scariest motorcycling moments.......

thats bad mate, not even your own bike ha,
bet you felt a little guilty eh?

mine was going down a normal road at about 60 looked behind me to see if i knew the person behind me looked back and just about missed a 4x4 and i mean like 5-6 inches :s

My worst was when i was 'pushing on' along a national speed limit road on a long open straight section- side road to my left and a car on the main road coming towards me waiting to turn across my side of the road. He was stopped and then, obviously not seeing me due to lack of observation, decided to turn across in front of me. Now if he had kept going he woulda been close, but out my way. However, upon seeing me the stupid :jack panicked and stopped right across my side of the road! I was on the fun side of 90mph so had no choice but to jam on the anchors and dive behind him, squeezing through the gap between his boot and the cars behind him who were going in the opposite direction. I tell e, dunno about *** twitching but i felt physically sick after that! Had to sit down in a layby for 10 mins to get myself together.

Probably biggest crap my pants though I was gonna die moment, was when I was riding doing maybe 90 through a fast twisty stretch in the middle of the night no road lighting or catseyes, aproaching a bend and flicked my hi beam on to see how deep the corner was, as I did the all the lights went out:eek2 leaving me in the pitch black doing 90, knowing theres a bend coming up, and fumbling around with the lights whilst trying to take off as much speed as posible. luckily the lights came back and the corner wasn't too bad. One of the biggest brown pants moments without actually coming off.
Was a dodgy relay on my triumph.

Out for a blat with Camngetit early one sunday mornin. It was a bit damp so I wasn't really pushing it but the pace was failry quick :doug Cranked it over on its side on a bend I know like the back of my hand and rode straight onto the tar overband that was alot wetter than the road. Feck the front syarted to tuck and my pants started to fill As the tyre ran onto the tarmac it gripped so I was ok, phew. I stopped the bike at the end of the run uke and got off to thank God, Allah, Budda and all the other ones. Camngetit pulled up and told me he was going home cause he'd nearly lost his bike on the same corner !!! Anyway we both went straight home very slowly lol

Had an off in Switzerland last summer on the road to Davos. I'd just been through a series of sweeping bends and was slowing down into a small village. I'd just looked down at my speedo which i remember was showing 32 mph and released the front brakes. As i looked back up, a young girl appeared from nowhere and ran straight out into the road in front me. She was about 10 meters away. I hit the front brakes and veered slightly left locking the front wheel and luckily just missing the little girl. The front then gripped and threw me straight over the bars. I bounced and rolled a few times and the bike slid down the road on it's left hand side.

It shook me up quite badly to be honest. I was ok, a little bruised and the bike was a little scuffed but rideable. What scared me more than anything was the thought of hitting the little girl. She just didn't even look before running out into the road, i must have missed her by a matter of inches. It certainly gives you added awareness to speed and surroundings.

snetterton on my old fazer. After a morning of going faster and faster i went round the bombhole with my knee on the floor, hit the dip, and my engine bars, pegs and exhaust all touched down at the same time, i lost both tyres, for a second and don't know how i didn't crash! Went round the chicane and into the pits, and called it a day!

Assuming it doesnt involve actual crashing, my top 3 are......
1. On my cbr600, I was blatting down a road I knew well, came round a bend at silly speed only to see stationary traffic right infront. Locked up front and back and literally stopped on the car infronts bumper. My heart was hanging out my lid!
2. Was actually a very naughty boy, the cops decided to give chase once, I was actually riding fine and only overtook a van to give me more visual, looked behind and saw the rozzers coming up behind on the wrong sixe of the road. Anyway, had to make a split decision, I knew they would do me for speeding, small plate, illegal can etc etc, so decided to go for it. Opened her up and was doing about 120 when I came upon stationary traffic wating to overtake a parked car on the road so they were bascailly sat on the white line waiting for a gap in the opposting traffic. I couldnt stop and went trough with literally nothing to spare on either side! My eye for distance was with me that day!
3. On my lil TZR125 I was goin over a roudabout on a cold, but dry night, what I didnt know was there was a crew doing some water works on the other side, the water had trickled across the road, I hit it fully cranked over, lost the front, then the back and the bike was like a yoyo taking me straight towards one of those metal cycle patch barriers, somehow, the bike corrected itself as it hit the curb which I used to help me get round and back onto the road.
I could go on and on, but those are the ones that spring to mind, I was a bit of a death inviting eejit in my younger years with no fear of speed or cars, how you thinking changes once you've hit things harder than you a few times to many!

