, so I'd better write it down.

 

Last week, with my little niece on the pillion seat, I did something I usually don't do.... and haven't done for at least 25 years or so (ever since I was still a 'wild' driver).

 

I passed a car, coming up to a roundabout.... and the little car accellerated... apparently the lady in it did NOT want me to pass for some reason.

 

Normally I would've let go and tucked in behind her.

 

This time I got annoyed for some reason and opened the throttle to pass her anyway. But we only had some 75 yards left, I was in the wrong gear and ended up over the white 'forcing stripes', having to brake very hard and forcing that lady to brake hard too (although her speeding up had something to do with that too, I imagine).

 

In hindsight it was

 

So why did I do it? I was in a hurry (we had bad weather coming and wanted to get to the airport fast). I didn't like the car trying to outpace me....

Did I want to impress my niece ??? Well, not knowingly, but who knows how a human's mind REALLY works !!??

 

We survived, but I am still annoyed about it today !

[Pete Darby]

It ocasionally catches us all. The other day I made a right hand turn from a stop behind a lexus. I went into the right hand lane and he went into the left. As I sped up I realized he was also speeding up to keep me from passing. I almost decided to show him what the bike will do if I decide to hurry. Then I thought; What the heck, let him keep his little illusions. He obviously has some other deficiencies that he is trying to compensate for. Maybe beating a non-racing MC will make his wife's evenings a little more pleasant.

[Patallaire]

I think the male ego was in play and perhaps you were trying to impress your neice. It happened to me in Colorado, my 24yr old niece got on the back of the bike and said she likes going fast, as we swept through several corners at over 90mph, I came to my senses and asked myself, how would I explain an accident at those speeds to her father and mother? It was my male ego and a 24yr. old sexy female on the back of the bike that caused a momentary lack of judgement. I was so angry with myself for 2 days, asking myself, "What was I thinking, and why?" It is all good when it is good.

[Francois_Dumas]

I guess it had at least something to do with it, yes.... stupid, like I said !

[Whip]

Sounds like it's time for the new GT...it wouldn't have been an issue....or an FJR

 

Whip

[Francois_Dumas]

[Geezer]

Francois:

 

Confessions like this are good for everyone; you can ease your mind and the rest of us can reflect on our own riding and how easy it is to get caught up in the moment. Thanks

[JustKrusen]

Being a member of the GW community for a long time I've seen the lazy shifting of many members. For years I've preached about keeping the RPM's up. Yet we continue to hear from members getting caught in too high of a gear quite often. It happens to most people occasionaly but some just never learn. You had a learning experience. It will probably help you in the future.

 

As far as doing dumb things, we are all probably guilty of them!!!

[Francois_Dumas]

Well, I don't have a RED 1200 !!!

[Couchrocket]

In my line of work we used to call that "Rectal - Cranial Inversion." Usually brought on by testosterone poisoning! BTDT, way too many times in my "yout," and still suffer the temptation from time to time. One nice thing about getting older is the tendency to "get over myself" that helps curb that!

 

Thanks for sharing . . .

[Kevin McKenna]

Thanks for sharing. Keeps us all on our toes or should I say Rubber.... Maybe if you shared a picture of your neice we have a better understanding

[Kathy R]

This isn't just a testosterone thing, or I'd better start looking for facial hair!

 

Thanks for sharing - I have done similar things and later been very mad at myself. As I get older all I can hope for is that I do it less and less and all involved live to talk about it. I don't want to die stupid.

[Francois_Dumas]

Thanks for sharing. Keeps us all on our toes or should I say Rubber.... Maybe if you shared a picture of your neice we have a better understanding

 

Here you go......

 

[Kevin McKenna]

Cute girl. Photo looks to be at the Airport in the Netherlands?

[Francois_Dumas]

Yup Rotterdam Airport Zestienhoven, last week.

[Kevin McKenna]

My thoughts were that it was Eindhoven...

[Patallaire]

My thoughts are that I should come over there and take her for a ride!

[Francois_Dumas]

My thoughts are that I should come over there and take her for a ride!

 

I'd have to disappoint you... she's gone home now.... another 2000 km's further down the continent !

[BereIsland]

Red Mist

Steve

[Couchrocket]

This isn't just a testosterone thing

That's for sure. It is a "human" thing . . .

 

"Lord, what fools these mortals be!" W.S.

[AdventurePoser]

Hey, if it's taken you to middle age before you did something stupid, you are WAY ahead of the curve....

 

It's happened to all of us in one way, shape, or form, Francois...

 

Steve

[Patallaire]

"I'd have to disappoint you... she's gone home now.... another 2000 km's further down the continent ! "

 

 

I tried to get there before Wurty did, now that he is back, nothing is sacred!

[NEOHMark]

So why did I do it? I was in a hurry (we had bad weather coming and wanted to get to the airport fast).

 

I purposely did NOT read one other reply to this thread - for fear of biasing my reply.

 

I'm glad you've had time to 'cool off' and realize the potential danger of the way you rode. One of my 'rules of the road' regarding riding on the bike versus driving in the cage is "never ride the bike if I'm in a hurry". The mindset of being in a 'hurry' is the COMPLETE opposite of the mindset one needs to ride safely on two wheels. JMHO

[Tank]

Maybe it was stupid and childish........But in my vision, "Niece with friends at home saying .... My uncle Francois is so cool PRICELESS

[Stir]

What you did is very, very serious and you survived. It may be a lesson that saves your life in the future.

 

I can only preach on this because I did something very similar and it almost cost me my life. It was only keeping my wits that saved me. It happened the first time I was on the Torrey Ride with Jamie, Leslie and SeanC. A semi cut between me and the other bikes riders. Then the truck let another cut in front of him. I'm thinking "WTF?" So I go right into the slow lane and hit the throttle hard looking at the nearest semi as I go up the right. I almost noticed too late that the reason the trucks were coming over is because the lane was closed ahead and there was a maintenance truck in that lane with the blinking yellow lights. I really have no where to go and I'm in the triple digits, mph. I hit the brakes as hard as I can. I'm still doing 30 when I go down the right shoulder past the maintaince truck. Stupid, stupid and stupid. I got my shorts bunched because I thought the semi was playing with me. Total lose lose situation. Glad I survived that one.

[drharveys]

Gotta watch out for that testosterone poisoning! Or is it a form of steroid abuse?? Whichever, it almost certainly relates to Robin Williams' statement:

 

A man has a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to operate one at a time.

 

Gotta use the brain on two wheels! (Hmmm, maybe that's why bicycle saddles are so notorious for producing undesirable tingling and numbness in the nether regions -- it's really a safety feature.)

[Pilgrim]

I'm shocked, shocked, I say, to hear that participant in this board would do something like that! My illusions have just crumbled - I might as well go to one of the other boards where such failures are expected and applauded.

I'm glad you escaped paying the high tuition that the school of experience sometimes charges.

Pilgrim

[Beheme]

Francois,

 

"errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum" (to err is human, to stick with it is evil... or something like that...). You did, you learned from it, you won't to it again. Welcome to the Human race

 

Regards

[Francois_Dumas]

I'm shocked, shocked, I say, to hear that participant in this board would do something like that! My illusions have just crumbled - I might as well go to one of the other boards where such failures are expected and applauded.

I'm glad you escaped paying the high tuition that the school of experience sometimes charges.

Pilgrim

 

 

Perhaps I should subscribe to one of thoese 'other' boards then...... (Couldn't imagine which ones you mean though...).