Kruse08 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I have been pondering all day as to whether or not I wanted to make a post about this because it is the internet. I know I will get harped on for my choice/decision that I made. Putting that all aside I am posting because I have ridden with a handful of you and met others. I want others to learn from my mistake and to not repeat what took place. Backstory: Decided to go on a ride with a close friend of mine who I am very comfortable riding with. We both enjoy getting lost and just going out and riding. It had been one hell of a day already with many oddball events taking place. Rode in heavy dense fog/mist, took a wrong turn and went off roading, almost ran out of gas, and just had an all around oddball good day. Now, in the middle of our day we were on a nice curvy road which got slowed down by three vehicles. We were following them for a while even though we knew we wanted to make a pass. Coming out of a right handed turn into a long straight to which I was behind my friend a few car lengths behind the last vehicle. At that very moment we both made the choice to drop a few gears and make a three vehicle pass. We could see a long distance ahead to which there were no vehicles coming towards us. We did not see the road slightly curve to where the incident happened. The curve was not the issue but the 1500 Dodge Ram that appeared as we were speeding excessively past the vehicles was. We were approaching the rear of the front vehicle when we knew we did not have enough time to make the pass. My friend hit the front brakes hard to slow the speed to get in behind the front vehicle. This action caused me to brake hard, very hard and by the time I was at a reasonable speed the next thing I saw was a brown blur going by my left side as I was in the middle of the two lanes. Luckily no one was hurt or any accidents were caused. I blame no one but myself for the choice I made at that moment to pass when I was not 100% that I could make it safely. This may change the way people think of me or my riding skills. I want people to know that everyone is human and we all make choices which impact others and ourselves. I never thought I would think in a moment that I was going to die but that moment on Monday 9/19/16 will forever be the day I realize how my choices impact life. I know that passing one car is the safest pass to be made if a pass is needed. I should have just slowed down and enjoyed the scenery. I knew what I was doing was dangerous. I had to post no matter what is said by the audience because it is a lesson for me to offer to you. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinNck1 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 It's hard to admit our mistakes, but when we do, it makes us better riders. Glad you're alright. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowdog Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 26 minutes ago, JustinNck1 said: It's hard to admit our mistakes, but when we do, it makes us better riders. Glad you're alright. Exactly! thanks for the post Kruse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Little dips and curves that you can't see because of skewed perspective/a horizon line blending into the background are something I always double and triple check for before making a pass. Sometimes it looks like a long flat straight and then a car appears out of a tiny dip in the road you didn't notice. Bad time for everyone if that's the case and luck isn't on your side like it was with you. The hardest part to improving yourself in any regard is admitting you make mistakes and correcting your behavior in the future to avoid making the same mistake again. You've done this, so kudos. Also I hope you were wearing your brown pants. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kruse08 Posted September 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I honestly do not know how my friend or I rode away from this but I am glad we did. My pants will forever be stained brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimTheAzn Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I think most of us have made at least one "questionable" decision while riding. I myself have had a similar experience riding alone down to wooster to meet up with some people. Like in your situation, there was a line of 3+ cars, on 83 south in my case. Found a straight that I thought was long enough and clear enough to make a clean pass. Did not anticipate the person in front of the conga line see me and then hammer on the gas as I was attempting to pass. Obviously that made it take longer for me to pass, as a dump truck was coming the opposite direction. I cut that car off pretty hard and felt the wind gust from the truck as it wiz'd by. I estimate by only a few feet. I don't blame the car, I blame myself for thinking not knowing I had enough time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motocat12 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Sounds like an excuse for a new faster accelerating bike for safety's sake. glad to gear you;re ok. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
what Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) 27 minutes ago, motocat12 said: Sounds like an excuse for a new faster accelerating bike for safety's sake. glad to gear you;re ok. I will say that I was a lot more hesitant to make quick passes on the SV than I am on the Triumph. I can only imagine on a liter bike whoolieing dankly while dragging knee and flipping the bird past groups of slow-ass cruisers or "hammer down when they see you trying to pass" dipshits. Edited September 21, 2016 by what Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaCinci Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 A close call is when I stopped riding like an asshole. It happens...we either learn from it and become a safer rider or we keep pushing it and maybe never get the chance to learn from a second incident. As I tell people nowadays - as I age my sense of adventure is being overtaken by my sense of self-preservation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post whaler Posted September 21, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Brandon many of us have been riding the street 20+ years and everyone of us would be lying if we said something like this never happened to us. This is part of riding and learning to be a better rider. Learn from the mistake, but absolutely do not let this make you ride scared! Riding scared is the fastest way to a crash. Dwelling and over analyzing will only make things worse. This is the part where you add to the respect column. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschaf Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I'm glad your panic didn't result in a catastrophe. I don't know what road you were on but most are way wide enough for a car, a motorcycle & a truck. You did the right thing hitting the centerline but the braking was obviously unnecessary & only served to increase your panic. The next time this happens, remain calm, stay on the gas, hit the centerline, & direct your vision to the clear path through, not the obstacles. When overtaking multiple vehicles especially aware of any signs that someone is going to make a left turn. I hope you learn from this experience. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostryder1krr Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Sounds like an excuse for a new faster accelerating bike for safety's sake. glad to gear you;re ok. I like your way of thinking!!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfman1 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 This happens to everyone, including myself. I can remember a few times I tried to pass multiple cars just barely tucked it in. I remember doing this on 78 a few years back to get around some slower traffic trying to keep up with my group and stuffing it into a blind turn only to notice a farmer with a plow just pulled out in front of me. That was a oh shit moment for sure, but as others have said I kept my cool and safely slowed with as much brake I could muster without sliding. I am definitely more conservative on passing than I used to be, but the key is to ride your own ride and if I loose my group, so what, I know they will be waiting for me at the next stop. I wouldn't worry too much man, just brush it off as learning experience and learn from your mistake. As others have warned above, just don't ride scared, it is a huge distraction and can get you into trouble quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kruse08 Posted September 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 @whaler - I am not scared of what happened. Even after the incident I took a short breather to analyze what happened. After I cleared my mind I continued to ride the ride and nothing has changed there. I know the risks of riding a motorcycle and they do not scare me. @jschaf - I had to brake hard because my friend was in the lead and I was behind him. If I did not brake I would have rear ended him and caused a major accident between two motorcycles and 4 vehicles. I chose the action which I thought would get all of us out alive. Granted that action happened after I made the choice to pass. I do agree that I would have gassed it instead of braking but in the heat of the moment your thoughts are not as clear as they should be. Thanks for all the kind words about the experience. Was not expecting people to share similar experiences. Glad that this community of people has open minds about actions and choices. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan_c_F Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 16 hours ago, what said: I can only imagine on a liter bike whoolieing dankly while dragging knee and flipping the bird past groups of slow-ass cruisers or "hammer down when they see you trying to pass" dipshits. Feels good. Had a turbo Cayenne test me on Mayfield road the other day. We were both at the front of the line at a stoplight near Brush High School -- heard the turbo spool up and saw the nose wiggle as he was accelerating, so I tucked in and left it in second up to about <redacted> or so; was walking him at that point. Waved to him on the way by Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan_c_F Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 As to OP -- honestly, man, everyone walked away, even though you got yourself into a predicament. These are the best types of mistakes to make. There's a reason I don't accelerate into blind curves anymore; learned the same kind of lesson. This is just one of those formative memories that you'll remember when going to pass a line of cars; don't pass with anyone else, understand that because traffic is going X mph NOW, doesn't mean they won't be doing Y mph when they see you coming. Glad you're not letting it affect your mind-state. Be safe, be smart, always be learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekClouser Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 Brandon, We've all made mistakes while riding. You've only recently started riding country, twisty roads. You've made far more progress than most would have in the short time you've been doing this. You are going to make mistakes. Learn from it, but like @whaler said, don't be scared of it. The most dangerous situation when passing cars is the cars in front of you turning left. As long as you are clear they aren't turning left in front of you, most anything else is manageable. The center line is usually always going to be a good bailout point in a situation like this. I watched @jschaf ride the shoulder one time we came up on a 1 lane road (due to construction) being managed by lights. He was going too fast to stop so he just kept going even when oncoming traffic was occupying the lane. He just moved over to the side of the road and kept going. Was it sketchy? Yes, but he knew where his bailout spot was going to be. That's why we ride on the street at no more than 7(8)/10 of our riding ability. If you are riding above your head or at max ability, you don't leave yourself the ability to escape when situations out of the normal arise. Glad you and your friend made it out unscathed. Look forward to riding with you at the chili ride (if you are able) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschaf Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 Brandon- After reading your OP I didn't realize that you were immediately behind your friend. Guess you'll just have to figure out what you could have done differently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
330racing Posted September 29, 2016 Report Share Posted September 29, 2016 Having never been in a situation passing multiple cars, all I can say is,glad you are ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 4 hours ago, 330racing said: Having never been in a situation passing multiple cars, all I can say is,glad you are ok Can't tell if sarcasm or not it was many a year ago but pretty sure I was with you the first time I really opened up the VFR and multiple cars were passed in a real long straight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
330racing Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 16 hours ago, Bad324 said: Can't tell if sarcasm or not it was many a year ago but pretty sure I was with you the first time I really opened up the VFR and multiple cars were passed in a real long straight Couldn't have been me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonik Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 Wasn't me. I have never actually seen Brian actually ride an actual bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 1 hour ago, 330racing said: Couldn't have been me it was the black/orange GSXR750 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted September 30, 2016 Report Share Posted September 30, 2016 1 hour ago, Tonik said: Wasn't me. I have never actually seen Brian actually ride an actual bike. you missed my hey day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
330racing Posted October 14, 2016 Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 On 9/30/2016 at 2:31 PM, Bad324 said: it was the black/orange GSXR750 Ok...it was me. Good memory. I can verify Brian has ridden a motorcycle on at least two occasions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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