Lightning Strikes

[teerex51]

It doesn't make headlines very often, but when it happens it makes you wonder.

Last Monday a 37 y.o. biker was struck by lightning on a state highway in the South of Germany, fell off his bike and was run over by the vehicle that followed.

MOTORRAD (Europe's leading bike mag) reports and adds a comment from the German AAA. "In case of thunderstorms, bikers should adopt the same precautions as pedestrians -- i.e. stay away from trees, posts etc., find shelter under a bridge or overhead structure and don't stand next to the bike."

Any close encounters with lightning to report, bros?

Stef

 

[LetzRoll]

No Stef, sorry nothing like that ever happened to me.

But every time a read a post of yours, it does make me salivate for some reason. :dribble:

 

[teerex51]

LetzRoll,

Do I have to start worrying about you, bro? :bigeyes:

Stef

 

[gourmetjon]

Last year a friend was riding his '04 outside of Syracuse when lightning hit the road just a few feet in front of him. The concussion blew the bike off the road into a ditch and left him unconcious in said ditch. His passenger was able to make her way back to the road and flag down a passing car. He broke most of the ribs on one side, both ankles, one wrist, and had a collapsed lung.

If you see lightning in the area and there is a place to hide, USE IT!

Jon

 

[Grumpy]

Awesome picture!

 

[fjrchooser]

I was wondering about this myself a few weeks back. Was on my way home and traveled 100 miles through some bad storms.

Lighting hit the trees bordering both sides of the road about a half mile ahead nearly simultaneously and I go Holy **** ! Then I realize I can see over the roofs of the cars ahead of me. Great, that tallest thing on the road...I'm soaked to the bone and thinking what a nice conductor me and the Feejer would make.

No place to seek shelter so I just pressed on since I'd never heard of a cyclist getting nailed.

Now I'm going to be paranoid, sometimes ignorance is bliss! Too bad, for some reason I enjoy riding in the rain. Or used too... :focus: :bye2:

 

[gasman]

No Stef, sorry nothing like that ever happened to me.
But every time a read a post of yours, it does make me salivate for some reason.  :dribble:

You do know that "Stef" is short for Stefano, not Stefanie, right? JB

 

[RickL]

The safest thing to do is to strap a golf club, specifically a 1-iron, onto the back of your bike (in a vertical position). Why? Because (say it with me), even God can't hit a 1-iron.

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

In Florida there are areas that have thunder and lightning storms all the time. TJ

 

[radman]

I had a Lightning way back when. Too much electrical activity was never an issue.

 

[ionbeam]

British bikes, eh?

Ahh yes, Lucas, the Prince of Darkness.

Lucas electrics, moving at the the speed of darkness. :dead:

Alan

former Norton owner

 

[teerex51]

You do know that "Stef" is short for Stefano, not Stefanie, right?

Says who?

 

[nusman68]

Damn...I was about to eat lunch 'til I saw Stef's magazine pic! THAT IS WRONG! :bigeyes: Saw lightning strike a small tree while I was driving my cage, about 100 ft. away....awesome...exhilirating....TOO CLOSE!

 

[sgoat]

Last year while taking part in Colorado's 100k Rally, a bolt of lightning struck a tree next to the road not 50 yards away from me. The concusion of the blast blew open the shield on my Symax! When I got back to the motel and took of my helmet, I noticed my beard had turned snow white!! I'm also now able to power some low current onboard accessories for my FJR without connecting to the bikes elec. system................. :stunned:

 

[Ignacio]

A couple weeks ago in the Utah 1088 near Blanding, UT I was in a pack of riders and the clouds got all hostile on us and turned into a vertical wall. I noticed one lightning flash and the sound was less than a second away. That put's it in the 1000 feet range....which to me is about 100,000 feet too close!

I pondered how being struck on a motorcycle might differ from being in a car, but frankly I was much more worried about the "Biblical rain" that was flooding us. And, of course our comptetitive spirits weren't thinking things like, "Pull over", "Move away from the metal thing between our legs" or "Hide". They were more like, "Why does that idiot 6 cars ahead have his flashers on and going 5 mph instead of pulling over. My Avons are apparently better at crossing streams than his pickup tires."

....in short I guess I'm glad I hadn't heard about the German thing. Yuck.

 

[radman]

When I was a youngster of 17, I was out with a sweet thang, the daughter of fairly religous parents. We were headed to a park to make out in her Mustang, when right at the entrance, a big ass bolt of lightening tore the **** out of a telephone pole not 50 feet from us. Needless to say, that was the end of rads amorous moves that and all subsequent eves as far as she was concerned. Stupid signs from all powerful deities :angry:

 

[twowheelnut]

When I was a youngster of 17, I was out with a sweet thang, the daughter of fairly religous parents. We were headed to a park to make out in her Mustang, when right at the entrance, a big ass bolt of lightening tore the **** out of a telephone pole not 50 feet from us. Needless to say, that was the end of rads amorous moves that and all subsequent eves as far as she was concerned. Stupid signs from all powerful deities 

Ahhhh, so explains your fascination with leather clad Village People types and phallic shaped cakes... :taunt: :tease:

 

[radman]

She was a horny little thing, I tell ya what! And, ahem, extremely well equipped. Stupid signs from all powerful deities :angry: :angry:

 

[LetzRoll]

No Stef, no need to worry, (Unless my poor sense of humor is fatal.)

...my earlier post was in reference to your tag line...

"Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?"

Fuggetaboutit.

When I was a youngster of 17...

Awww, I thought rad was about to quote Twain... instead, he's just goin' soft on us again. :erm: