July 29th, 2013, 01:02 PM | #1 |
King Hamfist
Name: Cameron
Location: NorCal East Bay
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940
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I saw Jesus, Mary, and Elvis yesterday!
I made an honest super bad decision while lane sharing yesterday while crossing the bay bridge going towards San Francisco.
I'm splitting about 35ish mph on the far left side between lanes 5 and 4. On Sunday around noon traffic is never super bad but it isn't great either. Fifth street exit is first and exits to the left. Knowing that I chill on the left side. Call it lack of attention but traffic goes to almost a standstill in all the lanes except the last lane on the right. This sequence happened in less than 10 seconds I assume. I'm watching carefully as the brake lights go on and right when I'm about to pass a big f 150 I see his front wheel turn hard towards me. I get it wide open and duck my head and shoulder and barely miss his mirror. That forced me into the edge of no 4 lane and that lane is stopped full of cars with no gaps. As soon as I clear the truck's front end a Mercedes sedan does the same thing but a bit faster completely blocking me so I swerve hard to the left and barely miss the rear bumper. Now why would everyone be trying to force their way into the lanes that aren't moving? O that's right, because someone is in the way. In avoiding those two cars I didn't realize that there was a stalled BMW on the bridge. There's no shoulder on the bridge so what did I do? I got on the front brake super hard and as soon as the forks compressed that's when the adrenaline hit me. I was going to plow hard into this parked car @Jiggles style. The car in the no 4 lane didn't leave enough room for me to comfortably slide by. I kid you not, I shoved myself in between traffic after swerving around the stalled BMW so close that I felt my left knee brush along the rear door of the car. I bought myself room by leaning my right side/upper body up against the moving passat in the no 4 lane. I kept weight and pressure on the car to my right and put my left hand in the air to avoid the bmw's mirror. I steered away before the lady in the passat even realized that I just pin balled off her door. ****! I was so juiced that my throttle hand was shaking like a had Parkinson's the rest of the ride. And yes, king dorkulous over here did keep going and just shook his head at himself. I got lucky. If that car had a different positioned mirror or that lady in the passat wasn't moving I don't know if I could've uhh "wall rided" her without going down. **** street riding and be careful when commuting |
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July 29th, 2013, 01:06 PM | #2 |
Your face
Name: Wes
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Honda CBR650f Posts: A lot.
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I like SF, but I absolutely hate going there
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July 29th, 2013, 01:11 PM | #3 |
Certifiable nontundrum
Name: Harper
Location: NC Milkshake stand
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2013 SE NINJA 300 Posts: Too much.
MOTM - Sep '13, Sep '16
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Glad ya saved it!!!
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July 29th, 2013, 01:14 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: dave
Location: Pasadena
Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): ninja 250, ZX6r, RSV4, Caponord Rally Posts: 267
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Did you not look far enough ahead or would slowing down a bit prevent those close calls?
Be careful out there, lane splitting takes a lot of concentration and you can't count on cars to stay in their position. Keep your head up and your fingers on those controls. When cars are at a stand still I'm always going slow enough so if a driver even twitches the wrong way I'm ready to do the appropriate counter action. Watch those gaps too; sounds like there's a gap next to that mercedes and you can always count on impatient people squeezing over without looking back. |
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 29th, 2013, 01:15 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: .
Location: .
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: Too much.
MOTM - Feb '13, Feb '14
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How's Elvis doing?
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 29th, 2013, 01:17 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Rick
Location: Alexandria, Louisiana
Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much.
MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14
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Glad to see your ok.
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July 29th, 2013, 01:23 PM | #7 |
Boring is my middle name.
Name: Jason
Location: Bay Area, CA
Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250r Posts: 258
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Good job saving yourself from a crash.
Getting complacent maybe? I lane split so much in the bay area that I've had to start metaphorically slapping myself awake to pay as much attention as I should be lol. |
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July 29th, 2013, 01:35 PM | #8 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Not Applicable
Location: hamden ct
Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: 171
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is it true that Jesus is black?
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July 29th, 2013, 01:41 PM | #9 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Toly
Location: NY
Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): KTM 390 Duke Posts: 428
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Good job! Ride safe...
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July 29th, 2013, 01:44 PM | #10 |
Fast-Guy wannabe
Name: Jason
Location: Brentwood, Ca
Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja250, 2011 RM-Z250, 2004 NSR50, Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Jan '13
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Getting closer to picking up that new R6 I see.
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2 out of 2 members found this post helpful. |
July 29th, 2013, 02:40 PM | #11 | |
King Hamfist
Name: Cameron
Location: NorCal East Bay
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940
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Quote:
That's my first super close call in traffic. Nothing has truly gotten me that off guard. If anything I've been humbled. A reminder how easily things can go wrong. I would've been okay with crashing too. Except I had a leather jacket, jeans, and converse low tops. That could've been a lot of broken bones. |
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July 29th, 2013, 02:42 PM | #12 |
King Hamfist
Name: Cameron
Location: NorCal East Bay
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940
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Jesus looks like philosoraptor and Elvis is black and was eating a sandwich on the pot.
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 29th, 2013, 02:54 PM | #13 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: dave
Location: Pasadena
Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): ninja 250, ZX6r, RSV4, Caponord Rally Posts: 267
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Ah I see. You were being THAT guy. Good that you've learned from it
And yeah might wanna reconsider not being completely geared up; my standard go-to answer to people asking me why I'm in my race leathers when I'm going to work is always "because I'm old enough to know I don't wanna break anything" |
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July 29th, 2013, 03:12 PM | #14 |
I'm crazy,your excuse is?
