Time to change the underpants.

[chickenstrip]

What's the most frightening experience you have had on a bike, that you walked away from physically unharmed, and maybe learned something to stand you in good stead for your future riding?

Mine goes all the way back to my earliest days with my Kawasaki GPz750 Turbo.
I had it in a lock-up before I'd even passed my test, and would go out and sneak rides on it late at night.
I was on a very wide, multi-lane dual carriageway (where the A406 North Circular joins the M11). A gentle downhill slope, I was in one of the nearside lanes heading for the roundabout that the beginning of the motorway then passes over. I had wound it on full throttle, speed probably got up to something like 130mph or thereabouts when the bike went into the most terrifying and violent tank slapper, a proper lock-to-lock one.

Here I was, a total n00b on big bikes, with no idea that a bike could do something like that, and no idea of how to react. They don't teach you such things in novice bike training!

I remember feeling that it would be a mistake to try to brake, or even to try to take firm charge of the steering. It seemed to go on forever, but couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds in reality. I just really lightened my grip on the bars (which I could barely touch anyway, so violent was the movement going on), let go of the throttle, and waited for my imminent demise when it would finally spit me off. But fortunately, it settled out quickly as the speed dropped. To this day, I have no idea if there was something I could have done to take back charge quicker than I did, and thankfully, have never experienced another one. And thank the heavens that it happened in such a wide open space late at night when there was very little other traffic around!

I rode straight home, put the bike away, and went to bed, probably with the adrenaline still coursing through me

I'm not sure what lessons I specifically learned from that, other than that big, powerful bikes deserve a lot of respect, and maybe I learned something about sensitivity to how a bike is behaving from moment to moment, when it's telling you to back off before you get into trouble.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[arry]

Out in Wales with Pigeon, Matt and Lyndon whose board name now escapes me (he hasn't been on here for years, nor the other two come to think about it).

Coming out of Fishguard. Matt leading - nails it past a car on a straightish piece of NSL A road, and Pigeon / Lyndon go soon after him. I was slouching a bit messing around with my mirror or something, so was quite a way back. Noted everything as clear and wound on the throttle to big speeds, put myself right over into the opposite carriageway and went for it.

Car decided the little farm track I hadn't even spotted (not at all obvious it was a junction, no warning signs, no road markings, not paved on the way off) and the closing speeds were seriously epic.

Slammed on the anchors and locked the rear wheel up in panic braking. Slid a good 25 feet or so with the rear wheel completely locked up, puffing smoke, and just passed the car as they started their turn - so all they'd have seen was a Triumph Sprint fly past them on the wrong side of the road with smoke bellowing from the rear tyre.

It would have been a big one. Biiiiiiig.

[redeem ouzzer]

Riding down a semi rural but straight open road near me, about 1 1/2 miles long, RD350B, wound it up a bit, doing 90 ish, see a pheasant out of the corner of my eye in the grass verge. I can remember thinking "don't you fucking dare" just as it jumped up and attempted to fly across the road. Took it full in the ribs, not a clue how I stayed on. Got home and most of my upper torso was a mosaic of black, blue and yellow bruising, took a few days before I got full mobility back in my left arm. I no longer speed on any of the roads in that area, regardless of bike or car.
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Be a REAL MAN!

[doggone]

Near FlamingoLand (zoo+theme park) I was following a car with Scottish plates and he pulled on to the verge I thought maybe kids on board suddenly going to puke or needed a wee.
So carried on past at sedate speed not even 50.
But he suddenly started to do an unsignalled U turn - had obviously missed that theme park turn off.
I braked and just hoped he kept going and didn't panic brake too.
Missed back bumper by inches.
Another day only recently, followed a car up to temporary lights, there was a pub entrance or something so I left a substantial gap in case someone wanted in/out.
Out of the blue the car ahead started reversing towards me at speed I still don't know what manoeuvre was planned but might have been attempting to three point turn or dive into pub car park.
It was so unexpected I only found horn when he was about to hit but miraculously though he nudged my front wheel he had braked hard and bike was undamaged, though I was about to drop it and jump out of the way.
His back bumper had small area of black rubber but also was not damaged. I have that one on video too.

[chickenstrip]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[SpeedyCBR1100]

I once put some of that puncture repair stuff in the tyres of a Blackbird I had at the time. The following day I was due to carry out a mega day to 2 branches of my biggest customer. I needed to be in Birmingham for 7:00am and I set off in plenty of time.

As I came off the M1 onto the M6 a car passed me very quickly. I, of course, thought bugger that and set off after him. I'd just gone over 125mph when the front of the bike started bouncing. I mean the tyre was coming off the road. Fortunately it didn't go into a tank slapper and I remembered not to brake.

The next day I took the bike into Motorcycle Tyres UK and bought new tyres. They told me I was travelling faster than the stuff in the tyres could circulate so there was a build up in one part of the tyre.

Al I know is that it scared me shitless. Much worse than breaking in new Hungarian horses that I used to do for a dealer.

[hellkat]

I was on the back of my mad ginger then-boyf tooling along Chelsea Embankment into town, not particularly fast - but at Chelsea Bridge some knobber coming the other way decided to turn right (north) against the lights into Chelsea Bridge Road.

My arse lifted so far off the seat, I knew if it got any worse I would fly over him and drag him with me into the windscreen. Fuck knows how he managed to stop, and without either of us spilling off.

As usual, the perp just fucked off, not even realising just how close we had come to being under his wheels.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[hellkat]

Strangely ... I haven't actually got any major ones. Luckily most of my offs have been relatively minor, probably due to only being in London, so rarely at stupid speeds.

