The Official Spring '08 HC "Close Calls" thread

[Duc L'Smart]

One small rock in the road, Sunday morning (?), front & back tires break loose, I'm off the pegs, on the seat.... Whew!

Monday morning, 1 larger rock on a TIGHT left hander... Rear tire popped WAAAAY up. Adrenalin kicks in... 

2 on Monday- I came around a very tight right-hander on the way back from Leakey, only to find a nice sandy patch for my back tire to slide on. No Bueno!!!


All-in-all an excellent trip! No downs, & only 2 mechanicals (Clutchless George, & the PP9000)

[bryant8]

You forgot rear brake caliper Ron

[DesmoLu]

I think we are all pretty aware of my close call of the trip: First turn of the entire trip (and first experience with any elevation change whatsoever) and my bike just shuts off halfway up the hill with everybody behind me = very shaky desmolu for rest of the evening ride.
stalling half way up a hill is extra not fun when you can't even flat foot your bike!

[Duc L'Smart]

I think we are all pretty aware of my close call of the trip: First turn of the entire trip (and first experience with any elevation change whatsoever) and my bike just shuts off halfway up the hill with everybody behind me = very shaky desmolu for rest of the evening ride.
stalling half way up a hill is extra not fun when you can't even flat foot your bike!

Oh, wasn't aware of that. I think that was Eagles Pass? Good on ya for saving it! I think the more little experiences you have like that, the better rider you become 

[Duc L'Smart]

Oh yeah, RonR's rear brakectomy...

Almost forgot the doe & fawn that strolled across the road in front of me yesterday morning. FRONT BRAKE, DOWN SHIFT, HORNBLARING!!!!
It seemed to have surprised Svoloch even more, as I see a Xerox Copy zoom by me on the right 

[hiero]

definitely had one oh sh!t moment on 337 right in the heart of the twisties, wasn't paying attention and went in a little hot, went wide, saw the edge of the road with gravel and debris and pushing hard on the handlebar and just praying I didn't hit the edge... whew...

then the dead squirrel in the road a couple of turns later... 

[Duc L'Smart]

We lost the left rear strap on Rich's bike on the ride home, but made it OK 

[El Matador]

when we got to Houston, after more than 4 hours on the highway, a mile away from the dropoff point can you guess what happened?

Yup, one of the tiedowns failed and dropped Hiero's bike onto it's side.. Thankfully, it fell onto the trailer itself and no mayor damage ocurred...

but still 

[bryant8]

Yeesh!!  You guys should have fabbed up some wheel chocks like my truck 

[El Matador]

Yeesh!!  You guys should have fabbed up some wheel chocks like my truck 

Aye, those are def going on for the next trip... Wheel chocks are a must

[Duc L'Smart]

one of the tiedowns failed and dropped Hiero's bike onto it's side.. Thankfully, it fell onto the trailer itself and no major damage ocurred...

CrappityCrapCrapCrap

There had to have been some damage 
That just ain't right.

[El Matador]

CrappityCrapCrapCrap

There had to have been some damage 
That just ain't right.

I think the jb weld around one of the exhaust pipes got loose, but I believe that was all...

[♣ McKraut ♣]

Yeesh!!  You guys should have fabbed up some wheel chocks like my truck 

maybe we just all need to get baxleys.

i had a couple nice oh shit moments...i committed the cardinal offense once on the three sisters, on a sharp uphill right turn, and blew the yellow lines...i said a quick prayer to any deity out there that was listening and just pushed hard to get it back in the other lane, right before a hard left-hander.

and +1 to Lou's eagle's pass moment...though mine was on the downhill side the first time through with will and patrick (i'm bad with screen names now, weirdly enough).  it was that off-camber left hairpin that was followed by the right hairpin.  man...i've never screamed at myself more in my life...i was yelling "LEAN" at the top of my mental lungs.

that cattle guard crap right in the apex of a turn i was taking at a good speed got me puckering...

and i think the thick section of the gravel road was pretty much filled with some oh shit moments.

and i almost popped a squirrel that decided to sprint accross the road.

all in all, i have to hand it to the SS for putting up with my learning/leaning curve...it never once complained and i couldn't have been happier with it's ability to bring both of us home safely.   

[Duc L'Smart]

I think there's an R.E.M. song comparing a woman to "3 miles of bad road".

Damn, that's low...

[hiero]

found damage on the bottom of the right side case cover yesterday as I was cleaning the bike.  scraped down to the bare metal, but only about a 1" section. 

and just for the record, it's not JB weld around the exhaust, just some liquid gasket, don't want people to think I'm crazy like that