Name: Winston
Location: Connecticut
Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 250 2007 ninja Posts: A lot.
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Good job on dry humping some cars. .
Glad you are ok. |
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July 29th, 2013, 03:57 PM | #15 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Teh
Location: Hercules
Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): Kawasaki Ninja 650R Posts: 24
Blog Entries: 6
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Yes, rasta. It is a nice city where people all over the world come to visit. Unfortunately, I have to commute to SF every morning to work.
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"I was out of the country visiting my aging mother and families" |
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July 29th, 2013, 04:13 PM | #16 | ||
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16
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Quote:
Copied from previous thread: Quote:
Some call it the hard way to learn, but, regardless the method, learning is priceless for us.
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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July 29th, 2013, 06:39 PM | #17 |
Ninja chick
Name: Allyson
Location: Athens, GA
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 4
MOTM - Dec '13, Feb '15
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DAMN! I was riveted by your story. Glad you were ok! Holy hell, someone was on your side!
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Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. ~Drake Check out my Appalachian Trail journal, 2015! Postwhores are COOL! ~Allyson |
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 29th, 2013, 06:54 PM | #18 |
Fast-Guy wannabe
Name: Jason
Location: Brentwood, Ca
Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja250, 2011 RM-Z250, 2004 NSR50, Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Jan '13
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 29th, 2013, 07:07 PM | #19 |
Certifiable nontundrum
Name: Harper
Location: NC Milkshake stand
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2013 SE NINJA 300 Posts: Too much.
MOTM - Sep '13, Sep '16
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July 30th, 2013, 05:50 AM | #20 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Tim
Location: Goshen CA
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 red 250 ninja Posts: 740
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 30th, 2013, 11:01 AM | #21 |
Certifiable nontundrum
Name: Harper
Location: NC Milkshake stand
Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2013 SE NINJA 300 Posts: Too much.
MOTM - Sep '13, Sep '16
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Not always easy if you panic.
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July 30th, 2013, 11:36 AM | #22 | |
King Hamfist
Name: Cameron
Location: NorCal East Bay
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940
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Quote:
I don't believe in being passive. A motorcycle has a lot more placement options in traffic, as I showed with my "fine" example. So my response is usually to gas it out of situations. It takes the guess work out of the equation. The msf teaches braking in sticky situations because it promotes the safest element for the average new rider. Simply having a potential threat behind you puts you in the safest place possible. When I had the f150 turn into me, that didnt phase me much. It was a bit close as I almost faced planted into his mirror. I still had enough think to set up for the Mercedes that turned and stopped in front of me. I don't want to get squished by the f150 behind me, or hit the Mercedes so I shot to the left. That sealed my fate. As much as I hate to quote crazy Keith code I spent $10.50 avoiding the other two cars. I really wasnt expecting the stopped BMW. I came up on the car fast too. I thought I could stop in time. I had that front brake lever clamped hard. I knew that I wasn't going to make it. You can't stop from whatever speed I was going in barely two car lengths. My natural talent and my odd ball experiences took over but I've thought about it and I have an idea what I did. So to get the bike to flick hard to the right to avoid the BMW I most likely did a crude form of trail braking. I kept hard on the brakes and steered. Letting off and steering would've resulted in a slower all around response. I have to thank my bicycle racing days for doing the bounce off the passat trick. My coach was always impressed that I never crashed racing criteriums. A crit is usually a 1 mile course going through urban streets packed with 40 to 60 bicycle racers for 30 minutes to an hour, finish first. A vast majority of bicyclists like motorcyclists suck at being on two wheels. Plus it's hard to concentrate on corners when guys are leaning on you and crashing while stacking dudes 5 to 10 deep. Think NASCAR with cyclists. I learned a lot about how to hold your ground when people hit you at 25 mph whether I'm straight up of down or cornering. I shifted my body to the right before I splatted off the passat. If you make contact with someone and actually turn into them you won't flop off in the opposite direction. It's weird but the bicycles will stay up asking as two forces are pushing against each other. A car has a lot more mass than me so I figure I would shove it out of the way and used that for support. Then I guess from years of racing in general I kept looking ahead and moved my left arm out of the way because my forearm would taken off the mirror of the BMW. I was already supported by the passat so taking a hand off the bars wasnt an issue. There so that's my analysis. Bicycle experience crosses right over to moto riding. But when it all boils down to it if I was doing 25 or 20 I could've just stopped for the ford truck or split over to the right side and find a traffic gap. |
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July 30th, 2013, 11:52 AM | #23 |
Fast-Guy wannabe
Name: Jason
Location: Brentwood, Ca
Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja250, 2011 RM-Z250, 2004 NSR50, Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Jan '13
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Dude I just had a funny thought. Take a bunch of ninja 250 riders and give them the ability to hold 25mph on a bicycle and send them out to do a crit. The carnage would be epic by even YouTube standards
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July 30th, 2013, 11:53 AM | #24 |
not an actual panda
Name: dan
Location: philadelphia
Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250, 2009 CBR600RR (Sold) Posts: A lot.
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We all make mistakes. You were probably thinking about your trip out of the country to visit your aging parents.
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 30th, 2013, 12:00 PM | #25 |
King Hamfist
Name: Cameron
Location: NorCal East Bay
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940
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Lol! I wouldn't want to be in that race. Unless I was in full gear.
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July 30th, 2013, 12:01 PM | #26 |
King Hamfist
Name: Cameron
Location: NorCal East Bay
Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Crf 150R, 2011 Hypermotard 796 Posts: 940
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August 4th, 2013, 11:14 AM | #27 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: .
Location: .
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): . Posts: Too much.
MOTM - Feb '13, Feb '14
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