Yesterday was the closest I have come to crashing in 20 years

[cokebottle10]

Yesterday on my ride down to My bothers house in New Port Richey from Fletcher NC I came the closest to crashing that I have come in 20 years. I'm 54 and have had a bike of one type or another since I was 13.

I was southbound on HWY 301 in south GA with very little traffic around me. I was running about 60 in a 55 because GA cops don't like people from out of state speeding in their state. Guess now I know that. HWY 301 was two lanes at that point. I see a white Ford truck coming at me and start to drift close to the center line. My sixth sense kicks in and my hands go to the brake and clutch levers and my foot goes to the rear brake. My thumb goes to the horn. Just to get ready. The truck keeps drifting over and the front tire just touches the center line. Now I'm on the brakes (not hard but firm) and the horn and my sixth sense is telling me the grass field to the right is clear. That my escape route.  The truck keeps coming. Now its tire is fully over the line and it is slowing down. MY GOD! He's not drifting over he is turning left in front of me.

Turning into what? There's no road, drive way, mail box, house or car to the side. Nothing! Just an empty open field. How can he not see me? I have my high beams on, I'm wearing bright day glow yellow and I'm riding a I/S, one of the biggest and widest bikes made with duel head lights and it's a clear sunny day.

Now I'm hard on the brakes trying to bleed off speed, my escape route is cut off and I'm headed into the passenger door! The truck keeps turning. My rear tire locks and starts to screech on the dry pavement. The rear end starts to slide to left. I compensate and the rear starts to slide back to the right still locked up. Now I'm pointed in the right direction. I let go of both the brakes and the rear tire grabs the pavement. I push hard for a left turn and the fat girl respones well. If the truck keeps moving I may just clear it. The truck does keep turning and I clear it by about a foot.

Now I have a new problem. There was a red truck following the one that just turned in front of me and I'm just about to touch the center line headed straight into him! This guy WAS paying attention and had two wheels off the road trying to give me as much room as he can. I then push hard for a right turn and the fat girl responds instantly flopping back to the right and back on my side of the road. I cleared the second truck with room to spare.

I look back in the rear view and the white truck has stopped in the field just off the HWY. I see the red truck's brake lights go off and pull back onto the road. I look down and I'm rolling at about 30 mph with my hand still on the clutch and off the brakes. This all took place is just a few seconds but to me it was very slow motion.

Should I go back and tell the white truck how close he came to killing me? What good would it do? He would most likely say that he did not see me or he was sorry. Now that would really piss me off! To heck with it I just banged down three gears and took off.

[..]

Well done sir. 

You are an accomplished motorcycle rider and to be congrtulated for analyzing the situation and making the right choices.

I do have one question though.

Why did the back wheel lock up?

Were you applying more pressure to the back brake than the front?

[czuch]

About the second time the driver regains consiousness would be a good time to start that conversation. I've done it that way and dont forget to take his shoes and throw his keys in the direction of your choice.

[Pappy!]

Thanks for that report!
Reminds us that it can and will happen at any time and anywhere.............

[Black Dog]

Pucker factor off the charts 

Like Britman said, you did it all right 

Black Dog

[old2soon]

You ARE telling us about yer encounter first hand and that alone speaks volumes.  GOD was watching out for you.  I also know that it happened WAY quicker than it took me to read it and you to type it.  You are living proof that as long as we are on the road we can NEVER slack off while riding or driving.  You have NO IDEA how happy I am that you are O-K. We as a community have had too much injury and death this year.  RIDE SAFE.

[solo1]

Wow! Excellent response!, especially keeping the rear locked until straight and countersteering.

The situation just didn't make sense but you were on top.

Expect stupidity everywhere.

[Michael K (Az.)]

YAY experience! YAY up onna wheel! YAY muscle memory!

[john]

         "  This all took place is just a few seconds but to me it was very slow motion. "             
               that in it self is amazing
          I know the feeling  ...  amazed and frightful at the same time ...
            being out of control ...                        bad joo joo
         very strange  .... I hate it         

[..]

        "  This all took place is just a few seconds but to me it was very slow motion. "              
              that in it self is amazing
         I know the feeling  ...  amazed and frightful at the same time ...
           being out of control ...                       bad joo joo
        very strange  .... I hate it        

I like it. Yeah I know, I'm weird.

Having the "extra" time to correct your own or someone elses mistake really gives me a buzz.

No, I don't try to make it happen that would be really stoopid.

I find that my heart rate and breathing remain normal even after the close call.

I will freely admit that there have been times that I'm pushing the lean angle, footpeg is scraping and I've eased pressure off the foot peg to allow it to fold up.

I'm drifting right towards a crash rail that separates me from a drop off.

I'm using slight rear brake to decrease speed.

Can't just snap the throttle closed cause the bike will become unsettled and also may lean over too far as the gyroscopic effects of the rear and front wheel reduce along with the reduction in engine rpms that will make the bike more unstable.

Feather touch on the front brake so as not to lock the wheel and cause a low side get off.

MOST IMPORTANTLY LOOKING WHERE I WANT TO GO even though my right foot may only be inches from the crash rail DON'T LOOK AT IT.

Do everythink you can to minimise a crash, to reduce speed until there is no choice but to crash. The more speed you can lose the better.

NEVER GIVE UP at analyzing and making sure you the rider is in control. Not fear, not panic, not target fixation.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Safety/braking-tips.htm

[Daniel Meyer]

Rock on! Always pilot!

Well done.

[cokebottle10]

"Why did the back wheel lock up?"

