Author Topic: getting the crap scared out of me tonight (Read 1740 times)

jamesb · « **on:** May 17, 2012, 06:30:55 PM »

i went for a ride tonight on my 74 cb550. my Friend had his bike downtown for the nhra event that is going on this weekend here. on my way home I'm sitting a red light in the passing lane when all of a sudden i here brakes locking up i look in my mirrors as I'm trying to get over to the center of the lane as possible i see a ford ranger swerving and smacked the car that was sitting next to me. i was just a few feet from getting creamed. i almost laid my bike on it's side i was shaking so bad. if i would have got hit that would have been the end of my motorcycle days. my wife would have made sure of that.sometimes you just don't realize how lucky you are.

brooze72 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 17, 2012, 06:37:39 PM »

Yea, that'll get the heart pumping pretty hard. Very glad you were watching those mirrors! Maybe the Ford driver is a bit of a hero (as well as totally stupid) & hopefully chose to hit the car instead of you! Be safe.....always.

Stev-o · « **Reply #2 on:** May 17, 2012, 06:53:53 PM »

Hope you didn't tell her! Two cars nearly pulled out in front of me last weekend, they didn't see me til the last second. I def did not mention this to the wifey.

brooze72 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 17, 2012, 06:57:38 PM »

Oh for sure some things are better left unsaid...to SWMBO

754 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 17, 2012, 07:02:44 PM »

That is good for you,,..you dodged the bullet.. all part of learning.. way easier to deal with than the violent crunch and impact..
I was not so lucky once, when stopped for an accident recovery in a crappy place,I moved over to minimize a possible impact and we got smoked by a car doing 45mph..we werein a car.. cop told me I did everything right,and we avoided having a 90 hpMERCcruiser coming thru the windshield..

Keep an eye behind at a light .....more harm will/can come from there than the front..I look behind a lot since that..

jamesb · « **Reply #5 on:** May 17, 2012, 08:40:35 PM »

sitting at intersections have always been my biggest fear when on my bike and what happened tonight didn't help matters at all.my son started riding his honda tonight and i'm worried sick. one thing that makes him a better rider than me is he wears a helmet.it's been 3 1/2 hours and now and i'm still shaken up.the bad thing is it's NHRA drag race weekend here in topeka. and everyone that has a car thinks their john force. plus i live out by the drag strip.

J.Roz · « **Reply #6 on:** May 17, 2012, 09:50:56 PM »

Damn man, glad you're still here kicking around with the rest of us.

Duke McDukiedook · « **Reply #7 on:** May 17, 2012, 09:59:10 PM »

Good to hear ya didn't get creamed, that's why it is good to have the bike in first if you can at stops.

verslagen1 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 17, 2012, 10:31:53 PM »

when in traffic, always stop splitting lanes.
it may not save you from being hit, but not sandwiched.
and you'll be in line to escape if you're alert.

dave500 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 17, 2012, 11:11:25 PM »

yeah checking the rear view is a must if theres no other car stopped directly behind you,it dosent hurt to pump your brake to flash the stop light if your the only one in that lane with cars still aproaching from behind.

faux fiddy · « **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2012, 01:52:59 AM »

Quote from: verslagen1 on May 17, 2012, 10:31:53 PM

when in traffic, always stop splitting lanes.
it may not save you from being hit, but not sandwiched.
and you'll be in line to escape if you're alert.

I hear bikes have a better chance of tripping the traffic sensor if it stops l=close to the edge of the sensor.

I think our state has legalized left turn on the red in the laft lane because bikes get stuck in the land when it doesn't trip it.

switchum · « **Reply #11 on:** May 18, 2012, 05:10:06 AM »

Speaking of the fear of sitting at intersections...

Car Crashes Into 3 Motorcyclists

jamesb · « **Reply #12 on:** May 18, 2012, 05:19:45 AM »

our local A B A T E organization has been trying to pass a dead red law here I've read where it is supposed to take effect in July. it will let motorcycles proceed on any red light under certain circumstances but I'm sure people will violate the ordinance.there are at least 15 lights here in town that are not motorcycle friendly which i try to avoid like the plague.one of them is by my office and i have set through 5 light changes.some of the police officers are sympathetic about it if they see you have been sitting they will hit their lights and let you go. and after last night i will not sit at a intersection in neutral anymore i've always checked my mirrors if nobodys behind me for fear of getting rear ended.

754 · « **Reply #13 on:** May 18, 2012, 07:41:35 AM »

After sitting thru more than one, you can jump off and hit the pedestrian cross button..
I usually just count a minute, then go, tell them your bike NEVER trips the lights.. if they ticket you fight it..

