@cWj
Sounds like you got lucky.  I've read stories of low-speed low-sides on pavement where the rider was seriously injured through their jeans (puncture wounds and road rash).  When a 400-lb bike uses your leg as a brake pad it doesn't go so well for your leg...

Good thing you had the helmet on, too.  One of my friends was in an accident last fall (cut off by an idiot driver deciding it was OK to suddenly make a right turn from the left of two lanes in front of him), and earlier that day he didn't have his helmet on, but because it was colder he wore it that time.  Ended up with a broken foot (why I wear all-out riding boots ATT).

If you end up doing similar work at lot it sounds like you'd get your money's worth out of a modular helmet.


@Watcher
Man, I must just be lucky but I've never swelled bad when I get stung.  That apple tree storyreminds of one time last summer when I was mowing our back yard.  We have two pear trees that had dropped all their fruit and it was starting to get bad with bees, so me and one of my roommates stopped mowing for a bit to pick up all the fruit (fairly large yard).  I usually do yard work barefoot, and I ended up stepping on a bee and getting stung in the ball of my foot real good.  So I pulled the stinger out and finished raking the fruit, and then finished mowing.  It hurt a bit to walk, but I didn't swell very much and you couldn't tell I was stung after a few hours.

Was stung by bee on my eyeball once when I was a kid... don't remember much after it happened other than waking up in the hospital all drugged out...

And yeah mustang... CIGARETTES make me LIVID when riding... I've had ash and butts hit me numerous times... my mesh jacket has a frickin' hole in from the first one...

On another occasion... I also always ride with visor cracked and wear sunglasses during the day - One day a cigarette butt flew outta the semi truck I was passing in town, it bounded off the edge of my windshield and landed right on the corner of my sunglasses.   THE VISOR WAS BARELY OPEN! I'm so thankful *sarcasm* for this man squishing the butt to put it out before he sent it outta the window, so it wasn't still burning when it hit my face       ... This is the only time I can think I have initiated and carried out a bout of road rage ever - and it was on my bike (so not proud of it).  I flew around in front of him, flashed my brakes lights while slowing down to a stop (I have a Reevu, so I could see everything happening behind me), and waving my left arm downward - and I stopped in the middle of the road, ran to his truck, flipped up my helmet and threw the cigarette back into his truck, while cursing a storm at him, and flipping him off -  I don't even know all of what I said, but it was bad. I think he tried to apologize, but I got back on my bike quickly and pulled into the nearest parking lot and cooled off... I was shaking with rage - best idea was to just get off and calm down.

I know I could have handled it better, but the though of him getting away without ever knowing that he could have just killed me for something he does without thinking everyday, likely many times a day... LIVID

I just don't understand the disconnect with people and cigarette butts, its no different than throwing McDonalds garbage out the window - cept its BURNING - and most people wouldn't throw that garbage out the window... I smoked for years too, and never thought of throwing a butt out the window

- Bboy

Quote from: BockinBboy on July 18, 2014, 06:27:21 AM
I was shaking with rage - best idea was to just get off and calm down.

That's just the truth of it right there, isn't it?  The rage just leads to mistakes and unneeded danger, not to mention potential for legal trouble.

It's important people realize who's on the road before discarding trash, but flipping out about it isn't leaving a good impression.

I'd be pissed the hell off if it was me, I'd probably have the driver pull over and have a chat with them, but I wouldn't make them stop by putting myself in front and hitting the brakes nor would I be screaming my ass off.
I'd probably pull up to them at a stop or get their attention with the horn and signal a pull over.  Then ask if they have a minute to talk about something.
Show them the butt, say I didn't get hurt, but they got lucky.  If it would have burned a hole in my jacket or injured me I would have to pursue legal action because they are liable for damage to my property and/or my hospital bill.  Let them know to check behind them before they toss out next time, or use an ash tray.  Thanks, and have a nice day.

Of course not everyone is going to be willing to stop and listen, but in that case I'd let it go as long as I wasn't hurt or my jacket wasn't burnt.  No sense putting myself in danger by initiating road rage, all it takes is a driver in fear and my ass could be flat on the road...

It's easy to say what you would do without being put in a situation.  Probably good to read stories like this so you can think rationally about what you should do before it happens to you.  Then you are less likely to react poorly in the heat of the moment.

Oh yeah, Watcher... not my proudest moment - Hindsight is always 20/20, as they say... plenty of better ways I could have handled it.  That was the third time a cigarette or ash had hit me, and it hit my face - I guess the third time was strike three... and a previous time actually had burned a hole in my jacket, I just didn't know it till after the fact.  I have had some ash blow back to me on my bike since this - in anticipation of a butt following soon after, I pulled onto a side street and went a different route.

The whole thing was out of character for me - I'm usually an introvert, and I avoid conflict, think logically... Didn't happen at that moment    - My point in sharing the story and my reaction is not so that I could brag or something - its a moment of weakness for which I feel a certain amount of shame - but rather (exactly what bomb commented) so that others reading understand the hazard, and can think for themselves a better way to handle it - so you aren't caught in the heat as I was.

- Bboy

Quote from: BockinBboy on June 15, 1974, 04:30:10 PM- My point in sharing the story and my reaction is not so that I could brag or something - its a moment of weakness for which I feel a certain amount of shame - but rather (exactly what bomb commented) so that others reading understand the hazard, and can think for themselves a better way to handle it - so you aren't caught in the heat as I was.

