Most accidents happen w/in 5 minutes of home?

[Lee B.]

I've had my '08 since 8/9/08. What is that? Six or seven weeks? I've got almost 3000 miles and decided that since my wife is going to be in class all day I'll go celebrate the anniversary with a spin through MO. I leave KC at 7:20 and head to Stockton, MO then on down to I-44 briefly to catch SH-13 and 83 up to Lake of the Ozarks then on home. A big 470 mile loop. It was a bit longer than it had to be because I spent about 40 miles at least looking for a family cemetary down near I-44.

Great weather--61 when I left, 86 when I got home. All in all about 10 hours. The bike did great. I tried the beaded seat under the sheepskin today and although it wasn't bad I think my next step is to spring for the Spencer mod for about $150. I've moved the bars back and added peg extenders. Other than that I'm pretty much stock. I really like this bike, big time!!

Just a perfect day with some interesting roads down around Truman, Stockton and Ozarks lakes. I like the 35 MPH to 45 MPH curves the best and this route had quite a few. One road was nicely curved but the surface wasn't the best. Otherwise it was supoib!

Then I'm just about 5 minutes from home on highway 71 heading north where it has a nice exit to I-435 that I can catch to take me home. The woman in the Toyata to my left is obviously going north on 71, she is in that lane, no signal on and doing about 70 MPH. I'm in my lane to exit with a sweep to the right also doing about 70 MPH. I get to the part where the lines on the road are solid white--you know, the part you are not supposed to cross. And here she comes!! She is about to take me out with her last minute change of mind to not go north but to take my exit and go west!! I had that split second decision to either swerve/cut to the right or hit the throttle and goose it on forward out of the danger zone. I was too busy looking at her right front bumper getting closer to my left side case and leg to check to my right so I hit the throttle and goosed the FJR on past. Love the throttle response and quick roll on at 70 mph in 5th! I escaped. I didn't even have time to honk my squeeky horn at her but I did yell an unintelligible "HEY, WTF!!!!" (as if she could hear me but it did help me and probably expelled some adrenalin) as she almost clipped me. I am trying to not exaggerate but it appeared like she missed me by about 2 ft. or less.

I got home, pulled into the garage, went to the garage fridge and pulled out a canned beverage. Downed about half of hit and then got out of my gear. Great day, great ride, no accidents...in spite of the woman that made an illegal move and didn't check the lane first to ensure it was open for her to exit. Maybe it was that little prayer I said as I left the house about 10 hours earlier.

 

[El Toro]

Man, I hate when that happens.

Glad you were able to maneuver out of it.

Whew!!!

 

[Go Far]

EEK!!

Reminds me of a near miss I had approaching the Tappan Zee Bridge on a 48 Plus IBA ride a few years ago. Thick traffic moving at full speed, and a nasty construction zone that seemed to b designed by the laborers on the site. Out of the corner of my eye I see a car occupying my lane at the same time my ABS went off! Gives me a rush recalling the incident.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Glad to hear you're fine, but you have to expect zoners waking up where the road splits. Happens all the time. The same in reverse is on-ramps, where they own the road and swing from the right side to the left.

 

[OGRE]

Good report and good that you remembered that the throttle can be an accident avoidance tool along with steering and brakes. Too often people lock up, hit the brakes and get into an accident they could have avoided with a little judicious application of throttle.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Yep, it can be a jungle out there.

Here's one I've now seen twice (so, a heads-up!):

On an Interatate on-ramp, preparing to accelerate and merge with traffic -- a quick look over my left shoulder to help gauge traffic -- and when I look back the car in front of me has STOPPED right at the entrance to the Interstate! WTF!

I'm pretty sure there are many other road users out there that don't know the difference between 'yield' and 'merge'. :angry:

 

[DocDanDC]

Very scary. Glad you are still alive to ride another day. Have you ever noticed nearly all accidents on the FJR's are not due to the FJR rider but rather the cager making the problem.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Lee,

It would have really been scary if you did not have a FJR in this situation... this thing leaps out of situations like this.

Good Thinking and Good Save!

 

[SacramentoMike]

First of all, glad you were able to get out of that fix.

"I tried the beaded seat under the sheepskin today and although it wasn't bad. . ." Second, I tried the sheepskin pad fix to soften up the Corbin seat that came on my '05 and the help was just marginal. So I bought a Bead Rider and put it on just before a long trip. Took till the fourth day before I made up my mind about it. Give it a chance; I think it's great. Just takes some getting used to. The best thing about it is you don't get the old sweaty butt crack. Seems to me burying it under the sheepskin defeats the purpose. I haven't used the sheepskin since.

