What's your scariest moment on a bike?

[Ratti]

Two stand out in my mind.
BOth in AK back in the late 80's. I was early 20's in those days.
One was in fast lane on southern Mway after work on a wet Friday. Heading back down to Paeroa to shag the BF for the weekend....
Suddenly realised I had zoned out ( damn that stuff I used to smoke ) and was within a few metres of the back of a truck load of bloody big H beams. Slam on brakes...er no, bad move makes your bike fishtail in the wet. car behind me, car beside me, H beams fast approaching at eye height...managed to swing to left lane into a gap and past the truck. Still shake thinking about that one. stupid stupid stupid.

second scariest moment was on the back of Frosty's bike...about the same time. coming back from Hamilton where we'd picked up a bike with a mate.
Anyone whose ever ridden with Frosty in those days knows this guy was a semi loose cannon. So, here we are pootling quietly over the hill, get to the end of the MWay as it was in those days. hells bells! he cranks it on, im holding on to the grab rails doing 200 k. :spanking: naughty boy Frost! Now that'd be ok if I was smaller, but I am taller than Frosty and a hell of a lot bigger, so basically was sitting upright catching full force of speed with only my puny little chick muscles holding me to the bike. Adrenalin is wonderful stuff, but to be honest its not something Id ever want to do again. Ever.

[crazyhorse]

One of the few times I've ever been on the back - hence, prefer to have my own bike......

On a TL1000, on one wheel, doing in excess of 200km per hour, coming up over a brow of a hill - air rushing up my visor - bit scarey!

[LBD]

Where to start....probably number one is when a hilux crossed over in front of me to a small side road while I was in the middle of overtaking him....my first stoppie.

Number two would be when an oncoming campervan overtook two cyclists riding abreast in the rain and pushed me of the road onto a slippery wet muddy grass verge right along side a buller gorge drop off into the river....any one tried swimming in MC gear?

There are many more...There, but for the Grace of God.....

[Monkeynz]

My scariest was when riding along at the speed limit( yes I was, really!) between Waipukurau and Hastings with a shit load of visibilty on the Te Hauke straight which is about 3 or 4 kms long and some dickhead pulls out from behind a sheep truck and ignores my headlight and carries on straight for me in MY lane. All I could do was head off into the rough on the side of the road and give him the big arm full as he went past. Thankfully lived, changed the undies and carried on shaking my head in disbelief. :argue:

The other one was when I got cut off on a roundabout by someone who doesn't know what an indicator is for and slammed into the side of the box on the back of the small truck, I'd hit the back brake and slid sideways into it so only broke a bone in my hand and bent a few things on the bike. The prick stopped to see if I was ok then drove off. :Oi: NO!

[slofox]

ca. 1970. Summit Road above Christchurch, at night. Rounding one of the long lefty curves just as you reach the top. There's a sheer drop on my left side (no fence) and a vertical face on the right. Half way round and the lights go out...pitch black. No idea where I am in relation to the drop and/or vertical face...managed to stop still on the road. But definitely a "twang!" moment.

[Monkeynz]

ca. 1970. Summit Road above Christchurch, at night. Rounding one of the long lefty curves just as you reach the top. There's a sheer drop on my left side (no fence) and a vertical face on the right. Half way round and the lights go out...pitch black. No idea where I am in relation to the drop and/or vertical face...managed to stop still on the road. But definitely a "twang!" moment.

Holy crap, that would be a big "Twang" moment. That road is nasty enough during the day. :doctor:

[gatch]

Riding between Blenheim and Nelson, in my lane doing about 110 on my old spada. In the oncoming lane, a lady in a honda Odyssey attempts overtake on a 18 wheeler on a blind corner. By some stroke of luck I made it in between the truck and the car, the only damage done was my left mirror where it got smashed offon her passger side mirror. "Are you ok" she says, "no funnily enough I'm not".

I'll never forget that one.

[BMWST?]

a narrow road was well to the left when a black comode comes around the corner on the centre line...i swear the bonnet went under the handlebars....

[sunhuntin]

bout two or three weeks after getting back in saddle after an off, im out on a local 100k road getting my confidence back. was going maybe 90 or so, not speeding as still a tad freaked.
i see 2 headlights coming towards me on the long straight. bugger me, suddenly its 4 headlights... blinking to try and clear my vision, which was clear already. then i realise... they are bloody racing, and coming my way FAST! i had my light on full, and it was summer, so not dark.
all i can do is think about getting hit the last time, and having it happen again so soon, realising this would hurt more. i grab the brake and focus on the ditch, hoping like hell i made the drop in time.
the car on my side pulled back in just in time, and i came to a stop right as he pulled him. i was still on the road and alive. rode home shaking and nearly hung the keys up for good.
went back out a day or two later, and there was a single skid mark longer than the bike. that was on stock 06 gn250 tyres... very lucky.

