What items have you dodged or hit on your commute?

[brownie0486]

My brother and I were coming down off a mountain on my favorite local twistie. Running the speed limit as we were entering the valley, he in the lead, we both saw a motor down in the road a little right of center of our lane, rider on the side of the road upright.

My brother was left of center in our lane and passed by this hole in the road that had to be 2'x2' square and 3 feet deep [ like a sink hole opened up ]. I was headed for that hole in the right center of lane when my brother communicated "HOLE" [ I was maybe 4-5 bikes behind him and we're both at 40-45mph ]. Aggressively counter steering, I missed that hole by inches if that.

We pulled over, then turned around to see if that rider was okay [ I have WFR medical training ] and help him get his bike out of the road. The hole was deep, he'd hit it and did an end over end, the front end of the bike mangled. He was completely ATTGAT'd up. He was fine, no broken bones nor road rash [ young buck about 25 ]. We got the bike off the road, and emergency services were called.

We stayed until emergency services were on scene. Fire truck or ambulance threw two cones out in the road to warn other motorists. We got back on the motors and continued on.

[nc5p]

Two weeks ago I was on I-30 going to a company event at the big boss' house in Rowlett. A pickup truck ahead had a bunch of empty cardboard boxes flying out, one just missed me at 70+ mph. Around here folks load up their pickups with trash, boxes, etc. they want to get rid of and drive down the freeway with the tailgate down. This avoids a trip to the dump. I always try to get away from such vehicles but sometimes the debris will cross into other lanes as it did this time.

[basketcase]

Several years back, a piano crate… Empty, not that it would have mattered.


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[CABNFVR]

What have we hit ..... a dog, it ran off ... an owl on the Cherohala Skyway (actually it hit us), it flew away as well ... a turtle. Poor thing came out of nowhere. (Car in front was hiding it from view.) Not a good way to learn what a forged aluminum wheel costs .... a Golden Eagle dived Susan in Black Rock and scrapped her helmet. We interrupted it's meal and it wasn't happy.

What we have almost hit .... a deer on US90 near Marathon TX. We were doing 90 and it was at a full run. I braced, then -- nothing. We didn't hit it. It wasn't in the mirrors. Just gone. It must have jumped us. .... a Bighorn sheep in North Fork ID. We were doing 70 a couple of hundred feet behind an Ford F150. The Bighorn came from the right side and was beginning a run across the road right in front of us. We missed it by about 3 feet.

What we've dodged .... an upside down wheel barrow in Florida. It was doing a dance on the utility trailer so we were leaving room for it to dance. It finally found a way off the trailer and slide perfectly down the highway to a stop in the grass. We sped up and when we got tot he truck we pointed back to the empty trailer. He looked shocked and slowed for the retrieval. Other dodges, bunny rabbits, downed trees, potholes, snakes, a wild boar on Deal's Gap, a cow one dark night, and lots of stuff I've forgotten.

I'm not sure what category three tornados go into, but they dodged us. One in Texas, one in Georgia, and one in Arkansas. Like they say, luck is better than skill most days.

[Danl]

Too many things come to mind, but if it were so my 9 lives are overextended.
In the early 70's living off base in the Eiffel Mtns, we had about a 10K commute. Two small towns to pass through early in the AM.
The Germans take their cows out to graze at the crack of dawn and bring then back home at dusk. I had a Kawy 500 triple and my roommate was on a CB750. The week before I tipped the bike into a ditch and wrinkled up my front fender. Waiting for the new one, I rode sans fender.
For some reason this morning the locals had not yet swept up after their cows as they usually did. Cold, my visor fogging up, and running late we shot into the last corner to the little town only to hit all of that recycled bovine lunch from yesterday.... still steaming. With no front fender, yesterdays lunch went from my bootlaces to the top of my visor. And packed in the cooling fins, caked on the center pipe, bottom of my headlight......you get the picture.
As we stopped at the gate for ID check, I thought the gate guards were going to pass out they were laughing so hard.
Our shop had a inspection formation first thing, and running late we hustled in the back door only to be called forward.
More serious laughing and a failed inspection. Took a while to live that one down.

[bluehole]

That is hilarious. What a great story. Thanks for posting.

