Modern Vespa

A motorcyclist riding in the opposite direction on a 55 mph road, almost hit me head on today because he rounded a curve too fast and ended up in my lane. Thank god I was riding in the middle of my lane and was able to swerve to avoid him hitting me. He missed me by inches. Normally, I ride in the inner third of my lane, but today for some reason I was riding in the middle of my lane. It saved my life for sure. Instead of taking my Vespa GT 200, I was riding my little green buddy 125. The opposing rider was on a big cruiser bike with a passenger on board. I guess today wasn’t my day to meet my maker. Be careful out there. Even another two wheel rider can kill you if you aren’t alert.

Wow, good to know you were alert and able to get away. Summer time brings out more PTW's for sure, and one has to be alert to avoid not just PTW's but also tourists driving around.

Every week or two I read about a motorcycle fatality on rural roads in Western Oregon. Most of them involve a large cruising motorcycle in a single vehicle accident. Typically the rider takes a turn too fast and goes off the outside of the curve into the trees, guard rail, drop off, whatever. Happens all too often.

I'm glad you escaped disaster. I've been trying to ride a little more centrally myself and your story is a good reminder to keep practicing.

That's terrifying!!

That sucks and makes me angry. Glad you were able to avoid him.

Something I see a lot of out here are riders leaning while taking a left-hand curve who have their wheels right on the centre line - and their heads just where *I* (or any other vehicle) would be going the other way. They obviously haven't undergone any good training at all. Muppets.

More things to avoid.

I was following Madison Sully on a highway in Wisconsin yesterday.

Three cruisers were stopped on the side of the road and I was looking their way to make sure that they were OK.

So was Sully.

When I looked back ahead I see him swerving around a rake lying in the road. Not a leaf rake, but a grading rake with big tines holding it high.

Luckily I was following staggered to the right and the rake just inches out of my path.

But it would have been a disaster if I had hit it.

Bill

Couple of years ago an MC in our neighborhood missed a curve and wound up in the cattails along the road. Took a day to find him for some reason.

Coming back from the trip with Bill Leuthold (riding separately) riding on the freeway for a bit, an HD bike club of a dozen or so showed up in the lane to our left, tailing a camper by what seemed to be all of ten feet at around 70 mph. They were spaced by just a couple feet, blipping their throttles and surging ahead toward the camper intermittently. Not so worried so much about them hurting anyone as just committing mass suicide. But those pipes....

Anyway, it's a crazy world out there. Just before that I'd detoured onto a very quiet two lane where all I had to worry about was the little turtle I came close to hitting.

Glad you avoided tragedy. As Dooglas mentioned the accidents over here in Kansas there has been pretty much one motorcycle accident a week with a fatality.

The guy that crossed into your lane on the motorcycle was probably thinking "Thank-God it wasn't a truck!'. Glad you avoided harm!