When I was riding Bikes it was common for riders to say’ a good rider does not have any stories to tell’…meaning if you were a good rider you did not have some story about almost laying down your bike or almost getting hit and so on…
I used to ride an 87 Honda Gold Wing I called ‘Ole Gray’…It was a sharp bike, and heavy. It weighed about 1200 pounds because it was all decked out with that old Markland Chrome…I could only touch the ground on my tip toes, even after I had the seat cut 3 inches. And I am the first to admit it ‘fell over’ more than once…Never going over 2 miles an hour though…Often it was backing out of the drive way, across the rain drain spout…cause if the bike stopped there with one tire on the drive way and one tire on the street that meant my feet went down in the low spot where I could not touch at all till I kicked the bike over to one side and often that was too much for the center of gravity and I would have to lay it down. Often without a scratch because I would just lay it down not drop it….but it was hard to hold 1200 pounds…This also happened at times when a stop sign was on a road that leaned to the left, When I would stop in a place like that it often went over…also at Gas stations that were on a hill leaning to the left…
Before I started riding I took a Motorcycle safety class and I continued to take one every year there after.. It helped me so much in even driving a car. I am still very cautious of being in anyone’s blind spot and anticipant what other drivers are going to do. The best thing I learned out of all of those classes was ‘Know your Limitations…’ I knew I could not stop at a gas pump that leaned downhill and would have to swing around the other side so my left foot would be on higher ground. I really tried to be cautious at all times of ‘Know your limitations…’
But I do have one Bike story…One time Mike and I were going to Payson for a camping weekend…We had the trailers hooked behind the bikes and the kids were on each bike with us. At that time I pulled an 8’ pop out trailer behind my bike..
The road to Payson is curvy, steep and often 2 lanes (at that day and age). It was great fun to ride.. This one afternoon Mike was leading and he had gotten around an old big truck. It was just an old rattle trap truck with a camper on it with crap tied to it everywhere. I had to wait till the road was open again before I could pass. The guy knew I wanted around. And I was leaning over to see around him at ever white dotted line.. Finally the road was wide open and I turned on the signal, moved to the left lane and hit the gas….Even though we were the only 2 vehicles around I passed, as I always did, with great speed, because you did not want to be hanging out there in the oncoming lane any longer than you had to.
At this pass the road was down hill. To the right (the north bound lane we were in) there was a fall off cliff (basically) and then on the other side of the road there was a big rock hill. This road was just 2 lanes, I don’t think there would have been enough room on either side for a bicycle lane…Well, as I was pulling around and got along side of this truck the driver was now going as fast as he could since he now had a down hill run and his speed had increased greatly from that 40 MPH he had been doing…The guy in the truck began crowding over in my lane further, and further, and I had no where to go since there was a big bluff on my left side of the road. I hit my air horns and he just kept coming over.. Now I knew he was doing this on purpose. I was too committed to back off, so all I could do was pull ahead…… I gassed the bike even more and got around him. By the time I got around and back on my side of the road to look down I was doing over 100 MPH and that fool was still in the oncoming traffic lane now going back into his own lane WAY behind me . That was the only time anyone ever tried to run me over and the last time I passed on a spot in the road that was between a cliff and a drop off and no where else to go… I had learned another lesson to add to my list of 'Know your limitations…'
4 comments:
Shame that SOB didn't use a little common sense. That's one thing that would scare the crap out of me, thinking some idiot like him might run me off he road. Glad you safely got around him.
I am glad you have given up this hobby.
What an idiot he was. I was scared just riding your vitual bike.It had to have been deliberate.
Bikers really are vulnerable. I like your traveling set up with the pop up.
Those gold wings are the caddies of biking.Had to laugh at your lay downs. I did only once when I was hiding it from a pending hurricane and the ungrateful bike layed over pinning my leg to the lawnmower. Mine was only 350 pounds and it was a chore to get off me.
I do remember this. This was one of the few times I was riding behind mom and not Melissa. It was a miracle I was not asleep because I often slept on the back when we rode.
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