* A slick of diesel across the North Circ (not far from where you mentioned actually Chickenybobs) on the Super Tenere at maybe 70, I just somehow knew to try and do nothing, take my feet right off the pedals and try to steer straight.

* As a complete noob I *nearly* ran into the back of an overly-luggaged Road King that belonged to a senior one percenter on a sliproad in Ilford with my 125 Honda XL dropped it that time (the xl not the road king), no harm done, just my ego bruised.

* A li'l fishtail on my XJ900 (non divi) along Rotten Row by the horsey barracks, in the rain beside a black cab ... that took me somewhat by surprise. I think the cabbie was impressed I managed to hold the thing up

Can't think of any others. Bound to eventually

Good thread, chickenybobs.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[chickenstrip]

[Nobby the Bastard]

Did you just announce your pronoun?
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[hellkat]

It must have been the chickenmeister.
I would never dream of doing such a thing.
https://media.tumblr.com/9c97af1a923cc8919fb10be85efee7f1/tumblr_inline_mgoow6Tjiv1qahu1s.gif
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Lately, deer. I know why - it's because I've been getting back about 9:00pm and they're quite active at twilight times. They're lovely but deadly. Luckily just in ones so far - bounds through the hedge, and I'm bracing for impact as the second and third ones follow....but they never did. Only a matter of time though. My current tactic is too duck down, pile on more throttle and hope that I can cut clean through one of them lol.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[chickenstrip]

[chickenstrip]

[DJP]

Probably when I was 18 and Mr Audi Quattro tried to beat my 350YPVS away from the lights.

I didn't realise that a fistful of revs and dumping the clutch would result in a mahoosive wheelie.

The resultant 100 yard monowheel probably looked super cool, and I left the Audi for absolute dead, but I damn near shat my pants in the process!
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Suzuki Bandit 1250
https://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/index.html
That's http not https

[tatters]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[stinkwheel]

Coming round a corner on the old A6 towards Shap at about 70mph on my GPZ500s, third gear, saw the exit and gassed it. Rear spun up, slid, gripped and spat me off the highside. I flew quite a long way into the air then slid a distressingly long way on my arse, then ragdolled the last few yards.

Walked away with slight fruction burns on my elbows from the inside of my jacket. Bike had a snapped off handlebar, sliencer and footpeg bracket and bust both sides of the fairing and all the levers

This taught me to be a lot more circumspect when gassing it on overbanding. I also learned that leathers slide, textiles grip and that an unmotorcycled human decelerates more rapidly than an unhumaned motorcycle.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[pepperami]

Going down the A12 towards Ipswich at a fair lick on my rd250 lc.
Looked at my speedo and I’ve got 95 indicated .
When I look back at the road, there’s half a house brick sitting there .
FUGK!.....BLAM!, now I’m on a very high speed bucking bronco!
The back wheel is higher than my handlebars and the handlebars are going from lock to lock and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Luckily for me the bike straightens itself out and I slowly roll off the throttle and pull into the lay-by.
My heart was thumping so hard that my chest hurt.
Then my hands start to hurt? So I finish my journey.
It turns out that I’d broken both thumbs and my front wheel was now scrap.

The section I’m talking about has an Armaco central reservation.
If I’d lost complete control or come off the bike and hit the Armaco barrier, I’d certainly be dead.

Thinking about the incident and the consequences made me puke about an hour later.
I guess that was when the adrenaline was starting to wear off.
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[B5234FT]

Passing a long queue of traffic on an NSL B road, nice long straight, 90 degree right at the end.

speed wound on, it's a choice between slowing to ~30 for a gap, or passing the remainder of the queue - and as I've just committed to keeping going I see the change in surface colour, different from Friday on my way home..... Surface dressing!

That felt horrendous, and meanwhile trying to slow gently and keep watching the corner, and the traffic as I now needed to be going more slowly than they were to stay on whilst crossing the centre of the road.

I got very lucky there was nothing coming the other way at speed.

[Nobby the Bastard]

That last one was quite shit.


The most shat up I've ever been was when a 13 year old ran straight in front of me from alley to another alley right in front of me whilst cranked down for the bend.

By the time I'd stopped the bastard had fucked off and when I'd finished rolling a ciggie the guy opposite who was washing his car had time to walk up and ask how I'd managed to avoid hitting him.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[hellkat]

[Shaft]

There's probably loads, but the first one that comes to mind and didn't end in tears was a test ride on a BMW K100RS.

It was on roads in the New Forest that I was only vaguely familiar with, on a bike I didn't know at all, so all the alarm bells were ready to ring.

I'd been on it for about an hour, I'm growing in confidence and giving it the onions, when I come round a blind left hander and am confronted by some of the local wildlife, in the shape of Mr & Mrs Very Large Pig and a few piglets, stood in the road and admiring the view.

Hitting most types of animal (birds/cats/dogs etc) isn't great on a bike and a New Forest pony would've been much worse, but pigs have the density of a small moon and would do some extremely serious damage.

I don't know how I missed them, but I did and had to stop for a fag immediately afterwards - definitely not an experience I want to repeat.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I can't wheelie to save my life, but someone told me you can't wheelie a shaft drive when I'd just got my XJ900F. So, not knowing how to wheelie, the lights went green, I redlined it and dumped the clutch. Next thing I know I'm staring at the tank with my legs dangling off the back, holding on for dear life. Managed to back off the revs, and as the wheel started to come down, I found I was heading towards a parked car. Front wheel hit the ground just in time to miss it. I had no say in the matter, the bike just kinda "bounced" onto a different heading.

I still can't wheelie.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5