[cyberdon]

I have to tell you, I like a nice adrenaline rush just like any other fella, but i coulda done without this one. Well today was kinda chilly for Tampa (64 degrees) and a little windy. No worries, i put on my leather jacket and decided to take a little ride for a while, the sun was out, ,my girl was nagging me and i needed to clear my head. Well all was good until about 30min later, I was on 1 of the main streets where i live when all of a sudden this older white Nissan Sentra, in opposing traffic, goes in that dreaded left lane, now i usually flash my high beams when i see this, every bit of visibility helps right? At any rate i'm assuming the driver sees me....that's what i get for assuming right? Anyway, i'm less than 50 ft away, when this a$$hole does that left turn right in front of me, of course blabbing on a cellie! i have a car on my right, and another vehicle behind me, I'm thinking there is no way to avoid this...Thankfully i didn't panic too bad, i was pumping both brakes so as to not lock, but still i was fishtailing all over the place I thought i would blow out 1 of my tires, I was just praying to god that i wouldn't high-side and go down...the Warrior's pretty heavy. Fortunately, the driver's around me were pretty alert, so they gave me the space i needed. Long story short, i avoided the accident, managed to pull over and get my composure, the BOZO in the Nissan didn't even realize what had happen'd, i still need to check my tires, i left a lot of rubber on the road...lol. I remember the dude's license plate #......maybe I'll look'm up, but 1st i think i need to change my pants.....****, helluva day!

 

[NorCalWarrior]

Glad you and your bike made it through OK - it's a jungle out there. File that situation in the memory banks for next time.

Ride safe

 

[6pakaday]

done the same thing when a idiot pulled out in front of me at wal mart the *** never seen me had to replace the rear tire no thread left.

 

[MarcoPolo]

That doesn't sound too fun at all, I'm glad you got through it unharmed even though you might be out a few bucks for new pants now. Look at it this way I guess, that's some very valuable experience you just earned and you didn't even have to pay for it with minor injuries like most do.

 

[bruce59]

I'm glad you made it through that ok !


Around here (and many places I've travelled) flashing your brights is commonly used to signalanother driver that they can go... so what I'm saying is if I'm waiting to pull out from side street or like this case across your lane and you flick your brights, that would tell me that you have seen me and are giving me a break and letting me go. Is this not done in your area ?

 

[antitech1]

I will have to remember that story just in case your stock seat goes up for sale. You will never get full price for it now.

 

[arizonawarrior]

Good job. You survived to tell the story so you're a winner on this one!

 

[Dice]

I'm glad you made it through that ok !


Around here (and many places I've travelled) flashing your brights is commonly used to signalanother driver that they can go... so what I'm saying is if I'm waiting to pull out from side street or like this case across your lane and you flick your brights, that would tell me that you have seen me and are giving me a break and letting me go. Is this not done in your area ?

Flashing your highbeams around here usually means 1) your highbeams are on and are blinding me, turn them down please. 2) There is a radar trap down the road. We use a go ahead wave to signal to some one to go ahead and turn in front of me, or let some one into traffic.

 

[cyberdon]

That's a good point actually, in a car that's the general rule, I guess same rules would apply on a bike. Just around here in FL guys get killed all the time with ppl making those left hand turns. So i try to increase visibility... I may have to find another way

 

[cyberdon]

I will have to remember that story just in case your stock seat goes up for sale. You will never get full price for it now.

Yeah i think you are right about that LOL

 

[bruce59]

Dice: Yeah , we use it for all of those purposes .


Cyberdon: I bought a brighter bulb -PIAA H4 Extreme White Anti vibration - And almost always run with my bright on during daytime... and still have to be extra cautious because a lot of people can't or won't drive competently!!

 

[Scoper50]

Personally I ride with my high beams on all the time when there is day light. I've noticed that since I've started doing this the number of close calls has went down significantly.


But there is one thing that I have noticed. Whenever I see a driver do something stupid I make it a point to pull up becide them and check for cell phone usage. And 90% of the time the bad driver has a cell phone glued to their head and they are just gabbing away unaware that anything just happened.


I try not to complain too much about this subject because I am guilty of using a cell phone while driving. But I don't make a habit of it. I will answer my phone if it rings, but I usually wait until I am done driving to make phone calls. And if Ido talk on the phone while driving, I try to keep it short. It seems like some people are obsessive compulsive about it. Kind of like how a smoker automatically lights up a cigarette when they get in the car. Some people absolutely need to make a phone call and talk to anybody while they are driving. I have several friends like this. (mostly female). I just don't understand the cell phone thing. Even though I am guilty of driving and talking at the same time, its a rare thing, and when I do I notice thata lot of my attention is lost. I've driven home from work while talking on the cell before, and when I get home, I barely remember the drive home. That shows you how disconnected you come. It's distracting.


I should also note, that my female friend cell phone addicts also have multiple accidents on their records. Yet they don't put two and two together. I've mentioned it to one of them, and she got mad at me. So I dropped the subject.


When I ride I don't trust anybody. I expect everybody to swerve over into my lane, and I expect people to pull out in front of me. I also make a habit of covering my front brake with my index and middle finger at all times. A superbike racer tought me that little trick. The tenths of a second it takes to reach for the brake could save your life. If you ride with two fingers on the brake at all times, your reaction time is reduced.


There are a few other tricks I use to avoid potential accidents, but I feel like I'm being long winded, so I'm just cut this short.

 

[cyberdon]

Good idea, I think i'll just change out the bulb, simple yet effective! By the way, any "survivor" inputs that ya'll might have are definitely welcomed.

 

[bruce59]

After a couple bad accidents when I was young ( 4 steel plates in my leg etc) ...although I ride quite aggressively I also drive as if I am invisible . That is I don't expect the other guy to see me and am usually prepared for a panic stop or to get my bike where the car isn't!! Awareness is key...as well as experience . Could practice stops in a parking lot...


Good points from Scoper. I don't always have fingers on the front brake ... but certainly do "cover" it in many traffic situations when I feel I might need it.

 

[parkinglot]

Good points from Scoper. I don't always have fingers on the front brake ... but certainly do "cover" it in many traffic situations when I feel I might need it.

I put a couple miles a year in on the bike, the pickup and the big truck. You always have to be prepared for some moron to make a dumb move. High beams are a good idea, but I have 80 chicken (marker) lights all over my headrack and trailer and people still dont see me coming down the road. One other thing you can do after this happens is chase the moron down and threaten bodily injury...sometimes this works, other times they call the cops on you..glad you were able to avoid selling your dented tank on here....