jbr7t Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Back story: Lots of storms lately so some week trees and branches. Today = Windy! So I'm on my way home from work around 7:45 / 8pm and it's dark. Got the high beams on and trying to not "overdrive" the lights. My route home is mostly back roads so pretty dark. I round a corner and there it is..a very LARGE tree branch in the middle of the road. My eyes fix on it..I can't shake it..I'm heading right for it. I thought for sure I was going down. Somehow my instinct took over and the next thing I know I dropped the throttle kicked down two gears and I'm leaning hard to the left to avoid the branch. I JUST miss it...oh did I mention 2 lane road, thank God no oncoming traffic. Target fixation is real people...overdriving your headlight is real. I hope my almost disaster can help someone learn a lesson without doing it the hardway. Link to comment
StuGotz Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Sometimes sh*t just happens. On my commute home a week ago, gettin' on the freeway, trying to work my way over to the diamond (read commute) lane..Out from under the car in front of me is a pushbroom. A LARGE pushbroom, you know, the contractor size... I've got no recourse and no where to go. I lean to hit it square on. Bam! I'm up in the air for a sec...I think maybe I've done a rim. I look in the mirror, all I see is two pieces spinning away. I pull over to have a look. All is good, no damage. Luck with me that day, for sure. Tough stuff out there, heads up riders. MB> Link to comment
ryan_a1982 Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Good Post!! Thanks for the heads up. 2 weeks ago I had the commute from HELL. A guy got out of his car in traffic and walked away causing a traffic jam (I was able to lane split past it), a contractors truck had bits and pieces flying out of the back (i had to pass him), an ambulance was in the middle lane of the highway attending to 2 munched cars, a lady cut me off while on her cell phone, the exit to my house was backed up to the highway due to road painting and I funneled 4 lanes to 1!. All this happened in 10 miles... In a car this really would have sucked. On a motorcycle it was more like a game, a quite dangerous game. We always need to have our attention focused. Oh, that was a horrible day at work too... -Ryan Link to comment
jbr7t Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 Yes. There is a lot of crazy stuff out there. I'll be honest I am a much more alert and defensive driver when on the bike vs. a 4wheel. There is so much available to distract us in a car/truck. Coffee, phone, passengers..etc etc. There are a lot of accidents but amazing we don't have more. With the fire department we see some crazy stuff. My district covers several major roads thru our county as well as a piece of interstate. It definitely makes me think and keeps it in my mind to always be on the lookout! Link to comment
Kathy R Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Yes. There is a lot of crazy stuff out there. I'll be honest I am a much more alert and defensive driver when on the bike vs. a 4wheel. There is so much available to distract us in a car/truck. Coffee, phone, passengers..etc etc. There are a lot of accidents but amazing we don't have more. With the fire department we see some crazy stuff. My district covers several major roads thru our county as well as a piece of interstate. It definitely makes me think and keeps it in my mind to always be on the lookout! Respectfully, I do not have more distractions while in the automobile. I don't allow it. But riding has far more *Whoops, this could hurt or kill me* moments than the *Whoops, this is going to give me a flat tire* we get while driving. Thank you for being out there helping people Link to comment
tallman Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Glad it worked out. Some reason using brakes wasn't an option? Slowing down, braking, downshifting, steering, can all be done at the same time in many situations. This test include R 1150 R w/wout ABS Link to comment
Danny caddyshack Noonan Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 When on the very dark road near my house I look for what is in the road as well as "holes". It's a bit of a roller coaster and if there are oncoming cars....well, I don't want to torch their retinas. A darker spot in the road where the road hasn't been illuminated yet is also an indicator of something there. Then there's the forest rats...... Link to comment
jbr7t Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 Yes. There is a lot of crazy stuff out there. I'll be honest I am a much more alert and defensive driver when on the bike vs. a 4wheel. There is so much available to distract us in a car/truck. Coffee, phone, passengers..etc etc. There are a lot of accidents but amazing we don't have more. With the fire department we see some crazy stuff. My district covers several major roads thru our county as well as a piece of interstate. It definitely makes me think and keeps it in my mind to always be on the lookout! Respectfully, I do not have more distractions while in the automobile. I don't allow it. But riding has far more *Whoops, this could hurt or kill me* moments than the *Whoops, this is going to give me a flat tire* we get while driving. Thank you for being out there helping people I agree Kathy..I was more making a general statement of drivers than me personally. I'm not the cell phone texting, note writing, newspaper reading type driver either. I just feel that on the bike I am more alert because of the "Whoops this could kill me" than with that big safe cage around me. But, even with the cage I would venture to say I am a more defensive driver than many out there. And Tim..yes I think I used the brakes too a little. It all happened quickly. Link to comment
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