GG Almost down

[gruntygiggles]

Well, fear not, me and the bike are fine, but we very nearly weren't :-(

Pulling away from the lights at Whitehall Garden Centre on the A350 towards Chippenham, accelerating fairly hard (but not more than 8k on the revs which is quite low on the BB) to get up to speed as it's a national limit and was doing about 40-45mph when I noticed a bunch of bailer twine (farmer type string for hay & straw bales) come off the lorry in the oncoming lane. I thought I'd missed it as it looked to be a good few feet away from me and I saw it come off as the lorry was passing, so I wouldn't have been able to move anyway.

10 or so yards later, doing same speed as was checking my mirror for the twine and BANG, rear tyre locked up. Horrible screeching sound and the back end fishtailed for the next 40 yards until it came to a stop and I managed to get it to the side of the road. I didn't use front brake and didn't touch gears or clutch as I didn't know if the twine had gne around the chain/sproket. I just held the bars tight to keep the front wheel straight and prayed it stayed upright.

Lucky for me it did.

For all the bikers (about 25-30) that went past me in the following 30 minutes...thanks so much for checking if I was ok...NOT! 3 police cars passed me, 1 RAC van passed me and not one stopped or even gave a nod or wave to see if I was ok. In fact, it was a BMW driver in the other lane that slowed enough to ask me if I was alright.

Luckily, 30 minutes in a motorcycle servicing dude pulled up, put his flashing ambers on and cut the twine for me. Then followed me home to make sure I was ok. Big thanks to him.

Off to Squirrel_Hunters now for him to have a quick look over, but it feels fine, just got the wheel and missed everything else :-)


Stay safe out there peeps and I don't know if I did the correct thing or not, but it worked.

[Quedos]

the main thing is you stayed upright which sounded like a feat in itself - go have a cup of tea which SH looks over it and well done!!

so Glad you're alright!!

[Stingo]

Glad you're pk GG. Will squirrel hunter be giving you a once over too? Is there something you're not telling us? Am I reading your post correctly.
Have a nice day and don't get lost or squashed.

[_Stretchie_]

Baby.

: (

5p 50p moment

[Owenski]

sounds like you did alright, least you didnt panic. :)
Shame on the other riders though, I thought it was an unwritten rule that we pulled over to check on other riders? Were you in a place of poor visablity or did they have no excuse?

[gruntygiggles]

Thanks Q :-)

Glad you're pk GG. Will squirrel hunter be giving you a once over too? Is there something you're not telling us? Am I reading your post correctly.
Have a nice day and don't get lost or squashed.

Well....he's only looking over, not going over as per my post and if you know Steve...you'll know he "looks" over anything with a pulse, so I am used to that ;-)

Baby.

: (

5p 50p moment


Weirdly, no. It happened, my brain pretty instantly equated what must have happened and I think I was too busy concentrating on keeping it upright than feeling what was happening anywhere else. Rest assured though, my lovely new leathers do not need washing ;-)

It was more scary being stuck on the side of that road, it's two lanes at the lights that instantly merge into one lane on a national speed limit road, so people trying to pass slower drivers by going over the lines, then realising something was coming and my bike was there....a few hard breakers, despite me walking down the road to warn them all :rolleyes:

[gruntygiggles]

sounds like you did alright, least you didnt panic. :)
Shame on the other riders though, I thought it was an unwritten rule that we pulled over to check on other riders? Were you in a place of poor visablity or did they have no excuse?

Difficult one....I don't personally know one rider that would not have pulled up behind or in front of the bike and checked, but it is a busy road and maybe not the safest place to pull over. That's why I was, frankly disappointed in the 3 police cars and RAC van that passed. On a 60 road, only 1 lane in each direction and lorries were having to stop and wait for a gap to pass my bike.......lucky there wasn't a rear ender really.

Actually, thinking about it......given that I was already pulled up, there should be no reason another biker didn't pass my bike and pull up in front of it. Oh well, never mind.

