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What items have you dodged or hit on your commute?
- Thread starter JoeDabbs
- Start date
rxcrider
New member
One light touch, one dodge
On my KTM LC4 dualsport on a rural 1.5 lane road, a large brown object came flying out of the woods on my right in the low light of early morning. It was moving fast and I slid a little to the right to go behind it - just a little, not much time. I felt a shake in the bars and watched the fender bounce as it glanced one of the last pieces of brown to go by. As I looked left, I saw the white tail of the deer and realized I was really, really lucky.
At a similar time of day on an '85 Suzuki GS500E I was riding down a 2 lane state route when the oncoming headlights went from 2 to 4 with 2 of them being in my lane. The driver coming at me who had decided to pass a semi didn't have time to get back in his lane and I didn't have time to stop so I used the berm. Thankfully it was paved and pretty clean so I only got a little movement from a bit of gravel as we went by each other 3 wide on a 2 lane road.
On my KTM LC4 dualsport on a rural 1.5 lane road, a large brown object came flying out of the woods on my right in the low light of early morning. It was moving fast and I slid a little to the right to go behind it - just a little, not much time. I felt a shake in the bars and watched the fender bounce as it glanced one of the last pieces of brown to go by. As I looked left, I saw the white tail of the deer and realized I was really, really lucky.
At a similar time of day on an '85 Suzuki GS500E I was riding down a 2 lane state route when the oncoming headlights went from 2 to 4 with 2 of them being in my lane. The driver coming at me who had decided to pass a semi didn't have time to get back in his lane and I didn't have time to stop so I used the berm. Thankfully it was paved and pretty clean so I only got a little movement from a bit of gravel as we went by each other 3 wide on a 2 lane road.
robert.leitgeb
New member
It was just freakin' nutz
I live in California's Central San Joaquin Valley- AG is like 25 billion dollar industry here. I was on my way to work and had just got on to the 99 freeway by Selma. I changed lanes a fair distance behind a truck who was hauling what looked like recently harvested walnuts. As soon as I pulled in his lane, I started getting pelted by walnuts. The trucker had not covered their trailer and the walnuts were being blown off the top of his load and on to the freeway at 70 miles an hour. Dodged what I could- they hit my wind screen, helmet, legs and shoulder- I was on my older bike- a Kawasaki Versys- that lacked allot protection. I was thankful, however, that I did have Barkbuster hand guards installed- would not have wanted to take a walnut to the knuckle. Anyway, got around quick and avoided anything too serious.
I live in California's Central San Joaquin Valley- AG is like 25 billion dollar industry here. I was on my way to work and had just got on to the 99 freeway by Selma. I changed lanes a fair distance behind a truck who was hauling what looked like recently harvested walnuts. As soon as I pulled in his lane, I started getting pelted by walnuts. The trucker had not covered their trailer and the walnuts were being blown off the top of his load and on to the freeway at 70 miles an hour. Dodged what I could- they hit my wind screen, helmet, legs and shoulder- I was on my older bike- a Kawasaki Versys- that lacked allot protection. I was thankful, however, that I did have Barkbuster hand guards installed- would not have wanted to take a walnut to the knuckle. Anyway, got around quick and avoided anything too serious.
dandeldesierto
New member
Driftin along with the tumblin' tumbleweeds
Was headed west through Salt Lake City on what started as a beautiful morning in June several years ago; going through the Salt Lake a front blew up out of the North and soon Tumbleweeds were rolling and bouncing across the Interstate from north to south. At first it was fun, rolling on and off the throttle to avoid them, trying to not hit the brakes and just anticipate the "slots". The wind got stronger and stronger, the weed more and more numerous; eventually there were LOTS of BIG tumbleweeds 4 to 6 ft in diameter and they became impossible to completely avoid hitting. Tumbleweeds have these "giant Velcro thorns" that do NOT feel good and they seemed to like to hang up between the engine case and the forks, although they do kind of break up (eventually). Got in behind a couple of truckers, but lost them when we came up on the low-lying "barrel cloud" with small hail that crossed the highway just east of Wendover UT/NV and I had to slow down. Fortunately it was only about ten miles of the pea-sized hail until "first available" motel room, which I gladly rented. The weatherman on TV told me those cross winds had topped out at 78 MPH.
Was headed west through Salt Lake City on what started as a beautiful morning in June several years ago; going through the Salt Lake a front blew up out of the North and soon Tumbleweeds were rolling and bouncing across the Interstate from north to south. At first it was fun, rolling on and off the throttle to avoid them, trying to not hit the brakes and just anticipate the "slots". The wind got stronger and stronger, the weed more and more numerous; eventually there were LOTS of BIG tumbleweeds 4 to 6 ft in diameter and they became impossible to completely avoid hitting. Tumbleweeds have these "giant Velcro thorns" that do NOT feel good and they seemed to like to hang up between the engine case and the forks, although they do kind of break up (eventually). Got in behind a couple of truckers, but lost them when we came up on the low-lying "barrel cloud" with small hail that crossed the highway just east of Wendover UT/NV and I had to slow down. Fortunately it was only about ten miles of the pea-sized hail until "first available" motel room, which I gladly rented. The weatherman on TV told me those cross winds had topped out at 78 MPH.