"I didn't even have time to honk my squeeky horn at her. . ." Third, after two of these deals in the same week, I replaced that bee-buzzing-in-a-can p.o.s. with a serious car horn from Auto Zone. Easy switch out, plenty of hits on this forum if you search, and now they think it's a big ol' Chevy pickup honking at them! Highly recommended.

"I was too busy looking at her right front bumper getting closer to my left side case and leg to check to my right so I hit the throttle and goosed the FJR on past. Love the throttle response and quick roll on at 70 mph in 5th! I escaped." Last, I just got a nice note from the Monterey County traffic court regarding my appeal ("trial by declaration") of a ticket I got for pretty much this exact same situation. Coming up Highway 1, traffic getting heavy, it's getting dark, and I come up on a stretch where they had those damn Jersey walls (temp. concrete barracades) on both sides, narrowing the road drastically and suddenly. Found myself in a very vulnerable and dangerous spot in the middle lane, getting squeezed. Used the famous FJR torque to jump ahead into an open space and moved to the right/slow lane. In the middle of that very short burst of speed, got hit with a damn radar gun from a parked CHP. In that instant, I had hit 82 mph (the traffic had been going well over 70 anyway). They blew off my appeal. Too bad it's illegal to save your own ass. Glad you didn't have a radar-happy LEO looking your way it that split second.

 

[Lee B.]

I may give it another shot. I took it with me today on a shorter ride of about 250 miles. We stopped 4-5 times so I wasn't in too bad shape. I use wicking undies and have not had the sweaty butt issue yet. I was mainly thinking the beads might shift the pressure points around.

A new/louder horn is on my list, maybe this winter.

Too bad about the appeal. Still the price of escaping the accident was the ticket. If that was the only way out of the situation I'd take that option over a collision.

 

[Lee B.]

thanks everyone for the words of support and for sharing your own stories. You put enough miles on and you are bound to get a close call even being as careful as possible.

This was probably an avoidable situation if I had been overly cautious and thought the worst or had the mind-set that all cagers are trying to kill me! Then I might have played out the situation and given her wider berth. However, I felt pretty secure since I was not in her blind spot. Or I guess if her focus was only on the white line defining the lane maybe her blind spot was larger than normal.

 

[doctorJ]

Since most accidents happen so close to home, I moved. :yahoo:

doctorj

Since most accidents happen so close to home, I moved. :yahoo:

doctorj

 

[luvtoride]

I didn't even have time to honk my squeeky horn at her but I did yell an unintelligible "HEY, WTF!!!!" (as if she could hear me but it did help me and probably expelled some adrenalin) as she almost clipped me.

Hand signals work well in the instances where they cannot hear you.

 

[ShawnKing]

I'm pretty sure there are many other road users out there that don't know the difference between 'yield' and 'merge'. :angry:

My dad was famous for yelling, "It means "Yield" not "Surrender!"

BTW, this post os coming to you from 35,000 ft over Texas, thanks to GoGoInflight.com - wireless Net access from the plane on the way home to LGA!

 

[08FJR4ME]

Yep, it can be a jungle out there.Here's one I've now seen twice (so, a heads-up!):

On an Interatate on-ramp, preparing to accelerate and merge with traffic -- a quick look over my left shoulder to help gauge traffic -- and when I look back the car in front of me has STOPPED right at the entrance to the Interstate! WTF!

I'm pretty sure there are many other road users out there that don't know the difference between 'yield' and 'merge'. :angry:

My nephew did the same this spring in GSXR1000. Different results thow. He slamed on his brakes, hit the vehicle and went ass over teakettle. The old lady stop rite at the top of the on ramp. Fortunately he was only just banged and bruised a little. Some scrapes on the bike but still drivable.

 

[Lee B.]

I didn't even have time to honk my squeeky horn at her but I did yell an unintelligible "HEY, WTF!!!!" (as if she could hear me but it did help me and probably expelled some adrenalin) as she almost clipped me.

Hand signals work well in the instances where they cannot hear you.

I suppose. But then again I'm pretty sure that if she had been looking my way instead of focusing on her diminishing lane she would have seen ME whether I was hand signaling or not. It was getting close enough that if I had not shot forward I'd have been able to beat on the right front fender of her Toyota. She might have heard that!