Scary "moments" on a motorcycle What was your last one?

[geodude]

I define a "moment" in motorcycle terms as a point during a ride where things happen you were not expecting and you crap yourself. It may be going around a corner and it suddenly tightens up and catches you out or you accelerate on a surface you thought was grippy when actually it wasn't so you lose traction.

I used to experience "moments" quite frequently until undertaking further training. Now I can count on one hand how many I have had over the past couple of years (and I don't hang about)

I have started to take my son (aged 9) on the back of the bike. He is an awesome pillion. Yesterday, we were heading back from Loomies down the A32 towards Wickham. We were making good progress. Riding to the system. Safe, Systematic, smooth and keeping within the speed limits (4xS). Positioning for Safety, Stability and View (SSV) and all that malarkey.

As we are riding through a nice twisty section, I can feel Ethan move about on the back. I shout "Keep still buddy" A few hundred yards down the road I suddenly is a silver crash hat appear in my right mirror. "FOOK" He was nodding off to sleep on the back. Boy did I sh1t meself. "MOMENT" or what? Having woken him up with a short sharp prod, I pulled over and stopped and had a wee chat. He said "The sun was making me sleepy" Was he bothered about it? Not in the slightest. He's mum on the other hand . lol

Apparently it is normal for pillions to fall a sleep, especially when riding smoothly and as long as you are aware of it and put mechanisms in place to deal with it, its ok.

Our new mechanism, thanks to sound advice from Alec Gore, is a hand slap. Periodically now I'll stick my hand behind me for him to slap. If he doesn't, He may have nodded off. Time to stop and freshen up.

What was your last "Moment" ?

[cupasoop]

I think I almost had a moment reading that. Did you eat an IAM manual?

[geodude]

I think I almost had a moment reading that. Did you eat an IAM manual?

lmao yeah! Just got back off observer training when I wrote it.

[AMCQ46]

I think I almost had a moment reading that. Did you eat an IAM manual?

Geo,
my last "keep me awake at night" moment was mechanical..................after coming back from a spirited ride my mate pointed to my front brake lever and when I looked, hidden from my riders view by the master cylinder, the pivot bolt was almost fully uncrewed. I was about 1 thread away from having no front brakes, and the thought of some of the corners and overtaking that had just been done, and the level of braking I was relying on......it didnt bear thinking about the consequence.

have to have a bit more of a think for the last one when riding

[Twinpotter]

I pulled up beside a soft top merc at a set of lights in Golders Green a few weeks back to inform the driver of a defective off side brake light only to be propositioned by a bronzed busty wrinkly Richard Emery sort; "Oh, thank you love. And how nice it is to meet a gentleman in leather. Care to take a look for me and share a tipple at my pad love? "

No kidding. Scary. 1st gear, off.

[geodude]

I think I almost had a moment reading that. Did you eat an IAM manual?

Geo,
my last "keep me awake at night" moment was mechanical..................after coming back from a spirited ride my mate pointed to my front brake lever and when I looked, hidden from my riders view by the master cylinder, the pivot bolt was almost fully uncrewed. I was about 1 thread away from having no front brakes, and the thought of some of the corners and overtaking that had just been done, and the level of braking I was relying on......it didnt bear thinking about the consequence.

have to have a bit more of a think for the last one when riding

Jeesh mate, close call!!

[geodude]

I pulled up beside a soft top merc at a set of lights in Golders Green a few weeks back to inform the driver of a defective off side brake light only to be propositioned by a bronzed busty wrinkly Richard Emery sort; "Oh, thank you love. And how nice it is to meet a gentleman in leather. Care to take a look for me and share a tipple at my pad love? "

No kidding. Scary. 1st gear, off.

Jeesh mate, close call!!

[lloydie]

I pulled up beside a soft top merc at a set of lights in Golders Green a few weeks back to inform the driver of a defective off side brake light only to be propositioned by a bronzed busty wrinkly Richard Emery sort; "Oh, thank you love. And how nice it is to meet a gentleman in leather. Care to take a look for me and share a tipple at my pad love? "

No kidding. Scary. 1st gear, off.

you must of been on a yellow firestorm then lol

[pinkyfloyd]

Mine was yesterday evening as I was heading to work along the motorway, I was doing about 70ish give or take 10 when the bike died. Everything went, engine and electrics and I spluttered to a stop. Back wheel was locking as I was slowing down so the clutch came in and I ground to a halt. My first thought was engine had siezed but I knew it shouldnt have because she is well oiled. Turned out that one of the main wires in the loom leading from the ignition had rotted inside the casing so a quick strip and twist together bodged it until I got to work and secured it properly with insulating tape and pliers.

