I agree....ride like they can't see you, because they can't. They don't look for you and if they do see you, they could care less about you. I keep my head on a swivel, keep distance between me and the car in front, but expect some a-hole to slide in and take that space. Just can't trust anyone anymore. And you are always wrong, you are always the *******.

 

Several months back, I was coming up to a car on a two-lane highway that had slowed down and had its right turn blinker activated. I went to pass on the left and sure enough, the idiot was actually turning left. Clipped the cars mirror and smashed a finger a bit...just kept on riding as "according to my own philosophy"...it was my fault for trusting a cager.

 

Wait...you must be riding in the Houston/Sugar Land/Missouri City areas. Close calls happen just about every time I'm out riding...

 

Riding in Amish country, was in the process of passing a buggy riding on the right shoulder. The operator was a young boy. He suddenly hangs a hard left right in front of me, sees me and stops. I grabbed all the brakes and kept her upright, stopped literally an inch from the horse. He was turning into a driveway and never slowed, signaled, or even looked.

Now whenever I pass a buggy, I first look for a driveway or road on the left.

 

Ride your own ride.

 

I'm not sure close calls always lead to lessons learned. I mean, sometimes the lessons learned or practiced prevent the close call from being the accident or worse.

About 12 years ago, I got the adventure touring bug and bought a VStrom. I've always had a second or third bike, beside a touring bike, I've always kept a sporty or bonneville for errands, etc. I lived in the Cascades, at snowline. This meant I had snow and did not ride end of November through March. Well, I decided to take the VStrom up to the nearby park and practice emergency stopping and high speed swerves. Without ABS, I just wanted to make sure I did not lock up the rear wheel. I made it fun. But I ride the Harley more often so I am more familiar with the braking and serving. I missed a deer at 70 on the freeway at night serving my Harley around it *** end. Missed it by inches.

Back to to the VStrom. It was a gorgeous spring morning and I decided to take the VStrom. It was dawn, and my road is three miles of curves and drops 900 feet. In the middle are three curves, tight right, tight right, very tight left. I rounded the first with a little bit of extra speed at dawn, headed for work. As I rounded number two, I spied a herd of elk crossing curve three. Oh ****! I brought the bike vertical, and did my emergency braking. I absolutely knew I was going to plow into this huge cow elk. She just looked at me. I joke that I could see the ticks jumping off her. So, while I headed straight for her, keeping the bike vertical and applying maximum brake, I actually stopped within a foot of her rear flank. She had not moved until I stopped.

So so back to the thread topic, had I not practiced the very day prior and just got lazy after a winter of non-riding I am sure I would have either plowed into her or locked up my rear wheel and slide into her or underneath her or one of the others in the herd. Therefore, this falls into the close calls, but the lesson had been previously learned.

On the road king, I would have been cruising at 5 mph less and am familiar with emergency braking on it as I ride in Seattle distracted traffic for work, so I am well versed in emergency stops and swerves on the Harley.

The reason I sold the VStrom, I got three speeding tickets one summer. It was impossible to tell the difference when I was going 65 or 90. Maybe that is a lesson learned. The Harley is like a Miata compared to a 350Z. I am unlikely to get a speeding ticket in a Miata, I'd hardly make it out of the neighborhood in a 350Z before I had their attention.

 

........ scrub your speed before entering into the curve
........ double if yer heading downhill

 

Back in 69' a good buddy of mine, Billy, and I were riding in some southern shthole discovering things about ourselves, freedom and the American landscape on two hand built custom Harley's. Long story short, a couple of rednecks in a light blue 51' pickup pull up beside Billy, shotgun in hand and shoot Billy dead, right off his bike. I pull over and stop to check on Billy. Pissed that the rednecks killed Billy, I jumped back on my bike, went to chase them down and damn, they shot me too!

Anyway, I don't ride anymore. Lesson Learned? I don't know, don't paint your bike in stars and stripes?

On serious note, I try not to ride above my ability. Going to the Dragon in two weeks. Will let you know how it turns out. No real close calls in 40 years of riding but I don't live on the bike.

 

I was heading into work one morning at 4am..was heading down a dark and lonely stretch of road when a deer ran across the road in front of me. Not even enough time to grab the brakes. There was a little thump. I literally caught the *** end of the deer, never even made the bike wobble. Me however, I was wobbling for a few minutes. I pulled off the road, happy to be alive. I went and bought a stronger headlight after that.

 

run over on 12 24 17. Pitch black empty highway. Car didn't have headlights and never stopped. Shattered elbow was the only injury.