Thought it would be interesting and to hear your close calls (or accidents) because of something you did wrong, such as following too closely, riding tired, lack of focus, bad judgment, etc.

I was riding a rather bad (needs to be repaved), very dark back road at night a few months ago. I was coming upon an intersection (with my wife on the back). I noticed a cop off to my left with his spot light on, thinking to myself, what is he doing? The intersection was already upon me when I realized that I needed to stop NOW (I lost focus of what I was supposed to be doing). I locked both the front and rear brakes. I fish tailed and left half of my tires and brake pads there, but somehow held it. Came to a stop a bit in the near lane of the intersection (luckily, not a busy intersection) and the engine stalled (ended up at about a 45 degree angle to the intersection). I about wet my pants. I thought for sure the cop was going to stop me (of course, I thought for sure we should be dead or seriously hurt anyway (btw, not wearing helmets that night)), but he didn't; though I got one good tongue lashing from my wife . My reactions took over. I wasn't paying attention to what I should have been and was distracted; which is dangerous. Freakin' A.D.D. Of course, I think it was partially the cop's fault for distracting me.

Had one yesterday myself a bit funny. Got behind a Dodge pickup doing about 25 in a 45 zone. Was about 5:00am when I leave for work and very dark. (I live a bit in the sticks!) As I pulled around he turned into an idiot and decided not to let me around. So I backed off. Better safe than sorry I figured. As he flew down the road ahead of me all at once I see brake lights swerving all over the road. I knew right away what happened. This road is known for early morning Deer crossing right before the large woods . Sure enough he got it. Right into the center of the grill. Slowed down to ask if he was OK, Once he started cussing at the dead deer I said "Yep your fine!" Gave him a ride the mile he had to get to work. Laughed the rest of the way to my job that day. . Gave me two thoughts. Glad I didn't gun it to get around him. (Could have been me and the R* with the deer). And sometimes things just work out right without you taking them into your own hands!

Ok so it's confession time. One thing that they teach you in the MSF course is to ALWAYS keep your head up and to look as far through the curve as you can. A couple of years ago I was on a back road with some curves in it. I had never been down this road before, and was not pushing it. I was travelling maybe 65km/h about (40mph)and came upon a curve that I should have been able to easily navigate at a faster speed however, for some reason I found myself looking at the ditch instead of looking through the curve. I ended up leaving the road and entering the ditch exactly where I was looking. It was a shallow ditch, and I was able to push the bike out, no damage other than to my pride.

Moral: ALWAYS look through the curve as far as you can. I have been down that road again, and can't believe that I did that. There was no reason that I couldn't stay on the road, I simply fixated on the ditch.

Ah. Confession time.
Seems to be that every time you let your mind drift for a second or two could potentially be the last time. I live in a fairly large city, not New York large, but big as standards go. On my way home on a beautiful sunny day I was taking my time enjoying the R* through the city streets. I was not going very fast and followed a pick-up truck (using the 2 second rule). Off to my right in a music store window was a beautiful guitar that caught my eye for just a moment. I turned back to see the pick-up locked up with tires screaming. I did the same almost losing control and stopping inches from impact. The driver of the pick-up was screaming out of his passenger window at something. He turned to me and asked if I was ok. I said I was other than my shorts probably needed changing. He said it was not his fault and pulled away. The cause of the sudden braking was a twentysomething girl who decided seconds before that it was her right to roller skate in the right hand lane of a 4 lane city street without paying attention to the traffic. I pulled along side and told her she almost became a traffic statistic and she should not be in the road. She gave me the finger. That was the second time I almost dropped the R* in the span of 60 seconds. Somehow I didn't get the memo. When did roller skates become designated as a road vehicle?

Looking at a hot woman!

