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Thread: A moment's error, and a spared life...

  1. #1
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    A moment's error, and a spared life...

    This thread is a totally honest and humble admission of fault from me. No stone throwing.


    We have a brutally Darwinian past-time, and I've often wondered how things can go so wrong, so quickly. There have been numerous examples in the past few weeks of a person's misjudgement ending in a fatality (or several).

    I've worked hard at making sure I'm capable on the bike, and I ride on the road with loads of capacity spare. I rode with Toto's crew today, thirty or so took the KB trashtalking onto the street and rode the Northland loop.

    I have the attention span of a sugared 4 year old, one with ADD. Today's ride is one of the longest that I've done, and I think it was a contributing factor. After 7 hours on the bike, physical pain (buggered knee), dehydration, plain old fashioned fatigue (we rode some great roads, so the concentration level was huge) contributed to my bain fart.

    I was riding through a winding valley with ZXRider a while north of Wellsford. The road was two laned, meaning a lane in both directions. As I cut through the valley - I felt like I was in another valley that I know really well in another country, but that other valley and two laned road is a one way stretch. It felt correct to be on the right hand side, as the other valley is actually in a country where people ride/drive on the right. Perhaps the passing lane sign contributed.

    Whatever the reason, my brain fart put me onto the wrong side of the road, and as it was an entry to a right hand bend, the white 4wd ute coming towards me appeared at the worst moment, with very little warning.

    Now, I want to be clear, it wasn't intentional, I wasn't cutting the line, the ute was perfectly in the right - I was completely in the wrong.

    He swerved while I was still trying to work out what was wrong with this picture - his quick thinking spared my life and just about put him in a bank.

    This is the first time in 20 odd years of being on the road in cars and on bikes that I've ever made any error close to this magnitude.

    My point is that I've had an epiphany - I know understand how it's possible to make such a stupid and critically important error that costs someone their life. No amount of track time, training, reading, practice - prepared me for the fact that my brain could malfunction and put me in harms way.

    I'm having a week long stand down from the bike.
    It’s diametrically opposed to the sanitised existence of the Lemmings around me in the Dilbert Cartoon hell I live in; it’s life at full volume, perfect colour with high resolution and 10,000 watts of amplification.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by madbikeboy View Post
    I'm having a week long stand down from the bike.
    A good idea occasionally. Put things in perspective.

  3. #3
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    Good on you for owning a massive fuck-up, Mike, and big ups to the quick thinking ute driver
    Member, sem fiddy appreciation society


    Quote Originally Posted by PrincessBandit View Post
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  4. #4
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    Damn Mike!
    Thats some crazy shit!
    At least you really know how to put it in perspective and im sure you will be doing all you can to right everything else you "could of done"
    Keep Safe!
    Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul. One wheel moves the filth

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  5. #5
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    Driver/rider fatigue.

    It's a killer.

    Get a good night's sleep mate. And don't forget to thank your guardian angel.
    And I to my motorcycle parked like the soul of the junkyard. Restored, a bicycle fleshed with power, and tore off. Up Highway 106 continually drunk on the wind in my mouth. Wringing the handlebar for speed, wild to be wreckage forever.

    - James Dickey, Cherrylog Road.

  6. #6
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    Im glad you survived the incident.
    But much happier that you worked out where you went wrong, and have the humility to admit it.
    Summer riding is great, but it has its dangers as much as winter riding does.
    The lesson of having a break, have a coffee or a ciggy, let your body and brain rest every couple of hours when riding was reinforced today for you.
    It great to be out with the boys, on the road with good weather,
    just being aware of the limitations and kerb the excitement is as important as being a good rider.
    Give your significant other an extra hug tonight, they nearly didnt have you.
    To be old and wise, first you must be young and stupid.

  7. #7
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    Y' owe the Biker Gods a sacrifice. Just make sure the mouse is a virgin.

    Such things happen. Best that they only happen once.
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  8. #8
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    So you are human.... shit happens stop thinking about it and get over it. Peace
    I want to ride everyday...... Fuck work

  9. #9
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    Yeah, I'm off to bed now, can hardly keep my eyes open. I have no idea how GIJOE manages his escapades...

    I posted this for two reasons. The first is that I think we've got a responsibility to share this sort of stuff too - for me it's a learning experience in the biggest way. The second is that other people can add perspective to this - this means it becomes a learning experience for our wider group as well.

    I'd like to buy that Ute driver a dinner or a week in Fiji. It was his quick thinking that spared my life. With a closure speed of 160 km/h (assuming both of us were doing 80), I would have been vapourised.
    It’s diametrically opposed to the sanitised existence of the Lemmings around me in the Dilbert Cartoon hell I live in; it’s life at full volume, perfect colour with high resolution and 10,000 watts of amplification.

  10. #10
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    This interweb motorcycling thing is getting well out of hand.Glad you made it and rest assured the sun will still come up in the morning.Whilst we are confessing sins can i ask forgiveness for for at the tender age of 7 taking great delight in chewing (yes i enjoyed it) a rather large piece of snot from my nose.
    Be the person your dog thinks you are...

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by madbikeboy View Post
    I'd like to buy that Ute driver a dinner or a week in Fiji.
    Sleep well man - take some time off - put things in perspective - then pay it forward.

    You'll be good.
    $2,000 cash if you find a buyer for my house, kumeuhouseforsale@straightshooters.co.nz for details

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by madbikeboy View Post

    I'd like to buy that Ute driver a dinner or a week in Fiji. It was his quick thinking that spared my life. With a closure speed of 160 km/h (assuming both of us were doing 80), I would have been vapourised.
    It was me Mike, when do we leave??....

  13. #13
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    Good stuff mate, thanks to the ute driver! big ups for saving our mate
    Hoping people take note that just coz there's wind across your helmet doesnt mean your any more awake then a cage.
    Good stuff, glad to hear your all good and not too shaken
    HOLDEN fan for life.

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  14. #14
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    Well thank god im not the only one. Thanks for sharing & id like to share my expierence from my Tauranga Wanganui trip this week.
    After 28 years as a licenced rider & over 25 years since i bought my first litre plus bike i damn near killed myself too.
    I was near Mission bay between Taupo & Turangi amongst a bit of slower traffic on a curving but totally visible piece of road, i checked ahead & saw a red car several hundred metres ahead, but somehow, possibly because of the curvature of the road, i percieved it as travelling in my lane in the same direction as me. I pulled out & started to pass & suddenly it wasnt. I did an un planned 11 o'clock stoppie next to the drivers window of the car i was overtaking & got back behind it in the nick of time.
    Years of riding, thousands of overtaking manouvers & somehow i got it all wrong.

  15. #15
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    I am just happy you are here and posting about what happened and not reading a RIP thread mate. Shit happens, we all cock up from time to time, thank God you met a thinking ute driver, not an all out have to get there friggen car driver.

    Sleep well tonight, take the lessons you feel you need to from this. You have had a lucky escape, pay your good fortune forward.

    Ixion reckons virgin mouse, I want to know how you prove them virgin before you sacrifce them

    Take care eh
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    Nonono,

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