Safety reminder

[tomb raider]

 Seeing how Hp had a get off yesterday and is a good reminder to ALL of us I'll post what I did yesterday.... After work I found only one other bike in the parking area. This guy had just found a V65 with 53K and change with bags etc for $1600. We let em worm up and chit chat then I said I'll fallow ya out to the free way. We both use a back way from work down a canyon and twisty's, fun stuff. Well down the road some we come a light that I take a left on and should have done it.

 I figure I'll fallow him and get on the Interstate and blast home. He's not a same speed rider and in a cage or on a bike that Erks my @$$. I figure were stopping but then he guns it so I say here we go. I have to gas harder to make the light, I'm farther from it. As I do he hits the brakes, I move right of him and skid to were we are past the white line. I say, WHATS UP BRO ???    We push em backwards, he's kinda pissed I about hit him, my fault Ya but you led me on.

 Small talk and off we go... 

First thing that came mind was Jimbo you D/A, gona fork up both bikes.  I Know better, read about Coffee's hubby mashing into her, I know better. So I guess this is a Safety memo. I know better 

[hppants]

Reminds me of what I did in Texas last year - I do keep more following distance between riders now.  And I do NOT push the yellow light when following.  The lead guy will wait.  Obviously, I have more to learn.

A little farther down the road, we have a little trouble.  Page62 realizes that he needs to turn around.  He gives the “slow down” hand signal right next to a road kill.  He’s given us this signal a dozen times before – there is a lot of road kill here.  The buzzards are eating the road kill, and we don’t want to get in a fight with a bird that size.  Anticipating that he will accelerate as usual, I begin to roll on the throttle.  Page then begins his turn around in front of me.  In staggered formation, with no oncoming traffic, instead of shifting right and jeopardizing Lucky’s lane behind me, I choose left instead.  Page and I bump shoulders and I startled him.  He then leans right, sideswipes Luckylindy, and goes down.

Lucky does not go down, but he is in pain as we coast side by side 1/8 mile down the road.  Luckily (pun intended), his left foot is swollen, but does not appear to be broken (we think Page’s right cylinder head hit Lucky’s bike and his foot).  Lucky’s left foot peg is hanging on by a thread, and I break it off trying to straighten it out.  Also, his shifter looks like a pretzel.

Cosmetically, Page’s bike is not too bad, but he can’t get it started.  Thankfully, Page is not hurt (WEAR THE GEAR WEAR THE GEAR WEAR THE GEAR!!!!!!!)  So, Page decides to call a tow truck and Roakleyhall will stay with him, and eventually head to his house.

Everyone should weigh in on their own take of this accident.  I’ll speak only for myself.  I was following too close.  If I was keeping more following distance, I would have had plenty of road to just stop instead of having to make a dangerous evasive maneuver.  Big lesson learned and I apologize to Lucky and Page for my part in this.  I will try to ride safer in the future.

[gammer]

And I do NOT push the yellow light when following.  The lead guy will wait.  Obviously, I have more to learn.

Excellent point. Do not rush the light, even if your riding buddy in front of you makes it through.
In fact, if the guy in front is experienced enough and is really aware of his surroundings, he should be able to tell if his partner behind him can make a light or not and adjust accordingly and perhaps stop instead of running the light.

[ariwhiteboy]

Yep, never rush to keep up with someone.  As soon as you do that you're no longer "riding your own ride" and it can lead to some very nast consequences. 

[tomb raider]

We had time to make it, he's been riding for 30 years...  I wasn't riding my ride at all...  Spring feaver 

[Bumblebee]

Do not rush the light, even if your riding buddy in front of you makes it through.

Unless you know the rider very well, you don't know what they're thinking at all.
Always think about possibilities: The lead rider could be aware of the, to you unseen, light runner that he throttles up to cross in front of instead of risking stopping short. At that point said light runner crosses behind the lead motorcycle and puts you, who throttled up, at ground zero when the cage enters the intersection at 50mph.

Ride your own ride. The leader will understand. If the leader can't respect or understand that, you need another leader.

[tomb raider]

All Great points,

 I just went and talked with him about it. He says, Hey late breaker. He said he's always the leader in a large pack. He never does that with anyone or solo. But he did and moved left as he seem me coming. Glad I moved right, So we get that hashed out. I told him next time I fallow you I fallow with
Caution...   

[Ol School]

I see alot of posts guys not likeing to ride in groups ...I never understood why ...heck I`ve always enjoyed ridding with the group I ride with on weekends ...just a bunch of old school guys with like minds and rideing style . normally 5 or 6 of us
last weekend we were invited to join another group rideing to the same rally ...and there were only 3 of us and 15 of them ..so we joined in .
I noticed they were a younger crowd than us and only one had his wife with him on back .( all of us had our wives with us on back )
no problem they were a church group and said a nice prayer before we headed out .........WRONG !   1 min into the ride I knew we had made a huge mistake .
these guys road like they were indestructable ..blasting through stop signs and yellow lights doing 65 in a 35 speed zone in town ..,,,,I thought they all must have a death wish ....just because they dressed like power rangers don`t mean they are .
I broke from the group as soon as possible along with my regular rideing pards ..............all I could say to my poor wife who was clutching to my jacket with a death grip ....was I need a drink ..and she said the same ......and neither one of us drink !
bet we don`t do that again ....