Had a few, worst accident in 1969 on a Triumph Tiger 100SS, hitting a car dead in the middle at 70mph remember going over the top and landing on my knees, his fault , I was ok but bruised, bike a write off but the insurance money bought the wife's engagement ring! (which is worth less now than the bike would have been!) Last year retuning from Hawes in the Dales 2 up with the wife at speed I overtook a wagon before a right hand corner, as I drew along side the wagon he decided he wanted to cut the corner and started to close me down, I was below his line of sight as you can imagine, the slot was becoming narrower and all i could do was apply more power and hope the bike went through the gap, it did, but now I had to negotiate the left hander which was to be taken faster than I had ridden it before, cranking the bike over directly in front of the wagon the bike went round nicely, arse really twitching and really scared. The next thing I heard was F**KING HELL as my wife made it quite clear I had done something wrong. But give her due she followed the bike through the corners and made the pass possible. Good girl, she is 60 next month and loves her bikes, hard as nails.

when my sprag give up i was shiting my self

Two incidents come to mind the first being the day of princess Diana's funeral I went out for a blast on my old fire blade,on my way home there was bugger all traffic on the roads as most people were at home watching the service. I decided to open her up to see what she would do flat out on a stretch of dual carriageway. I remember glancing at the speedo coming up to 155 and then looking back at the road to see one of our finest boys in blue stood under a bridge in the middle of the road instructing me and the car in the left hand lane I was about to overtake to stop. He obviously had no idea of the speed I was traveling at as he jumped out in front of me with less than 100 meters to go. I couldn't take the inside lane without colliding with the car so I just pinned it and he side stepped me at the last second and I must have missed him by inches at something close on 160. It turned out our local mental hospital had a patient who was so upset at the death of princess Diana that she had decided to take her own life and was about to throw herself off the bridge I had just passed under onto any oncoming traffic. Not sure who **** them self more that day, me or PC Plod.

My second incident also on my blade was when I took my wife out on her first ever bike ride we decided to visit her parents who live out in the sticks. We were traveling along a country road at about 70 with a downhill left hand-er approaching,I hit the brakes to scrub off some speed and the next thing I know is there is this almighty bang from the front end of the bike and a cloud of black dust and I have got no front brakes. so it was a combination of back brake and trying to slow the bike with other foot and sheer bloody good luck that I managed to scrub off enough speed to get round the bend in one piece.
Basically what had happened was the pad material had come away from the backing plate of the brakes and smashed into the road.
Needless to say the wife was not to impressed at her first ever ride on the back of a bike

I had a big crash in 1990. Going down a road at 70 I see a car indicate to turn right, so started to slow just in case. I looked the guy in the eyes, and he looked back...then decided he could make the gap.

One ankle broken, one cracked, and all my ribs broken. Nice. His insurance paid up within a week of me claiming.

A quite memorable near miss happened just a week before in France. We were tearing some fantastic road en route to Bandol, 4 of us line astern. As the lead rider tucks into a fast bend the bike slewed sideways..then the next bike..then the next bike..then me. Fuggin' diesel:mad1

We all made it through, but the sight of everyone sliding round, and knowing I was next, made me clench a bit.

Not scary as such but coming out of work about 10 years ago on my Thundercat. Just a little bit away from my parking space was a little hump that if i came out of the parking space quick enough, I could get both wheels off the deck. Being 21 and a bit of a show off, the lads were coming off site as I left the office so thought I'd be a bit flash. So off I went, revved it up for a bit 'here I come' dumped the clutch and BANG!! Hit the deck! Didn't know where I was! .............In my haste I'd left the fooking disc lock on. Lads were pissing themselves, cost me £400 to fix!

bigun said:

Not scary as such but coming out of work about 10 years ago on my Thundercat. Just a little bit away from my parking space was a little hump that if i came out of the parking space quick enough, I could get both wheels off the deck. Being 21 and a bit of a show off, the lads were coming off site as I left the office so thought I'd be a bit flash. So off I went, revved it up for a bit 'here I come' dumped the clutch and BANG!! Hit the deck! Didn't know where I was! .............In my haste I'd left the fooking disc lock on. Lads were pissing themselves, cost me £400 to fix!

Click to expand...

If we're talking about embarassing moments, then I've got one,
At the end of the road where I used to work is a little cafe, and there was this bird in there I had a bit of a thing for, as I pulled up for work she was standing out side the cafe with a mate.
So i'm looking down the road seeing if I can catch her eye, she looked over as I flicked the side stand down then CRASH! Me and the bike are lying on the floor. Didn't quite push the side stand to the stop, and it popped straight back up.

That was on my old hornet and it took the whole impact on the crash protector and clutch lever.

my worst near-mis I was playing catch up(got left behind) so going for it a bit 130 ish on an old fzr600 :lol along a long straight single carriageway when a car coming the other way over took heading straight at me, I bumped the kerb @well over a ton and the silly **** carried on as if I wasnt there:rant had to stop as me legs went to jelly and I uke a little bit went home and didnt ride for weeks after that

Bit of a mad head when younger so had a few..

Worst was in 78 coming home from college, remember caning it (500 four Honda) up M62, next memory is waking up in hospital 3 days later with legs up in a truss and bottles and drips everywhere..
I'd hit a truck who'd pulled out of a trading estate without stopping at junction, just glanced, and didn't see bike approaching at high speed (witness statement) bike bike snapped in two, handlebars snapped and went through groin tearing up severing a main artery ( should point out, this was outside an ambulance station so help at hand) lost blood as quick as pumped in apparently..So parents informed, told it was 50/50..
So.. still here albeit with legs that are causing more and more problems as I get older..

Earlier in 76 hit a car who pulled out again at a junction, it was so rotten the bike went into the wing and I was spread eagled over the bonnet, old fella didn't get out, just wound his window down and said 'owreet lad aa've got mi insurance.. No damage to me or bike surprisingly..

