I saw a tractor trailer rig rear tire blowout a few weeks ago in front of me. All I could think was "what if I was on my motorcycle next to it" when it blew up? It was like a grenade going off.
I don't like to be near tractor trailers while on my bike.
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
Yup, I avoid big rigs, as well as busses and motorhomes. I'll travel an extra 2 hours a day, on a trip, just to stay off 4 lane roads.
Originally Posted by willtill
I had that happen to me 20+years ago, I rode side saddle the rest of the way!
I think most of us has had one of those close calls, or even worse. I still remember one years ago on a lonely stretch of I-25 in southern Colorado. Back then we actually managed our forests and encouraged people to clear out dead timber in the fall. As I approached a truck towing a home made trailer heavily overloaded with firewood, I noticed the left wheel was wobbling. It appeared to be getting worse so I stayed back for a while to access the situation. I decided to make a quick pass, and as I did a few lug nuts were ejected, barely missing my bike. As I cleared the truck I saw the wheel fly across my lane in the rear view mirror. That was too close for comfort!
Of course, that could happen on any road. My most enjoyable rides have been on scenic, twisty 2 lane roads, like the Pacific Coast Highway or Beartooth Pass. But when I need to get somewhere fast it's hard to beat the Interstates out here in the west. Not only have 80 MPH speed limits become common, but they're safe with no intersections and no worry about approaching vehicles drifting into your lane.
If you look at miles traveled verses accidents I suspect the superslabs would be safest places you can ride, statistically speaking. As Dave says, fewer opportunities for cages to pull out in front of you or turn left in front of you. We have a lot of "scrappers" in this area and I've had scrape sheet metal, plywood, you name it come out of their pickups and into my part of the road as I approach to pass them and worse, as I meet them going the opposite direction. Always on highways and county roads though. They mostly seem to stay off the interstates around here. I've had bales of hay or straw fall from trucks and into my lane as I was leaned over in a curve and once a log chain dragging behind a truck swung across my lane in a curve like a skier behind a boat. I had to go right to the edge of the pavement while leaned over to avoid that one. Also once had a motorhome's tire we were meeting on a mountain road (Yellowstone area) explode and slightly injure my riding buds foot with a big chunk of the rubber that showered both of us.
My opinion is, if you ride long enough motorcycling will always be fatal. So will driving, working, chasing the ol lady or any other activity because life is always fatal. You will die, and you can't escape it. So you do your best to put it off as long as possible while still having fun.
Having seen it happen both ways too many times, I think I'd rather go out when I'm still having fun than long after the fun has ended.
Last edited by Frye; 04-10-2021 at 11:44 AM.
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.
And... moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.''
-- Barry Goldwater, Acceptance Speech at the Republican Convention; 1964
Many MANY years ago ( like...1976-77 approx).....
I had just purchased a brand new Triumph Trident. I'd had it probably 5 or 6 weeks at this point. I was westbound on I-70, just east of the Colo/Kan state line. It was one of those few days when there just wasn't a lot of traffic. Hardly ever see that any more...but back then it did happen from time to time.
I was tooling along about 65 or 70 having a great time. An 18-wheeler overtook me from behind, and as he passed me the driver waved. I waved back and thought nothing of it. After passing me, the driver changed lanes in front of me and we went probably 8 or 10 miles like that....him in front and me drafting behind. After that 8 miles or so...the truck changed lanes again back into the lefthand lane and reduced speed. Not drastically reduced, just enough that I slowly slid up abeam and was clearly going to end up in front eventually.
I could see the driver clearly in his right side mirror. You could tell that he saw me and was keeping track of where I was. As I came almost abeam of the hitch.....this clown changed lanes on top of me. Not easily...not slowly....it was rapid and clearly deliberate.
In order to avoid getting caught under the trailer (or worse....his wheels) I had no other choice but to dive into the ditch. The trucker kept going and, as best I could tell, didn't even slow down to check. Luckily, there was enough bike parts (and tents parts, and sleeping bag parts and etc) next to the road that when someone came along later they realized what happened and stopped to help.
