Totally boring riding-related thread.

[Psychotic Bovine]

Ok, everyone here has seen the usual road detritus while riding a motorcycle.  We have all seen the usual things like paint cans, ladders, tires, hubcaps, retreads, one shoe (that always confuses me, why is it one shoe?  And why is there a shoe on the road at all!?!), and gloves (again, only 1 never two, it seems).  I’m one of these people who is just curious about how that object came to be in that particular place at that time.

So, with that being said; what is the strangest object you have seen on the road (or have hit) while riding a motorcycle?  I’ll start:  Shortly after learning to ride I was hit by a half full bag of Doritos that blew out of a pickup truck.  I didn’t see what flavor they were, only that the contents of the bag exploded on my right boot like a cheddar claymore.

[DirtyDan]

A llama in the middle can am spyder on the left

South of Hollister California 2013

Dan

[RDAbull]

I rode up to my Mother's in Rensselaer a few days ago.  I noticed that there was an inordinate amount  of slow animals scattered all over the road in Indiana.  Either that or everybody rides & drives a lot faster than I do. Then I got a squirrel with my right rear tire.  Yep, they are dumb and slow up there in Indianeer.

[GiG]

I found a fork in the road.
I took it.  
I mounted it.

[mrtappan]

I drove through two full garbage bags of aluminum cans that blew off a trailer in front of me on the interstate.  It made a huge mess for someone........

I10 eastbound approaching 65, Mobile AL

[Oss]

then Gig mailed it to me !

It was a mystery  maybe it was a space alien (no relation to the fellow in Ca I hope),
maybe it was a squirrel or rabbit or woodchuck
maybe it was who knows but it almost wrecked my IZ trip


The next strange thing was a piano

[The emperor has no clothes]

I hit a bag of garbage at 4AM doing 80 mph. It clung to my foot peg until I could finally get it kicked off. Scraped burnt plastic off the pipe for weeks. I almost hit a queen size mattress once. I've dodged numerous empty beer cans flying out of pickup beds. And my favorite the exploding cigarette.

[msb]

Bats! Several years ago riding at dusk up in Quesnel BC, was busy keeping an eye out for larger 4-legged road hazards when we passed under a railway bridge only to be besieged by a hoard (flock?) of bats. Several deflected off the windscreen, others off the helmets...needless to say the co-pilot (and me as well to a certain extent) were a little "surprised"   

[Valkorado]

I  purchased my Valk in SLC, Utah.  First time riding it and navigating at highway speed through thick interstate city traffic that country boys love so much, I saw a cluster-muck in front of me.  Turns out someone's bike rack, including two attached bicycles, had dislodged from its mother ship and was smack dab in the middle of the center lane.  They'd already been crunched into a mangled ball.  Minor pucker.  Would have sucked if I'd crashed my bike 20 miles from where I bought it.

[Moonshot_1]

Airplane. Seeding the grass median in a brand new 4 lane. He came from the right and suddenly banked to line up for the median. We were in rather close proximity for a brief moment. Pretty exciting.

[Challenger]

Coming through Des Moines a couple years ago, three lanes of bumper to bumper when I see a mattress on top of a car about two vehicles in front of me in my lane, I don't know why, but I rolled off the throttle and moved to the RH lane just as it lifted off like a kite. I moved to the shoulder just as everyone behind it locked the brakes. I went on by on the shoulder avoiding the huge bottle neck that just formed. Very lucky, I could have been one of the people that got rear ended in the mess.

[Jess from VA]

A huge pile/tangle of ribbon steel tie down strapping used to hold stuff on a semi flatbed.  Came off a semi on I 95 in a rainstorm at 80mph, and appeared so quickly I just had to ride right over/through it.  I lived, but my shorts didn't.

A queen size mattress floating and blowing across the freeway (off a truck).  Go left, it goes left, go right, it goes right (the mattress from hell).  Go clear over into the breakdown lane, miss it.  

A huge seven foot Black Angus bull just standing in the middle of the road looking at us.  You go first, no YOU go first.

[Willow]

A swallow that almost made it.  Hard to Swallow

[Gavin_Sons]

I found a fork in the road.
I took it.  
I mounted it.

I'd mount that too. 

[fudgie]

Chicken coop roof - hit 

Goldwing on a trailer - seen 

[Robert]

A refrigerator on 95 doing 70 

And my favorite the exploding cigarette.

WTH?  ???

[RP#62]

Not too much weird stuff on the road, although I nearly ran over a porcupine one time, but lotsa stuff on the side of the road that made me wonder.   Once saw a pickup truck with a spare ride in the back.  This was on the ride up to Bagdad AZ a couple of years ago.
-RP

[Bighead]

Close call one time I didn't hit it but don't know why or how not I was riding through a small town and a pick up truck pulling a flatbed trailer pulls out in front of me he had plenty of time and room, I catch up to him and riding about 35 mph and staying behind him til we approached 55 or so when the item on the trailer lifted from the trailer and flew straight up knowing I had no time to stop I sped up and went under it , it crashed to the road behind me and shattered into a few dozen pieces. I was a full fiberglass shower/tub combo 

[BF]

About a 10 point buck....just standing there in the middle of the road.  Was going home from work one night about 2 in the morning....he was just standing there with no desire to move out of the way.

