Scary "moments" on a motorcycle What was your last one?

[geodude]

I'm not allowed to take Ethan on the storm. He prefers having a top box behind him anyway. Probably the reason he fell asleep in the first place. lol

You will have to battle with yourself on whether to take them or not. It's not an easy decision. I am sure the wife would have put her foot down and said no if it wasn't for the further training I have done.

One thing cheekykev said to me though that really helped is to just ride normally. It makes it more difficult/stressful if you try and change the way you ride. Thanks Kev

[gumbie man]

I regularly take my stepson who is 13 on the back of the bike and the trick is to be ultra smooth and slow your speed down abit.Considering he was quite nervous about bikes he loves it that much now he thinks i am taking him to the TT next year, Dont think so.

[flak monkey]

Had the back end of the XJ550 out coming off a roundabout when I had Sarah on the back as pillion. Diesel patch. Managed to rescue it, bit of speedway and a scrape on the boots.

[geodude]

Had the back end of the XJ550 out coming off a roundabout when I had Sarah on the back as pillion. Diesel patch. Managed to rescue it, bit of speedway and a scrape on the boots.

Oh yeah, that reminds me of one

http://ukbiker.info/?p=97 although I enjoyed it so wasn't really that scary!! lol

[Beamish]

Couple of weeks ago passing an oncoming line of traffic when a Lotus Elise decides to overtake them I was ready for some reason (no idea why) so stuck it in the dirt next to the hedge and passed him with a 100mph closing speed All I can say is no matter what training you have had, if a Richard does that then you are really dancing with the devil . he could have taken avoiding action to his right then I would have been dead, good job he was a blind bast and didnt see me until I was level with his fricking indicator . Anyhoo live to fight another day

[Miztaziggy]

Couple of weeks ago passing an oncoming line of traffic when a Lotus Elise decides to overtake them I was ready for some reason (no idea why) so stuck it in the dirt next to the hedge and passed him with a 100mph closing speed All I can say is no matter what training you have had, if a Richard does that then you are really dancing with the devil . he could have taken avoiding action to his right then I would have been dead, good job he was a blind bast and didnt see me until I was level with his fricking indicator . Anyhoo live to fight another day

I would have turned round, gone after him and ripped the b8stard's head off

[gilson]

Not actually me, but my mates bike.

In the pits at Snetterton, a mates son (15 years old) was chatting and looking at our bikes. He decided to squeeze my mates R6 brake lever, as you do. It just snapped off.....

Many know that Snetterton has one of the longest straights allowing maximum speeds to be reached, then braking heavily for a quick left, right. There is a run off, but just imagine....who would have the presence of mind to react after seeing the brake lever actually snap off....

The blood drained from my mates face and he took some convincing to "get back on the horse"...

[tony.mon]

Rode straight into the grey matt rear of a road sign that someone had left facing the wrong way in the road.
Hell of a bang, caught it and carried on, but could have been awkward.

Oh, and there was the time that the over-long throttle cable on a Triumph tt100 caught on a width restriction bollard and pulled wide open.

And riding someone else's storm recently when a kid's football bounced straight under the front wheel. Luckily it just burst, instead of launching me.....

I made up a brand new swear word that time.

[BIGANDYREDVTR]

Was giving my old cbr1000f some teddy through some lovely long bends near Fakenham, Norfolk many years ago, as I was swooping through a long left then right at the wrong side of a ton a bin bag wrapped itself around my brain bucket rendering me completely sightless!! needless to say said bag was swiftly removed and brakes applied!! my heart took the time it takes to chain smoke 2 bensons to return to normal !

[Spoonbender]

Was commuting in London several days ago. Just south of Hammersmith, doing 35ish, riding in the middle of the lane, a very slight bend to the left, bus standing at the bus stop in it's own bus lane, going pass it, and about 15 meters in front a car is pulling out from the left and turning right, just in front of me. Since he (or she?) was already almost full length out on the middle of the road and is still moving slowly, I decide to try and slip through the left. So, with the car in front, I'm on all brakes, but I feel there's not enough distance to brake successfuly. It probably was a coincidense I blocked the rear wheel, an I felt the back of the bike starting to drift to the right -- I semi-conciously unblock it, and as you know the moment you unlock it the rear traction is back and it pushes the rear to the opposite direction (and you might end up doing a highside). At precisely that moment I was already kind of heading for the space behind the rear of the car a bit sidewise with my back sliding, and that exact momentum gave the bike enough energy to complete the maneouver successfuly.

