Reflections on Being Stranded on the Side of the Freeway

[David]

I had ample time to make some observations to myself today, such as:

 

• When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.
  
• In forty mins, I was passed by exactly two bikes on a very busy five lane interstate. We are quite minority.
  
• One of those bikes was a Harley (with loud straight pipes--eat your heart out), and he graciously stopped to see if I needed help.
  
• The other was an RC51 Honda sportbike in the back of a Ford pickup truck. He looked right at me and kept going.
  
• The LEO who stopped graciously offered to sit behind me, with lights flashing to keep me safe. I declined, figuring he had better things to do.
  
• In retrospect, I should have accepted his offer, as I almost left all my gear on given how dangerous it seemed to sit there, even way off on the edge of the wide shoulder. A lot of car drivers really don't pay much attention, which is why I did (pay attention).
  
• Running out of gas going 70mph in sixth gear three lanes from the shoulder is not all that fun as your life flashes before you trying to get to the side.
  

 

Believe it or not, that's the first time I've ever run out of fuel in any vehicle in my life.

[russell_bynum]

When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.

 

DOH!!!

 

Sorry about that. I was so frozen by the time we got back I don't remember if I told you it was on fumes.

 

[David]

No worries, other than all that happened and breaking my perfect live long record. Otherwise, let's just forget it ever happened.

[Tony_K]

I've been known to run out of gas on several occasions!

 

One time on my 2 stroke r5 Yamaha in the fast lane!!!

 

I stopped and put it as close to the center divider as possible. Stood there for a minute then did the ole "so why did the chickern cross the road" dash

 

Yes 4 lanes of so cal freeway. Well I'm still here thanks to the large break in traffic. Ran down the side of a hill then walked/ran a mile or so to the gas

station. Pulled a bottle out of the trash and gave the attendant a buck fitty.

 

Ran back. Crossed 4 lanes again, filled up and kicked it over. I jammed the bottle in the dividing fence where it stayed as a reminder for about a year.

[Huzband]

A couple years ago, while on a ride with my wife, one of the coils on our 1100 Shadow decided it'd had enough. As much grunt as that motor had, it didn't have enough on one lung.

 

As we waited on the side of the road, for 3 1/2 hours for the tow truck that was promised to be "in the area", I was constantly amazed at the number of people that would just stare as they drove by. Among those people were countless bikes, a couple sherriff's cars, one state trooper, & a TOW TRUCK. I waved to get his attention, but he wouldn't even look over. The one guy that did stop was another rider, but he didn't live in the area, & couldn't help.

 

So much for driver courtesy.

[David]

What surprises me here, Danny, is to see a public admission of riding a Shadow.

[tallman]

David,

You may be fortunate to have only gotten 2 1/2 miles.

Otherwise, who knows what you may have discovered.

Hasn't happened often to me (except when I wanted it to back in high school ).

Last year I was driving my Impala to work.

Knew it was low fuel as the gauge indicated so.

I passed numerous stations deciding to let the low fuel light activate. It has only been on once in nearly 12 years and over 100k miles.

I was wondering if it still did work.

It came on, I got about 300 yards, the car bucked, and I was out of gas.

Well, at least the light came on.

[rogera]

Well, I didn't run out of gas but I had

a front tire go on me on I-12 just before

I-10 in Baton Rouge La. Was in the center lane

of three when it went and yes your life does flash

before you on the way to the shoulder.

The one thing I noticed as I was trying to talk to AAA

is the noise, man is it loud.

Seems like everyone who went by looked (even the people on bikes) but

no one stopped not even the police.

AAA did show up after awhile and hauled me to the BMW shop.

Just one of the joys of riding.

[David]

Wow. A front tire? That's rare...and considerably more dangerous than a rear tire or running out of fuel. That's not an experience I'd want.

[David]

Another interesting admission: Impala?

 

So what's the story in wanting to run out?

[Lets_Play_Two]

I had ample time to make some observations to myself today, such as:

 

• When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.
  
• In forty mins, I was passed by exactly two bikes on a very busy five lane interstate. We are quite minority.
  
• One of those bikes was a Harley (with loud straight pipes--eat your heart out), and he graciously stopped to see if I needed help.
  
• The other was an RC51 Honda sportbike in the back of a Ford pickup truck. He looked right at me and kept going.
  
• The LEO who stopped graciously offered to sit behind me, with lights flashing to keep me safe. I declined, figuring he had better things to do.
  
• In retrospect, I should have accepted his offer, as I almost left all my gear on given how dangerous it seemed to sit there, even way off on the edge of the wide shoulder. A lot of car drivers really don't pay much attention, which is why I did (pay attention).
  
• Running out of gas going 70mph in sixth gear three lanes from the shoulder is not all that fun as your life flashes before you trying to get to the side.
  