But the grinding to a halt from speed with the back wheel skipping and jumping was an butt clenching moment.

[AMCQ46]

Mine was yesterday evening as I was heading to work along the motorway, I was doing about 70ish give or take 10 when the bike died. Everything went, engine and electrics and I spluttered to a stop. Back wheel was locking as I was slowing down so the clutch came in and I ground to a halt. My first thought was engine had siezed but I knew it shouldnt have because she is well oiled. Turned out that one of the main wires in the loom leading from the ignition had rotted inside the casing so a quick strip and twist together bodged it until I got to work and secured it properly with insulating tape and pliers.

But the grinding to a halt from speed with the back wheel skipping and jumping was an butt clenching moment.

good diagnostic and bodging work there pinky,

[Miztaziggy]

My worst one was driving through the north york moors and giving it some right hammer....I came over the top of a little hill and down toward a bridge where the road turns right, not being able to see that the road narrows to only just over a cars width under the bridge.

As I came down to the bottom of the hill, there wasnt much chance I could have stopped before going under the bridge, but there was a car coming the other way and he was going too fast to stop too. He ploughed through and under the bridge, and luckily I managed to slow down just enough to go through the gap as he came out the other side.

That was pretty much the only time I ever had to stop and calm my nerves before driving on again...

[tinysmall]

Can't remember when my last one was. In my first 6 months of riding I had 2 or 3 a day but haven't had any for a long time now because I learned to ride at a speed that I can stop in the distance that is visibly clear. Bikesafe taught me a lot more too. I'm also starting the IAM stuff this month which should hopefully move things on another stage. Having said that, sometimes all it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[benny hedges]

yesterday, making progress, hit a jump in the road and attempted to make a sharp right onto a little bridge while the front was still in the air lol.
it skipped a bit as the wheel came down and so did my ticker and sphincter

just read your post zig & wondering if it was the same bridge lol!!!

[Miztaziggy]

yesterday, making progress, hit a jump in the road and attempted to make a sharp right onto a little bridge while the front was still in the air lol.
it skipped a bit as the wheel came down and so did my ticker and sphincter

just read your post zig & wondering if it was the same bridge lol!!!

Lol no mate, we didn't hit that same bridge yesterday...but I think I know which one you mean. It was on that good stretch just before hawes?

Come to think of it, yesterday there were those 2 really big wide corners that was quite sharp, just after masham. You could see right round it so I took the racing line and the right hander on the wrong side of the road, when I hit something (no idea what??) with the front wheel that felt like a brick or a kerb. Front wheel jarred really hard and skipped a bit. Don't know if you noticed it?

[lumpyv]

excellent thread this!! last friday coming from brantham into ipswich with mrs lumpy on the back. its a nice road with some quite tight corners , the weather was good. unfortunately it was soon clear that something, about 25 cars in front, was doing 25 to 30 mph ( thats not quick enough!!) anyways there was quitre a bit of traffic coming my way so i could only pick em off one or two at a time and was getting a bit frustrated but was being sensible. the road starts with twistys then straighter then a few more nice bends. i managed to do the last 5 cars on the end of the last straight and was chuffed to do the last bends at about 55/60 or so deluding myself i was rossi/ mc-guinness . came out of the last one ,sped up to about 70 and as i levelled up made eye contact with a girl in a corsa (vauxhall not laverda) waiting to turn right into a lane. for a spilt second at the last moment i imagined i saw her start to move the steering wheel to dash across. she didnt, me and ma lumpy are still here and all is well but for that split second the bowels did loosen!

back to the original post for this i have 2 sons , 11 and 12 . so far i have not taken them on the back but i would,nt mind. i just cant decide if they are old enough yet? . if i thought they were likely to go to sleep that would be reason enough not to bother?! what do others reckon. my storm does not have grab handle at the back and they arnt the easiest to hang on to ( so she says, her fave pillion ride so for has been a bandit 1200).