I go pass the estate's backside with literally an inch from my right mirror and handlebar.

THAT was scary.

Now when I think about that -- I wish I had a helmet cam then

[jmpower1974]

Man Ive had hundreds of moments...but the ones that will live in the memory are as follows:

1. The Bush Chicken: Putty Road - NSW, Australia... hard left hand bend, banked over just off the knee... bloody bush chicken - roughly equivalent to a pheasant over here... right in the middle of the road - no choice -nailed it. Fortunately all it did was hit the headlight and crack it on the SP1. My mates behind me were picking wombles feathers out of their radiators for 15 minutes afterwards... hooray for side mounted coolers I say... still it was scarey.

2. The b8stard cyclists: The Old Road, north of Syd Aust: Well known motorcycle haunt.. right hand bend came in with speed, bloody 20 cyclists in both wheel tracks no chance of slowing without coming off and skittling them... brief oh my god moment then it was more like a ..wombles them thought... split right down the middle, helmet banging off calves and thighs.... frightening. VTR1000 then

3. City wheelstand: ZZR1200, Melbourne Australia: CBD. Being an ass I kick off a throttle wheelie after crossing the intersection on goulbourn street... just got it half way up and went over a slippery man hole... rear wheel slipped... nose slammed down.. tank slapper... that will learn me.

4. The phantom tank slapper: Friends ZX6R. Putty Rd NSW, Aus: Straight stretch of road, about 140kmph on the dial... sit up for a moment to rest, take hand off right bar... b8stard machine goes into a tank slapper, cant figure out why... its really brutal, being a 600 I have no chance of powering out of it at that speed, had to hang on for life and was thinking my god should I just jump off this wombles thing? Decided no I will try and ride it out.. got down to about 60 and it resolved itself.... sphincter puckering then... here mate have your wombles sh1t bike back lol

5. The Commodore: This one nailed me on the putty road - near fatal. Banked over to the left old boy chops the line coming the opposite direction... knee down on full throttle was the response... SP1... it tucked in and then everything went all sideways... both wheels sliding towards the car... decision do I bale and kick away or ride it through, decided I aint giving up yet and focussed on not looking at the car... didnt help, slammed into it head on.. extra height by staying on the bike saved my life, went over the windscreen, thumb nearly hanging off, ankle shattered, helmet visor broken open.. woke up on with my head on the centreline car about 20 metres past me, radiator busted... SP1 about 10 metres further back coolant pissing out with the remains of the headlight flickering as it died. Managed to leopard crawl my ass into the nearside gutter to get off the road.... not nice... 3 hours until recovered and taken to hospital. Police on scene, found oil patch obscured by tree shadows with clear line showing slide point into the car... lucky to be alive

6. About to happen: I pick up my VTR from bedford on sunday. I havent been on two wheels since 2007, war zone consulting and just circumstances... and Ive never ridden in the UK... so Im going to having little palpitations the minute I get a leg over on a new (for me bike)... will be taking it easy for a while I think.

There are many many more, quite frankly Im surprised Im still alive... but determined to calm it down a lot these days.

[Sonkut]

A real brown pants moment to remember: Way back when, must be 8 years ago now, back in college when I was riding my DT125. I left the college gate, headed up the road, saw that the traffic was all heading on, no indication of anything sinister. Saw my college buddies on the bus stop (plus hot girl I had a thing for), I waved then looked ahead and noticed the car in front had stopped at the bus stop without indicating. I hammer the breaks and realise there is in no way enough time to stop before this white piece of crap blocking the road gets a motorcycle enema. The right hand side of the road has an oncoming bus and my back wheel is locked and sliding out to the right, so I aim for the left between the car and the bus stop which has about 1 and a half foot of pavement for me to use. Just before I go down this small space I let off the back break and the back wheel moves nicely into line and I pass through at about 15-20mph without clipping anything, so glad the passenger wasn’t getting out.