 

Believe it or not, that's the first time I've ever run out of fuel in any vehicle in my life.

 

Thank God for Harley riders... I was thinking about buying an Aprilia, but not if they run out of gas!!

[ghaverkamp]

I was thinking about buying an Aprilia, but not if they run out of gas!!

 

You must not have heard about their parts supply issues. There's no telling when or if David will be able to get replacement gas from his dealer.

[Firefight911]

Sounds like Bounce needs to, from now on, be called Vapor!

 

Way to go Russell, Way to go!!

[leikam]

Last time I ran out of gas was on the freeway about 1/2 mile from the entrance ramp I had just used. I had passed several gas stations in town, but my odometer showed I had about half a tank left (turns out that a dragging rear brake can really cut into your mpg). So, pulled over on the shoulder of a two-lane highway, I had just decided to start walking when a very nice local couple in a pickup stopped to help. They went to get gas for me and refused any sort of payment. Apparently their son rides and they're more than happy to help out a biker in need. Dumb luck is out there.

[big-t]

When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.

 

 

 

 

Uh....Did you check the tires...

[Paul Mihalka]

Another interesting admission: Impala?

There are Impalas and there are Impalas. If my hazy mind remembers well, we are talking about a Impala SS, which I think is a DeLuxe improved Chevy Caprice police cruiser. No garden variety Impala here.

[OoPEZoO]

When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.

 

 

PS. I'm only laughing because everything worked out

[philbytx]

I believe you are a silly person

[Mike]

I blew a tire on my spare-less VW a couple of years ago and the fix-a-flat crap they included in what should have been the space occupied by the spare was useless. I had good AAA coverage and a charged mobile phone, so it was ultimately all resolved. But that hour or so that I sat on the shoulder was a bit worrisome. First, like you, though I was passed by hundreds--more likely thousands--of vehicles, absolutely no one stopped to offer help. Second, it does give you an appreciation for just how dangerous it is to be stopped on the shoulder of a road (a nod to our LEO pals is appropriate here)--virtually no one slows down or even moves over in the lane to give you a little margin of safety.

 

I'd suggest you break out the whacking stick and use it on whoever did this to you.

[ChrisNYC]

David - I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but I guess it's good for a laugh now ... Good on that HD rider....

 

I haven't run out of gas either, but I've forgotten to throw the petcock on the KZ400 a few times. It'll go a few city blocks like that. Kinda like running out of gas, followed by DOH!

 

------------------

Chris (aka Tender Vittles )

Little '77 KZ400 in the Big Apple

Black '99 RT for Everywhere Else, such as ...

[Huzband]

What surprises me here, Danny, is to see a public admission of riding a Shadow.

 

At least I didn't run out of gas.

[BULLman]

I ran out of gas on the interstate at 11pm and not in the most favorable part of town. I just remember saying to myself "I'm not leaving the bike!!! I'm not leaving the bike!!!" [and where was the light Got to E and was EMPTY]

 

Call to my brother to bring me a can of gas - mean while a HD rider stopped to see if he could help as my bro pulled up. I told the HD guy that maybe he should hang around if the gas didn't fix the problem [if it didn't I was sooo screwed].

 

Nowadays, I always reset the trip-meter and when in doublt get gas

[Stir]

My wife and I pulled over last week for a rider and his daughter. They had a flat tire on their R1200RT. I couldn't get over in time so it was ~4 miles of surface streets to get back to them. When I got there, he was on his cell phone. He glanced at me and I asked him if I could assist him in anyway. He muttered on his cell phone to whoever he was talking to, "just some guy who pulled over..." No thanks or anything. If you are a lurker on this board, may I say that you are a dork. A thank you to just some guy who went WAY out his way to assist you.

 

On a positive note, last weekend on a little ride. I retraced my route to assist a rider on the side of the road. Had too, was going way too fast to stop in time.... I gave him a ride to Dudleys so he could arrange transportation for his disabled bike. He was entirely grateful.

 

So, all in all, a plus.

 

[algover]

.....

 

When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.

......

 

I thought that was Rule #1 of borrowing a bike - always return it with a full tank of gas.

[russell_bynum]

.....

 

When someone borrows your Tuono, check to be sure there's more than 2.1 miles of fuel left. That's how far I got.

......

 

I thought that was Rule #1 of borrowing a bike - always return it with a full tank of gas.

 

It is, and I'm usually very good about that. (I took Knappy's Harley for a 15 minute spin and brought it back with a full tank, for example.)

 

But I was so frozen by the time we finally got back to Nashville that my brain wasn't working. Not only did I not remember to fill it up, I don't even think I remembered to tell David it was on fumes.

 

My bad.

