Posted by Frank on June 28, 2002 at 02:46:31:
In Reply to: ....... rider down ....... posted by Jon D. on June 26, 2002 at 15:21:50:
I remember the same feeling. Waaay back in 1981 while riding to my after school job I did the same thing as you. I was traveling at 40mph when I saw the car ahead of me slowing down. I looked over my shoulder to make a lane change. Must've looked too long because when I looked straight again, the BMW was stopped and I was less than 20ft from the rear bumper. At 40 mph, you can do the math, that's not much reaction time. The reason I say 40mph is because the last thing I saw just before impact was the speedo, then impact. I flew over the bars. I believe in God because I flew completely over the car, rolled for an eternity, and not so much as a scratch. Bystanders wouldn't let me get up because they were sure I had a broken neck or something. Paramedics said they had never seen a motorcycle accident like mine with no injuries. Point is, my bike was totalled, her car had sustained major damage to the trunk and rear lights, parts all over he street, bystanders everywhere. The lesson is to never take your eyes from forward, try to observe as far ahead as possible, always look to an escape route. It is twenty-one years later, close to 200,000 miles, and that lesson has served me well. Glad your ok, now if this bike thing is really in your blood, you'll get up, rebuild your bike and run down the road. There is no more valuable experience than to survive a street accident and ride again. Your confidence will be shaken for a while, but will return again, only it will be confidence combined with wisdom because you will never forget. Good Luck