Almost got popped by cager

[kmk]

I guess the reason I've never posted one of these "...almost happened..." thread, is because in my neck of the woods, this kinda crap occurs EVERY day. And I'll be damned if 8 times out of 10 it's someone on a cellphone.
Don't see any point in reporting "daily" occurences. <_<

+1 on that

Even on the rural roads here... always have to be alert, sounds like you responded appropriately, seeing as that you're still here. I would drop the Ipod... I have tried riding with my sansa but find it to distracting.

 

[LgFJR]

One of my "almost" near death experiences happened on the way home in Irvine, Ca........Culver is the main drag thru town and the off ramp on the 405 is about 4 lanes wide. 3 lanes turn left........this was ten years ago and I was on my Valkyrie, it was a hot summer day, and the cars were lined up from Culver back almost to the 405. I got the bright idea I would just white line up to the front of the left turners, and jet out in front on the green and be gone. There is an overpass to the left of this off ramp and you can't see anything over the top of it. So I'm loud and proud sitting like a dork with my clutch hand twitching at the front of the line. The light is getting ready to turn, I'm set to launch straight out over 4 lanes and layover into a sweeping left and be gone. The light turns, I launch........the next split second all I hear is four screaming tires go by at about 70mph behind me...........I barely got a glance at something large and black sideways in the road as I laid into my left turn.........The SUV was trying to make the light and we never saw each other.........I was a split second from meeting my maker...........a slight hesitation in that launch and I would have been in the radiator. I'm sure there was one petrified SUV driver with a good story that afternoon also...........

 

[Karmak]

I guess the reason I've never posted one of these "...almost happened..." thread, is because in my neck of the woods, this kinda crap occurs EVERY day. And I'll be damned if 8 times out of 10 it's someone on a cellphone.
Don't see any point in reporting "daily" occurences. <_<

+1. Routine. However, less hopefully as you get better at anticipation.

My procedure for over 40 years: To others: Traffic lights mean nothing. Right of way means nothing. Rules of the road mean nothing. You mean nothing to them. People will take you out because they want to get to the Mall quickly, are on cell phones, putting on makeup, high, drunk, late for work, etc. etc. Animals (moose, deer, dogs, wombats, kangaroos) will play Russian Roulette with you.

Ride as if you are invisible and like the cagers (and sometimes other bikes) are out to kill you. If you don't ride this way, they most assuredly will succeed.

 

[Knifemaker]

Ride as if you are invisible and like the cagers (and sometimes other bikes) are out to kill you. If you don't ride this way, they most assuredly will succeed.

That has been my mantra for decades. "Remember at all times that EVERYONE is trying to kill you"

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

Good to keep going on....

Last week, going to my own neighborhood no less, when I was approaching from the south to make a right turn. Other cagers in front proceeded through the light. Car approaching from the North was turning into the same neighborhood and was yielding on the green light. He waited for cagers to go through, and when he clearly saw me, he just proceeded to turn as though I was not there, broad daylight at 4pm mind you. I had to break down, not so hard, because I just don't trust them anyways, and always watch'em close. He proceeded in front of me, Of course I gave him a blast of the Dual Freeway Blasters....Now you know this put panic in me. Normally or at least in prime age I would have ran up on him and made him stop. However I decided to just politely follow him all through the neighborhood. Turn for turn. I knew he would have that same' What the hell' panic, I had just felt. After about 8 turns and several blocks, he was smart enough not to go home, if he indeed lived there. He stopped at a stop sign and stuck his head out and yelled,' You want something'...I just shook no, and just kept following him. He decided to go out the neighborhood and to the beltway where I then turned off.....

I think I proved my point to him very nicely. And should he have stopped for a scene, well he may have been a dummy driver, but he sure wasn't blind and stupid..

So we have to watch it out there...Glad you were able to shake it off. These quips of stories surely are great therapy.