It was my first bike (2004, Suzuki Volusia 800). I was a new rider. I was on a busy highway (I-77) in the left lane. Traffic was pretty heavy (I believe it was rush hour coming home). Well, 2 really hot chicks in a T-top car was near me in the right lane. All I remember seeing was huge breasts. The driver, she was actually changing her shirt while driving. My entire head was focused on her. As I looked back to the road, the SUV in front on me had braked hard. Remember, I was a new rider at the time. I remember screaming then jerked to the left. I was riding on the shoulder. I was seriously paniking--I must have stayed on the shoulder for 1/2 mile or so. Everyone was watching me, probably wondering what this idiot motorcycle rider was doing. I slowed down and got off the bike (I was still on the shoulder). I was standing there on the highway, seriously shaking and tears were rolling down my eyes. I mean if I didn't pull to the shoulder, I would have went right into the back of that SUV. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it.

Now, I'm overly cautious when I ride--I stay focused on the road. The scary thing is, every spring new riders get out there--some have to learn the hard way that riding is a serious responsibility.

I've had several close calls. Almost all of them from me letting my mind drift. I've had the one's where you're half way through a turn and heading for the ditch because you're looking at the d*&m ditch. The one's when someone brakes hard in front of you. The one's where you think you can make it through that light on the highway only to realize you're not even close. The quick deflate of a punctured tire. Hit a deer.

But, I've never had a woman with big breasts changing her shirt in a convertable like an earlier poster, so that's why I'm still alive and kicking. That one would have done me in, for sure.

I think its great to share these stories every once and a while. It reminds us to always be careful and maybe something we never thought of.
My closest calls have been:
1. Twice I have had a car on a two lane straight country road coming toward me start to turn left in front of me and then stop. I mean these have been deals where I know they saw me but I guess they were going to try and beat me.
So if I see an oncoming car turning left in front of me I always slow down and look at it as if they will probably turn in front of me.
2. Three close calls of locking up the rear tire and almost running into the back of someone. I have always thought I stayed a safe distance back but I have increased that distance due to experience. I had one car do one of those .. oops this is my turn here now! and they stop instantly because they have to wait on oncoming before they turn. Another time a SUV all of a sudden stops in the middle of the road with no signal. I slide the rear tire and actually think I am at least going to bump them and wonder what the crap are you doing and about that time an oncoming vehicle comes out of nowhere and almost sideswipes the SUV in front of me and comes very close to me. This one definetly shook me up the most because I felt like I did nothing wrong but could have bee taken out and never new what hit me.... literally.
Also I work with a buddy that rides in a Christian ministry club and had a good friend that got hit by a piece of tire with the jagged steel showing. Came thru his windshield. Long story short... survived but long hospital stay.
So I would definately advise stay a very safe distance behind vehicles and watch for those idiots oncoming turning left in front of you.

When just driving along in traffic, with the flow, I need to watch more closely to cagers as they seem to be sleeping, talking on the phone, curling eyelashes, shaving, make-up, almost everything but watching the road. Even a signal that they want to take the lane I am in while next to me would be nice...
I do find that when I drive aggressively, I look for more outs to stay away from the cagers and feel safer, or at least stay at the drivers side window so when they come in your lane you can tap on the window or smack their mirror. I folded the mirror forward on a pick-up truck last week he had one of those turn signal flashers in it and when I seen it come on smacked it with my hand and he went back to his lane, what A blind idiot.

I believe a lot of drivers think to themselves oh its only a motorcycle it won't hurt me even if it does hit me & besides they have brakes they will stop, because I never have this problem in my old truck they seem to see it real good! I was sitting in a wide entrance to a mall waiting to get into traffic on a 4 lane then this car pulls up beside me on my left I was turning right, soon as traffic cleared him he pulled out blocking me -I was going to give him a blast from my pipes but when he saw me coming up beside him a little further down the road he rolled his window up.lol

Don't have any near death experiences to relate and hopefully, won't for a long time. But as a part-time cager I'd worry more about the reaction of the bike jockey. Hard to back up a complaint against an insane biker with your mouth wired shut. Don't know about the rest of the cagers but I even see the mopeds coming.

Greyphart