[tibork]

Although not exactly on my daily commute but happened on a regular drive to a near by historic small town we visit several times a year with my lady to relax and get away. On the way back we were getting close to a hill when here comes a Subaru over the hill towards us in the other lane frantically flashing his lights. I'm like 'what the ..' ??? I'm checking if my high beams were on or anything bothering him but could find nothing. We're going 50-55 MPH. I'm telling my lady not sure what that guy was flashing his lights for, she just said 'strange'. So we climb up the hill still going 50-55 mph and on the top suddenly a GIANT black bear right in front of us slowly crossing the road. I yanked the breaks and literally came to a stop about three yards from it. My girl is SCREAMING in my ears in the radio: 'OH MY GOD IT'S A BEAR .. OH MY GOD A BEAR!!'. The bear kind of stopped as we surprised him too, turned it's face towards us. I'm idling, looking into his eyes but didn't stop, just kept coasting and thinking what's going to happen now, put the bike in first gear if I have to gun it but the bear didn't move. Him and us were just facing each other. Then in a couple of seconds he started to move again across very slowly and I'm ready to bolt out of there if he jumped at us. He finally crossed the road but again stopped on the side, turned to the side and looked back at us from the side of the road. This time with the road open I just pulled the throttle suddenly and actually saw him scared by it and running into the woods. Phew ...

Now we both seen enough black bears here but nothing close to this GIANT, first I even thought it was a brown bear but was too dark with light colored nose plus we don't really have brown bears here so maybe a hybrid? Maybe we got away without being attacked because he didn't know what the heck this large red 'thing' was (red bike, both of us red jackets). We got away 'easy' with this one but now I am always watching for bears on that road and going slower of course especially uphill or hard to see turns. That was a scary moment for both of us!

[05biggray]

Construction cone flew out of a truck on I 95 doing 75 or so watched it bouncing hoping it would bounce out of my way.
No luck finally came to a stop directly in front of my path . Hoping no one would hit me Full panic stop. Got away with it .
Truck who dropped it stopped a wat down the road started backing up as I, was on the shoulder now. As the truck was backing another cone came off. I, had some very Select words to say to him.
Traveling north thru PA. On 278 4 lanes I, was in the 2nd lane moving around 60 or so with heavy traffic out of the Sky to
My left a recap came flying over 2 lanes of traffic, I, recall thinking this is gonna hurt no way to avoid hit the recap straight
On bump bump ,I, glanced in the mirrors and saw that all traffic behind had laid way back anticipating the wreck.
Got off the next exit looked it over all was ok.
Have hit 2 more recaps since then with less fear.
Now nearing 80 years old perhaps I, should go to 3 wheels
Be Safe All

[jpruddyt2]

Just had my bike serviced at Hermy's BMW on Friday. I usually take I-81 and 309 and then back roads to Hermy's, but since there was construction on 81 NB for the ride home, I decided to head over I-78 to Allentown and pick up the turnpike back up to Scranton. I was cruising along and noticed a Dodge Ram towing a trailer with a pickup truck on the back dumping a lot of small debris. I got out to pass him and before I could get past this guy, off comes the bedliner from the pickup that he was towing (pickup bed was facing forward with no tailgate). The wind got right up under it and launched it. After it hit me, I noticed the guy wasn't slowing down so I caught up to him and pointed him to pull off.

I have the Innovv K3 bike cams, front and rear and caught the whole thing on video. The guy did pull over but wasn't convinced that the bedliner came off the truck he was towing until l showed him my cameras and the damage. Damage to my bike was windshield, electric windshield adjustment mechanism, left mirror, left front speaker, left side case. My helmet took a shot and my neck took a good shot.

Stay safe out there and watch for these weekend warrior haulers.

[GlobalRider]

Video link on YT: https://youtu.be/BFug6VP7snM?si=vOPB2qdaBRScraOA

From what I can see, the driver had a pick-up truck on a trailer but backwards on it. WTF did he think the bedliner would do. No further comment, but I can hear Dueling Banjos playing.

[Lee]

Dodge Ram towing a trailer with a pickup truck on the back dumping a lot of small debris. I got out to pass him and before I could get past this guy, off comes the bedliner .

When I see small stuff blowing out of a truck or trailer we just hang back. I'm surprised the bed liner didn't peel you off the bike.
I see a lot of those plastic bed liners laying in road ditches.

[CaptCF]

Many years ago I hit an extension ladder on my 1098 riding home from work on the highway in the rain. It was parallel to the direction of travel (mostly) so the car in front of me drove right over the top of it. I was left of center, but not left enough and visibility was poor due to pouring rain. Bent both rims so had to replace both front and rear.. still amazed I didn't go down, but it was close..

[GlobalRider]

I see a lot of those plastic bed liners laying in road ditches.

Well they should be bolted down.

Driving by vehicles that have a canoe on the roof racks, I am amazed that they would have a "single" ratcheting strap at each end. I'd have two at each end. No back-ups.