It was a nice day on Saturday and with Taylor out reeking havoc with her friends at the mall I put Nathan on the bike and headed for a ride out west. I needed a ride and I wanted to familiarize myself with a few of the roads out west a bit more. This is where most of our IAM rides are so it was a good opportunity to plot and plan a few routes.
I was enjoying the ride and had been working on my extreme positioning on corners. About 5 kms from the Woodcocks road turn off and as I was entering a uphill right hander, I had the bike positioned almost on the white line on the far left of the road. It was here I first caught a glimpse of what I though was the rear end of a SUV ahead of me, it only took a fraction to realise that it was not the rear but the front and she was on my side of the road and coming straight towards me.
I aimed the bike for the gap between her and the side of the road (about 7 feet)..eventually we passed she had moved back towards her lane but it was one hell of a scary moment.
I firmly believed that if I had not done my IAM training then I probably would of been hugging the center line and the result would have been very different as I would of had to execute two changes of directions quickly to avoid her.
It took a lot of self control not to turn around and give chase. I wanted to catch her and give her a piece of my mind. She put not only myself but my son in danger. Man was I pissed...
The rest of the ride was uneventful, Nathan seemed oblivious to the whole thing except to say "that the women was a bit close", a classic understatement if ever there was one.
Hey Rog, good to see you out spending some quality time with the kids. I really annoys the piss out of me that these morons can't seem to keep their cages on the correct side of the road. It's not like they are driving and pushing the limits and make a mistake and accidentally find themselves on the wrong side of the road. They are just plain incompetent. The standards for gaining a license are far to low.
ReplyDeleteHi mate, Thanks, Nathan is true kids fashion never seems to excited about our road trips, but months later he will bring stories about them.
DeleteThere was no excuse for her driving I think it was just plain laziness.
Roger,
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. That is self control. I don't know if I could have held it together quite so well, I would have torn pieces of my motorcycle off and thrown them her way. Unbelievable. Was she texting, too? If she was she should be flayed. Driving is a responsibility, whatever people think. At least, that's a problem in our hemisphere. I like to think your part of the world is all LOTR and Hercules the legendary journeys, but I'm sure there's a fair amount of crap to deal with there, too.
Brady
Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
Mate, If it was not for the fact that my son was on the back I dont think I would of shown the same restraint.
DeleteActually we are all about LOTR...(soon to be replaced with The Hobbit), but every now and then some one does some thing stupid!Thanks for popping by.
Wow. It sounds as though you handled it well and put your expert training to good use.
ReplyDeleteDriving is not a right, it is a privilege and people should learn to treat it as such. I am continually amazed at how inattentive drivers are.
I am glad things turned out well and your son wasn't too bothered by it. Glad it didn't scare him into not wanting to ride any more.
Thanks Brandy, I think my training licked in when I needed it..just as well to! Nathan didn't seem bothered, but saying that, nothing bothers Nathan.
DeleteLast time something like this happened to me I chased the guy down the road and gave him a proper bollocking. It wasn't till I got home that I noticed the black line along the pannier. The guy had actually glanced the bike with his car.
ReplyDeleteMike you mad lunatic scotsman....that is a closer call than mine. He is probably lucky you didnt thump him!
DeleteRoger:
ReplyDeleteyou have great self control. I also see lots of things on my commute, lots of cars in the city. I decided a long time ago to just "let go". I let "them" pass, tail gaters I pull over to let them pass, sometimes I turn off to let them pass. I used to be aggressive but soon I realized that it would put me in more danger than just letting it be. Sure it bugs me when I notice these same cars every day, but I just go with the flow and try to be safer, just like you
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
Thanks Bob. Not sure it is self control..more like common sense I think! It is better to advoid conflict than instigate it.
DeleteRog,
ReplyDeleteHell mate - an extreme demonstration of your top class riding skills but one you could have done without! I think you did the right thing with Nathan on the back but would you have given chase and remonstrated with the driver if you were solo? I've done it once but normally just continue and thank my lucky stars.
Well done again - IAM membership has been worth it just for this single incident.
Thanks mate, I doubt I would of given chase, not my style really. Was pretty annoyed. There have been several incidents where I think my training as helped to avoid a potential accident.
DeleteInteresting during the last IAM ride while I was following Steve, I instructed him to change lanes. I was focused on him and what he was doing but I still completed a shoulder check . It was just as well I did as a car had crept up beside me and was in my blind spot. It didn't go noticed by Phillip who was following and proved a great discussion point on how the system works. Ensuring you are still riding to that standard even while observing is paramount.
Well done, mate. Glad your training kicked in. I always remember that it was you introducing me to extreme positioning, and I am sure that will prove to be a life saver one day.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you got in some quality time with Nathan. I hope he enjoyed it (he obviously wasn't aware so much of the danger that you guys were in...).
Otherwise I hope everything is o.k. over there!
Hi Sonja, I am glad my training licked in to! Every thing is fine here, kids keeping me on my toes that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI ever so glad this became a story to be told and not a tragedy to be shared. Plus to all the things said about your training. And, you said it all in the title: Too close for comfort.
ReplyDelete~k
Thanks....
DeletePleased to see you were able to avoid becoming a hood ornament. There's still plenty of loose units out there. I kinda wish my GoPro had a battery and SD card with unlimited storage so I could be recording everything.
ReplyDeleteIt would be really nice to be able to provide the police with some video evidence that could be used later to incriminate the morons out there...
That i an excellent idea, I am sure as technology progresses you will be surprised what we will be able to do...
DeleteI'm glad you and Nathan are OK, it's very obvious that training is a big part of the reason that it all came out OK, well done Roger.
ReplyDeleteI dont think I would have given chase either mate, I honestly think that by the time I got over the adrenaline rush enough to have thought of giving chase that she would have been too far away.
It would be nice if you could save the worlds riders by teaching drivers to look out for us and be more resposible drivers, but since that's not going to happen then I think what you are doing with the IAM training is the next best thing. Well done with that too :)
Thanks Brenda, I think we each have to take responsibility for our training and skills. We cannot rely on stupid brainless SUV drivers to care! I do admit though....the heart rate went up a bit.
DeleteI'm so glad the training has been a benefit and you both came out of that unscathed. Could also be a learning moment for Nathan. How to be a better driver when he gets his permit/license. ;)
ReplyDeleteBut as I have said before...I seem to collect idiots that drive like that. I consistently enter curves and find people on my side. I learned not to hug that lines years ago before I became a rider. Driving down the twisties and some jerk on a bike coming the other direction was in my lane. At least his head was. If, as a car, I had been in my proper spot and not hugging the outer edge, I would have decapitated him.
You are like a chic magnet in reverse...heheheh .
DeleteToo many crazies on the road, scary. I've had a few calls like that too, it's best to just let it go.
ReplyDeleteI agree ate, bets to let it go....
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