We had a short staring contest and he eventually, and slowly, walked off the roadway. 

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

I found a fork in the road.
I took it.  
I mounted it.

Great picture...I like LuLu she's a cool chick.

[Super Santa]

In the Houston area riding south on I-45 when a north bound trailer lost a wheel.  It bounced over the concrete barrier and into the south bound lanes.  I managed to miss it by a full lane and felt blessed.

[Jopson]

Not sure wether this is too strange or not, but I was out riding the Valk early this spring the roads were clear of snow but still plenty in the ditch, passed a guy going the opposite way to me on his snowmobile. Not terribly strange but very surreal, both just waved and nodded at the other and carried on our journeys.

[cookiedough]

Dead cow in road - only in WI

Luckily I did not hit it, was dead already.  My neighbor's kid also hit a cow in the middle of the road at night, so I guess it happens?   

I have seen a car in front of me hit a goose that flew over the road from the small pond in town on the hwy.,  me following him from far back.  Pretty neat seeing blood splat on the car's windshield and a twirling dead goose land on the road with me avoiding it going by it. 

[Mr Bojangles]

Aluminum extension ladder, going home from work, LBJ near Welsh rd. Center rt. lane, about 60 mph.  I was following a silver chevy PU,  He changed lanes suddenly and there it was, all I remember was "OH S%#&T" !!! I hit the ladder, and somehow was runover  (we think) by who-ever was following me and spent almost 8 months in hospital , did not ride for almost 10 years after that. Sometimes I still have days when I just can't enjoy the ride.  This was over 15 years ago. Honda 750F SS (Total loss, never saw it again)
                                                             BoJangles

[grandpaweaver]

Not on the bike but in the PU a swarm of bee's moving across the road. Had to pull over to clean the windshield couldn't see through the 100's of squashed bees and guts. Hundreds more in the radiator, I was cleaning dead bees out of everything. Glad I wasn't riding.

[shortleg]

 About the shoes on the side of the road.
  My theory has always been that there are herds
of shoes that run wild in the woods.
  And once in a while one will run out into traffic
and get hit by a car.
  I have even seen then\m shed their antlers .
 I have proof of this because I found a shoe horn
to prove it.
        shortleg

[The emperor has no clothes]

Not sure wether this is too strange or not, but I was out riding the Valk early this spring the roads were clear of snow but still plenty in the ditch, passed a guy going the opposite way to me on his snowmobile. Not terribly strange but very surreal, both just waved and nodded at the other and carried on our journeys.

That reminds me of a time when I lived in Kotzebue, Alaska. I had a Honda CR250 and rode the heck out of it there because there wasn't much else to do . In the middle of winter there the ocean would freeze solid and the wind would pack the snow down like concrete. I would ride that bike 20-30 miles out in the bay. -50* and 45 mph you better have EVERY inch covered up.

[Ice]

On the road through Arkansas in 2011 coming home from our cross country ride, moving down I-40 at a good clip in wall to wall traffic, when this pick up hauling a dual axel trailer (no fenders) passes us on the right side slinging dried mud all over the place, me cussing because that crap is hitting me and the bike, that hurts BTW.  He pulls a few cars ahead and then gets in the left lane, and all of a sudden he goes flying into the center median slinging more dirt up and causing everyone to hit the brakes, the reason for him going into the median is he lost one of his tires (rim and all) on his trailer and it pulled him over, a few seconds later I see an SUV in the oncoming lane with the front all bashed up and wrecking and I remember thinking that tire hit him, but where’s the tire? Barely finishing that thought I found the tire in midair about 20 feet above us falling right towards us, the ‘oh crap’ factor kicked in and I somehow was able to hit the gas and get out of there just as the tire hit the road where we were two seconds earlier, the unfortunate cager behind me hit the tire, no clue what happened after that, I did not slow down for a mile or so.

[GiG]

Aluminum extension ladder, going home from work, LBJ near Welsh rd. Center rt. lane, about 60 mph.  I was following a silver chevy PU,  He changed lanes suddenly and there it was, all I remember was "OH S%#&T" !!! I hit the ladder, and somehow was runover  (we think) by who-ever was following me and spent almost 8 months in hospital , did not ride for almost 10 years after that. Sometimes I still have days when I just can't enjoy the ride.  This was over 15 years ago. Honda 750F SS (Total loss, never saw it again)
                                                             BoJangles

Had a very similar incident, thankfully not as tragic.
Coming home from InZane KY on I75 in Cinci, very heavy traffic, doing 80, large extension ladder across 2 lanes.
I veered into the left lane without looking, should have been creamed 
Will never forget!

