Well.....the last one I didn't and it cost me a wife with ankle surgery and a slow recovery, plus the end of my beloved 03 Ultra. Two deer on Shenendoah Parkway. We were not even going fast but conditions were just wrong. Mrs. spiz is doing much better now and clammoring for a new bike, so we are shopping but my advice to anyone (myself included) is to take a rider safety course. I will be doing that right away. I am nearly 50, riding since I was 8 years old and never been down until last fall but I know I need more schoolin.

spiz

 

Its been almost a year ago, a young lady, who was paying more attention to her child in the backseat than to oncoming traffic, pulled out in front of me. I immediately hit the brakes hard enough to lock up the rear. Was bracing to hit her or the oncoming car. Released the brakes before I went into a slide and made a quick judgement to go between them. Had only inches to spare.

SugsPa

 

My tip for avoiding close calls is to observe other drivers. While riding behind a car, I always check to see where the driver is looking. You see a lot of drivers with their heads down and texting. You can see a lot through their back window. When I see a driver not paying attention, I get away.

 

I highly recommend taking all the MSF courses and practicing those skills at varying speeds under different conditions until they become habit. You simply won't have time to think when it happens to you (and it will). I have a very good 6th sense on my scoot but I didn't anticipate this:

I was traveling 30 mph downhill in the left lane of a four lane divided surface street overtaking a car in the right lane. The divider was a 6" curb and we were approaching a break in the divider fronting a fire station that allows firetrucks to pull out. Without a look, blinker, or any kind of warning, the car in the right lane decided to make a U-turn through my lane.

I couldn't believe how fast it happened. I hit the ABS and barked my pipes as loud as I could as I tried to make the U-turn inside the car's path. Couldn't hit the horn because of my death grip and couldn't kick the door because my right foot was buried in the brake pedal. I was about 6" from the driver's side of the car the whole time.

"Luckily," there was an SUV coming up the hill in the left lane so the idiot driver had to stop (I was still moving) before completing the U-turn. I swerved around the idiot's front bumper and weaved into the oncoming traffic stopping up against the median, shoulder to shoulder with the SUV driver who was still in the left lane (another car in the right lane). I think she was more freaked out than I was.

I only kept it upright due to instinct, experience, and a good bit of sheer luck. I've ridden for 30 years, taken all the MSF courses, and spent many years riding dirtbikes. Those experiences made it instinct to toss the 800# SG around like I was dodging a tree on a MX bike. I don't think I could handle the bike the same way deliberately.

I've also had a sportbike sideways at 45mph on a rainy interstate and managed to keep the rubber side down but that's a tale for another day/forum.

 

I just moved here to Florida in October and have been told that one of the biggest dangers are the retirees in their big caddys who simply don't pay attention or can't really see well. One day I was riding north on US 1 and had the green light through an intersection. On the side street was a big caddy waiting to make a right onto the highway, which is a 3-lane road in this area. He was completely stopped, but for some reason I just had this feeling he wasn't going to stay that way. I was in the right lane and as I was approaching the intersection I had checked for escape routes, something I try to stay in the habit of doing all the time. As I was only a few yards from the light, sure enough, the idiot pulls right out in front of me with nowhere near enough room for me to stop. Knowing from my espcape route check that both lanes to the left were empty I pulled left as I slowed, but I guess cutting me off once wasnt enough, because the caddy idiot crosses over into the middle lane, and then the left all in one quick shot. I continued left until I had slowed enough to be behind instead of next to him and got out of it. The next light was red and I pulled up next to him ready to give him a ration, but he wouldn't even look at me.

Always anticipate and have an escape route planned. you never know when you will need it.

 

No matter what you do or how careful you ride, there is always a possibility of something happening. Crashed my 08 Night Rod in 2009 when some idiot pulled right in front of me and abruptly stopped.

 

I've never seen anyone else ever mention this but it's happened to me twice in 6 months so it's something else I pay attention to - avoid riding directly behind pickups with open beds because crap WILL come flying out of them!

First time, I was behind a newer pickup on an onramp entering the interstate. As soon as we were on the freeway, I moved to the left lane to get around him. Before I had a chance to get completely over, a 3ftx4ft (ish) piece of thin plywood comes flying out of the pickup bed directly in the path I just left! If I would've waited another second to get over, the f'n thing would have killed me for sure.

