What's your scariest moment on a bike?

[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!

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

I sense trouble in your house tonight after that comment!!

[crazyhorse]

I sense trouble in your house tonight after that comment!!

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..............

[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:Me]

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:Me]

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.

[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 - 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 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:Me]

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.