| Author | Message | ||
     Slowride |
So, today I am cruising into work around 9:30 am on my 2001 TL1000R and coming up on a split of the highways. I am running about 75mph and in the far right lane. I am right at the 191 and 35 split of the George Bush Freeway here in Dallas. I have a Big rig behind me and a escalade coming up on my right. I just passed another car on the left when I decide to get my bearings and scan left and right as I am coming up to the split of the highways and didn’t want any surprises. I see a gold CrownVic 2 lanes to my left and then I scan right and see the Escalade. I look back center and that’s when it happen……. I see the CrownVic with a little old man and woman who look like toddlers driving this car swinging 3 lanes across the highway right into me. I FREAKED! I hit the brakes and the rear swung wide left. I could freakin see the tail section, I knew I couln't slap the fronts now because I would high side. I begin pulsating the fronts, but is seemed that I wasn't getting anywhere… The whole time I was being pushed to the right side of the highway trying to avoid the hit. With the bike sliding back and forth the inevitable finally happened. The right rear of the car impacted my left front side of the bike. It catapulted me across the right lane in front of the Escalade and off the highway onto the shoulder then down a 25 foot embankment to the dirt road below. The whole time I managed to stay on the bike. When I stopped I was so freakin mad that I ripped my helmet off and started to throw it! Then I remembered I had Erik Buell’s sig on the back of it and re thunk it. Apparently, the driver of the big rig and the Escalade stopped and I heard them yelling to see if I was ok. They both came down and assisted me in getting the bike back up on the highway. If I had gone 10 more feet to the left I would have impacted the bridge rail head on and took a 2 story drop. Man I was thanking the Lord for the exit point. I got the bike back on the highway and checked it out. The two drivers asked if I wanted them to call the police, but at this point is seemed useless. The CrownVic just sped off. The rig driver said he was trying to get the tag, but he didn’t want to hit me and he was sliding around pretty good to miss me. Neither driver could believe what they saw. They both commented on the crazy blue hair demons and the way I managed to keep the bike up going down the mud and grass embankment. I looked over the bike again and it seemed fine, I rode good to the next exit. I jumped off there at 121 and the 2 drivers asked if I needed anymore assistance and I kindly dismissed them. I made it in to work today around 10:30 an hour late and 15 miles out of my way with scuffs on the front fender and fairings, but with my life and health in good shape. Just had to share. Micah (Slowride) (Message edited by slowride on March 21, 2006) | ||
| Sleez |
wow!!! glad you are ok!!! | ||
| Skyguy |
You are a lucky boy! I had to ditch a while back because of a car over the double yellow in my lane. The car did not stop but a passerby got a partial tag. The CHP told me there was nothing they could do because he did not actually hit me. I was in total disbelief. He said next time make sure I got hit, at least a little bit.  | ||
| Slowride |
LOL, interesting perspective. Take a hit to get them. Nice CHP real nice. | ||
| Dago |
Daaaaaaaaaamn Micah, I'm glad you're okay! It sounds like you got on the rear brake hard to have the bike swing around on you like that. | ||
| Slowride |
Yeah, that adreneline(Sp?) kicking in and I didn't even think twice about it. I just tried to shut it down. Seeing the tail really freaked me out, I had a flash through my head of the high side video from the MOTO GP animals posted here a while back. I have played it over and over in my head since then, I bet if I had just swung it right and goosed it I would have been fine, but instead I freaked and slammed the brakes. Hind sight is always 20/20. | ||
| Dago |
Yes it is. I had a similar and less dramatic experience while out playing in a parking lot one day. The resulting lesson about the rear brake was the same as yours though. There's something not right about power slides on 350+ pound machines. I hope you packed some spare tidey-whiteys. (Message edited by dago on March 21, 2006) | ||
| Ortegakid |
At least you are still with us,that's all that matters,guess I've just been lucky over the years,at least on the street! Hope you are okay mentally, I know how much that can shake one! Keep in touch, we'll ride soon! | ||
| Skyguy |
Back to the Silver haired demon thing. I was a passenger in a buddies truck last week when i looked over and the Silver Haired Demon driving in the lane next to us had a nasal cannula and an oxygen bottle in the seat. I suggested changing lanes............ | ||
| Bomber |
SLow -- I'm really glad you escaped your brush with injury -- phew -- sounds like a close one the thread title made me think you were talking about Road_Thing and me, though -- ah well, congratualtions on your well-developed sense of awareness and survival skills! | ||
| Light_keeper |
Glad you are OK. Two summers ago as I rounded the corner a sedan with one very small very white haired little old lady came screaming down the hill mostly in the wrong lane. My choices were to hit her, hit the parked car to my right or put it down. Down I went. Unfortuneately the bike landed on top of my leg. She just sat there and looked out the open window at me. the kid in the car behind her got out and ran up to me. as he ran by her he asked if she realized that the road was a two lane road. She then just took off as if nothing had happened. the bike had some scratched body work and needed a new mirror. I had a badly sprained ankle and crushed calf which expanded to the size of a football and turned all black and blue.  | ||
| Ryker77 |
one metal plate in my arm due to a blue hair. My wife works in a cancer center. Thus most of her patients are sick, taking pain meds, and are above 60. They drive themselves to the doctor. Chances are those blue hairs are driving to the doctor-- for pills. Unless its sunday, thats church day. I know I am an ASS hole for this. When a blue hair is in the fast lane. I like to cut in front of them. As clost as possible. | ||
