Modern Vespa

Today, with no warning what so ever (less than a second to react), a rubber ball, probably about a foot and a half in diameter, comes briskly rolling from my right directly into my path as I'm traveling about 40-mph. All I can do is hit the breaks as I make contact with the ball. The front end shoots up about 2 feet off the ground and slams back down with a great screech of rubber. Somehow the bike stays perfectly straight! I don't know whether the rear tire ran over the ball or what... it all happened so damn fast!

I'm almost certain that if I just had one wheel up front, the outcome would've been disastrous. Seriously disastrous.

I pulled off to the side of the road to compose myself and to check for any damage under the front end. Everything looked just fine and the bike continues to handle just as great as usual. What a amazingly great little machine the MP3 is.

What a day...

dk

A very good real-life example of why two contact points up-front are better than one.

Okay...I'll be the first to ask...WHAT DA HELL WAS A GIANT RUBBER BALL DOING ON THE HIGHWAY? WHERE DID IT COME FROM?! DID YOU ASK/LOOK FOR IT?!!

You can't just be like..."oh today a midget juggling two headed rabbits hit my mp3 on the interstate but I'm fine..the end." Where did this giant rubber ball come from and how can I get one? Were you driving near a kickball field?

I was near Bear Mountain state park just heading for the entrance. There are picnic areas way above the road (it's very hilly and steep along the road side there). It was like a child's rubber ball, not a soccer ball. No one came running after it or anything because it's so steep and wooded from where the people are to where the road is located. You can't really even see the picnic areas from the road. I didn't see anyone at all. The ball must have just gotten loose and rolled way down the hill at just the wrong time.

dk

Motorcycle, MP3, or cage, an accident is an accident and people can get hurt. Whatever the vehicle, they can be fixed or replaced. Enough said. I for one am glad you are okay!

Ride safe everyone!

I'da knifed the ball before I left. Just so it couldn't happen to anyone else! That and it would have made me feel good!

On a lighter note: I would have to also agree with mjm50cal!

I never saw the ball again after it passed under the bike. It most likely went to the other side of the road and continued down the hillside. It all happened so fast...

Glad you're alright, albeit after your heart stopped for a moment.
Another reason of many to own an MP3.

You are lucky, I can attest to the damage a ball can cause. 2 years ago, while cruising @ 40 mph, (On my Harley dresser) I spotted 2 boys playing basketball in their driveway, up ahead. The thought ran through my mind, "I hope that ball doesn't roll out into the street.
I slowed some, not enough, and sure enough, here came the basketball, It was all sureal. The ball seemed to move in slow motion. I braked, steered right, then back left in an attempt to miss the rolling and bouncing ball.
Everytime it bounced it seemed to adjust direction toward me. Go figure.
The ball struck the front tire and then went under the frame. The front end went up in the air, the bike jumped to the right. It came down heavily, I threw out my left leg at what was probably 25-30 mph, to save me from going down. Jamming my knee. The ball then threw the rear wheel to the right. It was one very rough near miss, I never dropped the bike, but the knee injury still hurts to this day. No, I didn't knife the ball, I did ask the kids to be more carefull. A close call, a real scare. Be carefull out there.

While in my work truck a few years ago a, I came up on a flatbed truck carrying several flattened vehicles. All of a sudden I see parts come off one of the vehicles and some are substantial bouncing 20 ft (6-7m)in the air. I tracked the biggest one which was behaving just like the basketball you described. I safely braked hard as no one was riding my ass. I thought for sure it was going to hit me and on the last bounce, buried itself into the grill of the mini van beside me. It was an alternator. Had it hit the windshield it would have went right through. I now conciously give transport trucks carrying vehicles wide berth.

My neighbor killed a lady in vehicle(Explorer) not far from here(Vasco road) due to an item he was trailering got loose and went through her windshield and killed her on impact in front of her kids.

So when you read my signature and you apply that to scooter riding, I f@#$ing mean it!


(Implied cursing for emphesis only)(sorry)

Mike

OMG...these accidents have taken my breath away!! Bouncing balls and objects tumbling off trucks and people getting killed by them.....how awful! dk.....that was close...you must've taken a week to settle down from that one!
lgrande....very scary and you're still hurting.
We must stay a distance...pay attention to almost an abnormal degree....things can/do "fly out of nowhere"...we have to be prepared best we can! Thank God you guys are okay...wow