It totaled my brand new Triumph and very nearly totaled me. Try veering off into a VERY deep ditch at 70 and you'll get the idea. I spent the summer and most of the fall recovering from my injuries.
SO......here we are, now almost 45 years later. To this day, I do NOT ride an interstate (or ANYTHING 'limited access', in town or out) if I can at all avoid it. I will if I HAVE to....but I'll bail to the US and State highways first chance I get. (besides....the scenery is much better there anyway. Superslabs are boring as hell).
On US and State highways, I'll go like a bat outa hell and won't think twice about it. But, on an interstate, I'll drive at a speed that ensures everyone else is going to pass me quickly and keep on going. Very rarely will you see me going over 60...usually I'm down around 55. I get needled about it a lot (and there are a few who refuse to even ride with me because of it)...but I don't really give a crap. Those guys didn't spend months wondering if they were going to be able to even walk again, much less ride.
I realise that all this is an adventure in paranoia...but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. I have issues over it all...and I always will. I have yet to not be able to go anywhere I wanted with out a slab. Just takes a little longer. Besides, as I said.....the scenery is more interesting anyway. Not to mention a lot less fast food and more REALLY great mom and pop diners.
....sT
Last edited by SimonTemplar; 04-10-2021 at 07:36 PM.
Journeyman ATCS, retired
U.S. DOT - Federal Aviation Administration -- 1982-2012
--- Valve Audio: Use a transistor, go to jail .....it's the LAW!! ---
Now days, with almost the entire population, glued to cell phones, is another reason that I avoid the interstate. Those long straight or slightly curved roads, make prime territory, for those idiots to whip out their phones and start texting, thinking that it's easy, on the big straight roads. I much prefer the crooked and hilly roads, that make it much more difficult for those dumbasses who text and drive, because they need to watch where they are going. Unfortunately, some still text even in the mountains.
But then there are the deer. Which seems that deer are much more prevalent now than in the past. Is it because they have been pushed out of their environments due to increase development by humans, or are they just breeding like crazy?
21 years Army (retired)
...been everywhere, seen everything, done almost everything.
IBA 80537
Here in Minnesota and Wisconsin the deer seem to be more prevalent than years prior. Your correct about urban creep. The other thing that has happened is over the years the available private hunting lane has decreased for mostly two reasons. One being air head hunters pissing of land owners and the second being city dwellers moving out into farming areas and not wanting Bambi’s killed. I live in a first ring suburb out of Minneapolis and one block over from a “nature” preserve, they call it a lake in reality it a swamp. About every 3 years they bring in professional sharp shooter bow hunters to thin out the deer population. Unfortunately as you move away from the cities to the second and third ring suburbs with larger home tracks mixed with farms and hobby farms it becomes difficult or impossible to hunt deer. For semi tire going bang, I was leading a small group to a rally on the interstate when I smelled burnt rubber. Up ahead was a semi pulling a belly dump trailer. We would have been catching it soon. As I started to slow the group, scanning the roadway I started to see smoldering rolling rubber. I backed us down more. When the left trailer tires exploded we could clearly hear the tires slapping the fenders and covering the interstate with chunks of tire. The gal that was directly behind quizzed me at the next stop on how I knew that was going to happen. Told her when you see a big rig to start sniffing and listening. If you can smell burnt rubber something bad is starting to happen. If you hear thumping it’s about to happen. She was a brand new rider and said she would have road right on to pass the semi. She thank me for the lesson in survival.
Last edited by Sorcerer; 04-11-2021 at 07:39 AM.
I live less than 3 hours from that stretch of I-70 and ride through there now and then. It's a pretty lonely stretch of road, and even today you never see anything close to heavy traffic in places like that. The screenshot below is from a Kansas traffic cam near the Colorado line just a few minutes ago. Even though stretches of road like this don't have much scenery, the isolation can make for an enjoyable ride.
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