Almost hit by a car on Sunday

[DobroDog]

Was riding down a narrow, wet, twisty road on Sunday, taking a sweeping curve to the left when a car pulled out from a drive way on my left into my lane. Braking was not an option.

Grabbed all the throttle the Tiger had to offer and shot the ever decreasing gap between his front quarter panel and the shoulder.

This is my first near miss...

The sensible thing to would have been to park the bike at the first gas station I came to with a for sale sign on it and walk home. Rode to work the past two days with out giving it much thought. I am buying body armor and a bright Orange Vest/Jacket to go with my Green Tiger.

Part of me thinks I must be crazy for shrugging this off. I would be interested in hearing how others felt after their first close call or accident.

DobroDog

[Stretch]

I would be interested in hearing how others felt after their first close call or accident.

I was bumped in a parking lot last summer when a college student:   A) Failed to stop for a stop sign,  B) Failed to see me riding in my lane (no stop sign), and  C)  Failed to hear my horn as I jammed the brakes and swerved to the side of the driveway.

As the car came within a couple feet of me (still not seeing me), I kicked in the fender to get the guy's attention, and his bumper hit my bike in the left Jesse box before he stopped.  I didn't go down, but there was a zig-zag in my skidmarks where he knocked me sideways.

Words were exchanged and somebody got their feelings hurt.  It wasn't me.


It didn't stop me from riding, but I sure did pay closer attention to my surroundings.  I also now run an air horn and fluorescent yellow vest.

[HockleyBoy]

Have had a couple of near misses and one off on a diesel patch, each time something happens it makes you ask the question should I carry on riding?

Personally I love biking far too much to give it up so I do what I can to reduce the risks. I wear ATGATT, keep my bike in good order and (like Stretch) wear a flourecent jacket, have fitted a loud air horn and I try to be alert and expect the worst from other road users when I ride.

I know none of this will make me totally safe but riding makes me happy so to me its worth the risk.

[DobroDog]

It didn't stop me from riding, but I sure did pay closer attention to my surroundings.  I also now run an air horn and fluorescent yellow vest.

Thanks for reminding me about the air horn Stretch; the stock horn is anemic at best. I remember seeing a discussion about that modification around here.

DobroDog

[DobroDog]

Personally I love biking far too much to give it up so I do what I can to reduce the risks. I wear ATGATT, keep my bike in good order and (like Stretch) wear a flourecent jacket, have fitted a loud air horn and I try to be alert and expect the worst from other road users when I ride.

I know none of this will make me totally safe but riding makes me happy so to me its worth the risk.

Thanks HockleyBoy,

I had to look up ATGATT - All The Gear Al The Time - thought it was going to be the latest and greatest protective gear...good advice like this is better.

The leather gear I have is great protection if I go down, but being all Black it doesn't make me more visable. Need something that screams I'm right here you Idiot"

I won't be buying black riding gear in the future. Leave that  stuff for the Harley riders.

[DaJudge]

Riding around a town with a population of a bit over 100,000 with all of the inattentive/bad/rude drivers, accident avoidance is pretty regular thing.  I've ended up:
 
1) Wearing ATGATT (Olympia Airglide mesh/armored top and bottom in silver (my robot suit) - cause it's warm/hot here much of the year, modular helmet, Sidi air boots, gloves)

2) Swapping out that pathetic little stock horn for a pair of Stebel Magnums (I get to use these a lot)

I went down a couple of times in my younger days, once due to a fresh diesel spill that covered the whole road, the second a low sider when a car pull in front of me (he then left the scene) without any significant injury.  But, even minor road rash hurts and many road surfaces are now more rough/abrasive here (large chipseal, etc) than they once were.  Now it's skin graft city if you go down unprotected.

I may get some funny looks from the Harley/cruiser riders around here in their short sleeves and no helmets, :roll: but that's OK.

[EvilBetty]

I had a bad day Monday.  The morning was actually fine, except for realizing I still don't have a proper windshield solution worked out, and my fuel lines are still leaking :(

On the way home, at the first two intersections, I had pedestrians try to walk out in front of me on "DON'T WALK" lights as I was checking for traffic coming the other direction, all before I could even get 100 feet from the building.  I had 3 cars on the way home decide to switch lanes with about a foot between my front tire and their rear bumper, then lay on the brakes because they didn't leave themselves enough room for the braking car in front of them.