[cs363]

One of the few times I've ever been on the back - hence, prefer to have my own bike......

On a TL1000, on one wheel, doing in excess of 200km per hour, coming up over a brow of a hill - air rushing up my visor - bit scarey!

That's one fast TL1000.... ? :rofl:

[Hawkeye]

3 weeks ago when I hit gravel at 85k whilst leant into a sweeper. Bike jumped sideways into a concrete culvert and then I stopped 3 mtrs later after hitting the pipe at the end. Got my pilots licence that day. Bike followed me but thankfully didn't catch up.
I walked away with a couple of bruises. $14300 damage to bike.

[Leviticus]

A420 in England between Swindon And Oxford, Dual carriageway with 70mph speed limit. Empty road, 7am and me on YZF1000R and mate on GSX-R1100. Both going hard, 160-170 mph(indicated), and car towing caravan pulls on to carriageway from sliproad about 1/2 mile ahead, then pulls straight into right hand lane, even though left lane is clear. On with the anchors, GSX brakes not so good and shoots past me on my left side, with a major wobble on. No impact, but potential for brown stains (Adrenaline is brown isn't it?)

[trumpy]

Riding along in the sun enjoying the twistys on Old Taupo road (on 'tother side of Tokoroa) when around the corner coming towards me are four bikes. First three are ok but Mr Tailend Charlie has stuffed the corner up and run really wide.
I head as far left as I can without falling off the road but basically ran out of time for more avoidance action so we end up brushing shoulders as he goes past. Dipshit didn't even have the decency to stop and check I was still on the bike, just tucked down on the tank and wound on the throttle.
Fresh undies and a beer was order of the day..........

[crazyhorse]

That's one fast TL1000.... ? :rofl:

Not that time - infact, haven't been on the back with him at all. Why would I - my bike goes faster than his anyway :rofl:

[CookMySock]

Once I came crackling around a 55k corner doing er about 120, and a car and trailer is ambling out of his driveway and turning right. BOTH lanes occupied with car and trailer and me with nowhere to go.

Fortunately, the bloke saw me and nailed the gas pronto, and he darted for the grass on the other side of the road, but for a moment there I was looking at eating trailer mudguard. Emphatically not amusing. You should have seen the look on the guys' face - he literally LEPT in his seat, probably because he saw is life flash past in front of him.

A nasty nasty lesson for both of us. Neither of us had any idea that might happen. Ironically, two weeks later, the same thing happened AGAIN.. Same driveway, and I assume, same driver.

Steve

[The Everlasting]

I've only been riding a short while,but the worst one I had was today on scenic drive,just coming out of a corner, i found a cager in my lane(i have no idea wtf she was doing in my lane,there was nothing in her lane,possibly using it as a shortcut..!) luckily I reacted with lightning speed and managed to get around her on the right,otherwise she would have run right into me!:mad:

It was blimin scary,will take extra caution around the blind corners from now on!

[cs363]

Not that time - infact, haven't been on the back with him at all. Why would I - my bike goes faster than his anyway :rofl:

:clap: I sense trouble in your house tonight after that comment!! :lol: :dodge:

[crazyhorse]

:clap: I sense trouble in your house tonight after that comment!! :lol: :dodge:

He knows the answer to both of them LOL. And is either wanting to upgrade to a GSXR to keep up with me, or me to down grade to a TL. therefore none would have an advantage in bike capability.............. :rofl:

[centaurus]

A few months ago, one afternoon, riding on the Wairarapa back roads with a mate, after a whole day of riding, getting a bit tired and bored.

I am coming up from behind, riding a bit faster than my mate. We are riding against the sun. We hit a corner and he sees the whole road is full of gravel except a tiny bit on the inside. The breaks and goes for the inside. Me, coming hot from behind, go wider to avoid him and lean harder to make the corner, just to discover (at a decent lean angle) that I'm riding on gravel.

OH SHIT!!! No grip, no stability. Pull the bike up and start breaking as hard as I can without locking the wheels, but see I'm heading straingt for the outside of the bend where a dich and then a fence are waiting for me.

I am instantly wet all over, I already see my bike dropping in the dich and me flying in the fence. And strangely, instead of thinking of my bones, all I can think is "shit, I'm gonna ruin my bike"

By the time I reach the edge of the road, my speed has gone down but not enough. I am on the 10-20cm wide patch of dirt/gravel between the tar seal and the dich. I'm all out of options. My bike si still unstable and too fast for any fast manuevers but I have no choice. Strong lean on the handlebars to make it corer.

