The center lane on a stretch of Gateway Blvd in Boynton Beach Fl. has been barricaded for months. I couldn't figure out why until one day while passing the barricades I noticed what I would call a sink hole about the size of a manhole cover and about ten inches deep. The blacktop is not broken as a pothole might be it just stretches into the hole making it very diffectult to see.

Well, a couple days ago I was in Pompano Beach. I think as I am not familiar with the area. I am on the center lane of a three laner doing about 45. I see the same thing only it's not barricaded and I don't see it until it's actually under the bike. No problem for me as my wheels passed inches to the side of the hole just by luck. My left foot actually passed over the hole. What called my attention to it at first was all the scars around it where cagers had bottomed out. I was not inattentive, you just can't see these things. If I had hit that hole the results would be disastrous. This is real scary because I missed that thing by simple dumb luck. That is two of the same type of thing I've seen on relatively well maintained roads. I would guess there are more. Be careful out there.

 

Fred, I hear ya. The soil (or rather sand) in Florida is made for sinkholes.

In 1980 I was on a construction job building a new airport in Ft. Myers, FL. We had just finished placing part of the main runway when about 100 feet of it disappeared into a sinkhole! Damn, now I'm telling you that was a hole. Just glad we found it BEFORE a plane landed on it.

Anyway, you're right, lots of road hazards out there for all of us. One thing I've learned is not to follow any car too close. A few weeks ago I ran over a good sized groundhog (already dead) in the middle of the road because I didn't have time to avoid it -- was following too close to the car in front of me. Good lesson, but glad it wasn't any bigger. Also glad it wasn't one of your sinkholes!

 

Tater, you make a very good point about not following too close. I wonder if you try to follow in the left track of the cage ahead of you, and watch the behavior of it, if you might have a warning that a road hazard is just ahead. Of course, at night, pray for a solid road.

Hack

 

Btefft, that's exactly what I've started doing if I HAVE to follow too close -- sometimes you can't avoid it. I've started riding to either right side or left but not in the middle. Next time it might be a deer, or a sinkhole!

 

REPORT IT!!!

 

While reading your post, it got me to thinking about how many times I've been perfectly lined up with some obstacle in the road.....! I mean, I've hit objects the size of half dollars to manhole covers, sometimes due to like what you mention, following too closely but other times just not seeing the object in time, etc.

My point is, what are the odds of a patch of tire maybe 3-4 inches wide running directly over something about the same size? You'd think considering the width of the road, it would be a rare instance but I'm telling you, I seem to hit more than I miss! As an example, 3 years ago I had the rear tire go flat in about 10-15 seconds running about 80 on the Interstate, the tire ended up with a hole the size of about a 16 penny nail, it was so large, you could actually almost see into the tire. Whatever it was, put a nice dent in my rear fender when it was slung out...what are the odds??

 

I feel ya. I seem to attract nails to my tires whatever I'm driving. I get nails and screws in the tires of my truck fairly regularly. Think about how hard that would be to doon purpose. I had two nails stuck into the rear tire of my bike within two weeks of each other once. Had to replace the whole tire both times, the dealer would not patch them. If there's something in the road, I'm probably going to run over it.

HF

 

Your right about reporting this so some other poor guy doesn't get hurt. I wanted to but honestly I don't even know where I was. I felt kinda stupid calling up and saying "Ya know, there is a sink hole somewhere in your town or maybe another town. Well, I'm sure it's in S. Florida.

Once I hit something on I95 because I was following too close. Lucky there was no damage or injury but it got my attention. Quite often I'llride just inside the line dividing the lanes to see ahead of the vehicle in front. Can't always do that but riding is just constantly adapting to the conditions. You try to be prepared for everything and then something pops out of the blue which is totally unexpected. Wow! What a rush!

 

several years ago at night... i bent both rims on a sportster ..and i was attentive...a nice long hole..in fact i saw the first long hole and the second long one and was able to bring the speed down and swerve...then bam...the positioning of the third left me no chance...nice..2 bent rims but they held air ...did not go down..but shook everything i had....called police 3 times...no one would come-out to place cones..finally went home slowly and got in my car and returned to the scene, several cars on the side of the rode with flats do to bent rims...called several more times 911 and demanded thay send someone out or this could be a death trap...finally an officer arrives and says he will report it to the D.O.T for repair..and is getting ready to get back in his car..i told him he better put some cones or a barricade..he says he has none..then i told him as politically correct and as soft a tone as possible i have several recorded calls to 911 and i think it would be in his and the departments best interest to sit with his car (with police lights on) in the danger area and light some flare sticks...gives me a funny look/does not say a word and turns gets in car and does what i asked..i stuck around for about 15 minutes then went home...on the way to work the next day an officer was packing up to leave and the road was repaired...you would think at first this was a motorcycle problem only...but dam ..several cars on the side of the road..and no one else called? police units travel up and down that road all day long..and they did not think it was important?

 

years ago on a remote stretch ofinterstate in Idaho, a frost heave appeared. in the early morning hours, a car slammed into a 3 foot high slab of the concrete highway that had raised up overnight.





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