Close one today

[Brenner]

Today was a new experience for me. I have had a few occasions where cagers have pulled out in front of me before as if it seemed I did not belong on the road. Well today was a REAL close connect. I happened to be riding on the street that I live on and have traveled many times and in third gear and low rpm putting along when a woman decided that I was not there. I almost did not see it coming as she pulled out of a repair shop driveway from behind a truck on my left side as I was approaching. When I did see her I could quickly see she was not looking in my direction and looking in the direction she intended to travel. Trying to remember how it went down as it happened so quickly I remember pulling into the right tire track to avoid her front bumper and my laying a solid kick to here front right fender with the heel of my boot and me yelling "What the f***!" while she entered the lane I was occupying. Luckily I held the bike and maneuvered away and as I looked behind she was driving with her face away from me. I pulled over my Harley as she pulled aside and I rode back to her location and I asked her what her problem was. She was crying by the time I got to her and started apologizing, and I asked her if she realized how at fault she was. She told me she knew she was wrong and that she can't believe it as she lost a family member in a similar accident and that her boyfriend rides. I could see she felt bad so I told her "No harm No foul" because I did not go down and to keep an eye out for motorcycles. I did not think there was a need to pursue the situation any further as she was honest and seemed sincere. I left her along the side of the street and made my way home. Since I did not live very far from where this happened I ended up sitting and telling this story to my next door neighbor and as we were on his front porch I saw her go by roughly 5 minutes later at a slow speed. Yup I believe I was blessed to experience this with no harm and a lesson to me to watch out for myself as perhaps I am getting to relaxed on the bike and not being as attentive as I should. I am riding my factory original cream colored Harley, and my previous two bikes were brightly colored for visability. This has me wondering if I should be considering a color change. Would she have seen me if it was brightly colored? Maybe, maybe not. My two other bikes were intentionally painted for my safety and so that they stood out among other motorcycles but this old relic of a bike I currently ride stands out but maybe it is not visable enough. Something for me to think about as I am grateful that the few negative experiences I have had on two wheels have not been that painful or damaging. I am a lucky man and wish all of you the same luck as we all will at one time or another encounter experiences as this and as long as we walk or ride away and only our pride if anything is hurt I think we are well off. Ride safe and lets keep the rubber on the road.

[stickhandle2]

Shane, I think we have all had that same what the moment you had today, you have seen the colour of my bike jacket and people seem to not see me at times, you need to keep watching for everybody else while out on the road.

 

Ride safe Bud, are you going to the Vintage Swap meet this Saturday in Jordan.

 

Mike

[venturesome]

Glad you were alert and saved yourself and the bike. I am 70, so there have been a couple of times in my life that I was the one in the wrong. I always accepted responsibility, apologized, and made it right, just as this lady seemed to do. I will bet she is more alert for a few days. When you are riding a bike, especially a factory original cream colored Harley, it might help to do as a friend of mine who rides with me sometimes on his classic black 1975 meticulously restored Goldwing. He wears a very bright safety orange t-shirt. It definitely clashes with his beautiful Goldwing, but it keeps the cagers at bay, at least so far.

[Brenner]

Mike, Yup I really think it had nothing to do with the color or visability. It is just something I have been contemplating but a great wake up call that I should try even harder to be aware of my surroundings. As far as the swap meet I am planning on attending weather permitting or not. If you want PM me when you will attend and I will meet you there.

venturesome, I feel you are bang on and think the same as you. As far as what I was wearing, a bright orange riding shirt that is highly visable. The color change has been a thought since before I bought the bike but so far I have not been able to bring myself to make the change as I cannot find a valid reason. All in all most likely color did not have anything to do with this occurance.

[MikeWa]

Brenner

I sure am glad you came through this ok. On a side note I am not surprised people cannot see me when I am riding. Heck I can't see me when I am riding. So why should anybody else.

 

Mike

[Eck]

I find it very hard to hold back that instant road rage when things like that happen, but now a days you really have to be careful what you do and or say for there are some who will shoot you in a blind second and think nothing of it. Glad your OK and that you calmed down to let her go..

[XV1100SE]

Glad you didn't connect with her car. Ride safe.

[saddlebum]

Glad things did not end up worse than they did. I myself had a close call Fri night. Was approaching the intersection at walkers and Harvester facing a green light was just considering picking up the pace a bit so I would not get caught by a Yellow light when a small silver car blew through the light at an extremely high rate of speed. Had I been 5 seconds faster he would broad sided me and drove me 1/4 mile down the road. Interestingly on Sunday while stopped at a red light waiting to turn left doesn't the same same car fly up from behind me and without even slowing down for the red light whips around the corner in a left hand turn and fly's down the road. I am sure its the same car for the simple reason that its highly unlikely that you would see two identical little grey cars with identical aftermarket roof racks .

[ricksbike]

We all know one thing for sure,if they don`t look they don`t see you,many years ago, a friend of mines daughter t-boned a school bus--her excuse--( I didn`t see it.)--REALLY.--40FT LONG--AND BRIGHT YELLOW--WOW. Glad your OK,like I`ve said before,never ever trust anyone.

[JohnT]

Glad you are OK. Yesterday must have been one of those days. I'm running down RT 3 into Watertown on my way to work. I have the green light at a "T" intersection where I am turning left.The left to right and right to left traffic both have red lights so I am safe to make my left turn. Nope, not at all. As the guy in the F150 decides he just doesn't have to wait for his light to turn green and turns left in front of me. I look him right in the eye and wave a finger at him. He pulls his truck to the side of the street and gets out to shake his fist and finger at me, so I pull into the gas station on the corner to talk to him. (Maybe not the smartest move in this day and age, but I'm not going to live forever anyway) This genius starts yelling at me and swearing at me. After a minute or so I get so mad that I step around his truck door. (Behind which he has been standing, yelling at me through the open window.) He asks if I intend to hit him. Told him I was considering it.

He claims to be a "rider" himself. Yet he has no idea why I am angry that he ran a red light in front of me. This is now getting to be a scene and I have to get to work anyway so I turn around and leave.

I am acquainted through work with 2 people that died this past weekend from left turn cagers. One Friday in Sturgis and one right here in Jefferson County on Sunday. I have had enough. It may bite my butt in the end, but I've just had it.

[cowpuc]

Glad your ok Bren and that no one was hurt!! Sorry ya had to go thru that...

Gotta say,, I saw this stuff play out over and over again while attending the 75th this year and, as much as I hate to admit it, it didnt usually involve a cager.. As crazy as this may sound, I think it has more to do with some form of a day and age of total disrespect (to the point of no respect for human life) for one another than anything.. Sure makes those endless remote roads of Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and the Dakota's become all the more inviting for this ol wanna be!!

[dogman]

Brenner, I'm glad you saw the car just in time to maneuver to avoid the collision. My opinion, it doesn't matter what colour your bike is, how bright your clothes or headlights are, or how loud your pipes or horn is. People on the road don't see a marked Police car with emergency lights and siren on.

As we all know, we have to ride with eyes wide open expecting the cagers are out to get us, and not in a paranoid way, but a prepared way to respond just as you did.