Lessons learned

[Montymouse]

I learned three valuable lessons in the last 24 hours.

First one, not really a big deal, is what my S40 does when it's running out of gas, thank goodness for the reserve.

Second, a strong gust of wind from the side, while going 55 is a little nerve racking but nothing that I couldn't handle, and as they kept coming this morning I realized that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

First before I list the third lesson learned, I should probably give you all a little information of the area. To get to work I travel a 4 lane highway, two lanes going one way and two going the other with a rather large grass median between them. I approach the highway from the north and must turn and travel east to get to work so I have to cross the first two lanes to get to the east bound lanes. At my intersection there is a turn lane for east bound traffic to turn north onto the road I'm on, and one for the west bound traffic to turn north. There is no south side to my street past this intersection, and finally I have a stop sign no one else does. The only real way to get across is to wait for west bound traffic to open as well as the east bound traffic. I will sometimes have to sit in the middle of the of what would be the median if there weren't turn lanes, for a few seconds while I wait for my east bound opening. So now for the third lesson, hopefully I haven't bored you all to tears with this explanation.

Third and most important, Never, ever, ever trust a person in a car. I'm at the stop sign and I spot my openings. I cross westbound, and am waiting for a truck to go past east bound. This truck then turns on it's turn signal to turn north where I'm sitting, it merges into the turn lane so I go thinking all is well. This idiot decides that he doesn't want to turn and full speed yanks his truck back into the east bound lanes right behind me, with out showing signs of slowing down. I guess I can also say I learned one more lesson but it's one I hope I don't have to use much, and that is my bike can get me moving and over into the other lane pretty darn quick. As soon as I seen him swerve back into my lane I got on the throttle and moved over, He did pass me but by that time I was already up to speed. Not sure how long it took me to get to 55 but it wasn't to long at all.

I was more then peeved at this guy but kept my cool and went to work. Once I got off my Motorcycle at work I had to take a deep breath and relax. I want to say thank you to everyone on this thread. By reading your posts and safety advice I knew to always stay aware of what the other cars are doing and be prepared to get out of the situation if one arrises. Would I have been as responsive this morning without knowing about TMW? Maybe, who knows, but I do know about you all and I'm glad I have read your post. Thanks again TMW

[Shorts]

Glad you got out of it all alright. Keep looking out for #1 when you ride.

[Flipper]

Montymouse,

Good job in keeping your cool and taking care of business.

I believe that it's all the close calls and OMG moments that make us better riders.
I'm glad you kept your wits about you and that the motorcycle gods were in a favorable mood.

Flipper

[Montymouse]

Thanks Shorts and Flipper.

The weird thing is, I can't figure out what he was doing. I've been thinking about it all morning and don't have a clue. I thought maybe he wanted to get to the next east/west bound road north then continue on, but decided not to take 66th (road I was coming from) but he passed several other north/south roads without turning. The only other thing I can think of is he was probably on auto pilot, and he normally turns down 66th on his day to day routine, then realized he needed to continue down the highway.

Oh well, who knows, I'm here, I believe I did everything right and I will take this as a learning experience and it will help me remember not to get so accustomed to my surroundings that I don't pay them as much attention.

[KarateChick]

Yup, learning experience and hopefully other ones will not be so hair-raising. (Who knows what the heck some drivers are doing...?) Stay aware and keep your head up and eyes peeled. Keep safe out there and I hope you continue to enjoy your riding.