The second time, leaving Bikes Blues and Barbecue, I was in heavy(ish) freeway traffic heading west towards home. I noticed an open bed pickup in front of me, but I couldn't get over because of traffic. I backed off a little. Not 5 seconds later, the lid from a styrofoam ice chest flying out of the bed but flutters over into the median. ****, here we go again! I still couldn't get over so I backed off a little more. Next thing I know, the entire ice chest comes flying out and heading directly towards me! I safely swerve within my lane to miss it but it takes a bounce at the last second and I nail it squarely with my front tire. Never lost control or anything but it didn't end there. After I hit it, the wire carry handle gets hung up on my hwy peg mount ... so here I am dragging this f'n busted up ice-chest down the freeway at 60 mph! Thankfully, nothing tragic happened and no damage to the bike ... the dude is extremely lucky he lost me when he pulled a quick u-turn across the median. (yep, he knew I was one pissed off biker!)

So, you just never know where or how they're going to try to kill you ...

 

3 weeks ago I'm in the "top" of T intersection making a left turn. Kid in a car is in the bottom of the T, also making a left turn.

We make eye contact well before I get there, he stops and clearly sees me approaching, blinker on, in the turn lane....but for some reason pulls out right into me as I get the T. Trying to get out ahead of the car behind me, I suspect.

I was committed, at least mentally, to the left turn. I goosed it hard, and made the fastest and sharpest left turn of my life. The bumper on my tour pack lights hit the hood of his car. No other damage.

He stuck around long enough to hear my immediate response and see me stop and get off the bike.

The way I handled it wasn't the best way. In hindsight, continuing straight in the turn lane would've been a quicker response with less likelyhood for an accident. If would've been even better if I could have foreseen that this kid was a dumbass, but that's not usually possible.

The lesson: don't get too "committed" to what you plan to do, be prepared to go in another direction if you have to.

 

Been riding for 45 yrs, I could write a book, if I had any writing skills..haha
When I first got my license, was passing a car that was going about 40 or so on a 50MPH speed limit. As I started to pass him, he brakes and pulls a left turn into a cemetery! No blinker, just a sudden left turn.
I had no other choice than to lay it down as hard as I could, and just take the turn with him, the bike was inches from his door. To make it worse, the cemetery road was only tarred at the entrance, it turned to gravel as I continued my attempt to keep the bike up on 2 wheels and not slide under his car. That was my worse fear at the time. By the time I hit the dirt, I was able to upright the bike, and ended up riding it out, then yelling at the guy for at least 5 minutes.

Another time, coming back from a swap meet in Keene, was on Rt202 east, a 2 lane highway, going about 75 or so, when this guy starts coming directly at me from the westbound lane. I saw he had some kids in the backseat, and he was totally turned around backwards doing something with them, and his wife was looking in the back seat also. I was riding on the center line too, so moved into the right part of the lane, and every time I moved right, he would follow, forcing me even further right. By now, I'm in the breakdown lane, as close to the guard rails as I could get, and could see his grill coming right at me!
I had no time to do anything, other than try to slow down, and ride the guardrail.
At the last second, he looks back to the front, and swerves away missing me by inches.
Then I almost dumped it when I slammed on the brakes, and pulled a u turn to chase him down. I was so fuken pissed, it wasn't going to be a nice scene when I caught him.
I chased that ***** down, and got behind him, yelling and shaking my fist at him. He kept
speeding up, well over 100MPH. Eventually we were getting into the center of town, where I let him go on, as I knew I would get stopped going that fast in town. I know, people will say I'm stupid, hey, I was young and dumb, but at least I came to my wits before I caused another accident. Had nightmares about that for some time too.
That ***** is lucky I didn't catch him. He would be in the hospital, and me in the pokey, rather than the other way around if he had hit me, or worse.

Got a ton of them, but I'm done typing, I know you will all like that! :-)

It comes down to reflexes, reaction times, and experience. Nothing better than having gone through things like these to keep you on your toes!

 

If I take major routes to work I have a close call at least once a week. It's ridiculous! Now I leave 10 minutes earlier and take a different route through a residential area to get there. I was in a wreck in 2005 that damned near killed me. A woman pulled in front of me on the Trans Canada Hwy without looking. Head injury, lots of broken bones, smashed out teeth and stuff. I'd post pics of my CT scan to show everyone my scrambled brains but I'm not sure how. Anyway, all the MSF courses in the world can't prepare a person for something that can happen in a split second imo. The accident taught me to be a really defensive rider and I tend to leave twice the amount of room than I need between me and other drivers whenever possible.