Have you ever been scared while riding?

  • May 31, 2012 12:35 AM PDT
    Rode  through North Rim of Grand Canyon this past weekend too, 60mph crosswinds, same as RexTheRoadDog had.  No fun, fully loaded VTX was blown from one side of the road to another, lucky I could take a break..

    The view was worth it.



    • 834 posts
    May 31, 2012 3:27 AM PDT
    Wind scares me to. Here in AZ we not only have wind, we have monsoons with high wind and hard rain. I do get very scared when I am riding along on a sunny day and the next thing you know I have 45 mph winds and a driving rain. Hard to see, the roads are wet and you are being blown side to side.
    • 2685 posts
    May 31, 2012 4:30 AM PDT
    My first scare came when I was still learning how to ride, over 20 years ago. In VA at that time there were no rules about learning, no permits or training. Even the riders course was fairly new and hard to find. you just got a bike and learned. So I did. Found a place near an old battlefield with some nice twisties I could practice on and would go everyday during my lunch break. Once day I was coming back to work after a very successful time of practice, feeling pretty good about things an passed this field to my left, felt a little wind but no big deal, then a huge gust came got inbetween my windsheild and hit me square in the chest. My hands came off the bars, my feet came off the pegs and there I was lying on my back on the seat. It only lasted a couple seconds and I was able to sit back up and put things right but it gave me a real appreciation for wind.
  • May 31, 2012 6:02 PM PDT
    I had a new lady friend on the back. She had never been on a bicycle let alone a motorcycle. I had explained about not leaning to look at things or talk. Just tilt your head or just turn it. We were on a 6 lane highway, center lane.
    She stuck out her left arm to point at something and turn her body and leaned to see better. Took us across 3 lanes of oncoming traffic. I gunned it and got to the shoulder . . .with dirty underwear, but ALIVE!!!!! After I stopped shaking, I asked to see her helmet. She got off the bike and took it off. I got off, strapped the helmet to the sissy bar, handed her a dime (it was a loong time ago) told her to call a friend to come get her, got back on the bike and went home to have a few brews.
    • 0 posts
    August 16, 2012 1:06 PM PDT
    Yeah, last time I rode with the ex, something just wasn't right, then I realized the idiot was back doing drugs, and he did like 30 pills(I found out later) no regard for my life (or his own for that matter), that was the last dam ride with an *$@*&&*%*&)_#&$@#. Now divorced & happier, gets lonely sometimes, but at least I don't have to worry about gettin' killed or anything. ( I hope)
  • August 19, 2012 5:14 PM PDT
    I have only been riding a few years now and haven't go to for yet, but there are too places that scare me. On is the Grapevine which is the pass on I-5 that goes up over Gorman and out in the desert by Palm Springs. Those too places always have strong winds and I just tense up which makes it even worse. Palm Springs is a steady wind and I am kind of getting used to it, but the grapevine will have a 35 mph wind with gusts that can be 50 to 60 mph and just catch you off guard.
  • August 19, 2012 6:06 PM PDT
    A group of us had been looking forward to a ride to Hot Springs for a bike rally. Hurricane Ike was supposed to drop a lot of rain in Arkansas, but we figured that we could get there and back before ol Ike visited us. WRONG! It not only rained, it rained sideways in huge drops. I don't know why we kept going. The only thing I could see well was the Goldwing tail lights in front of me. Coming home on Hwy 7 to El Dorado, the straight part, had at least 2" of water running across the Hwy, yet we continued. I think it rained something like 7" in a few hours. That's not the scariest episode I've been in, but I am admitting, "what were we thinking that day?"
  • September 21, 2012 4:34 PM PDT
    WOW Rex, not to take anything from your scary experience but I had similar event. 


      Renee and I were riding to solvang for the day with some buddies on their bourgets and big dogs, harleys and a honda, the honda had to honor the 50/50/no eyes riding rule.  

      We were on the section of the 118 in north san fernando valley going through porter ranch section. It is always breezy in this one section before the hill to santa susana pass. rey and I were in the number 2 lane and my buddies were staggered in the Number 3 lanes. there was a young girl in a car on our left almost even with me.

      All of a sudden I see my buddy on his bourget swerve to the left almost crossed the line. he was 40 ft ahead of us. As you can imagine I braced as fast as I could for the blast. now here is the lucky part, the young girl to my left saw what had happened and she backed off almost immediately, The wind hit the fattys solid wheles and we were in the right side of her #1 lane. We had no choice in the matter. As the young girl later passed us we acknowledged her with a big hugh way and a verbal thank you. she nodded back in acceptance.

      Thank gosh she had the insite and or knowledge to see and react in time. 