[GiG]

I found a fork in the road.
I took it.  
I mounted it.

Great picture...I like LuLu she's a cool chick.

She likes you too, Joe!
CHEERS 

[Rams]

Similar to Willow's experience, while riding in KS, riding somewhere in the triple digit area, a Meadow Lark decided to challenge the laws of physics and took to flight just prior to my arrival.    It didn't get quite enough lift based on his flight path and impacted with my helmet in the forehead area.    Meadow Larks are not huge  birds but, big enough at that speed to get your attention.   Similar to Willow's experience, I assumed he would swerve or climb.   It didn't and durn near took my head off while almost dislodging me from the bike.    

Since then, I've been slightly wary of birds taking off  with out a flight plan.

Second memorable experience was riding (again in KS) with a couple of other motorcyclists.   Saw several bull wagons (cattle trucks) headed toward us.   I knew to steer clear, the other two guys apparently didn't.   I was riding in the rear of the group, I moved to the far right to avoid any potential situations.   I watched as the first bull wagon passed with out a problem but, here came the second load and just before the meeting point, a cow (or two) decided to relieve themselves out the side of the trailer.    Both of my riding friends were showered with cow piss.    I laughed so hard, I had a hard time riding.  

[cookiedough]

Rams,  that cow pee story is funny as heck.  I'll have to remember that the next time a cattle trailer comes at me on the road, good idea to move on over as far to the right as possible.  Never thought of that but could easily happen at any time am sure.

If it happened to others riding with you getting a fresh shower,  I'd probably die since I would have lost control of the cycle laughing my _ss off.   

[WilliamRS]

Coming through Des Moines a couple years ago, three lanes of bumper to bumper when I see a mattress on top of a car about two vehicles in front of me in my lane, I don't know why, but I rolled off the throttle and moved to the RH lane just as it lifted off like a kite. I moved to the shoulder just as everyone behind it locked the brakes. I went on by on the shoulder avoiding the huge bottle neck that just formed. Very lucky, I could have been one of the people that got rear ended in the mess.

the infamous 'rider radar'   better to roll off the throttle and change lanes and then have nothing happen than to ignore that impulse.  [I never ride behind any vehicle with something strapped to the roof]  we have seen a mattress take flight along with the full grown man who was trying to hold it down  in the back of a pickup truck.

[Hooter]

I found a fork in the road.
I took it.  
I mounted it.

A fork in the road...LMAO!  I've taken a lot of forks in the road...

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

The strangest for me was a series of three things all within half a block while riding to pickup electrical supplies for the day job. A naked lady standing behind the storm door looking out of her house, then a medium size dog ran across the street in front of me, then a very large inflatable ball (beach ball type) blew across the road just past the dog.

[The emperor has no clothes]

The strangest for me was a series of three things all within half a block while riding to pickup electrical supplies for the day job. A naked lady standing behind the storm door looking out of her house, then a medium size dog ran across the street in front of me, then a very large inflatable ball (beach ball type) blew across the road just past the dog.

Well it's very clear what was happening. Obviously the dog had been barking at a couple having early morning sex. She clearly frustrated, throws the ball out the door for the dog to chase. The dog in his excitement over runs the ball. All the while the husband is laying in bed getting pissed. Makes perfect sense to me. 

[Big Bear]

A about 30 years ago on my KZ750 Ltd when I was 17 or so, I was slowing to a stop to turn left off a business hwy when the empty 2-place snowmobile trailer behind a pickup approaching from the opposite direction came unhooked from the truck. It wiggled away from me and then wiggled back towards me before wiggling away again and left the road at the close end of the intersection and dug into the grass about 1 foot deep and 3 feet long before it cartwheeled and took out some small trees.  I made my turn and pulled to the side until I calmed down.  The image of that trailer cartwheeling plays in my head anytime I see a trailer being pulled behind a vehicle without enough tongue weight/wrong tongue height.  I was lucky for sure.

In June during Inzane I was passed on the interstate on my Interstate on the way to Sturgis by a truck with some of that sawdust & glue shelving material on top and once he was about 50 feet in front of me the top board bounced up a little, caught some air and just peeled up until it snapped just ahead of the tie down and crashed on the road next to me.

[hubcapsc]

A Harley with a wide-eyed (target fixated?) rider who passed me on my right...

-Mike

[santa]

A semi truck, south of Grant Alabama loaded with chickens turned over on the side of the mountain. That was a mess, made the road a little slick.

Santa

[Rams]

A semi truck, south of Grant Alabama loaded with chickens turned over on the side of the mountain. That was a mess, made the road a little slick.

Santa

Oh man, I'll bet that was a fowl situation.