Careful out there

[davidcumbria]

Absolutely loving my 550k1 which gets better with every ride as the new rings/ pistons/engine bearings bed in. Out today and a very nasty moment which could have badly damaged me and bike.

30 mph, sunny day, headlight on, hi vis full face helmet and car is emerging in the exit of a hotel on a quiet country road. I slow down but the car just keeps coming and turns out when I am almost on top of it. Either didn’t see me, didn’t care or was just not properly in control. I emergency braked but to avoid contact had to swerve between the car and nearside curve as it pulled away.

With the benefit of hindsight I could / should have had my horn button covered and used it as the car never fully stopped in the exit. Also tried to make eye contact and changed my position on the road. But I was just jumping on the brakes almost as soon as I clocked the car. I think it could have been the missus driving husbands unfamiliar car after a big night at Cartmel races, didn’t look fully in control and then proceeded at 20 mph for a few hundred yards before I overtook and gave her the stare.


The front brake is ok on my bike but not up to more recent standards. Had I been riding my GS or Fazer ( but not my R80)then I reckon I could have stopped behind the car and not needed to swerve. Moral of the tale keep that horn button covered in places where this can happen and make allowance in your riding for the braking performance of a 50 year old design. Be careful out there SOHC pals.

[florence]

Thank you, a very wise and informative post.  I agree about using the horn.  Just last week encountered precisely the same scenario.  I had time to hit the horn button, just a short beep, nothing aggressive and the driver looked and jumped on his brakes.  Clearly he hadn't seen me and the distance was such that I would not have had time to stop if he had proceeded.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

You need a very loud Horn plus the driver not to have their radio on for that to work.

I was returning home last week when I saw a builders type flat back Transit stopped on a small private road on my left, there is a quite dangerous junction opposite so I was travelling at 20-25 mph when this Transit just turned left into my path/road. The Transit driver must have seen me and thought I was taking the right fork or just decide I could brake to 10 mph and give way. I felt like overtaking the Transit as it was clearly laden and slow on acceleration - there was no incoming traffic - I thought better and stayed behind him as I was turning left a few hundred yards down the road. I had dipped beam on plus a white helmet.