Almost biffed it just now...

Hey everyone, thought I'd recount my near-miss experience, along with a positive one. I apologize in advance for the wordiness..

A little history about myself: I'm a 23 YO new rider with an 09. I've been riding for almost 2 months, and around 2700 miles (bought the bike brand new)

Well I was out of Gin... This was a problem (no I have not been drinking today at all... yet - read on!). I wanted a martini with which to end the day. So I grabbed my backpack and hopped on the bike to go to the store (I would like to reiterate that I had NOT been drinking at all - for days. Just wanted a martini and I was out of the necessary ingredients).

As I was pulling up to a stoplight near the store, using both brakes to slow, everything was peachy. Then, as I started to lighten up on the brakes (down to around 8 mph now) BAM the back tire locks up and slides around to the right.

I tried 3 times to reapply the rear brake after releasing (was going slow enough that I knew I wouldn't highside, and holding the brake was not an option with how fast the rear was coming around due to the slope of the road) and each time it locked, even with the lightest pressure.


The suddenness of the whole thing, and the speed with which I reacted was pretty impressive. Adrenaline works fast, it would seem.

As I came to a stop, around 1.5 bike lengths past the stop line, I turned around to see a cager looking *very* worried, and around 50' of dark, splattery pavement that I had apparently totally missed coming up to the intersection.

MFer someone dropped a friggin oil slick!!

Well once I released the godlike clench on my butthole I backed the bike up to the stop line and all was well from then on..


I also wanted to share a somewhat positive (albeit minor) experience I had on the way home from work the other day.

I was first in line in the left lane of a southeast Michigan-style highway stoplight. You know the kind... divided highways intersecting making a shape that looks like this: #

There was a backup with the cross traffic, and a couple cars got stuck in the center area near the square bit of median. Suffice to say there were cars where there aren't usually, but they were out of the way. There was a lady in front who looked particularly upset about this, and as the light turned green for me she seemed to inch forward a couple times.. like she was about to go right were I was gonna be. :eyebrow:


So I slowed down... and if you knew me in person you'd know that things I raise an eyebrow to I occasionally point at... don't know why I do it but I do. Well I raised an eyebrow at this chick and without even thinking about it as I was creeping across the intersection I was pointing at her. She then looked right at me, pointed back, and nodded. As if to say without a doubt, "yes, I do see you, and I do not plan on committing murder at you today."

I was all like :thumbup: and then :BLAA:

It was pretty cool to see a cager unquestionably acknowledging my existence and then reassuring me of the fact in a way that was impossible to confuse.


Then on the way home 3 other cages tried to take my lane from me by force.



So morals of the stories: LOOK OUT FOR JAMES BOND-STYLE OIL SLICKS, and NOT ALL CAGERS WANT TO MURDER YOU. However, the ones that do greatly outnumber the ones that don't. Don't let your guard down.



EDIT:
My martini glass is now chiling in the freezer. It will be a good one!

Good job keeping the rubber side down!

Explosivpotato said:

Then on the way home 3 other cages tried to take my lane from me by force.

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You will soon grow to appreciate this if you are anything like me. I like to stay aware and even sometimes hope/anticipate that they will try to force themselves into my lane. That's where the fun is. I have done anything from side kick one car and left a huge muddy footprint, to knocking on someone's window who honestly didn't see me. Maybe it's a sick pleasure derived from correcting people's driving... but the times I can get pissed at someone are my most treasured.

Also, the moral of your story is that even if you do everything correctly, **** can still happen. Never assume you can beat chance.

Not sure where you usually ride within the lane, but in general, riding around in the city, you should ride in the very left or the right portion of your lane. In other words, ride where the tire tracks are because the greasiest part of the roadway will be in the center, especially as you get closer to an intersection.

As part of congestion in the intersection, don't forget to use your horn. Let people know that you are there. Don't be shy.

I had something similar the other day, oil patch in the rain at a stoplight. My only witness was the police van i was trying to stop next to!!

Keep it cool, only thing you can do, and implement your training.

Thanks for sharing!!

VEGASRIDER said:

Not sure where you usually ride within the lane, but in general, riding around in the city, you should ride in the very left or the right portion of your lane. In other words, ride where the tire tracks are because the greasiest part of the roadway will be in the center, especially as you get closer to an intersection.

As part of congestion in the intersection, don't forget to use your horn. Let people know that you are there. Don't be shy.

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Good advice, but this *particular* oil slick was so spectacular that it covered the ENTIRE LANE. I thought I was safe being in the left track, but I most certainly was not!

And definitely a good point RE: the horn. I need to start using it more... I'm still in the habit of honking like when I'm in my car - only after someone has screwed up, not when they're about to. I need to get louder! :rockon:

basejumpyeah said:

You will soon grow to appreciate this if you are anything like me. I like to stay aware and even sometimes hope/anticipate that they will try to force themselves into my lane. That's where the fun is. I have done anything from side kick one car and left a huge muddy footprint, to knocking on someone's window who honestly didn't see me. Maybe it's a sick pleasure derived from correcting people's driving... but the times I can get pissed at someone are my most treasured.

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I've always kinda fantasized about doing that, or kicking someone's mirror off. In practice though I never let them get that close. I think it's the draw of righteous anger and the ability to be judge, jury, and executor with your boot. :Flip:

I almost did something like that a few weeks ago though... Some bitch in a BMW was on her phone (we were going like 15 mph through a construction zone) and decided she wanted my lane, and that she was going to take it. I started honking as soon as she crossed the lane divider, but she was halfway into my lane before she noticed. It was pretty funny to see her throw her phone, scream, and swerve back into her lane all at the same time though.

basejumpyeah said:

Also, the moral of your story is that even if you do everything correctly, **** can still happen. Never assume you can beat chance.

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^ This. A thousand times this. The day you forget this is the day you bite it. Seriously.

Explosivpotato said:

It was pretty funny to see her throw her phone, scream, and swerve back into her lane all at the same time though.

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Of course, you just shake your head and go on about your business, because she's only the 3rd or 4th cager to try and kill you today. And she was probably shaking for miles. "OMG, OMG, OMG..." Right after she bent down to get her phone of course.

Excellent post.

I almost dropped at a light in Boston a few years back - I came to a complete stop and put my boot down into a glob of some kind of "road glue" or something. They were doing road patches right in front of me, and they had just patched the spot where I was. It was slick as hell... I allllmost lost it.

I can see that happening. . . Glad for you it didn't. . .

Last night on the way home it was like 89F here. A yoder in front of me blew a vast amount of Anti-Freeze when something opened up (radiator hose likely blew). . . Instantly there was gallons of green in my brake zone. Did I need to brake? Ya, of course the cager fearing life had ended INSTANTLY slammed on their brakes from the smoke under the hood! :thumbdown:

Fortunately we were slowing and all I got was splatter. I had done 99% of my breaking before the fluid spill. :thumbup: Anyway, all is well and the FZ got a bath when home.

My rule, keep your distance! It saved me here as I doubt I would have had traction to brake.

Also - if you ever encounter a diesel spill in the rain, stay away!!!!

I have never seen anything more slick than water and diesel mix. You can't turn, can't stop, can't go! Any action results in a slide. . . . . This was in 4 wheels mind you. . . .