 

[dwhartwell]

Running red lights is a national pastime as near as I can tell. I never ever assume that my green means that it is safe to assume that no asshat will run the red. I assume they ARE running a red in my cage and on my FJR.

 

[old&slow]

.Now you know this put panic in me. Normally or at least in prime age I would have ran up on him and made him stop. However I decided to just politely follow him all through the neighborhood. Turn for turn. I knew he would have that same' What the hell' panic, I had just felt. After about 8 turns and several blocks, he was smart enough not to go home, if he indeed lived there. He stopped at a stop sign and stuck his head out and yelled,' You want something'...I just shook no, and just kept following him. He decided to go out the neighborhood and to the beltway where I then turned off.....
I think I proved my point to him very nicely. And should he have stopped for a scene, well he may have been a dummy driver, but he sure wasn't blind and stupid..

So we have to watch it out there...Glad you were able to shake it off. These quips of stories surely are great therapy.

I like it !! :assassin: h34r: :angry: :assassin:

 

[jesse]

I DID get nailed 3 years ago by an 85-yo in a pick-up truck. My light had been green for 2 or 3 seconds before I got to the intersection. Thankfully, I was in a Volvo x-country ($11,000 cosmetic damage) and NOT my bike! Now, I slow down and do a scan at EVERY intersection - green light be damned :blink:

Assume trouble at EVERY intersection is what I preach to every fellow rider I meet. Safety should be a passion for each of us. Approch, slow down and start looking for every possible danger, when you pass through safely, you win. The vast majority of bike accidents happen in intersections, so ride accordingly.

Always take note of oncoming cars and ask yourself, "is there a chance they would want to turn in front of me for any reason?" There is so much to think about, but if you want to ride again tomorrow, this is how you have to think while in traffic. General rule ....................when at all possible, keep as much distance as you can from every car..................

 

[zip]

Friends, I'll gently recommend Hi-viz, day-glo wear. I notice the difference every single day I ride.

Really glad you weren't hit, and especially in town, you've got to drive defensively all the time, as so many others have said here.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Yeah, usually happens to me a couple times a week on my way home from work. Doesn't matter if I'm in the truck, the car, or on one of the motorcycles.

To get home, I turn left off a main road, onto a road that runs behind a shopping center. The right lane is a right-turn-only lane and the left lane is a go-straight lane. When the right lane is full of cages turning into the shopping center, the people waitng to turn left outta the shopping center can't get a good line of vision to what's coming in the left lane, so they tend to pull out rather than wait until they can see if there's any oncoming traffic.

Hi-viz helmet and FF50's really help in that situation, but, as the saying goes, you can't fix stupid. I do love blasting the air horns when people pull out and are talking on their cell phones, though.

 

[Silver Penguin]

That has been my mantra for decades. "Remember at all times that EVERYONE is trying to kill you"

That's the truth! When I was first learning to ride, way back when, my Dad told me that a green light is a suggestion rather than a rule. I recall driving a rental pickup truck, a little nervously since my own truck had been totalled the previous day (one moron pulled out in front of me. I stopped. Moron behind didn't stop). Preparing to turn left with a green arrow, I was about the third vehicle in line. The motorcyclist in me was doing the obligatory scan when I saw a stake bed truck barelling up to the intersection. I hung back. He t-boned the car in front of me without slowing at all.

My daily freeway ride to work is a challenge. Yes, I have the music on quietly but I'm constantly scanning for who is going to attack and how. I have my escape strategy planned in advance for most cases. Just yesterday I saw a car whose driver just looked as though he were going to merge into my spot. You know how you get that feeling? I accelerated a little and moved to the left of my lane. His trajectory continued, right into the spot where I would have otherwise been. I moved back to the center of my lane and tapped the brakes, just to say 'Hello. There's someone else using your road today dude'. It was very satisfying to see him back off in a big way. Guy must have had a conscience!