The front and rear brakes on a Valkyrie are not tied together as they are on a Goldwing. When you get hard on the front brake most of the weight shifts to the front wheel and lifts off the rear. If your hard down on both the rear will lock as the weight shifts. In a stright line this is not a problem. If it starts to fish tail just let off the rear to let the wheel spin get grip and gain back control then hit it again (pump the rear brakes). As soon as I decieded he was going to turn in front of me and I could not escape to the right I needed to bleed off as much speed as I could.

"About the second time the driver regains consiousness would be a good time to start that conversation. I've done it that way and dont forget to take his shoes and throw his keys in the direction of your choice."

I did think about doing this and braking off his turn signal arm because he didn't seem to be using it, but what good would it do. I would be the one in trouble for road rage!

I do feel lucky and that someone is watching out for me. If that second truck didn't run haft way off the road to avoid me I would have hit him head on.

That slow motion clarity and the shakes afterword is not fun at all.

[..]

"Why did the back wheel lock up?"

The front and rear brakes on a Valkyrie are not tied together as they are on a Goldwing. When you get hard on the front brake most of the weight shifts to the front wheel and lifts off the rear. If your hard down on both the rear will lock as the weight shifts. In a stright line this is not a problem. If it starts to fish tail just let off the rear to let the wheel spin get grip and gain back control then hit it again (pump the rear brakes). As soon as I decieded he was going to turn in front of me and I could not escape to the right I needed to bleed off as much speed as I could.

"About the second time the driver regains consiousness would be a good time to start that conversation. I've done it that way and dont forget to take his shoes and throw his keys in the direction of your choice."

I did think about doing this and braking off his turn signal arm because he didn't seem to be using it, but what good would it do. I would be the one in trouble for road rage!

I do feel lucky and that someone is watching out for me. If that second truck didn't run haft way off the road to avoid me I would have hit him head on.

That slow motion clarity and the shakes afterword is not fun at all.

Good man thinking it through.

For others reading this thread who may not know if you lock up the back wheel BE VERY CAREFUL releasing the brake.

Make sure the back wheel is followigg the front. If it isn't as the back wheel grips the road instead of sliding (skidding) on the road surface you will get high sided and thrown up in the air off the bike.

Then there's a very strong chance that the bike will catch you up and run over you OR slam down on you wherever you have landed.

[saddlesore]

By your description you are an alert driver.  You're aware of whats going on around you, not just in front of you.  I think this was demonstrated by the driver of the red truck too.  (probably a biker in his cage).
Glad you made it through safely.

[cokebottle10]

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

When I started riding the street back in the 70s no one was teaching motor cycle safety. At the age of 16 I found motor cycle magazine that talked about safety riding. I took this to heart. The main thing was counter stearing. I had no idea how that worked at the time. I think that more than anything else saved my life yesterday. If you don't know about counter stearing Please learn it and practice, practice, practice. I still practice it every time I ride. Quickly pick a spot on the road get as close as you can then dodge it using just your handle bars and counter stearing. It may save your life. It did mine.

Thanks again guys.

[BF]

I've had two instances very much like yours.....including the rear wheel thing.  Both were in slow mo. 

The first time, a woman pulled out into the roadway from a parking lot, then looked to see if anyone was coming.....I was (might have been a better idea to actually look first before pulling out into traffic I'd think).  She stopped half way out into the road.  I missed the front bumper of this woman's car literally within an inch or two (seemed like a hair or two at the time).  I pulled off the road into the entrance of a parking lot, got off the bike and fell to the ground shaking.  I looked back at this woman and she was hauling ass in the other direction as fast as she could get away.  Bitch.   

The second time, a woman pulled out in front of me crossing my path and six lanes of traffic.  I missed her rear bumper by less than two feet.  That time, it pissed me off more than scared me.....but was none the less a very wide eye opener.

Both of those times I grabbed as much front and rear brake as I could (panic stop I guess) and experienced the rear wheel slide.....and letting off to correct.  I didn't plan that....it was just instinct and reaction......but it saved my butt. 

I can relate to what you went though.   

[The emperor has no clothes]

Good on you and good on the driver in the red truck for being alert. As for someone who posted that their heart rate doesn't go up in these situations, you are a better man than I . When these kind of incidents have happened to me I had so much adrenaline pumping I that I was in danger of a heart attack. It took me 10 minutes to come down.

[Robert]

Your alive in one piece and came through without a scratch you did great and you went on, that was the decision that is what you did and yelling or what ever the decision was made not to, so celebrate the day, let the rest go congratulations good job to you and your support angles  You are a model defensive driver.

[Jess from VA]

I am a survivor too.

One of these days, after someone almost kills me in broad daylight, with absolutely no reasonable excuse of any kind, I'm going to put some rounds thru their car just so they can be as terrified as I was.  Not with witnesses thou. 

[Mr Bojangles]

     Hello cokebottle10, I think you did the right thing, and did it very well. I hope I do as well, faced with the same situation ???  I ride mostly here in N. Texas, but whenever I get the chance, I like to head up north, looking for cooler weather. This usually involves riding in the mts., where I am sure someone with an R.V. is going to meet me on a blind right-hander in my lane. This has happened to me more than once. The last time, my wife (who I enjoyed riding with very much) tapped me on the shoulder, and said "LET ME OFF". This was 4 years ago, and all her riding stuff (jacket, boots, gloves and Bell Star) sit in the closet. You are vvveeerrryy lucky........She called a girlfriend to pick her up in Mtn Home Ark.
                                                       Good Luck, and take-care!  BoJangles

[POPS 57]

I had a deer jump out of the tall grass on wife and myself. I will tell you even with two on the bike. The rear wheel wanted to come around twice. After years of riding I think you just react. I called the township that day and told them they need to cut there ditches. The grass was over waist deep and right up to the road. Also missed the deer by inches.