Sjohnsone · « **Reply #14 on:** May 18, 2012, 01:05:07 PM »

Quote from: verslagen1 on May 17, 2012, 10:31:53 PM

when in traffic, always stop splitting lanes.
it may not save you from being hit, but not sandwiched.
and you'll be in line to escape if you're alert.

Are you saying come to a stop between lanes, or just "don't split lanes at all"?

Not trying to be sarcastic - just curious.

ChuckG750f1 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 18, 2012, 04:01:02 PM »

Quote from: jamesb on May 17, 2012, 06:30:55 PM

i went for a ride tonight on my 74 cb550. my Friend had his bike downtown for the nhra event that is going on this weekend here. on my way home I'm sitting a red light in the passing lane when all of a sudden i here brakes locking up i look in my mirrors as I'm trying to get over to the center of the lane as possible i see a ford ranger swerving and smacked the car that was sitting next to me. i was just a few feet from getting creamed. i almost laid my bike on it's side i was shaking so bad. if i would have got hit that would have been the end of my motorcycle days. my wife would have made sure of that.sometimes you just don't realize how lucky you are.

James- Glad you didn't get nailed. I have been riding for 40 years and things are much worse now than ever before. Even though there are far more bikes on the road, people are more oblivious and less skilled than when I started riding. A cell phone is a piss poor reason for killing someone!

As for traffic light sensors, they sense the change in a magnetic field caused by the steel of the vehicle. Our bikes don't provide enough disturbance to the magnetic field to change the light. The edges of the sensor are going to "see" the bike better than the center.

I put a strong magnet on the bottom of my bike. I try to position the area of the magnet close to the border of the sensor in the pavement and then rock the bike back and forth a little. It works because I had some lights that I could never trigger and now get through almost always.

-Chuck

74cb750 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 19, 2012, 12:08:30 PM »

Your predicament is one of the reasons I have reflector tape on my sissy bar, helmet and jacket
Be sage out there.

jamesb · « **Reply #17 on:** May 19, 2012, 01:04:11 PM »

yep thats why i always wear a bright shirt i'm looking into the flashing red tail stop light now.same goes for the headlight i've been kicking around the thought of getting one of those also.

verslagen1 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 19, 2012, 05:11:41 PM »

Quote from: Sjohnsone on May 18, 2012, 01:05:07 PM

Quote from: verslagen1 on May 17, 2012, 10:31:53 PM
when in traffic, always stop splitting lanes.
it may not save you from being hit, but not sandwiched.
and you'll be in line to escape if you're alert.

Are you saying come to a stop between lanes, or just "don't split lanes at all"?

Not trying to be sarcastic - just curious.

park on the edge of the lane, not the middle, you want to be able to filter thru in a emergency.

BobbyR · « **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2012, 05:29:03 PM »

Quote from: jamesb on May 17, 2012, 08:40:35 PM

Quote from: jamesb on May 19, 2012, 01:04:11 PM
yep thats why i always wear a bright shirt i'm looking into the flashing red tail stop light now.same goes for the headlight i've been kicking around the thought of getting one of those also.
my son started riding his honda tonight and i'm worried sick. one thing that makes him a better rider than me is he wears a helmet.

Maybe you ought to think about adding a helmet to the other safety measures you want to take. If you have to dive off the bike to avoid getting rear ended could come in handy.

Don R · « **Reply #20 on:** May 20, 2012, 12:45:49 PM »

Some people we race with were slowing for an accident in their large semi style motorhome with a large stacker car trailer in tow, 3-4 dragsters and a camaro inside. They were rear ended by a semi who drove practically through the trailer after hitting two cars and killing two occupants. the semi driver was rescued by someone who lived nearby. My friends motorhome was thrust foreward so hard it threw one of them through a wall inside. The motorhome's wiring shorted and it started burning, the doors were jammed and they all bailed out the window. The trailer is just gone the motorhome is gutted and the truck burned to the road. You just never know. I'm 59 and could tell close call stories for hours.

http://www.wkyt.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7272083#.T7R-OfdlAo8.facebook

Sjohnsone · « **Reply #21 on:** May 21, 2012, 10:41:36 AM »

Quote from: verslagen1 on May 19, 2012, 05:11:41 PM

Quote from: Sjohnsone on May 18, 2012, 01:05:07 PM
Quote from: verslagen1 on May 17, 2012, 10:31:53 PM
when in traffic, always stop splitting lanes.
it may not save you from being hit, but not sandwiched.
and you'll be in line to escape if you're alert.

Are you saying come to a stop between lanes, or just "don't split lanes at all"?

Not trying to be sarcastic - just curious.
park on the edge of the lane, not the middle, you want to be able to filter thru in a emergency.

Thanks for the tip!

News:

Author Topic: getting the crap scared out of me tonight (Read 1740 times)