[kitkat]

well done you for keeping it upright. As for police not stopping, when the chain on the raptor snapped and I had to push the bike a mile, a couple of police cars went past me too without offering any assistance. A nice white van man stopped and helped me push the bike up the last bit of the hill, while his pal drove the van with his hazards on behind us, it was a narrow road coming up to brow of hill and a 60 limit. I was knackered. Then to add insult to injury, I phoned insurance, told them details, recover man was sent out, only to say he could do nothing and ordered a flat bed, the flatbed driver, told me I had to put bike on back for insurance reasons. I had got changed at work and had a skirt on, still had to push the bloody bike up onto flat bed and then off at the other end. anyway well done you again, now go home and change your pants lol

[Owenski]

well done you for keeping it upright. As for police not stopping, when the chain on the raptor snapped and I had to push the bike a mile, a couple of police cars went past me too without offering any assistance. A nice white van man stopped and helped me push the bike up the last bit of the hill, while his pal drove the van with his hazards on behind us, it was a narrow road coming up to brow of hill and a 60 limit. I was knackered. Then to add insult to injury, I phoned insurance, told them details, recover man was sent out, only to say he could do nothing and ordered a flat bed, the flatbed driver, told me I had to put bike on back for insurance reasons. I had got changed at work and had a skirt on, still had to push the bloody bike up onto flat bed and then off at the other end. anyway well done you again, now go home and change your pants lol

I recon flatbed driver made you do that for upskirt reasons, saucy minx lol.
(not nice to push far, been there wont do it again - you have my sympathys)

[Jinxy43]

Glad to hear your ok, and its nothing more serious than perhaps a change of undies.

stay safe hun

[Quiff Wichard]

phew glad u ok Cheryl xx

[Shonky]

Well what can I say. GLad you managed to hold it and all is OK.

+1 to the 5p 50p comment :)

[Owenski]

Well what can I say. GLad you managed to hold it and all is OK.

+1 to the 5p 50p comment :)

this I dont understand, someone explain.

[El Saxo]

sounds like a close one, glad you're ok, be careful!

[El Saxo]

this I dont understand, someone explain.

It refers to the sudden change in aperture of a particular bodily orifice, often leading to an expensive leather cleaning bill!

[Owenski]

ahhhhhhhhh the light is now on. :) cheers saxo

[Shonky]

this I dont understand, someone explain.

Started with a bumhole the size of a 5p, ended up with a 50p size.

In other words twitchy bum time :)

[Owenski]

I prefer "my **** was biting chunks out of my underwear"
but 5p 50p leaves more to the imagination, I can see that causing giggles rather than groans of disapproval. :)

[_Stretchie_]

but 5p 50p leaves more to the imagination, I can see that causing giggles rather than groans of disapproval. :)

Just make sure you don't say it the wrong way around

"50p 5p" sayd a lot about a person

; )

[Owenski]

lol, v true.

[Specialone]

GG at least you kept it upright and didnt bin it, that sounds the right way to go about it to me ;)

Glad your ok :p

Had my own liitle scare today, on the motorway on my bike in the fast lane doing 70, no really, asian woman in a silver merc decided to change lanes without notice or indication and quite fast, i wasnt expecting it tbh, perhaps i should have, but had to brake hard and swerve right and just touched the edge where the grass starts, to say i was angry was an un derstatement.
She didnt even acknowledge me or anything even when i got at the side of her, stupid *****.
Trouble is then i had red mist and rode like a t**t and put myself even more at risk.
Wish i would have got her reg number cos im still bloody angry about it now.

Phil

[Owenski]

Isnt it said that your more likely to have an acceident in that period just after a near miss where you are either irate or just shaken up. Prob to do with the shared concentration/lack of attention which follows such a brown trouser incident.

[BaP]

Good to hear you're okay GG - you did good! :)

Looking forward to having a bimble, without incident, with you very soon!

[Littlepeahead]

I'd just like to say that I drive a BMW car but would always stop if I saw a biker broken down and offer help/push/give a lift to the garage. We have such a bad reputation. But when I broke down in gridlocked traffic in snow in my ancient Cavalier when I was a student a very nice man in a Ferrari gave me a lift. We only went at 3mph as the roads were so clogged but at least I did it in style.

Glad to hear you are OK.

[gruntygiggles]

Thanks folks. Rode over the Squirrel_Hunters, tried to help him rebuild his engine, but it didn't want to play, so we had some fun in the twistes on our way back to mine and Dans.....might have had a wobble eariler, but bike feels great now! Happy Days :-)

[Milky Bar Kid]

Oh. MBK dislikes this.

