Left Turn Loonie!

    • 611 posts
    August 2, 2011 4:50 AM PDT

     In 1973, I was sitting on my Sporty in the left turn lane of a giant intersection. There were four cages in front of me, no one behind me and the light was red. I had a habit at that time of slipping the bike into neutral so I didn’t have to sit with the clutch pulled in. I found out, that is not such a good idea.

    It just so happened that I was unable to find neutral as I coasted to a stop, so I sat there with the clutch pulled in. I had a small tear-drop mirror mounted on the left and it was almost useless because of the wild gyrations that the thumping of the motor caused. That lil’ sucker saved my life that day! I heard a loud engine and glanced into the vortex that existed in that mirror. I saw a fast moving, BIG pickup pull into my lane. I glanced again just a second later and all I saw was a headlight and part of a grill, closing fast!

    I had just enough time to say “Oh sh*t” and dump the clutch. I squirted forward to the right of the car in front of me just as the truck hit that car so hard that there was a chain reaction that caused the line of cars to ALL hit each other and the car in the lead position shot out into the intersection. She barely missed being hit by a large box truck.

    The driver of the pickup that caused this mayhem had re-started his truck and was backing up. He was trying to LEAVE! I kicked the bike onto it’s side stand, grabbed the keys and leaped off the bike. I ran around to the driver’s side door, yanked it open and grabbed the dude. He was so drunk that he literally fell out of his rig! You know the old expression “There’s never a cop around when you need one”? Well, that day there was one sitting in an unmarked car five or six spaces back. He saw the whole thing, including when I grabbed the dude and dragged him out of his crunched rig. I was so pumped on adrenaline that I was about to pop that drunk right in his kisser.

    A loud voice behind me yelled “DON’T DO THAT!” Something told me that this was a cop and I jumped up and away from the idiot on the ground. I threw both hands in the air, spun around and yelled “Thank GOD you’re here! Did you see what happened?” He had his gun out, pointing it at ME but the slight grin on his face told me that would soon change. He lowered his pistol and pointed it at the drunk dude and told him to lay still and not move. In the next few minutes the drunk was handcuffed and placed into the cop cage. Then the cop came back, clapped me on the shoulder and told me “I’m glad you didn’t hit him, I would have had to arrest you, too! I saw you jump off your bike and head around to his door. I knew I had better get there pretty fast because I saw your face and it wasn’t pretty! Good job, now go move your bike and come give me a statement.”

    Everything got sorted out, cars were towed and the intersection started moving again. Two folks in the cage that was hit first were taken away in a meat wagon, I filed my report along with everyone else and got back on my Sporty and left the scene. All the cages were towed away on the end of the ‘hook’ because they were not ‘serviceable’.

    To this day, I still think what I would have looked like if idiot-boy had hit me from behind and shoved me into the cage’s trunk. Can you say “Grease stain?” I think they would have been picking me up with a stick and a spoon, if you know what I mean. Lessons learned that day? Always leave your bike in gear at the intersection. Always keep a sharp eye behind you, use those mirrors! Always leave enough space between your bike and the vehicle in front of you to swerve out of the way of oncoming idiots. Be aware, it will save your life!

    • 5419 posts
    August 2, 2011 5:05 AM PDT
    Thanks man, some great tips there!!!!
    • 0 posts
    August 2, 2011 8:40 AM PDT
    You were bloody lucky mate...CHEERS BOOF
  • August 2, 2011 11:55 AM PDT
    WOW Man great move on your part. Too bad you couldn't get a couple of pops on the drunk but he will not forget that day I hope.
    • 3006 posts
    August 3, 2011 4:06 AM PDT
    excellent advice,sounds like an encounter I had where I learned the value of keepin her in gear,tho in my case it wasnt a drunk,just an inexperienced young driver..
    • Moderator
    • 1516 posts
    August 3, 2011 4:46 AM PDT
    Wow, I am so glad you are ok, that could and probably would have been deadly for you if any of the chain of events had been just a little different. You are a great story teller, tell us more!
    • 846 posts
    August 3, 2011 7:42 AM PDT
    Glad it turned out ok for you. Plus it is a great tip. For some reason I've always done that for just that reason. I just don't know what will come up behind or along side of you.
    • 611 posts
    August 5, 2011 4:23 AM PDT
    DebraJo wrote...
    Wow, I am so glad you are ok, that could and probably would have been deadly for you if any of the chain of events had been just a little different. You are a great story teller, tell us more!

    Thanx for the kind words DJo! What a GREAT website y'all have! I'm enjoying it very much... Still new here and trying to get ahead of the learning curve. Story of my life.... Love the emoticons at the bottom... Don't use 'em too much, I just looking at their faces...

    Yep, I call myself a writer... when anybody is listening. I've been published in several websites and I just got a story accepted in 'Easyrider' magazine! Hoo Yaa! Should be out in December. That'll be my biggest print publication.... Pretty Jazzed! So yeah, I'll be posting more on here and I hope ya like 'em!

    Thanx,
    Edge



    • 611 posts
    August 5, 2011 4:28 AM PDT
    Hey, Thanx to all the folks that have commented about this story. Ya read about this stuff but when it happens to YOU, well let's just say that ya go home and change yer shorts, ya know what I'm sayin here? OK, so now I'll just say what I always do "Ride Enjoy Repeat!"