Your supposed to harvest the weed before it becomes all brown and weird Steve
om
Your supposed to harvest the weed before it becomes all brown and weird Steve
om
Nuthin' but sticks and stems in that mess
seems they were not native plants...until showing up n S. Dakota in 1870's in a flaxseed shipment..they thought..they have been blowing southward ever since
First time we came across them, was a bit caught off guard right before a big storm on the plains... saw them jumping over the barbed wire along a highway!
shortythorne
shortythorne
I was following Paul a bit too close, and he was following a truck a bit too close. The truck straddled a dead, fresh, smashed & scattered beyond belief Armadillo, and I ran right thru the middle of it. That mess was all over the legs of my riding pants! At least it was fresh 
.
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alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
Objects would be:
Critters :
Hit plenty of other things with 4-wheeled vehicles, but those are the most memorable on 2 wheels.
- a flying kitchen table (old Chrome table) from an oncoming vehicle. Hit my left rear signal light (Vancouver, BC)
- full-sized mattress flew off a truck 2 vehicles in front of me. just missed it.(I-95 outside Boston)
Critters :
- large June bug hit just above the visor while going 90 mph. Almost knocked me off the back of the bike
- had a robin hit me in the throat. Fortunately, I was only going about 45-50 mph and it was flying across my path. Had it been coming straight at me I would have had a very unsanitary tracheotomy.
Hit plenty of other things with 4-wheeled vehicles, but those are the most memorable on 2 wheels.
Hit
A chevy dually pickup kicked up a 4-inch diameter, 15 to 18 inch long piece of metal pipe. I was behind the truck by about 20 yards at about 70 mph. The pipe bumped once and then straight into my headlight assembly. The pipe fell off the left side of the bike. The heavy plastic lens absorbed almost all of the energy. A 4-inch hole was punched in the lens and the left low beam was not working. Several of the panels and the left mirror cover were scratched or dented.
A chevy dually pickup kicked up a 4-inch diameter, 15 to 18 inch long piece of metal pipe. I was behind the truck by about 20 yards at about 70 mph. The pipe bumped once and then straight into my headlight assembly. The pipe fell off the left side of the bike. The heavy plastic lens absorbed almost all of the energy. A 4-inch hole was punched in the lens and the left low beam was not working. Several of the panels and the left mirror cover were scratched or dented.
gregcrna
New member
A truck had a bed, mattress and box spring in the back.
Under a bridge over pass all came flying out into my lane. I dodged the mattress, but ran over the box spring. I hit the throttle which raised (lightened) the front wheel. My new'ish BMW GSA kept itself and me upright. A 'little skill/training and a whole lot of luck!
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Under a bridge over pass all came flying out into my lane. I dodged the mattress, but ran over the box spring. I hit the throttle which raised (lightened) the front wheel. My new'ish BMW GSA kept itself and me upright. A 'little skill/training and a whole lot of luck!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
BMARC153920
New member
I had a hub cap kicked up from under car in front of me running at 75 mph hit my bike, skip up and miss my neck by inches. Scary carp. There was a wall in my left and a truck on my right, no where to go.
Then there was the giant elk in Nevada in US 50....
Sent from my SD4930UR using Tapatalk
Then there was the giant elk in Nevada in US 50....
Sent from my SD4930UR using Tapatalk
JWMcDonald
New member
I think I saw that same elk last September heading East on US 50 at zero dark thirty in Nevada as well....he just stood on the side of the road, looking down at me and watched me go by...
Caught a jackrabbit once, commuting from school back to my home (many, MANY years ago). Those suckers are huge. More recently I dodged a 6x6 that was perpendicular to my line of travel. It was a tense moment, as I was in the middle lane of 3, crossing Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga on I-75. Oh, yes, it was raining. Still not sure how I missed it, but somehow I did. And the most recent -- heading down I-20/59 to Tuscaloosa, a pickup passed me. A ladder was bouncing in the back. As the pickup passed, the ladder bounced out and went spinning across the interstate right in front of me.
Be careful out there! Especially this time of year, when it gets dark earlier, it's colder than comfortable, and our reflexes are slower!
Be careful out there! Especially this time of year, when it gets dark earlier, it's colder than comfortable, and our reflexes are slower!
Sounds like Interstates need to be avoided!
A 6X6 is a very formidable opponent...glad that went well.
We both moved around a ladder sideways in our lane last week...you never know.