Didn't have another off till 96 on a ZX9 which I'd just bought, heading to coast had just overtaken a line of cars and gently braked for a left hander, when the front wheel just skidded, let brake off tried again and skidded again, by which time I was heading too fast for corner..Luckily the road had no walls and I thought I'll let it just go into field..As soon as front wheel hit the soft earth we went down in a field full of corn. All the drivers stopped and ran into field, but no dmage to me and just scraped fairing panels on bike..Subsequently read a road test which said' dump the original fitment tyres as they're lethal with the front letting go very easily.' Wish I'd read that prior to buying.

No off's since as now hopefully more aware..

on the way to the lausitzring on my first r1 with a tail pack on i gunned it on an clear road went down below the screen ,pinned the throttle abit more when the bike went mental and started to slew all over the place ,i was doing easily a plus ton ,what had happened was the wind had caught the tail pack and pushed over the rear end and between the wheel and seat making a tailpack sized rear brake i went from a ton to 60 to 30 to 10 to off in seconds ,,,i only broke a brake lever but my gear was now smoking all over the german autobahn .....foooook !!! i still got goin tho [ about 150km with no front brake!!! ] an made it to lausitz and even managed to get a lever from the one and only jamie whitham to get home awesome

Here's a couple for ya.

Had not had a bike for e few years then had a go of a m8's and remembered how much I loved them so bought myself a ZZR600.
Was about this time of year and had only had it for a little over a month so was still full of enthusiasm and going out on it regardless of the weather.
I was running down sum damp lanes when I caught up with a Tranny van who i intended to pass but fair play to him he wasn't hanging about and passed every car we came to. Eventually we came up behind about another five cars all stuck behind a slow Milk tanker. I didn't feel like I could pass 'em all so decided to just cruise at the back and enjoy the ride.
Then I saw two flash bikes coming the other way from over a hedge. I was still getting a thrill off giving/getting nods so as these guys come towards me I give 'em a nod and wait to see if I get one back....waiting.....waiting.....ah there you go, nice one lads. looked forward again and the Tranny van is stopped dead right in front of me! Started heaving on the front brake without any frriggin idea how much stopping power or grip I really had. kept pulling harder and harder and came to a stop about six inches short of getting the Corgi logo printed on my lid!
There's a lesson in there somewhere...

Did a mod on the ZZR600 and put the calipers from an '03 Blade on it, real easy job, almost a straight swap.
Had been chatting to a mate with a ZX9 and was telling him I was always a bit unsure of how much grip under braking I had in the wet.
"oh ****** loads mate you'd be supprised, honest" he says. Yeah but how do you know where the limit is I asked. "tell you wot I did, find a quiet stretch of road and keep riding it then just keep hitting the brakes harder again and again so you build up to it"
So I says surley your gonna lock up in the end?
"well yeah you will but you feel it straight away just let off the brake and it'll all come back, no drama."
Hmm...ok
So i tried it but i kept bottling out of getting really strong on the brake. One last run, jumped on the brakes, bottled it again..."you f**kin f**ny" I thought and blitzed it back up to about 50 then slammed on. "squeeze that lever you f**ny!" then in an instant the front locked and slid to the right as the bike went full lock left. Put my left foot down instinctively but was goin so fast the road just flung my foot back smashing into the exhaust, let off the brake of course and it all came back into a straight line. Phew!
Won't be trying that again in a hurry.

I was 20, riding an old Suzi Stroker 500 - going to college round the back lanes. I came up behind an Alegro who was slowing down to about 20 on a left hand bend. Being young and impetuous I over took the car only to see why he was slowing down!!!!!!!!!!!! A JCB was trundeling down the road...............with his bucket down. I paniced, braked, and the back came round. I was now travelling sideways at a bout 30 heading straight for the bucket - strange how time slows down aint it. I released the brakes and some how got the bike straight and missed the JCB by the skinofagnatsdick. I had to stop to puke!!!

Mid eighities and my first ever trip to Box Hill on an old GT380 triple and my mate with his girlfriend on the back of his immaculate 900 Honda.
Come time to leave, we gave it some gas, as you do, up the lanes - I've no idea where we're going. Of course the 900 streaked off ahead of my old crate. I'm gassing it to catch up when suddenly I realise that all is not going according to plan and he's ... slowing down ... to ... feck! ... turn right!
The old 380 never had much of a front brake anyway so I must have broadsided him at at least 50. Marks showed impact of my front tyre square on his generator case. Flipped him, g/f and weighty old Honda up in the air while me and the Suzuki go underneath - only to pinball down a line of bikes parked up while their owners watched the action coming out of Box Hill. They were not pleased.
I got a fractured leg and the other two just bruising. Amazingly, not too much damage to bikes - they built them solid in those days. I sold the GT soon after that. It was a piston popping old pig anyway but they crackled like the devil shooting his load with a 3-into-1 Allspeed.
Second time I went to Box Hill, the old Vitesse I was in threw its propshaft at almost exactly the same spot as my previous accident - I can take a hint and I've never been back since.