Unexpectedly, I manage to turn it just enough to remain parallel to the road. I'm riding on the dirt patch at the edge of the tar seal, still faster than my mate, the bike is shaking and wobblying terribly while I pass him, I am screaming in my helmet and shitting my pants, he looks at me confused, trying to understand why am I overtaking him in a corner with poor visibility and worse road surface.

After that corner, I kept shaking for about half an hour, while riding, but I dared not stop. I was afraid that if I got off the bike it would take a long time to go back on again.

[FROSTY]

probably the scariest time on a bike was cranking down "gunnit" hill(was the hill from the aa station upthe southern motorway towards auckland) on what was the latest missile at the time the GPZ900 ninja.
There may have been money or just a burger mentioned but it was a race to see who could get back to town the soonest.
The front tyre valve decided to rip itself out.It may have been assisted by some rocks we rode over.
HUGE tankslapper threw me right outa my seat when I gave the front brakes a tap.
By accident as the bars were slamming over to the left it took my wrist with it and the throttle cracked on.
That stabilised the bike enough so it stayed in a straight line.
as soon as I back off the throttle hard the slapper was back like one visious bitch I once knew.
Those that say ya dont need back brakes. Mine got a fair ol workout that day as I used them and gentle easing off the throttle to slow down toa very shakey stop.
Close second was the car that decided where I was was actually the bit of road he owned. Trouble was next to me was a tanker truck . Car on one side pushing -truck on the other.I shit you not I got so close that the domes of the trucks wheelnuts were tapping my boot. It was then I decided the car was the "softer option"
Third was a few years back commuting on the motorway and a car changed lanes literally into me The impact pushed the bike sideways and there was a frosty shaped dent in the cars fender. the biker gods were smilingon me that day.

[NighthawkNZ]

What's your scariest moment on a bike?
Having to get off it and park it up for the night...

[pete376403]

My own fault - coming back from Brass Monkey rally some years back, sunday morning very tired and in all probability still a bit pissed. Approaching Timaru or somewhere like that, woke up to find myself (and the bike) on the wrong side of the road, doing about 120km/h or maybe more, car coming towards me flashing headlights. got back onto my side of the road just in time. rode very very slowly into town and sat for quite a long time with a coffee, reflecting what might have been.

No idea how long I had been asleep for, probably only seconds. Still shits me when I think about it.

[st00ji]

A nasty nasty lesson for both of us. Neither of us had any idea that might happen. Ironically, two weeks later, the same thing happened AGAIN.. Same driveway, and I assume, same driver.

Steve

really?

i can understand the first time, kinda, but you put yourself in that situation again? shit. :buggerd:

[Shadowjack]

A month ago, riding from Maruia Springs to Chch, heading south around a right-hand sweeper just off the end of the Hurunui Bridge, about a minute after a 5 litre oil container had fallen off the back of a spray-contractors truck and covered 10 metres of road (both lanes) with nice, thick oil. Stood/straightened the bike up as much as I could and felt the shimmy and squirm, but stayed upright. The fella was stopped, so we had some words, which included some suggestions about getting it cleaned up, soonish, and how about organising some warnings. Took a while for the shakes to go, and to get the tyres scrubbed off on the side of the road....

[Number One]

This one (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1394359&postcount=42)- still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Also worth pointing out that once we had done some good maintenance on the bike and replaced the uneven and badly worn tyres plus whacked on some Ohlins :clap: I never again had a scary moment it.

Check your brakes, tyres and tyre pressures people - it's pretty darn scarey when things aren't operating as they should be and it isn't always just 'in the riders head'

Not one of my bucket crashes or off road flipping antics or rolling quads on myself down banks has equaled that one and I care not to repeat that experience.

LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO

[BMWST?]

Having to get off it and park it up for the night...

well you werent on it then

[NighthawkNZ]

well you werent on it then

I was on it to get off it...???

[davebullet]

My own fault a few months ago. Went to overtake a sheep truck that also simultaneously overtook a tractor. Had to pull onto the dirt on the side of the road. The stock SV suspension was bucking me like a bronco. I just let the bars do their thing and eased her back up onto the metal. Luckily she tracked straight and there wasn't anything coming. At least I had the foresight to overtake with heaps of spare oncoming room!

[george formby]

Riding home late on a dark winters night, visor spattered with rain & no street lights on a country road, I spied some little orange lights ahead. Not sure if they were on the road, on the verge or aliens. Slowed down but not enough, the lights were on the side of a lorrie's tractor unit which was parked straight across the road as the driver struggled to get his rig out of the wee junction. The moment I realised what it was will stay with me forever, unlike my underpants, leathers, helmet & rather a lot of my bike. I had to lay the bike down & go underneath it. Absolutely terrifying, still makes me shake as I recall the underside of the trailer being lit up by sparks & my headlight. Walked away though.