Highway debris

[Windjammer]

My ex-BIL drove a cattle truck and got lit up on a big hill by the CHP. Lots of chatter over the CB about whether he'd obey the LEO within the next few miles while still on the hill and then try to get the truck rolling again or ignore the cruiser lights until he got to a place easier to start the truck moving. He finally pulled over and in the mirror saw an extremely irate officer walking up - covered head-to-toe in cow sh*t. He had been writing a ticket on the side of the road when my BIL drove by - just as one of his cow passengers was relieving herself. First and only thing said by the LEO, "You're paying the dry-cleaning bill for this."

And the correct reply, with a completely straight face: "Oh no, officer, that's actually payback for all the traffic tickets I've gotten over the years. You see, I spent years training that cow to shit on police officers, and I take her with me wherever I go." Imagine the look on the guys face..... :lol:

 

[dbvolfan]

Dayum! Some pretty scary stuff out there. Nothing but retreads and then a truck that had a REAL bad leak in one of it's diesel tanks. Completely sprayed me and the bike, covering us with the crap...and I was pretty far back when it happend.

Took me forever to get that crap smell out of my m/c clothing, not to metion detailing the bike.

 

[FJRottie]

How about a 69 cuda drag car

I will say a prayer tonight. Me likey Cudas.

 

[FJRay]

I have two that are interesting. Heading north on I-5 in Wa. we came across a lady running around in traffic trying to collect her plastic trash can while cars were playing soccer with it. my buddy almost lost it but made it. We watched the news and there was no bad reports. Number two was when crossing Whiskey town lake in norcal my friends BMW decides shed the right side Touratech box in front of me while on the bridge. The last time I saw it was going over my head after a favorable bounce for me. Buy the time he discovered it was gone it had been run over by a Mercedes and a Sheriff. It is a dangerous world out there.

 

[Malve]

Just recently, I got a close up view of a bright red race car falling out of a big rig on the interstate... it was about 12 feet in front of me and uh... um... oh wait a minute... oh sh%#t... that was Lighting McQeen from the movie "Cars" with my two year old in my living room.... [picture Gilda Radner] "never mind".

My biggest obstacles I've had to avoid have been a BBQ and a bicycle... both fallen from RV's on separate occasions and I narrowly avoided the bicycle right into my widshield. The bike bounced like a perfect on sides kick in football...two little bounces followed by a BIG one.

 

[Glenn]

Mattress in the middle lane of the 101 freway in LA. Cooking about 85 and it scared the bejeezus ut of me. Hello from our neighbors from the south.

 

[FlyingLow]

Well, just today, a full 360 retread, in the 405 car pool lane [usually that crap is safely in the median.

The only thing I've ever actually hit was a piece of 2X4 going slow speed in a parking lot. Caused a tipover :sadsmiley02:

 

[jayke]

Going up an I-275 freeway entrance ramp on a rare warm day in mid February on my 5 month old FJR; looked over my shoulder to merge ..... Wham! Rode right into the mother of all chuckholes . Couldn't believe my front rim didn't explode. When I got home I found two bent rims, $1000 worth of damage. No big deal $250 deductible, just turned it into insurance. Two months later I find out my insurance just went from 450 yr to $1000 yr (Progressive) for the next three years because of my claim. I changed insurance companies

Moral of the story is to watch out for chuckholes this time of year and think twice about turning in a small claim.

.

 

[CraigRegs]

South on I-35 out of Minneapolis, overtaking an 18-wheeler to pass when I'm sprayed with pebbles or marbles or rocks or some such sh*t and I see a piece of metal flying past my right shoulder. Roll it on to get around the truck and about 1/2 mile ahead is a pickup on the shoulder. Occupants are out tying a rope around the door of the refrigerator they're hauling. Apparently, it had flown open, dumped a shelf on the road and the semi did the rest. Just glad it wasn't the whole damn frig....

Craig

 

[James]

Not counting the deer I cut in half in NM, in the mid-80's heading north from Dallas a car had 2 jet ski's strapped to a small flatbed trailer, when the wind caught it just right & it started sailing, swaying back & forth 5-6 feet (off the ground) till it came off the ball & did a 360 on the safety chains, the jet skis separating on the 2nd loop. Bumper to bumper @70 I have never seen cars get out of the way so fast with no one hitting anything outside of a racetrack. I missed one by a good 2 feet . Oh, and driving south on I-35 near Des Moins a kid towing his fathers boat home from an air show forgot to strap it down & it rolled off the trailer & slid sideways, blocking both lanes. I was 1st behind him & had time to say "that's coming off" & hit the brakes. While the kid was trying to figure out if he could hide it from his dad (who didn't know he'd borrowed it) about 10 of us dragged it to the side of the road so traffic could continue. I see a trend now....

