Lotsokids
Well-Known Member
I recently bought an FJ1200 - hey, at least it's a Yamaha... and I still have my V-Max.
I was leaving work Friday and I waited for a medium sized flatbed truck truck to pass before pulling out on the road behind it. He was going pretty fast, and I started to accellerate pretty hard. Then, the next thing I know he's STOPPED in my lane. There's a car approaching toward me in the other lane (2-lane highway). He was picking up some friends on the right. It was obvious I was NOT going to stop in time. This thing was like stopping a freight train. I smoked the back tire pretty bad, yeah, the heat of the moment. I was cranking on the front brake as much as I dared. This is the point where you think, "this is going to hurt..." But fortunately the guys saw me and stepped back as I slid the bike off the road in the dirt just to the right of the truck and in front of the guys, stopping about 5 feet in front of the truck. I didn't lay it down, but it got my attention. I've been riding for 26 years now, and that's one of a couple extreme close calls I've ever had.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't follow too close - expect the unexpected.
2. Uneccessary accelleration on a heavy bike in traffic can hurt you quick.
I was leaving work Friday and I waited for a medium sized flatbed truck truck to pass before pulling out on the road behind it. He was going pretty fast, and I started to accellerate pretty hard. Then, the next thing I know he's STOPPED in my lane. There's a car approaching toward me in the other lane (2-lane highway). He was picking up some friends on the right. It was obvious I was NOT going to stop in time. This thing was like stopping a freight train. I smoked the back tire pretty bad, yeah, the heat of the moment. I was cranking on the front brake as much as I dared. This is the point where you think, "this is going to hurt..." But fortunately the guys saw me and stepped back as I slid the bike off the road in the dirt just to the right of the truck and in front of the guys, stopping about 5 feet in front of the truck. I didn't lay it down, but it got my attention. I've been riding for 26 years now, and that's one of a couple extreme close calls I've ever had.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't follow too close - expect the unexpected.
2. Uneccessary accelleration on a heavy bike in traffic can hurt you quick.