Built In Safety Feature!

[rsjb41]

I have seen a lot of great tips on here about things you can do to improve visibility and safety will riding. Yesterday afternoon on my way home from work I found one more…and it’s built right in the bike! As I was traveling home on a two lane highway, at the crest of a hill a car was stopped waiting for traffic so he could turn left onto a side road. I pull up and stopped behind him. As I’m sitting there, I check my mirrors and see a truck coming up behind me very quick. I check the car in front of me, check my mirrors, the car in front of me, my mirrors…the truck is not slowing and there is a sharp drop off on the shoulder of the road and a guardrail. The car in front turns; I hit the throttle and rip through a few gears just before the truck gets there. He was close enough that I could see he was looking down, I assume at his cell phone. The built in safety feature (Acceleration) saved my ***. I have no doubt that if I was on a cruiser I would have been hit or had to dump the on the shoulder. A BIG thumbs up to the power of the FJR!!!

When I got home I changed my pants, cleaned my seat and took a ride on the wonderful machine. :clapping:

 

[Patriot]

I have seen a lot of great tips on here about things you can do to improve visibility and safety will riding. Yesterday afternoon on my way home from work I found one more…and it’s built right in the bike! As I was traveling home on a two lane highway, at the crest of a hill a car was stopped waiting for traffic so he could turn left onto a side road. I pull up and stopped behind him. As I’m sitting there, I check my mirrors and see a truck coming up behind me very quick. I check the car in front of me, check my mirrors, the car in front of me, my mirrors…the truck is not slowing and there is a sharp drop off on the shoulder of the road and a guardrail. The car in front turns; I hit the throttle and rip through a few gears just before the truck gets there. He was close enough that I could see he was looking down, I assume at his cell phone. The built in safety feature (Acceleration) saved my ***. I have no doubt that if I was on a cruiser I would have been hit or had to dump the on the shoulder. A BIG thumbs up to the power of the FJR!!!
When I got home I changed my pants, cleaned my seat and took a ride on the wonderful machine. :clapping:

wow, I had pucker factor just reading this...good for you and your Feej :blink: ...carry on...

oh, oxyclean is your friend... :yahoo:

 

[weekend rider]

May have been that senator from south dakota that runs them there stop signs. Just doing some senator paper work no need to look-up

 

[Sticky Throttle]

I have seen a lot of great tips on here about things you can do to improve visibility and safety will riding. Yesterday afternoon on my way home from work I found one more…and it’s built right in the bike! As I was traveling home on a two lane highway, at the crest of a hill a car was stopped waiting for traffic so he could turn left onto a side road. I pull up and stopped behind him. As I’m sitting there, I check my mirrors and see a truck coming up behind me very quick. I check the car in front of me, check my mirrors, the car in front of me, my mirrors…the truck is not slowing and there is a sharp drop off on the shoulder of the road and a guardrail. The car in front turns; I hit the throttle and rip through a few gears just before the truck gets there. He was close enough that I could see he was looking down, I assume at his cell phone. The built in safety feature (Acceleration) saved my ***. I have no doubt that if I was on a cruiser I would have been hit or had to dump the on the shoulder. A BIG thumbs up to the power of the FJR!!!
When I got home I changed my pants, cleaned my seat and took a ride on the wonderful machine. :clapping:

wow, I had pucker factor just reading this...good for you and your Feej :blink: ...carry on...

oh, oxyclean is your friend... :yahoo:

+1. I could clearly envision the truck bearing down on you.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Congrats! With the drop to the right and car turning left, it makes it hard to be somewhere you won't get nailed.

I try REAL hard not to stop directly behind people for this very reason. A few years ago, I came to a light behind a car so that I was looking down his left side. Just like you described, here comes a big white work van that's not slowing, so I slid over to the left of the car's rear fender, thinking he still may stop. WHAM -

The next thing I know the van creams the car, hitting it so hard that suddenly I'm next to the van's rear fender. I woulda been the creme in that Oreo.

 

[DagoFeejer]

Always stop behind the left rear wheel of the car ahead and stay in first gear (easy with the AE). Saved my life once...serious lesson learned.

 

[BanjoBoy]

Acceleration is good, safety through speed I always say! :tonguesmiley:

 

[Slade]

Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration has never failed me. Great patron saint of Gettin Outta Dodge when needed.

 

[BobOdenweller]

Always stop behind the left rear wheel of the car ahead and stay in first gear (easy with the AE). Saved my life once...serious lesson learned.

Not sure I understand this. On a two lane road with the stopped car trying to turn left, do you really want to pull up to the left side of the car? I assume there must be oncoming traffic or the left turner wouldn't still be sitting there. It would take some pretty big cajones to pull into oncoming traffic. Every situation is different. I don't think there should be a general rule. I say stay to the side of the lane that offers the best "out". No matter left or right.

 

[DagoFeejer]

Good point Bob, different situations call for different tactics. Guess I should have predicated my statement as a personal preference and not a general rule. But in the end, they are practically the same IMHO.

Cheers,

D

 

[mcatrophy]

I think many of us have found rapid acceleration useful. I had an event on my Trophy, which has even more low down grunt than the FJR - luckily for me at the time.

Scenario: A normal single carriageway, two-way road, alongside an industrial park on the right (far side).

The traffic was heavy in both directions, my queue was moving at somewhere around 25 mph, vehicles evenly spaced.

I sensed rather than saw a car pull out from the right, to join my queue right where I was. Without thinking, I opened the throttle and turned towards the curb to make as much space as possible. I could just see, in my peripheral vision, this car almost hitting my pannier.

What I think had happened was that he had been waiting to join my queue, so had to wait for a gap in both the traffic coming the other way, and on my side. He probably saw what he thought was a gap between the car in front of me and the one behind, obviously not seeing me. Taking the opportunity, he accelerated rapidly across through a gap in the traffic on his side.

(Click on image for larger view)



Thinking about it afterwards, I concluded that I wasn't concentrating all that well. I had come through the centre of a very busy London, I was hot and tired. I should have been more alert, seen this car waiting, and moved to the right of my lane to make myself more visible.

(Taken from a few safety hints on my web site.)

 

[Diver]

Dont forget agility. Even on my cruiser (warrior) I have found that dodging one way or the other has paid off. that and upgrading to tires that can handle it!

Diver

 

[rsjb41]

Always stop behind the left rear wheel of the car ahead and stay in first gear (easy with the AE). Saved my life once...serious lesson learned.

Not sure I understand this. On a two lane road with the stopped car trying to turn left, do you really want to pull up to the left side of the car? I assume there must be oncoming traffic or the left turner wouldn't still be sitting there. It would take some pretty big cajones to pull into oncoming traffic. Every situation is different. I don't think there should be a general rule. I say stay to the side of the lane that offers the best "out". No matter left or right.

You are correct Bob. There was oncoming traffic, that's why the car in front of me was stopped and me going left was not an option. I was at the right side which provided not a good, but the best out. Before the car had fully made it's turn I was on the gas. If I had been to the left in this situation it would have cost me another second or two.

 

[k7lvo]

The way I like to put it is that there aren't many problems that I can't leave far behind me with a flick of the bars and a twitch of the wrist!