[hindsight]

David,

 

Had you issued the following quiz before the ride, you could have ensured that Russell's brain was firing on all cylinders. If the questions are not answered satisfactorily, just know that your tank, upon return of the bike, will be empty.

 

1. What is your mothers maiden name?

2. What did you have for breakfast yesterday morning?

3. How many fingers does Mickey Mouse have? And in 10 words or less, why?

4. Do you know where the nearest Chevron station is?

5. Do you have your wallet with you?

 

Actually, Russell if you can answer question number 3 for me, I'll fill up your bike for you in Torrey.

[russell_bynum]

Mickey has three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

 

Why? Cheaper to animate.

 

[David]

Hey, it's all fun. I didn't really care.

 

My best "stop to help" someone story was a few years ago. I was riding that rented Goldwing back from Torrey to where I rented it in SLC. This guy in a car was stopped on the side of the rode. I couldn't safely stop in time, so I did a U through the median and doubled back for him.

 

He had run out of gas, and I gave him a ride on the back of the Goldwing to the gas station. I don't think he'd ever been on a motorcycle before, and he was a little tense. Especially without any gear.

[Agent_Orange]

Especially with you scraping the floorboards, etc, on the way to the station.

[SANTA]

i lost a front tire too while crossing a bridge... , boy do they go down fast,

 

i was able to verify that accelerating (cracking the throttle wide open) does keep the rim from touching the road, but it just means you have to find more runoff room, and get ready for the tank slapped which follows as you slow down.

[wellcraft]

i've never run out of gas in my car, bike or boat because i always fill up at half a tank. i've been stranded on the side of the road plenty of times but never because of running out of gas. most people don't give a darn about you which is why most don't stop and then there are those that are afraid to stop. i can't really blame them either since we have so many psycho's on the loose these days.

 

i was with a friend once that ran out of gas and we thought we were in luck because there was a gas station a few blocks away. when we got there some punk bitch wouldn't let us buy gas because we didn't have an approved container. i explained to the guy we just ran out of gas but he just shrugged his shoulders. my friend who is short tempered wanted to take a brick, break the glass and snatch the little puck bitch out of his little cubical and give him a good ass kicking. i was able to talk my friend out of it because i wanted to get home not put in jail. we walked a few more blocks and found another station got gas and went on our way.

[hindsight]

Mickey has three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

 

Why? Cheaper to animate.

 

 

This is the best you can come up with? But I guess it will do.

[russell_bynum]

i've never run out of gas in my car, bike or boat because i always fill up at half a tank.

 

Have fun with that strategy if you ever come out west.

[wellcraft]

i've never run out of gas in my car, bike or boat because i always fill up at half a tank.

 

Have fun with that strategy if you ever come out west.

 

i'm anal when it comes to keeping gas in my vehicles so anal in fact i never let my truck get below 3/4 of a tank especially now that gas is back to 3 bucks a gallon. commiefornia is way to liberal for me so i don't anticipate every spending much time there. ride safe and keep your gas tanks full:)

[ghaverkamp]

commiefornia is way to liberal for me so i don't anticipate every spending much time there.

 

For wide expanses without gas, Utah is a better bet in the West.

 

The clear lesson from all of this is not to let Russell borrow your bike if he might get cold. Poor baby.

[David]

i've never run out of gas in my car, bike or boat because i always fill up at half a tank.

 

Have fun with that strategy if you ever come out west.

 

i'm anal when it comes to keeping gas in my vehicles so anal in fact i never let my truck get below 3/4 of a tank especially now that gas is back to 3 bucks a gallon. commiefornia is way to liberal for me so i don't anticipate every spending much time there. ride safe and keep your gas tanks full:)

 

So, how does the OCD thing mix with riding?

[90%angel]

The clear lesson from all of this is not to let Russell borrow your bike if he might get cold. Poor baby

 

Yeah, but even Knappy was cold this time, so it was COLD!

 

[Wooster]

Thank God for Harley riders...

 

Ain't it the truth !

 

My four gasless street bike events were rectified by Harleys (twice), a Goldwing and a Toyota. The last one was most funny as I ran out on the hiway between Las Cruces and Alamogordo NM at 7 am in August; with the stillness of new day and bright sun rising, it was beautiful but for the 8 am appointment awaiting me in Alamogordo. Irrationally, I began pushing the beemer with forty miles of white sand desert between me and the gas pump. What was I thinking !

 

Wooster with an appreciation for Harley riders

[Morse]

Broke down beside the road once on my K1100LT - tried everything to get it going, no joy. Left it out overnight and got it recovered next day by the dealer, who then spent a day going over it and testing it - nothing wrong at all.

I was too embarrassed to tell him that by then I'd figured out that I had hit the "kill" switch without noticing it ...