Muchos glad you recovered it.

[Ed]

Oh. MBK dislikes this.

Muchos glad you recovered it.

+1, substitute ERA for MBK.

Nasty. Well done for great bike control and not panicking:smt038:smt038:smt038

[gruntygiggles]

Dunno about great bike control Ed, just thought if try and keep the front steady, the rear tyre dragging can stop me! There's a lovely very long wiggly line on the road now ;-)

[Bluefish]

Dunno about great bike control Ed, just thought if try and keep the front steady, the rear tyre dragging can stop me! There's a lovely very long wiggly line on the road now ;-)

New tyre time? congrats on the save :riding:

[-Ralph-]

Well done for keeping rubber side down, though I bet that rubber's got a big flat spot in it now :(

Did you get my PM?

[Ed]

Did you get my PM?

Now I'm curious. What did it say?:smt017:confused:

[-Ralph-]

Now I'm curious. What did it say?:smt017:confused:

AR stuff

[gruntygiggles]

Oooh, yes I did Ralph, I'll respond in the morning, didn't get it til very late last night and had a stupid early morning, than have been out and about on the bike most of the day.

As for the tyre, it has loads of life left in it as they've only done 1500ish miles since going on and have not spent much time on the middle thanks to the roads, so there was zero flat spot before. Means that the flat spot resulting from today is definitely there, but not major. There were bobbles of rubber in the centre and 1 little gouge, but after riding to Steves and back through the twisties, the flat spot is starting to disappear. I think it's because they are Avon Vipers, so full sports tyres and soft all over, they are rounding back already :-)

Oooh, one positive today was finally getting the hang of leaning off the bike. I got top half ok before getting leathers. Went out in leathers and moved bum off, but top half was not right...today, felt great, upper body off, but parrallel with the bike, helmet reaching for bar ends and outside arm stretched across tank, bum off (only a half cheek) but not able to fully stick knee out as leathers too stiff....don't care though as it's doing what I wanted...letting me still hold the speed I want, but without leaning so far over :-)

[Ed]

I was only being nosey and fully expected a MYOB. GG - you da girl, I never move around, too afraid I'll come off:rolleyes:

[gruntygiggles]

Ed, before my few weeks off the bike until last Friday, I was getting very comfortable really moving my upper body across the tank to help on corners and even down to the side of the tank on bend that sharpen up.
It felt good to do that, but the bike feels so much more safe leaning off with bum as well. Even managed it going wide lines over a roundabout so having to flip one side to another....I realised it only works if you move your bum before you change the lean of the bike...lol ;-)

[xXBADGERXx]

You were lucky there GG , It really annoys me that nobody stops to see if you are ok , I slow down and give a thumbs up , if they give it back I carry on , if they need help I am prepared to stop if I can .

[BanannaMan]

:shock:
Close one there.
Glad to hear you're Ok!
Very lucky no damage. (you or the bike)
Well done on keeping your focus on keeping the bike upright. :thumbsup:

And no one stopped? :rolleyes:
On the bright side...At least you'd feel right at home riding in the US. ;)







I was getting very comfortable really moving my upper body across the tank to help on corners and even down to the side of the tank on bend that sharpen up.
It felt good to do that, but the bike feels so much more safe leaning off with bum as well. Even managed it going wide lines over a roundabout so having to flip one side to another....I realised it only works if you move your bum before you change the lean of the bike...lol ;-)



Move over lads. This one's got her eye on the front.

[Von Teese]

Just read this!
Glad you are ok!

another +1 to MBK comment!

[metalangel]

Shame on the other riders though, I thought it was an unwritten rule that we pulled over to check on other riders?

I checked furiously (thumbs up and sort of 'yes? yes??' nods) at a guy with a scooter at the side of the road. He was fine, just picked a really stupid place to stop and root around under his seat.

Turned around and went back for a guy standing by his Ninja at the side of a country road. He was having a smoke.

Straight past a guy on a red curvy at the side of the A470. T'was Cymraeg_Atodeg with a snapped chain.

I suck at this :smt081

Saying that, though, when I was a wee'un, I came off my bicycle in plain view of a police car, on 'cycling safety day'. They drove STRAIGHT PAST ME.

Er, anyway, glad you're okay GG, not a good experience!