| Skyguy |
lightkeeper, You shoulda let her hit you. You could have sued and gotten a smelly old house with 60 cats............ I hate to take mobility away from people but there really ought to be an annual test for the White haired demons. They maim and kill a lot of folks. | ||
| Ryker77 |
My cop buddy told me its common to hit the blue lights for miles before they bother to notice a cop with blue lights is behind them. Lets also not forget the numerous "i though the gas pedal was the break" as they drive into buildings. Or like a few years back thatold guy drove down a street that was shut down for a yard sale. He killed a few people. I think he was coming back from the drug pusher. ie pharmacy | ||
| Aesquire |
I had one of those '3 cars shutting the space I was in down to zip' experiences a while back, on Rt. 390 near where it splits to 390/590. I'm in the 2nd from left lane, of 4, on a "not-stock" GS750, and the car in front hits the brakes, the car on the left goes right, & the car (blue hair) on the right goes left. I tap dance down 3 gears, nail the gas & slide, wheelie, slide across space time in a sort of "s" shape that puts me in front of the hard braking car & going 80+ mph. ( I could Never duplicate that move ) Right past a State Trooper in the Median. Who gives me a thumbs up, then watches the 3 car collision in my wake. | ||
| Henrik |
Wow, what a story. Glad you're ok. Time to go buy a lottery ticket. Henrik | ||
| Diablobrian |
Chp ticketed me back in 94 for being merged out of traffic. A car driver made eye contact with me and came over on me. He waved as I slowed down because of loose gravel on the shoulder (the 163 in Balboa Park) The bike was an ill handling 78kz650. As I'm looking for an opening I can get back in a, traffic was bumper to bumper at about 30mph. A chp car comes flying up the shoulder behind me with code lights on. He tells me over the speaker to turn off the ignition, remove my helmet, and get off of the bike. OK, I complied, he then takes my license and insurance. I start trying to give him the plate and description of the car. He cuts me off and says he can only enforce what he can see. He saw me travelling outside of marked lanes of traffic. I asked him what I was supposed to do in my situation, get hit? He said (with a straight face) yes, then there would be a violation on the part of the car driver. As it was failure to yield right of way on the interstate is just an infraction, and for the most part not worth the paperwork for me to file a complaint. The car driver would only get a nastygram (letter telling them they had been naughty) from the chp nothing more. (Message edited by diablobrian on March 21, 2006) | ||
| Kdan |
I got whacked in '83 by a 69 year old guy coming home from his birthday party. 4 lane rd, old guy in my lane cutting the corner as he was turning left onto his street. Hit him head on after I bounced off a car on my left and a parked car on my right trying to get somewhere he wasn't. Spent 8 days in a coma and 6 months falling over regularly. I was able to sue the guy, because he couldn't leave. His wife had a shattered pelvis, two broken legs and he had chest injuries. His car wasn't going anywhere. I have no desire to relive that experience. And guess who the cops had the blood test done on? The kid riding to his girlfriends house at 11:00pm, or the old guy coming home from his 69th birthday party? And that's the story of how I got my first house. I avoid little bitty white heads you can barely see over the dashboard. | ||
| Blake |
Glad you came through that okay. Geez. | ||
| Blake |
That hair-raising encounter would seem to offer us all a good lesson wrt panic braking technique. On a clean dry surface in a panic stop situation, the rear brake is rarely our friend. Am I right?  | ||
| Girlscantwo |
Micah; I am glad to hear you made it through and GREAT job on saving the beloved autograph  . This brings a question to mind; If in that situation can you kill the engine which would slow you and then break a bit more gracefully? I gonna try it this weekend. Thanks for sharing your story; it reminds me to stay alert and brush up on skills | ||
| Bomber |
Girls -- please don't kill the engine -- the small amount of braking realized can easily be replicated by the rear brake, and you never know when being able to apply power will come in handy . . . . | ||
| Dago |
^ +1 If you want to get fancy, practice braking (front and rear) while downshifting. | ||
| Midknyte |
keep engine running and don't downshift too many gears at a time - lot of torque down there to add to the equation | ||
| Road_thing |
Bomber: Silver hair would be great. Hell, any hair would be great!  rt | ||
| Skyguy |
My bother in law was killed by a silver haired demon who veered out of his lane at 50mph and hit him head on while out riding his motorcycle. What is messed up is that this was at the scene of an existing accident. There were already CHP, Fire and rescue folks on scene. Almost killed my nephew as well. the SOB then went and hid all of his assets and transfered his house to his daughters name. My sister was left with four kids. Thanks the stars he had good insurance or she would have lost everything. At some point there needs to be a limit on silver haired demons keeping their licenses | ||
| Oldog |
I had a near miss with the blue hairs, Im sitting at a light here in town and i look in the mirror, car drivers hat visible, comming fast , . . . . just ran the light, stomp the bike into gear and JUST get out of her way in time. after age 65 an anual test may be a good idea, Ryker said: My cop buddy told me its common to hit the blue lights for miles before they bother to notice a cop with blue lights is behind them. Sounds like a good time to flag the licence and maybe take it..} | ||
| Midknyte |
Sounds like a good time to flag the licence and maybe take it.. often times is not enough... | ||
| Skyguy |
Midknyte, I agree with "often times not enough". Two words. Soylent Green. Problem solved. | ||
| Sanchez |
If you want to get fancy, practice braking (front and rear) while downshifting. That's exactly what they taught us in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course. Both hands squeezing and both feet pushing down, all in one motion. |
