Topic: I'm ok, Kate's ok, but a cage got bent

[Cuts Crooked]

Was rolling east on 92 from Indianola, Iowa this afternoon when a cage came too #%^*ing close to taking me out!

Had been on the road for over two hours after a day at work and then doing some barn snooping fer another bike. Light traffic on a two lane and had been doing about 60 for maybe 30 minutes. Hip was complaining and when I spotted a patch of shade beside the highway I decided to take a break and stretch. Oncoming traffic and one behind me a good ways back , so I flipped the turn signal and eased on the brakes. I was splitting my attention between the road, the oncoming stuff, and the rear view mirrors. Thought to myself, that guy is coming up pretty fast but surely he sees the signal and brake lights.........................NOPE!!! I realize he isn't paying attention and I hammer the throttle HARD!!!! Just in time too. He apparently got a sudden clue and crammed on his brakes in a big way. I loose sight of him and am trying to make distance in a big way. Next look back and he's not there at all........ I get off the road and stop....look back...the cage is in the ditch. Got turned around and went back. Cage, a 2000 Monte,  has a pretty well crumpled front end and fenders from hitting the soft stuff in the ditch but the driver is ok. Skid marks show where he locked em up and then lost control, sliding off the road, and then down the ditch.

He gets out and tells me, "I swear to God, I didn't see you, you were suddenly...just there!" He's got the shakes too, and the adrenal glands are obviously working overtime for him.

Yeah...I'm "just there" all of a sudden! This guy has been in my wake for 30 minutes and never noticed me. Then I saw the cell phone on the floor of his cage. I think I know where his head was stuck. He sees me looking at it and picks it up, calls someone, says, "sorry I had a problem"....starts talking saying something about getting a tow.

I walked away got back on Kate and made some more miles, working off my own adrenalin dump! Funny though, my hip didn't hurt for a while after that. Probably should have told him to call for a trooper, but I don't think I had enough control to wait without coming unglued on him.

Be careful out there gang because we are all too often "suddenly...just there" where cage drivers are concerned. And I don' wanna loose any of you to some cage driver with his head stuck up his...........phone!

[boatsdickson]

Glad yur alrite man, coulda been muuuuch worse, all riders know that. Take that as yur 1 freebie. Its too difficult to compensate for others stupidity and absentmindedness sumtimes - boats

[madmtnmotors]

Way to use all the tools at your disposal! My mirrors also get a lot of use since I try to keep a running inventory of all the "cages" in my vicinity.

Your just as dead, whether your dead right or dead wrong...

[74cb750]

Glad you are ok. Unbelievable , but we always have to be aware of even the guys behind us.

[70CB750]

Glad you OK!

[Cuts Crooked]

Take that as yur 1 freebie. Its too difficult to compensate for others stupidity and absentmindedness sumtimes - boats

Boat, that wuzzn't a freebie! That wuz hard earned experience! Driving the freeways around Des Moines, you will either gain experience....or you won't last! We call I-235 the Meat Grinder around here

The last "close encounter" I had wuz a cage that pulled into the passing lane on I-80, started around me, then cut back in before it was past me.......driver had his hand up to the side of his head holding a phone like his life depended on yacking!

[Duke McDukiedook]

A boot to the door helps wake comatose drivers from cutting you off pretty quickly.
I raised my right leg to deliver a boot to a driver's side door when some phone yakker tried to cut me off in the fast lane not too long ago. She saw the boot and leg and made the appropriate corrections luckily in time.

[singedebile]

Way to use all the tools at your disposal! My mirrors also get a lot of use since I try to keep a running inventory of all the "cages" in my vicinity.

Your just as dead, whether your dead right or dead wrong...

my thoughts as well,

[dave500]

scarey stuff and always sudden,360 degree vision is a must,every car driver IS on their phone,every load on a pickup IS unsecure,the car next to you shouldnt be there,it WILLNOT see you,  car drivers are NOT concentrating at all these days,you did well to anticipate and reacted accordingly.

[Retro Rocket]

A boot to the door helps wake comatose drivers from cutting you off pretty quickly.
I raised my right leg to deliver a boot to a driver's side door when some phone yakker tried to cut me off in the fast lane not too long ago. She saw the boot and leg and made the appropriate corrections luckily in time.

I was on the back of a mates boldor 900 in Sydney around 25 years ago when we were cut off by a friggin Taxi, you know, he was bigger so he just cut us clean off. Glen took his side mirror off with his foot and we continued on our way. At a set of traffic lights a little further down the road i had a sudden urge to ook over my right shoulder and to my dismay there was a 300 pound Maori taxi driver running between cars with a hammer in his hand....    We ran a red light and didn't hang around to see what his intentions were.......

[dave500]

yeah,make sure you dont bite off more than you can chew either,more scarey stuff.

[tramp]

i look at it this way
i'm a fly
cars are fly swatters

[Don R]

I watched a young lady change lanes in front of me recently, I sensed trouble and backed off and at the last second, she checked her mirrors and swerved back into her lane.