Things that make you go hmmmm

[caspernz]

Saw something yesterday which I don't see with any regularity.

Trucking back to Welly after a long day, came down the Kaitoke hill and as we're cruising past the shop at the Mangaroa Valley turnoff there's a nice shiny Harley coming towards us, it goes bump-de-bump over the bridge and the muffler set falls off, doing a nice $$$$ boing-scrape-spark along the road. The biker didn't fall off, and I hope the truck behind him/her didn't flatten the scratched up muffler set.

Which just goes to prove, even after 25 years on the road, you can still see new things!

Maybe I should list the interesting items I've run over in those 25 years...

[nzspokes]

Few weeks back I was riding up Wiri Station RD. Just minding my own business. Saw a big container truck coming the other way. Dont know why I looked at it but I did. One of the back wheels came off and headed straight at me. I easily avoided it and it slammed into a park car.

Guess the training I did was worth it.

[ellipsis]

...a wheel from a boat trailer parted company from its axle on SH75 when travelling towards my mate and myself in his Honda Civic on the way home from work, it barrelled down the middle of the road, bounced about a meter off the road in front of us, just caught the front of the bonnet, flew over the top of the car and carried on. We stopped to see if we could help the towee. We searched for twenty minutes in a perfectly flat paddock where the wheel should have gone, there was nowhere else for it to go, couldn't find it. We got in the car and drove home, marvelling at how damaged either of us could have been if....we were two inches further up the road when it hit us. Just luck...

[oneofsix]

Follow a truck load of the beer, one of the metal strips from under the tie-downs flew off. Braked hard, the metal bounced off the bonnet, glancing the window and harmless off to the side of the road, would have been straight through the window without the braking. Didn't do us or the truckie much good though as the Holden ute following failed to stop, shortening the car by at least a metre on the passengers rear. The truckie had noticed the crash and kindly stopped to check all was ok but due to the crash ended up with a fine for insecure load. Our car was a write off with an aborted school holiday trip and sore joints etc all round.

[Swoop]

We searched for twenty minutes in a perfectly flat paddock where the wheel should have gone, there was nowhere else for it to go, couldn't find it.

It will be with several of my socks or down the back of the sofa, where everything else goes.

[eliot-ness]

Way back in the old days, mid 1950s I was cruising the Yorkshire dales on the Speed Twin. Just over the brow of a hill a guy with an old Morris was parked up n the side of the road jacking up a car. Another car coming towards me, too narrow for me to get pas, so I slowed down. Then I noticed that the guys spare wheel, leaned against the bumper, was inching forward as the car was jacked up. I shouted at the guy, but he got the wrong idea, gave me the fingers and called me a twat. Just as the opposing car went past the spare wheel rolled free and, with a bit of a wobble, proceeded on its way down a very long and straight hill. I waited for a few seconds, then, with another shout and a wave to the hapless idiot I followed. I reached 40 miles and hour and it was still accelerating but about a quarter of a mile down the road on a bend the wheel finally hit a small wall, bounced over, and carried on into the trees. Don't know if he ever found it, I gave him another wave as he galloped down the hill and I went my merry way pissing myself with laughter. Bikers didn't have a good reputation even then and no doubt he thought I was complaining about having to stop. Whatever the reason, it cost him, and I had the best laugh in years.

[The Singing Chef]

Saw a dude on the Harbour Bridge the other day on a trike, had 2 passengers in the back with no helmets on... that could be ouchy.

[Stylo]

Way back in the old days, mid 1950s I was cruising the Yorkshire dales on the Speed Twin. Just over the brow of a hill a guy with an old Morris was parked up n the side of the road jacking up a car. Another car coming towards me, too narrow for me to get pas, so I slowed down. Then I noticed that the guys spare wheel, leaned against the bumper, was inching forward as the car was jacked up. I shouted at the guy, but he got the wrong idea, gave me the fingers and called me a twat. Just as the opposing car went past the spare wheel rolled free and, with a bit of a wobble, proceeded on its way down a very long and straight hill. I waited for a few seconds, then, with another shout and a wave to the hapless idiot I followed. I reached 40 miles and hour and it was still accelerating but about a quarter of a mile down the road on a bend the wheel finally hit a small wall, bounced over, and carried on into the trees. Don't know if he ever found it, I gave him another wave as he galloped down the hill and I went my merry way pissing myself with laughter. Bikers didn't have a good reputation even then and no doubt he thought I was complaining about having to stop. Whatever the reason, it cost him, and I had the best laugh in years.

Good story mate