I am usually pretty safe whenever I ride. I am more law-abiding than most riders that pass me during rush hour traffic (except for those bemmer riders, man those guys are always on the up and up). I used to ride a 95 ninja 250 which was really narrow and great for the rush hour rush, but I never got carried away. With that said I had an incident that I have no one to blame but myself. I was running late to meet a client and it was 6pm in downtown Manhattan, which means no one is able to move. I was riding like a real jerk, splitting lanes, riding between the curb and cars, weaving around cars at intersections, everything short of riding on the sidewalk.  Anyway I reached a bottleneck where a street is under construction, leading into the Holland tunnel (Houston into Varick for all you New Yorkers). I tried to squeeze between a concrete barrier and a tall NJ transit bus, big mistake. The monster couldn't make the gap, as I tried to back up, the bus unaware that I was there started to move pinning me between the barrier and the bus. Lucky traffic was down to a crawl and the bus didn't move that fast. Regardless, the wheel well caught my bar as the other end was pinned to the barrier. The bus bent my bar, broke my mirror, smashed my turn signal and I got smacked in the ribs (don't even recall how). Just as I was going to bail before getting my legs crush the bus made the turn and released me. My first instinct was to run after the bus driver and kill that idiot until I realized I was the idiot. Lucky I only suffered a little bruise on my ribs and minor damage to the bike. Plus I found out the client had canceled anyway  . On the positive side I saw Harvey Keitel and Robert Deniro sitting down having dinner when I got to my canceled meeting.
I guess this was a lesson from the motorcycle gods and I listened. From now on I leave the bike messenger riding to the bike messengers and I'm riding behind the guy in the bemmer!
Sorry for the rant but I had to get it off my chest.

Glad you're ok but man, you got lucky! 

Yeah..lucky!

I believe we saw a video awhile back showing what happens when bike vs. big-HEAVY vehicle!! 

That is a wicked, wicked intersection.  You're supremely lucky, and I believe you know that already.

Do NOT mess with the buses.  They will destroy you.  I take the bus home every night because it's basically door-to-door service, and every night I FULLY expect them to flatten one of those pedi-cabs / rickshaw things at least once a mile (in midtown, that is)

Wow, glad you survived!

 

Isn't it crazy how quickly our perspectives can get messed up.

I mean is getting anywhere on time worth dying for? And yet at the time it seems supremely important.  I've been guilty of that myself (although not so near death). 

Glad to hear you are ok, I'm sure you were shaken up after that...Wow.

Oh trust me I know just how lucky I am, I had to toss out the underwear I was wearing. Now my bike sits under it's cover until I fix it so that I don't have to lie to my wife  .
Like I said from now on I ride behind the guy in the R1200 GS, those guys never get into trouble; such a responsible bunch!

lesson learned cheap

props for owning up to it

yeah man... don't ever EVER try to lanesplit around those buses unless the other lane is filled with Smart cars..

Scary story with a fairly happy ending considering it could have been an obituary. Lesson learned on the cheap. Drive safe . I'm glad I don't have to ride anywhere near NYC.

One lucky person! Glad you're ok 

Sorry to hear. Glad you weren't badly hurt.  A little late now, but you are fly like speck in the mirror of a large bus or truck, or worse, in their blind spot.  If they do hit you, they don't even feel it.  Was that Tuesday?  I backed out and wet down Barrows.  It was either that or the sidewalk.

Quote from: DucDodgers on June 18, 2008, 04:52:27 PM
Oh trust me I know just how lucky I am, I had to toss out the underwear I was wearing. Now my bike sits under it's cover until I fix it so that I don't have to lie to my wife  .
Like I said from now on I ride behind the guy in the R1200 GS, those guys never get into trouble; such a responsible bunch!

.... Don't ride behind the K series guys ....... they tend to get crazy sometimes

Good on you for ownig up and the lesson learned is never ever cut between an large vehicle with poor vis and a concrete barrier that won't move anyway!

Damn.....Glad you made it out in one piece!! 

There are these "Plymouth + Brockton" commuter busses up here in Boston, and I always steer clear of them. They do 85 while weaving in traffic, constantly cutting people off, and all-around just drive like total a$$holes... It's been going on for as long as I can remember, so I don't even go near'em...

-Busses = Bad!!