Then, something which I never do... as I'm approaching my exit, I look down at the clock too long, and when I look up there is a parking lot of stopped cars barreling toward me.  Blindly I squeeze the front brake and swerve left. Thankfully there were no cars to my left, and I didn't over use the front break, but I hit it fast enough that the front of the bike wobbled for a second.  It scared the crap out of me and I was embarrassed enough that I didn't return to my lane, missing my exit and having to drive 18 miles more to come back around to my exit.

The whole way home I was wondering what would have happened if I had looked down just a half a second more.  I always wear a fully padded jacket, gloves, helmet, and some high tops, but I have yet to buy real riding boots or some armored pants.  As I was riding home I noticed I was tensing up and grimacing every time I took even the slightest curve, thinking about my legs sliding and beating against the asphalt in a slide out.

I know what I want, some Alpinestars Ridge boots and some FirstGear HT 2.0's, and 2.0 Air's, but that's about $400 in gear, and I still need $600 in plastics to repair the bike from my first low speed fall which resulted in my first road rash incident. :(  I've been waiting on deals from eBay for all of it but they just have not come.  Maybe it's time to pony up for personal security's sake.

When I finally got home I was filled with thoughts of putting the bike on craigslist...  Instead I rode it to work the next day, and had a much better day on the road... a little more cautious, but also a little more relaxed.

[haulin' daze]

I ride from the 'burbs into Boston about 25 miles each way for work when it isn't raining. Two major highways full of idiotic Masshole drivers texting, eating, drinking coffee, reading the paper, and putting on makeup while attempting to get to their very important jobs. I almost eat the road just about every single day, sometimes more than once.

One section nearly gets me killed every day. 5 lanes split; 2 to the airport, 3 towards a tunnel into the city. I go to the airport and stay to the right. Just like clockwork, some chowderhead is in the lane on my right and decides, at the last possible second, to go from the lane she's in to the lane on my left as if the one I'm riding in is not there. At this point there are barriers coming up to seperate where they split. I now have 4 options:
1. Twist and pray

2. Grab a handful and pray.

3. Move left and prepare to eat the oncoming cement at arount 50-60 mph

4. Allow said chowderhead to put me out of my misery.

Options 1 and 2 seem to be working because you are reading this. I wish I were exagerating when I say that this happens nearly every day. And that's just 1 bad part ofthe trip.

Having said all that, I believe riding in all that shit makes me a better rider and unlike my other coworkers, I have a big shit-eatin' grin when I get to work. I get off on adrenaline dumps. 8)

[Mustang]

Boston traffic sucks big time the road to Logan is really bad .

I was once told that if Boston drivers don't make eye contact with you , you don't exist !  

[Stretch]

I've had people make eye contact and pull out in front of me anyhow.

I guess it was intentional.   :roll:

[DobroDog]

Swapping out that pathetic little stock horn for a pair of Stebel Magnums (I get to use these a lot)

One more vote for installing a better horn...

[EvilBetty]

Yeah I've got 27 mile drive each way as well.  The worst right now has got to be the lane closures on 71Hwy that have the other drivers acting greedy and impatient.  I have to keep to the far left of my late so the a-holes coming in at mach 5 trying to cut in at the last second see me and not a space between vehicles.

[haulin' daze]

Gotta get me a good horn. I think they hear me fart before they hear my horn.  

[EvilBetty]

I wonder if FirstGear makes a variation of these?

[TigerTrax]

Let me make a suggestion...
On nice dry day.... find a big empty parking lot.

Take a couple of tennis balls cut in half and set them 5 ft apart as an imaginary line.

Back off about 20-30 yds; Start from a dead stop and hit that 'line' at 25 mph.... apply both brakes to stop in as short a distance as possible. Make note of how far you went and how STRAIGHT you maintained. Do it a few more times... see if you are improving.

Repeat this at 35 mph, 45 mph, 60 mph, 70 mph.

Learn the bikes characterisitics and repeat each speed several times.

Many riders have NEVER had to hit the brakes hard at higher speed.

PS: USE BOTH BRAKES....