scary sitiuation just happened so this after noon (around 330) it was time for me to get ready to go to class. so since it was a beautiful day in jersey (80s) I said let me ride to school so everything went great got to school and all was going good until I had half hour left of class and it was 645 and it was becoming dark really fast.. so since I have a tough professor I stuck it out till 715 only to walk outside into a DOWNPOuR of rain...since I have only been riding for 3 days and about 50 miles I became extremely scared so I walked over to the bike put my soaking gear on (had it cable locked to the bike) and headed home...made sure to take the local roads and drive extremely slowly...man what a scary sitiuation but after about 5 minutes I relaxed and just took it easy...thank god everything is alright just figured I'd share

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what was your first "dilema" you were put into on a motorcycle?

had the same situation as you when I went to get the plates for my GS. I had to pick up the plates at a currency exchange near the previous owner that was about 30-35 miles away. Once I picked them up and installed the plates it started raining cats and dogs w/ winds around 20mph. I was riding 35 in a 45mph zone. People behind me were getting pissed but I didn't care. I tried to pull into a gas station and wait out the storm, but it only got worse after waiting 15 minutes:mad: Made it home using local roads but it took me 3x as long to get home as it did to get there. Safety first until your comfortable, good on you.

yes bike rides can get very scary when the weather turns to poop. was test riding a bike one day after a bunch of work i did to it in early spring this year when the weather turned quick. ended up riding home through the snow. slow and safe is the rule and you did good.

Hitting black ice on my old Honda cg 125   

On my Vespa GT200 about 6 years ago: I got hit by a high school girl who was on the way to school to turn in a final exam. She was texting her teacher I think. I was signaling right waiting for some kids to cross the driveway into the school I was teaching at, when texter tried to pass me on the right, just as I dropped into the lean to swing right into the lot. If I had been on a GS, I would have needed my right leg amputated. She sideswiped me, causing me to lock the bars hard left while the chrome bar ends can-openered her dad's Mercedes C200 from the driver's side front corner panel, through the driver's door and into the driver's side passenger door. Only my right shoulder contacted the car. Thankfully, I was ATGATT. There was a ripped gash down that whole area on her ride. She stopped and came to inspect her handiwork, terrified. I flopped into the street, but was ultimately only (luckily) bruised, but the scoot needed $3,000 in repairs (NOT totaled) and paint. Her insurance (Farmer's) paid for all repairs. I worked that day, since the principal was too cheap to call a sub (I was long-term subbing for a chick that was on maternity leave). Fukking scary.

Riding to school just after it rained, a kid jumped in front of the road and the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. I jammed my brakes as well and the tail slid and the bike turned sideways. Ended up inches from the car with the bike parallel to the bumper. It was all good, and probably looked bad ass, but it was unintentional and scary as shaZam!. I now keep a much greater following distance, especially in poor conditions

Graham 

Quote from: gsatterw on April 10, 2013, 07:20:10 PM
I jammed my brakes as well and the tail slid and the bike turned sideways. Ended up inches from the car with the bike parallel to the bumper. It was all good, and probably looked bad ass

Graham 

Hahahahaha! I could see people on the sidewalk being like OMG THAT WAS AWESOME! And you just burning out and taking off 

First time I ever rode my GS....first time riding a motorcycle outside of the MSF course....someone pulled out in front of me while I was going 45mph. I panicked, squeezed the hell out of the front brake, stomped on the rear brake, and for a split second both were locked and I was skating. Somehow I got lucky and kept the rubber side down. Kept the rear locked while I let off the front and eased back on to it, stopped with a fair amount of space to spare. It was a nice welcome to motorcycling, gave me a great taste of what to expect. Now I just need to tighten up the loose nut behind the handlebars and all will be well.

I got caught in the same storm. It became dark quick but I was 5 minutes from home so I took the bike straight home and parked it.

Riding to class along I-5 in a rain/snow mix with piss poor visibility. Or some jackass trying to change into my lane while he was looking in his center console and I was riding alongside.