James

 

[Blueliner]

Worst or weirdest thing to get me was thankfully in a pick up. Someone had lost a catalytic converter and who knows how many vehicles had run it over making it fairly flat. The car ahead of me hit it and it flipped up into the air about windshield high. There it hovered, spinning on its axis. Just as I was starting to dive down and get behind the cover of theedash, it made a nose-dive and got the truck in the grill. Caved it in quite a way.

Worst on a bike was a big snake. I don't like snakes, and they frankly give me the willies. So I round a corner on my CBR600 and here is a snake in the road. Intellectually I can tell that it has been run over already and undoubtedly killed, but the irrational part of me could see it striking at me with its fangs and injecting deadly venom as I rode by. I almost crashed that CBR evading that dead snake. Still makes me feel squeamish to think about it. Anyway, back to real stories of frightful things.

 

[borrec]

How about this poor guy?

Motorcyclist Injured After Hitting Bathtub on Louisiana Interstate

Sunday, April 8, 2007

COVINGTON, La. — A boxed bathtub fell from the bed of a pickup truck and slid into a motorcyclist's path Saturday, critically injuring the 72-year-old rider, Louisiana State Police said.

Charles S. Warren was thrown from his motorcycle when it hit the bathtub, and was being treated at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, according to a news release from Trooper Louis Calato.

He said the motorcycle, the box and the bathtub all ended up in the grass median of Interstate 12.

The pickup's driver, Shain Autumn, 32, of Springfield, was booked with negligent injury and driving with an unsecured load, Calato said.

:blink:

 

[Turvy]

One night on I 80/94 near Hammond IN (a treacherous ride to begin with) I came across something glowing bright red in the middle lane. I had plenty of time to change lanes to avoid it but had no idea what it was. A mile up the road was a semi along the side with a fire billowing out from the rear tires. I had just avoided a red hot brake drum in the road.

On the same stretch of road (different time) the second trailer from a tandem tractor trailer cut loose. As the air lines snapped, all the brakes locked up and skidded to a stop, along with all of us behind. No one hurt there thank goodness.

I ran over a coyote on a Suzuki Bandit. Didn't even try to miss it.

I also hit a giant bumble bee on the Bandit with my left arm in such a manner that it was still alive (but very angry) when it bounced up into my full face helmet and landed on my nose. I have never stopped and taken off my helmet so fast in all of my life.

 

[Rogue]

Late 80's at about 11:00 at night, I'm doing 75 or so on the 110 freeway and a K5 Blazer goes blasting around me doing at least 100, I thought "Drive it like you stole it" to myself... 1/2 mile later I came across the top to the truck that they popped off the (stolen) truck so they could enjoy the summer night air. I missed it but it wouldn't have been fun to hit.

 

[kulwen]

I rounded a corner one night and almost hit three dead sheep. Some guys sheep got out of the field and were on the road and a truck took them out before me. The owner, who was on the side of the road when I came around the corner told me he heard the tires squeal and the sound of a wreak. So, he got dressed and came down the road to see a big truck take off like a bat out of hell. It turns out he lost seven sheep that night. Whoever was in the truck decided to take off with four of the dead.

In my younger years, I was not as safe as I am now. Well, I was not safe at all. I rode in a t-shirt and shorts all the time. Boy, I must have looked silly in short and t-shirt with a full-face helmet. But, anyway went threw a swam of locust at about 80mph. I had bruises all over and was covered in bug juice.

 

[evil_henchman]

Aside from livestock and shreded tires the scariest debris haden't quite hit the road yet before it almost took me out. During a big wind storm I was going along a road with a heavy tree canopy. A branch about 10 feet long and about as big around as my leg snapped off and came straight at me. All I could do was duck which enough though just barely as it scraped me and if I'd of had my tail bag on it surely would have taken it out.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

A big plastic/rubber trash can like those in restaraunt kitchens flew off a truck going the opposite direction and flew into my lane. There was a car close behind the truck so I couldn't switch lanes completely, I came close to hitting that thing and it could have got ugly fast...phew.

 

[PauHana]

Traveling down the interstate when the bumper fell off the car in front of me. By some odd luck it didn't bounce up and I was able to run over top of it as there was no way to avoid it. Was glad to be in my truck and not on a bike.

 

[FJrider1]

Spring is almost here in the Noreast. Don't know if this has been touched on, riding to work last week, changing lanes between the fast lane and middle lane, huge chunks of missing asphalt in the lane seams. Caught my front tire at 70+ while passing.

Almost dumped it...

 

[TruWrecks]

I've had the kitchen sink almost take me out. It fell out of a pickup bed and bounced down the freeway. I served, the car behind me didn't. I was glad I was on the Busa that day.

Not as scary as a few others here. I wouldn't wish some of the above mentioned items being hit by anyone. In Washington state you can get a ticket for failing to secure a load. I just wish the WSP would pay as much attention to that as motorcycles.