Talk about a close shave

There’s a crazy set up where the M73 ends up becoming a slip road onto the A80. At the same time it’s also a slip road off the A80 which can take you to Cumbernauld where I was heading. It can be a wee bit like Wacky-Races at this junction, so I’m always on the alert. Anyway, I’m on the A80, left-hand lane indicating my intention to join the slip road when it’s safe and convenient. There’s an HGV on the slip road indicating his intention to come onto the A80. So I decide to let him join the A80 in front of me. There’s a car that’s sped down from the M73 and ends up behind the HGV – I end up level with the car driver’s window.

The car driver isn’t indicating, so I don’t know if he’s staying on the slip road or if he’s going to do something stupid. Next minute the bandit decides to pull out behind the HGV into the space I was in. This all happened in an instant. Anyway, I had began slow down and I moved slightly to the right-hand side of my lane. I just kind of knew something was going to happen. Just as well that I did as he began to move closer and closer to me. He keeps coming out and by this time his back wheel is level with me. That’s when his wheel touched my foot! It was only for an instant, but his wheel definitely touched me, I even heard it rub my foot!

Talk about a close shave! I got away with it, but I was lucky. I will try and see what I contributed to that situation in order to avoid something similar in the future. It would have been so easy target fixate on the car moving closer and closer and not take any action. If I had did that he’d have hit me full on and I would have been off for sure. But it just goes to reinforce what I’ve always known, always expect the unexpected.

I think the only thing you contributed was silence - would probably have been prudent to wake the driver up with a blast on the horn.

I got into a similar situation filtering on the M1, and that was almost exactly the same - the driver didn't appear to be aware of my presence until I knocked his wing mirror back with my elbow.

I would have gave him a blast, but it happened pretty fast, and the noise of his wheel touching my boot sparked him into life.

Originally Posted by Gavin

I would have gave him a blast

Do you have the facility to give someone a blast or can you only give them an OE meep?

Steel toecap boots and a pair of Stebel Magnums for you!

More like a meep, my mate kicks them with his boots. I didn't think of that, I think it would have been too dangerous anyway,

Originally Posted by Gavin

the noise of his wheel touching my boot sparked him into life.

Could have made him jump in fright and swerve in the wrong direction in the panic, you were lucky! This thread does remind me that I need to get a decent horn, 'cos when the engine gets too hot it doesn't even work at all. I use the exhaust to make a noise since I got a decent can.

Originally Posted by IndependentPhoto

At last I've got a pic to post of the standard meeper relocated away from the heat that makes it pack in on K5s and possibly other pointies. I can confirm that it's been meeping reliably since. Still got an upgrade in mind though.

Here it is.....

Takes about 5 minutes to do and a few inches of 2-core cable. STILL planning an upgrade at some point though, but much better to have a working meep now whilst waiting since it always packed up before when I needed it most.

Cheers,

Garry

[Blue Flame]

Here is a pic of where I mounted my Stebel Nautilus Compact. If you have fairing lowers it hides it well.

Ended up fitting it on the right side of the bike using the original horn bracket to fix it to the bottom radiator bolt.