Car in front of me (after the fact I found out) had a right brake light out.  They pumped their brakes and moved to the left and stated to slow down.  Assuming they were taking a left I moved right and started to pass ...only to discover they were taking a right hand turn (without signaling and moving left).  They clipped only my rear mud flap as I rode by on the right.

I learned that not only never trust a signal (because it looked like a left turn signal), but be sure what the intentions of the driver is before acting.

My 'close encounter' was on a Vespa as well.

I was driving on a dike/causeway in Holland.  Road clear ahead of me, but there was a car parked on the other side of the road.
I saw an oncoming car: he was supposed to stop behind the parked car but I'm not stupid...

I may have priority in any situation on the road, if a car/truck looks like it's not going to play fair, I just sigh and let them through.
Sometimes I give them a finger  , or another one  , but I never thrown myself in there just to prove a point.

This time, I really thought the guy was slowing down (he was, in fact), but at the very last moment (as I was already passing the parked car) he swerves as well.  Pushing me off the road, down a steep 8 meter bank.   I tried to get back on the black stuff, but my small front tyre slid across the edge of the road.  Big slide.  Wife had to be taken to hospital: knee crushed between the Vespa and the road.

What I could/should have done:
I shouldn't have tried to get back on the road immediately. 
There was a small level strip (dirt/grass) before the banking, I guess I could've just come to a halt there.

Always easy to say stuff like that afterwards: when it all happens, you just don't have time to think.

Was on my old sabre 700, leaning into a sharp turn, going too fast and hit a dirt clod.  I remember seeing the ground right next to my shoulder but somehow the tires gripped and I was straight up again.  Still don't know exactly how I didn't eat it on that one, but 'gracias Dios' I didn't.

The one that got my heart pounding the most; Had only been riding around 2 weeks. I was cruising the back roads 55mph slowing to ~40mph, sharper off camber corner with a downhill to a stop sign after. Luckily I drive the road often and was off the gas slowing for the stop sign. Mid turn 3 deer jump out of no where, noob panic and gripped the front brake. Not enough for a lock up but it stood me up and dipped the front end hard(damn those stock springs). Hard nose dive caught me by surprise and i thought i was going down, but everything was good.

Afterwards I headed straight to my practice parking lot and did emergency front brake stops for about an hour

My first real scary encounter happened 6 months into my riding career. Riding to class one morning. It's about 10am, I'm late for my chemistry class, so I'm taking things pretty quick. I knew full well I had very little tread and old tires but they had never failed before. Hopped on the clover leaf on ramp for I-75 and took off. Got about 3/4ths the way around the clover and lost the rear end. And by lost it, I mean I picked up a nail in the rear tire getting on the ramp and the tire blew at 45mph leaned over a good bit.

I just remember the whole bike jumping, tail kicked out, so I stamped my foot on the ground and countersteered to correct the drift. Somehow I got lucky and saved it! Still to this day don't know how I didn't eat it like that.

It's taken 4 months and a week to conquer that turn again properly. I did it this morning and it was an amazing feeling. Finally got the same corner speed back, and more lean even. It was definately a learning experience

I had only been riding for 4 or 5 months (on the street) and was on my way to work, running a tad late, so I was riding quicker than usual but that didn't come into play. I was behind a big box truck at the correct following distance within sight of my shop when the truck decided to slam on the brakes HARD. I hit the binders hard in turn however he was slowing faster with no room on the right to pass I opt to go left, as soon as my front tire passed the rear of the truck he begins to turn left! Inorder to not get hit I tried to turn in and get ahead but he continued the turn forcing me off the road mid corner. There was about a foot and a half of gravel between the edge of the road and a steep deep ditch leading to a drainage pipe. Luckily I stayed up in that narrow strip of gravel and came up on the road just ahead of him for after he made the turn (without signaling) he realized I was there and stopped just long enough to see I didn't crash then kept moving. Yeah he got alot of horn sound and a big old  from me as he passed by.