- Bboy

I know plenty of people who would read your story and say "hell yeah, I would have done the same thing!" instead of think about a rational solution.  That's why I posted what one should strive to do.

But yes, the heat of the moment has a lot of Murphy's law attached to it...

I'm a mean @$$hole. I was in a left turn lane only at a road that's left turn or right turn only and as i'm making my left a car from the right lane cuts in front of me.

so get to his side at the next light, smash on his door to get his attention then curse him off then proceed to throw receipts and other miscellaneous garbage that was in my pocket into his window, guy was a shrimpy office jockey type. he got scared and just kinda froze when the light turned green and i proceeded on. that was a few months ago. 

Quote from: AnonRider on July 18, 2014, 06:19:20 PM
I'm a mean @$$hole. I was in a left turn lane only at a road that's left turn or right turn only and as i'm making my left a car from the right lane cuts in front of me.

so get to his side at the next light, smash on his door to get his attention then curse him off then proceed to throw receipts and other miscellaneous garbage that was in my pocket into his window, guy was a shrimpy office jockey type. he got scared and just kinda froze when the light turned green and i proceeded on. that was a few months ago. 

I have been in the heat of the moment my self but after the fact realize that by yelling at them all it does I cause one more person to think anyone on a bike is a duck and not give an F. I have a family to think about so I just let things go...Had some one come around a corner and blow right threw the 4 way stop and years ago I would have chased him down and not thought twice about walloping him. But as riders we should educate people in a calm manner..you know who else used violence  to get his point across...Hitler..we don't want to be Hitler do we?

Quote from: MARider on July 21, 2014, 10:30:51 AM

Quote from: AnonRider on July 18, 2014, 06:19:20 PM
I'm a mean @$$hole. I was in a left turn lane only at a road that's left turn or right turn only and as i'm making my left a car from the right lane cuts in front of me.

so get to his side at the next light, smash on his door to get his attention then curse him off then proceed to throw receipts and other miscellaneous garbage that was in my pocket into his window, guy was a shrimpy office jockey type. he got scared and just kinda froze when the light turned green and i proceeded on. that was a few months ago. 

I have been in the heat of the moment my self but after the fact realize that by yelling at them all it does I cause one more person to think anyone on a bike is a duck and not give an F. I have a family to think about so I just let things go...Had some one come around a corner and blow right threw the 4 way stop and years ago I would have chased him down and not thought twice about walloping him. But as riders we should educate people in a calm manner..you know who else used violence  to get his point across...Hitler..we don't want to be Hitler do we?

That is what we call reductio ad hitlerum, and its use generally indicates that you have lost the argument.  Hitler also loved painting, classical music, animals, children, and (most importantly) good roads.  Unless we plan on driving on crappy roads, shutting down PETA, banning classical music and art, and not loving our children, we should not use our 'ol pal Hitler to try and win arguments.

Wait you'er saying we shouldn't shut down PETA? and I live in MA so I don't have good roads and also I was being pretty facetious about the whole hitler thing.

Quote from: MARider on July 22, 2014, 06:57:44 AM
Wait you'er saying we shouldn't shut down PETA? and I live in MA so I don't have good roads and also I was being pretty facetious about the whole hitler thing.

lol, I know; just giving you a hard time.  We should never shutdown the People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.

Sarcasm and wit is lost in text

Quote from: MARider on July 22, 2014, 11:46:08 AM
Sarcasm and wit is lost in text

That's why you use emoticons(?spell) 

A Quick question regarding the jacket / trouser attachments. I mean the zips that zip the two together at the back.
How many of you folks attach the two together? It seems a real pain to do / undo but I imagine in a fall it will keep everything together, any opinions?
Regards
Brett


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't have an issue with my mesh jacket, zipping it to my pants.  I just reach behind me and zip it... but its much harder to do with my leather jacket.  Some folks do zip the two together first then put on pants and let jacket hang.  I see this being okay for a lighter jacket like mesh, but I couldn't imagine my leather jacket hanging off the back of me like that 

- Bboy

Quote from: bmf on July 23, 2014, 05:54:11 AM
A Quick question regarding the jacket / trouser attachments. I mean the zips that zip the two together at the back.
How many of you folks attach the two together? It seems a real pain to do / undo but I imagine in a fall it will keep everything together, any opinions?
Regards
Brett

I have around 6/8 leather/textile, thermal/vented jackets and around the same leather/textile, thermal/vented pants/overpants...I toss that zipper in the drawer right away, zipper compatibility is an issue for me.

If only I would have been able to get a picture of that person on the Vino 50 in a full Aerostitch-style suit.

Quote from: cWj on July 23, 2014, 09:06:45 AM
If only I would have been able to get a picture of that person on the Vino 50 in a full Aerostitch-style suit.

Safety first.

Quote from: cWj on July 23, 2014, 09:06:45 AM
If only I would have been able to get a picture of that person on the Vino 50 in a full Aerostitch-style suit.

That'd be me, if I saw any need to have a scooter...

I got my wife a Burgman 400 and a Kymco Super 8 150 to learn on.  I ride the Kymco once in a while to keep the battery charged (since the Burgman needes it more with its bad battery).  So a guy who works in my plant stopped me one day and said "Hey I saw you riding that scooter a hundred miles an hour, and wearing that 'Hyabusa' helmet!"  I look like a complete dork, all ATGATT.  I'm too old to care.