Scariest Moment on a Bike

[V-Star 1300 Tourer]

Last friday 9/8/2006 about 4:45pm I was going to go to the local Wal-Mart to pick up a prescription. It's only about a mile and a half from my home so I debated if I shold wear my helmit or not, I rembered the words of my MSC instructor. Betty said, "ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMIT" sooo I put the helmit on and left. I got about half way there on a rural road, (speed limit 45) and I see a red van coming up behind me as I am approching an intersection, at 45mph, a red pick-up that is coming at me makes a left turn in front of me when I'm 75 feet from the intersection. I could see he was going to make it o.k as I just rolled of the gas and stayed in the middle of my lane. That was bad enough, but there was a car at that intersection that pulled out after he cleared her and turned left in front me onto my road from the right side as I approched. I got on both brakes hard and she heard the brakes squeal and her eyes got as big as saucers when she saw me right there. I remembered not to let off of the rear brake if it locks up, the front brake was grabbing hard as well and and I knew I had too swerve as well and as I began to make that menuver I felt the front wheel start to shimmy, I let off the front brake to regain control and then grabbed it hard again. I went arount the rear bumper within inches and slowed onto the shoulder then slowly rolled into the ditch, which was pretty flat, and I stopped. I didn't tip over or hit anything, "Thank you Jesus". The red van behind me pulled up along side and asked if I was o.k? I said I was and he said you did a great job in avoiding an accident. Neither of the other vehicles even stopped or slowed down. I want to publicly thank Betty Neinfelt from Mosinee, Wisconsin, my MSC instructor from Ride-Rite, for encouraging us to practice what we had learned in the classes so that when an emergency arises we can react instead of thinking about it. I have relived that moment that whole nite and several times since. I went back the next day to see what had taken place, from the start of the skid marks to the center of the intersection where the car pulled in front of me was 38 feet the skid marks were 18 feet to where the shimmy started and I let off the front brake to swerve.
Thanks for listening, take the MSC regardless of your experience, and ride safe. Drive as though EVERY other vehicle out there is about to run you over.

Regards,

[whip]

Well I would have to say that today I had a extreme pucker factor moment...

While breaking for a sharp corner my back tire decided it wanted to give me a little shake and it went side to side about 3 times and the corner was right there! This was the closest I have come to eating a guard rail ever! I guess it was just a touch too much on the back brake but man that guard rail was coming up fast and when I finally got it under control I was about 3 feet from the rail still doing about 30MPH and was able to make the turn.

On a side note the guy I was following stopped a little ways down the road and when I stopped to talk to him and wait for the others that were in our group I had a walking stick decide to take a trip up my pants!!!

Needless to say by the time the others got there my buddy was about to fall off his bike from laughing at me doing the bug dance on the side of the road and when the others got there they thought is was quite amusing also...

[ofblong]

I didnt read this whole thread but for me the scariest moment is well everytime I see a deer on the side of the road. never know what the buggers are gonna do. Usually I shift down towards first and let go of the clutch. amazing what a loud noise that makes when you use the engine to slow you down from 45-50 down to first gear speeds . makes em run the other direction every time so far.

[badfish89]

scariest moment... probably when the 18 wheeler decided to change lanes as I was passing it.

whenever i pass a 18 wheeler. I f'in punch that. I get past real quick.

[Candy750]

This is mild - but it stayed with me:

Memorial day weekend, Sunday, I left a party at about 5am, went home, and got up at about 8am - when a friend called to ask if I got home ok... So I go to go back to the party site to have more food, and at their corner, I get distracted by a copper decoaration on the roof of a decorative building at the entrance of the brand new development (yes, like a cat, I was distracted by something shiny).

So, I downshift into what I think is 2nd, and lean hard into a right turn. It turns out that it was really 3rd, and I didn't have the rpms. She comes to a dead stop, and I drop onto the road. (I had about 200 miles on my new Aero - the vlx only had 4 gears...)

No one was behind me, and I scuffed my pipe, twisted my mirror. But my brake cable was entangled, and I couldn't go. I got it up off the ground (thank you, lady) and onto the side of the road. A man stops, and says he can take me up the road. I was only going about 25 yeards up the road.

The scariest thing - I got in this stranger's car!!!!