      After we got past the pass the wind died down and I could relax a little, I heard my wife ask if the Hog Pro (wheel company) was open and I said nope not today. the next sat we went down and she picked out and ordered new 5 spoke wheels. (sweet)

      When we got to the next stop on the ride we all had a big laugh, but I wasnt laughing when it happened, none of us were, in fact it took 6 hours with the heat gun to shrink the streched out pucker marks out of my leather seat.

      One thing I do not like is hi-gusting winds. 

    We never heard what the gust speed was that day, we were all just considering ourselves lucky that day. 

    GranpaErnie.
     
    • 58 posts
    September 22, 2012 2:39 AM PDT
    I have had a few of those varying experiences in my 30+ years of riding. The oncoming P/U in my lane on a blind curve on US-1. One time I looked in the mirror to see a tornado chasing me. The one, though, that really go to me was a couple months ago. There were thunderstorms all over the place and I was just trying to beat them home.The roads around where I live are all 55 zoned and I was pushing that until I got to on of my favorite S-curves. I slowed to 40, through the curves, down the hill, and back up the next. Just as I got to the top the light rain turned into Noah's Flood and my bike went sideways. I got her straight and she went sideways the other way. I did manage to keep her upright and get stopped and was nearly blown over as I sat there. Crept through the next/last 5 miles home by keeping the zipper in sight next to me (couldn't see forward) and praying that nobody would slam into me from the rear.
    • Moderator
    • 16798 posts
    September 22, 2012 6:25 AM PDT
    In 1990 I was in a pretty bad motorcycle wreak, I had wreaks before but this time I had a passenger, my wife.
    For the longest time I felt, lets say uneasy with a passenger on back, but not on a solo ride.
    I guess I had never before thought about being responsible for an others well-being, life, whatever until that wreak.
  • September 22, 2012 3:25 PM PDT
    I really hate when my bike gets moved 1 or 2 foot to the left or right side over from where I'm riding it due to a nice cross wind. It makes me sit a tad taller on the seat cause my britches are filled with shit.
    Yes I've had that happen to me while riding my 750 Shadow.
    Tis a funky feeling when you notice it and look down & see you & the wheels of your bike about 3 inches from the pavement being moved over in the lane.
    The first time it happened, I swear my ex was spikeing my coffee with acid cause I KNEW I was seeing things.
    But alas...... I wasn't cause he was behind me when it happened with a freind of ours & it happened to them also.
    If you wanted to know where we was heading that day.... all you had to do was follow the trail of shit and piss to the local WAL MART. On top of the grocecies we was getting for a cookout, we all had to get a new britches also.
  • September 23, 2012 12:39 PM PDT
    I don't know if it qualifies, but for some reason turning left while going downhill causes me to freeze up pretty hard. I forget how to turn, and have ended up locking the breaks up in a fantasticly dramatic fashion several times. Right turns on hills, no big deal, but left just messes me up. No clue why.
  • September 25, 2012 5:35 AM PDT
    Are you right handed or left handed JOW? I find that I am a bit slower, more cautious making a left turn the a right turn on a hill,straight away whatever the case maybe. I get the sensation of laying my bike down when turning bleft.
    • 40 posts
    September 25, 2012 8:05 AM PDT
    I guess being scared is what makes us more cautious when we are riding out there ;as it makes us more aware of everything around us. Once you loose your respect for the power of the bike that's when you start making mental mistake which leads to accidents. I know that when my wife is a passenger I tend to be more careful, as afterall her safety is more important to me. 30 odd years go I didn't have this attitude and thought I was indestructable, and now I'm more cautious, drive defensively, and enjoy getting to my destination safely.
  • May 6, 2013 7:29 AM PDT
    This I will never forget.. I had a 750 honda punched to 836 cafe style .. Tuned carbs. went for test ride run up to about 80 tune up was fine. turned around and headed back just as fast.. A truck whipped out to pass a car.. I was doing 80 again.. I hugged the center lane hoping he would get over a little.. I saw the massive grill right in front of my eyes.. I think I closed them.. I just knew I was dead.. I opened my eyes and he was in the ditch.. he somehow jerked it over. without me hitting the rear of the truck.. I pulled off the road and asked him why he swerved. He said he did not want to kill me.. I still see that Grill to day and shake a little bit.. But, No I have not slowed down but sped up.. Until the Harley..
    • 5419 posts
    May 6, 2013 7:39 AM PDT
    Of course I have had scarey situations while riding, but three weeks ago for the first time ever I was scared for an entire portion of my trip. So much so that when I did stop for a break I felt the need to call Laura and remind her how much I loved her. I was heading home from Arizona Bike Week pulling my trailer behind the bike no less when I hit the worst wind storm I had ever encountered (with or without my bike). It was along I-10 just outside of Palm Springs which is known for wind (that's why they have all those windmills there). But this was the worst I had ever seen. Not only was the wind blowing me around, but I was also scared of the debris that was flying across the road - tree branches, pieces of billboards, trash etc - I even got hit in the shoulder and face by and empty water botel that was probably going 60 mph.