 

[ahchiu]

Glad you came out ok, I cover my brakes at every intersection when I have the green and check the traffic I look in the mirrors more often since I got rearended never let your guard down, there is a lot of good advise here to stay alive. don't like hearing about near misses but hearing this kind of stuff is good to keep us on our game to be aware.

 

[DonRed7]

My mother in law got nailed at a crosswalk 2 weeks ago. Busted up ankle and massive brusing but she's OK,....Or as great as she can be due to the stupidity of the driver.....So don't as so many do, blame the sport, a dumbass is around every corner waiting to ruin someone's day. You just have to keep preparing for their arrival.

Have had three similar bike related holy fck's in the last 5 years. Only reminds one to keep you'r shit together and pay attention. My need to ride is far greater than the fear of the lights going out.

-Don

 

[lonerider]

Last Saturday I got nailed by a forest rat, a 4 point buck outside of

Mercersburg, PA. I was on my old Madura this time and managed to keep the bike

upright; deer impacted first on my left knee (yeah, the injured one), then the

GIVI E21 bag, popping it open and dumping my camera and glasses out and putting

a dent in my auxiliary gas tank. Bike itself is unscathed; knee is sore, luckily

I had a riding suit with generous knee protection on. Glad I wasn't on the Wing

or the FJR, with all their expensive plastic. Wish I had the money to pass out

free spotlights and .30-30 shells in every Wal Mart parking lot in MD, PA, and

WV and bribe the game wardens to look the other way. Ya'll be careful out

there...

 

[Hudson]

Friends, I'll gently recommend Hi-viz, day-glo wear. I notice the difference every single day I ride.

+1. I first noticed with a Hi-Viz vest, then really notice with the hi viz Motoport. I won't ride without one. It's the difference between invisible and "usually get noticed."

 

[SacramentoMike]

"Feel like the only one?" At least you're getting the sense now you're not. And me? Yeh, couple zillion times. Cellphones, alcohol, old age, young and inexperienced, general typical low skill level--whatever the cause, they can all kill you. Just yesterday, another one cut right in front of me as two feeder ramps merged together, and that's with THREE bright sets of lights on the front end. I saw him moving over and backed off, since it was that or go over the guardrail, but I laid on the Freeway Blasters to let him know. He swerved back and gave me a sheepish wave when I passed him, so I know he wasn't trying to cream me on purpose, at least. That would have been a comfort while I spent the next few weeks in traction.

 

[dpryan]

Since I'm new here I have a lot of threads to poke through and catch up on, to help kill time until I end up buying one of these here fine FJRs. So what the heck, I'll chime in, even though by now Buck must know he is NOT the only one this happens to.

I wouldn't say I think they're all out to kill me, but a few years of motorcycling (and a few more of road cycling) have me expecting them to do what they shouldn't do. Especially at intersections I went the hi-vis 'stich route a few years ago, but still don't assume they really see me. And as others have said, I cover the brake, keep the revs up, etc, etc. Sometimes, some good ol' eye contact and a shake of the head will keep someone from shooting across, if I see them inching their way out of a side street and thinking, "can I make it?" But I don't count on it.

Like the kid in the pickup this morning who shot across at the last possible freaking second! I haven't had to grab a fistfull of brake like that in awhile.....

Be careful out there folks!

 

[SHRuuM]

I got one for ya. Two lane right onto access road to U.S. 59 S. on my commute of 48miles to the house. I'm in the outside lane, the cager is in a SUV next to me on the inside. Light turns green, I take off and the damn cager starts to push me to the curb! I hit the horn and the jack ass straightened up and let me live. I threw up the visor and gave him the "what's up?" signal[no finger] and he looked at me with a scowl, like it was MY fault. Did I cuss him, throw marbles at him, or kick at his door like I usually do to idiots that try to kill me? NOOOO, I've got no balls ........it was a friggin' FT. Bend County Sheriff trying to take me out!! :glare: