Tell Of Your Road Hazard Impacts or Close Calls.

[databyter]

A few weeks ago I was commuting to work and I was going about 75 or so which was the flow of traffic in the number 2 lane.
 
I saw what looked like a plastic shopping bag or something bouncing towards me from traffic in front of me. Apparently another car struck it or it fell off a truck maybe. At any rate it was something that was wrapped in something like maybe a torn up plastic shopping bag and it was coming right at me. I sorta leaned away from the direct hit, mostly because I didn't want melted plastic in my engine or radiator, I figured whatever it was it was fairly light since I saw fluttering of the plastic, like a wrapper or something.
 
Well BAM it hit the top of my left foot and the front of my ankle and it felt like a damn brick. It was a lot heavier than I thought, and I was thinking maybe it was the remnants of some contractors shopping trip at the hardware store, maybe some nuts n bolts or something. I was actually glad that it hit ME and not my bike, but apparently I was wrong because today I discovered what I had thought was road scum from a puddle or something was actually where the front of my engine casing  was scraped down to metal. It probably slowed the impact and I caught the ricochet. (I was checking the bike and fluid levels since I felt a strange vibration coming home today..coulda been grooved road related). I wiped it with a cleaning rag, and the discoloration didn't go away. It was bare metal.
 
At least it isn't quite so noticable because it is not on the side as it would be if I had laid the bike down, but on the FRONT. I figure I can use some touch up paint if I get around to it and can find a good match.. (gunmetal?).
 
I think what I saw was the bag coming apart, and what hit me was what was IN the bag, which as I said was very heavy and solid. My foot and leg went from pain to complete numbness in about a second and if I hadn't been on a schedule to get back to work I woulda pulled over immediately to assess myself, but as it turned out it was just a big bruise. I wear leather boots, and I was very lucky I wasn't wearing squid wear because I'm pretty sure I would have needed a few stiches.
 
I really haven't thought about it, talked about it, or anything, until today when I realized how severe an impact it would have been to my leg if my engine case hadn't have slowed it down, and my boot provided protection.
 
Anyhow, bummer, new bike has several new scratches, all fixable and minor, but uno, not ideal. But I am safe and weathered my first road hazard impact. I've also had some close calls with road gators, since many semi's use the same freeway I commute on, and they strip off retreads daily. But they are fairly easy to see. I just worry about other car's hitting stuff and flipping it into me.
 
Post your experience or any tips to avoid hazards.
 
Databyter

[yamahaha]

I almost got a raven a few weeks ago. I thought I was going to miss him but he decided to change course on a beeline for my head. Nothing I could do but turn away and brace for impact. Not sure how I missed him but glad I did. It could have been ugly.

[darrooh]

A couple of weeks ago I had the day off so decided to make an hour trip to a shop that was supposed to have ram mounts in stock, they didnt. At some point I felt a hard thud right in the middle of my neck, since I had just seen a bug go splat on my visor I thought it was another one. About 3 hours later I started to get a sore throat. By the end of the night it was hard to swallow food and I had constant hiccups. The next day after still having a sore throat and hiccups while feeling like I had to burp but I never did I realized a decent sized rock hit me while I was going between 45mph-55mph. There was a small noticeable lump that wasn't my Adams apple and it hurt for just over a week. It didn't help that I'm constantly talking at work and had to just deal with it.

[Allan]

I had a bat fly into my helmet while I was riding home from my uncles one time. It felt like someone threw a rock at my head.

[Beemer]

Was doing about 60 in a 50 in Killeen, Tx. when a drunk turned left in front of me in his Eldorado and decided to park in my lane and half the other. My bike t-boned him at around 50-45 mph. but I wasn't on it when it hit. A voice in my head shouted to dive over the car so I did and that saved my ass. ( A 9.8 tuck&roll) He did wrong but so did I, as I see it. I assumed he would keep moving into a parking lot and assuming is what kept me on the gas, thinking he wouldn't be there by the time I got there. WRONG!! Tip: never assume anything on a bike or when cooking shirtless with grease.
 
 
yamahaha  You lucked out. I did get hit by a bird in the left eye once doing 40 mph. and it felt like someone had hit me with a 70 mph. fast ball. Tip: don't be 17 and dumb, always wear eye protection.

[No Hater]

I got hit with a quarter inch rock in the face shield last week......scared the living shet out of me. I would have been likely killed if I wasn't wearing a full face helmet.

[norcal616]

Bout 8 years ago I almost lost all my front teeth riding my ninja 600 down the freeway near redding, California... luckily I choose to wear my full face that day cuz I got hit with a semi truck lug nut smack dab where the Lil air vent is on the brain bucket... it shattered the vent completely... ever since I only wear full face...

[hobbs]

No impacts but I did slide about 4 feet going through an S-turn that was riddled with gravel. (I didn't initially know this.)
 
I recognized the potential hazard, so I slowed down to about 20 mph (posted 35 mph zone) and hung off pretty far to avoid using a lot of lean angle.
 
Anyway the bike kicked out so fast and violently, I almost fell off. Whacked my chest and chinbar on the tank and handlebars. Managed to hang on and it regained traction kind of quickly. I somehow did not chop the throttle, despite almost physically falling off the bike hah.

[shaneallen23]

Heading home from work there's 2 routes I can take. The main road which is littered with shopping plazas and business parks, and the "scenic route" through some neighborhoods and and less populated main roads. I typically take the latter on the way home since it's a pretty relaxed ride. There's a couple corners that are pretty blind, and a minivan driver decided one day that they would like to use my lane as well to go around the turn (I'm on the outside in this scenario). Luckily this is a low speed road, probably going about 25 and I was able to swerve around them without going off the road.
 
I watched for a moment in my mirror though as the driver never corrected their path, and nearly drove right into the woods before parking the car in the oncoming lane. Some people...

[she3pdog]

Last month a guy's ladder fell off of his truck while I was behind him on the highway. It was sort of a weird sight because the ladder continued moving forward for a really long time and popping up and switching lanes randomly. I slowed down as much as I could before it got close to me, and it ended up sliding lengthwise across an entire lane when I got to it. I glanced at my mirror and swerved so hard that I actually hit the pegs. Honestly, I was more proud of avoiding it than scared of what might have happened. I don't imagine I could have kept the bike upright if I had hit it though.

[Beemer]

I had a bat fly into my helmet while I was riding home from my uncles one time. It felt like someone threw a rock at my head.

Why were you riding on a baseball field? You are a wild one!

[Allan]

I had a bat fly into my helmet while I was riding home from my uncles one time. It felt like someone threw a rock at my head.

Why were you riding on a baseball field? You are a wild one!

We have a Moto-Baseball league. We play baseball whilst on motorcycles. Very intense and very adrenaline rushing. It can be quite dangerous though. 

[Beemer]

Why were you riding on a baseball field? You are a wild one!

We have a Moto-Baseball league. We play baseball whilst on motorcycles. Very intense and very adrenaline rushing. It can be quite dangerous though.

Sounds like fun! Do you have to drop the bat when you get a hit or can you take it with you around the bases, cracking knee caps as you go?

[phyciocc]

Nothing compares with Moto baseball .
But a few years ago I had a close encounter with a turkey vulture.
Just after climbing a steep curvy hill, I found myself on top of a ridge on a short flat straight stretch. In the middle of the road a enormous turkey vulture was having lunch. And it was 20 feet from me. The giant bird took off like a loaded C130 (i.e. slooowwwlllyyy) while at the same time dropping...leavings from his repast. To this day, I still don't know how I missed being hit by the flying road kills bits...
 
Marco
 
Physics Prof. Be aware