    I stopped to get out of the wind and the guy at the only gas station for miles told me it would probably last all day, that's when I decided to ride through it after calling Laura. When I went back out I saw my windshield tumbling across the parking lot so I went and got it and duck taped it on. Luckily my trailer was completely full and weighed at least 550lbs. It stayed stable and I think even helped keep the bike stable. I rode through it for about 20 more miles at 30mph until I finally got out of the valley.

    Never been that scared and hopefully will never AGAIN!
  • May 6, 2013 8:51 AM PDT

    Coming down Iron Mountain SD during Sturgis rally being chase by a buffalo was a wild one.

    Ps. kind of similar one to the one those guys had

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5R7C3naapQ />
  • May 6, 2013 9:47 AM PDT
    yep ! afraid I couldn't find the next watering hole to wash the bugs from my teeth .        
    • 48 posts
    May 6, 2013 1:59 PM PDT
    Too many times to mention. Worst case was climbing off an FLH in 94 as it layed down and slammed into the side of a 66 impala. I was running 65 when I let off the throttle, the car was gold colored, he kept going until a couple of good sam's blocked him in until the Troopers got there. Besides the fact that I felt he was gonna pull out, thats about all the details I remember from the actual crash. I didnt ride for 6 years. Got back up and "hitched" the throttle at what seemed like every intersection for 6 mos. I don't think I've ever been scared any more than that day.
  • June 6, 2013 8:44 AM PDT
    I haven't been riding long, but have two scarey stories, though not as bad as some.
    First one, I was riding in the rain for the first time. I even took the back roads instead of the interstate, thinking slower was safer. Wrong! Car came from the left and pulled right out in front of me. Nobody behind me for a long stretch, but apparently they couldn't wait. I stepped and pulled on the brakes, went sideways.... I wasn't scared yet... not sure what I did, but I got her straight again and a few feet from their bumper.  Then I got scared... started yelling and cussing, gesturing wildly (and going really slow).

    Second was on my way to the Motorcycle store. I got off the interstate and this guy in a pickup tried to come over into my lane - I blew the horn and he got back in his lane. He started over again - horn - he got back in his lane. Stopped at the red light. Started off, a car in front of me, nobody behind me. He tries to come over again - horn and raise my hand in a WTF motion... he moves back over. Then, he just comes on over. I hit the white line and my brakes and give him the lane.
    Not sure why he was such a jerk. But it was a beige extended cab pickup with a silver tool box down the left side. If I see it again, I am beating the crap out of the truck, breaking the windows and using a big sharpie to write "Watch for Motorcycles" all over it.
  • June 6, 2013 9:40 AM PDT
    yeah. when I was coming back from Dayrona 2 years ago and that Georgia State Trooper pulled me over and told me he had my Goldwing and trailer locked in on his radar at 109 mph . Now that was real damn scary

  • June 6, 2013 1:50 PM PDT
    hmmm....(happened about a year ago) well being 10 feet form the broad side of a postal van that ran a stop sign will definitely get your attention. I was on my little bike not my normal wing ride. I did find out that I don't bounce as well as I use to. Had to lay the little bike down to avoid becoming a poster on the side of the van.
    • 1 posts
    June 6, 2013 2:56 PM PDT
    Nope, never been scared on my bike ever. Of course, I never ever ride faster than my Angels can fly.
    • 441 posts
    June 13, 2013 2:34 AM PDT
    AzRider wrote...
    Wind scares me to. Here in AZ we not only have wind, we have monsoons with high wind and hard rain. I do get very scared when I am riding along on a sunny day and the next thing you know I have 45 mph winds and a driving rain. Hard to see, the roads are wet and you are being blown side to side.




    ...the crosswinds coming out of Phoenix on way to AZ City...scary, scary stuff

  • June 13, 2013 4:57 AM PDT
    I tell the Hubby I am always scared, but mostly the fear is outweighed by sheer joy and happiness.We haven't hit gusty winds anywhere near what you have described and I have already made a mental note about Arizona. We did hit some strong winds coming home from Reno into Shasta County last Street Vibrations, but what you are describing sounds horrifying.

    Our biggest scare, so far (knock on wood), was this past weekend right outside the exit for the Redwood Run. My Brother who rode with us got a flat tire at 60mph and while he fought hard to keep his bike up he started moving towards the shoulder and my confused husband couldn't slow down fast enough and we literally skimmed handlebars as we flew between him and the shoulder. I did what I normally do, I call it "spider monkeying" lol Where I try to wrap myself as tight as I can to him, cause I always said God Forbid, I want us to land close together.