Flying Objects: The Hits (And Misses) Keep On Coming
It’s not just when you see this sign that you need to ride cautiously.
With a new riding season in full swing it is inevitable that the hits and misses of objects on or above the road keep occurring. Here are some of the latest from this Adventure Riders thread.
- Commuting home from work. Long downhill to traffic light. I see a kid chasing a basketball down the sidewalk. He’s 25 yards behind and not gaining on it. Watching in my mirror as traffic stopped for the light. I watched as the ball bounced into the street. I didn’t even have to dismount. It rolled to where I could stop it with my right foot. I waited for the kid to catch up and flipped it to him. I damn near dropped the motorcycle on its right side.
- Gator, this AM. I have almost hit a smaller one a while ago on a dirt road near here too. Thought it was a log laying in the road….until it scurried off into the ditch as I went by.
- I was riding behind two cars going around 50 mph. Up ahead, about a dozen or so buzzards are feasting on road kill. The first car passes and they don’t react, second car passes and they scatter. One flies right into my windscreen, bounces up and barely misses my left shoulder. I immediately check the mirror, and see it walking dazed in the road. Tough bird.
- Last weekend, a turkey buzzard. It was feasting on road kill. I saw it, slowed and hit the horn. It got up slowly, and flew to the right. I swerved to the left (no traffic) and could have reached out with my hand and grabbed its left wing.
- Potatoes, near Alamosa Colorado. Big potato growing area, this was during harvest. We were following a big truck with an uncovered bed over-heaped with potatoes. It took a turn too fast and bushels of potatoes spilled out in front of my husband. You wouldn’t think potatoes bounce like ping pong balls, they do. Then they roll around on the ground attacking your tires. At the same time others are exiting the truck and whizzing through the air at you like rocks. He didn’t go down.
- For me, riding my cbr929 on I-40 through Albuquerque. Major cross-country trucking route. I was hemmed in by semi’s on both sides. The pick-up in front of me straddled a big box lying on the pavement, like from a dishwasher or washing machine. Of course it pops suddenly into my view as the truck passed over it. Nowhere to go to avoid it. The turbulence of the truck passing over it made the box lift off the ground and open like a box kite. I ducked as it soared over my left shoulder. I suppose it hit the car behind me. This all took maybe 4-5 seconds.
- Minding my own business on my F800GSA a few years ago, following (about 20′ back) a large box truck down a nice, twisty back road. All of a sudden I hear a loud snap, see a flash of light to my left, and a telephone pole goes sailing over my head!! The box truck caught the low hanging power lines and snapped off the pole, sending it flying and dragging it down the road.
- Many moons ago, following a cage at about 50mph along a remote 2-lane I knew well and after dark with no street lights, cage crossed one set of RR tracks with nary a bobble. I followed 10 secs later in the middle of the lane. My meager headlight barely picked up the pothole between the rails. Pothole was clean down to the ties and from rail to rail. Width was maybe 4-5 feet wide. The cage prolly never knew it was there and easily straddled it. I was on it with just enough time to see it and snap the throttle wide open. I was out of the saddle by the time the front wheel hit the far rail. The whang was tremendous. Everything from my hands/wrists to the middle of my back hurt bad. I didn’t crash but wobbled onward slowing to pull onto the shoulder of the road.
- While braking ordinarily for an ordinary traffic light, my front wheel rolled onto an ordinary flattened pop can. The pop can began to slide and the front end began to wash away. Managed to get off the front brake and lose the can to regain traction and braking.
- The first time I took my wife for a ride (her first time on a motorcycle) an oncoming pickup’s hood flew off and went right over our heads.
Yeah, OK. That all goes under the heading of “glad it wasn’t me.” Keep your eyes open so it isn’t you the next time it might be.
Biker Quote for Today
What kind of a bike does a cow love riding? A cow rides a Cowasaki Mootorcycle.
