Scariest moment on a bike?

[Solarwind]

What's the most frightening situation you've ever been in while riding? For me, it was when I was barrelling south down Gordonton Rd at 120kph heading into Hamilton one morning, and there's a car in a turning bay in the middle of the road waiting to turn right onto a side road (no problem there), only there's another car turning right onto Gordonton Rd from the side road that pulls out right infront of me I couldn't pass the car on the right, and had no clear view of the road up ahead anyway. I slammed on the brakes, but it was clear there was no way I could stop in time, so without thinking I shot around the side of the car on the left, in the cycle lane, with only centimetres of room to spare My brother smashed up his Ford Falcon on that same stretch of road, once, and afterwards I realised that if I had been driving a car, I would have crashed for sure. That was one situation where a bike was actually safer than a car, due to its smaller size. I sped the rest of the way and didn't look back... I only hoped the dumbassed driver of that car shat their pants when they realised they'd almost killed someone.

[Dave]

My scariest was up by dargaville on my GSXR750, doing 230k/hr a 4x4 up in front pulls left off the road, as i go out to go around he turns into a driveway on the right of the road!
I grabbed brakes and some rear untill the back started coming around, then let off everything and missed him by inches.
The worst thing about it is even after that i still don't think the fukin prick ever saw me, probably still doesn't know what he (nearly) did.

[riffer]

Well, coming up to the Martinborough turn-off on Sunday at 200+ and pulling back the brake lever to the bars and having brakes work at about 50% has to rate up there!

Apart from that, running from the law on an unregistered IT400 with a throttle cable which was a loop of wire attached to the handlebar has to be the worst

[What?]

Running over a possum at 140+ on a corner south of Tokoroa. Stayed on the gas and stayed upright, but I think I stayed on the gas because I didn't have time to think about doing anything else.

[White trash]

About 13km south of Tokoroa, just after you come out of the forrest there's a long uphill stretch with a nice right hander at the top. Out dragged my mate on his Bandit up the straight and as I went passed he grabbed a handfull of brake.

"What are you braking for you poof?" I thinks.

Get into the turn at 220 on my 6 month pld '98 GSXR750 and there's a small crest right on the entrance of the corner. 6th gear with the throttle shut but NO brakes applied and the rear steps out.

Then grips.


Earthskyearthskyearthskyfence. I went through a fence and stopped in a farmers house paddock. The bike went end for end 80-100 meters up the road.

Then, "peoples Hero" Bruns leans over the fence and says "Do you want to keep going to Hamilton or turn back to Welligton?"

What? Where ever I went I was going in an Ambo with heaps of Morphine thanks!

Anyway, thought I was going to fucken' die.

Scary moment,

Pic of one shagged 750.

[Coldkiwi]

for me, it was running off the track (but stayed upright) going over the John Deere Hill at Pukekohe on my ZXR 250.. and maybe having the back step out going onto the back straight in the rain on the zx-6R

[Hitcher]

Mine was following Mrs H out to Lower Hutt in the morning rush-hour traffic in the wet. She was taking her old Eliminator to Motorcycle City for a routine service and I was following to take her home once she'd dropped off her bike. She moved across into the Melling turn lane and I turned in about four cars behind and a few seconds later I see her bike on its side going down the white line at about 70kmh in a shower of sparks. I shit myself and rush up to see what's happening. Jane's on her feet by that stage wondering what the hell happened. I check her out and ascertain she is unmarked and unbroken, pick her bike up (it was still rideable) start it up for her, plonk her on and set her on her way. She rides to the bike shop, where she then goes into mild shock.

Whether she aquaplaned or hit an oil patch or what, we'll never know. Another example of the benefits of wearing good gear! Not the sort of heart-in-mouth start to the day that I want to have again.

[Jackrat]

About 1/16 of a second before I got high sided off my GS850G @140km.
Closly followed by the greatest feeling of relief when I realised I was still alive.
That was a very below average day and changed my whole out look on biking
and my approach to a few other things as well.But just a little bit

[James Deuce]

Hmmmm.

As has already been pointed out I seem to have more "moments" than most people.

It's because I'm a scaredy cat and tend to apportion fear in equal lumps.

Every time my existence is threatened is a potential "Most Scarey Moment".

The one that sticks in my mind is weird because there was no accident or pain, but I think the utter loss of control was the worst feeling. I was riding to work in Wellington from the Wairarapa on a Monday morning, and it was a bit windy. I got to the top of the Rimutakas heading south, turned into the left hand corner at the top at a fair velocity, and got blown right across the road into the carpark and fetched up 2 inches from the fence. The wind had created a Ground Effect between the fairing and the road surface when I pitched it in and just floated me over the road.

I don't know how I managed to slow down, but it may have been the tyres scrubbing sideways .

[Wenier]

for me it was on the coast to coast and jus b4 the end of the ride there is this shit corner thats jus over a rise. of course i came over it with a little more speed than the corner would take and had to go straight and use this grass run off area. Lucky for me i jus skidded to a stop no harm done.

[Lou Girardin]

Going too quick into a decreasing radius lefthander on the Mangawhai Rd. The front end ran wide into the other lane just as a truck was coming. Missed him by a metre. Luckily, he was more awake than I was.
Lou

[750Y]

having the front lift up off a bump at SPEED along the miranda straights and the cross wind grabbing me and pushing the whole show sideways, causing me to come down crossed up, the resultant err 'wobble' had me nearly fill my pants twice over.

[Solarwind]

Seems that most scary moments involve blind cage drivers at intersections or taking corners too fast. Some of my lesser scary moments...

* overfilling my oil tank and leaving a big cloud of smoke behind me, and stopping on the side of the road wondering if it was going to burst into flames there and then

* blowing a radiator hose and leaving a big cloud of steam behind me on the open road

* riding out to Kinloch from Taupo doing 115kph and glancing in my rear view mirror to see a cop right on my tail, who had come out of nowhere, and inching along at 90kph hoping he would leave me alone (he did)

[wkid_one]

About 1/16 of a second before I got high sided off my GS850G @140km.
Closly followed by the greatest feeling of relief when I realised I was still alive.
That was a very below average day and changed my whole out look on biking
and my approach to a few other things as well.But just a little bit

Remarkably - mine is exactly the same instance.....

Scariest non-crash moment was on the left hand crester 45kph corner heading north just after the exit to the Kaitoke Go Kart Track. I love that corner for getting my knee down and scraping the peg.

Got ballsy one day and came in to the corner well to hot....knee down around the corner.....realising I wasn't going to be able to stay in my lane (funny thing about full lean - you can only turn at such a radius??) - with a van approaching the other way - fuck knows how I missed collecting the rear of the van but I did.

Lesson - when knee is done - you better get your speed right as you line around the corner can only get wider.

[trevf]

on the road between Ngaruawahia and Otorohanga in the wet hitting a shiney patch at 130ish. Rode trough the tank slapper-just.