Thank god

Turned out the following day it was one of the gits from my class, he saw everyone and stopped suddenly to say hi. He was rather apologetic, but I was told it looked like an impressive manoeuvre I pulled off. The colour of my pants is in no way made up for by respect for style or achievement.

Another really scary one: Couple of years later, heading home from work on my old vfr400, the duel carriage way has a turn off which splits into 2 roads going 2 directions, one going into one of the higher population areas of the city one going directly out into the countryside. Because of this the left hand lane is always rammed with traffic at rush hour for people going home, but those heading out into the country towards the coast etc tend to stick to the middle lane and turn off at the last moment to avoid the queue. This worked fine as there was two lanes but always made me nervous because people (especially car drivers) are a liability and tend to do stupid stuff when suck in traffic. Also the right hand lane also veers off in the same direction all the traffic is going but this tends to be avoided as it puts you into all the wrong lanes if your heading that way.

So I’m coming off this duel cartridge way at about 40-45mph, head up the right hand side of the slip road next to the stationary traffic, grass verge on the right hand side of me, stationary traffic left. At that point directly in front of me one of the cars in the stationary traffic indicates and pulls out into my lane in one swift movement. I’ve got about 30ft to stop….. holy poop demon…. Hammer on all breaks, back wheel slides to the left, I aim for the 1ft of space between him and the grass verge, let off the back break, back wheel straightens up behind me and I’m wobbling on the dodgy tarmac on the side of the road between the verge(with steep pavement edging) and the car. I’m screaming obscenities, too panicked to beep my horn and I didn’t want to startle the driver who still hadn’t noticed me directly on his shoulder, he pulls off to the left into town, I go to the right, pull up and sit on the grass. Quietly let my asshole recede from my throat.

There are a couple of other occasions I could actually refer to as funny. One in which I was doing a u turn on my vfr on a surface with loose chippings, the front wheel went and the bike got so close to the ground I actually put my foot down on the ground. I was going slow enough I could have just stood there looking at it after it hit the ground. At that point when my foot hit the floor, the front wheel gripped and I picked the bike back up, stopped, took a deep breath and went on my way.

Hope it was a good read
Can't wait to get the Firestorm street fighter going!

[tinysmall]

I think mine was 23 years ago, when I came to in the road after a head on and my right foot was in my left armpit.

Nice.

[studley42]

Ive had afew scary moments, the last one i had was on my GSXR1000K6 i was doing a wheelie not on public roads! with my mate Paul riding along side me i short shifted into 2nd gear at 60mph and up she come i feathered the throttle until about 80mph then hooked 3rd while still on the rear wheel and pinned it, it was at the balance point but all of a sudden the road dipped and over it went, luckily i was covering the back brake and i got it back, as the front wheel hit the deck it went lock to lock at about 110mph, it sorted itself out and then i pulled over and felt abit ill!!!! Paul said it had gone well over the balance point from where he was looking, no sh1t Sherlock!!!! so i traded it in the very same afternoon for a new Honda CB1300.

The time before that i was on my Buell 1200 Firebolt and while crank over on a fast left i must have hit some diesel as it spun up and went sideways putting full right lock on and my feet came off the pegs and my right foot was hook under the subframe to stop me falling off, it sorted itself out through no talent from me.

I also had a pratt in a Ford Cortina with no insurance and licence wipe me out in July 3rd 1986 when i was just 17, that was bad i broke both my legs, my dad came home early from Lybia where he worked 4wks on 4wks off rota, he give me a good hiding for scaring him and my mum! anyway 2wks later i was given another brand new RD125LC on the insurance, one night i was on a promise and i lived 3mile from town so i started the RD up with my hand, held in the clutch with my left hand and engaged 2nd gear with my right hand and rode the 3 miles into town at 20mph, to cut a long story short Amanda and me had the best 30 seconds of our lives LOL and i rode home only to find my dad waiting for me, OH DEAR well another good hiding later i went to bed. So dad if you read this it was worth the good hiding!

[geodude]

Awesome responses people. Nice one