On 12/8/2022 1:51 PM, sticks wrote:
On 12/8/2022 1:18 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
I already told the story in this group about the truck driver who
bullseyed me in the forehead with a cigar on the freeway many years ago.
Reminds me of a winter ride I did over 40 years ago. Was on the big
road trying to make some time and was just freezing my ass off and
fighting the stiff crosswinds. Decided to tuck in behind a semi and
ride in his slip stream for awhile. He was making good time, and it
really made the riding doable, at least I thought so at the time.
The driver switched lanes into the left lane even though no one around.
I stayed tucked in and behind him. Then we passed, and I saw, a pallet laying in the middle of the other lane we had been in. He could have
easily split it with his rig, but he knew I was back there and I guess
felt sorry for me. It would have been ugly if I had gone over that, and that day truck drivers were my heroes. I pulled along side him after he pulled back into the right lane and gave him a nod and a wave letting
him know I realized what he had done and appreciated it. I then got
behind him, way behind him, and have never done that again.
That would have been a pretty tough one to ride through, but that's what
you would have had to do if it happened. I hit a pretty good size rock softball size maybe) on a curve once running up the Ca side of the river
in the Parker area once. I had a passenger and I was more worried for
her than me. We hit the rock, and the front wheel wobbled pretty badly.
I just did the loose guide like when you blow a tire, and it self
corrected. We road it out "almost" like it was nothing. I might have
been running 50 mph.
Another time I took a morning dove bird strike on the sole of my boot
running about 50, maybe on Baseline or one of those other country/city
roads in the Tempe/Mesa/Apache Junction area. Took my foot right off
the peg. My biggest worry for a fraction of a second was not slapping
my foot on the road, and then I just set it back on the peg and road on
like it was nothing. I didn't realize how hard that strike was until I
got off and put weight on that foot. It wasn't broken, but I had to
walk around for 20 minutes or so for the soreness to let off. I'm not
sure the young lady on the back that time even knew I'd hit anything.
She looked at me funny when she saw me favoring my foot.
Those were in my pre-Harley days on a much lighter motorcycle. VT500C
if I recall. The only thing I hit with my Harleys were trucks.
Neither of those would compare to hitting a pallet, but I'd bet if you
did a forced loosen up and ride there would be a 50/50 chance of riding
through it. Then again maybe not at 70/75MPH. At that point all you
can do is treat it like a wild horse and try to guide it in the right direction.
P.S. I'm one of those idiots who stops and drags shit like that off the
road or calls local PD if in town. Speaking of such... One day on 32nd
street (US80) in my work truck I noted somebody had lost a brand new
bath tub in the center lane approaching a major intersection. I could
imagine somebody hitting it thinking it was just a box. I called
PD/Fire dispatch and let them know it was a hazard in the road. I had
to tell the dispatcher five times because she wouldn't believe me.
Finally I said, "You know what. I did the right thing and called you.
Now if anybody gets hurt its on you," and hung up. It was gone when I
came back 30 minutes later. Hopefully the person who lost it got it.
--
Bob La Londe
Proffessional Hack, Hobbyist, Wannabe, Shade Tree, Button Pushing, Not a
real machinist
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