Missed the club by a hair

[oldBolt]

Well last night while ridding home I thought I might just get into the "I have crashed" club.  I was traveling west on Plumb near the street to turn off to my home at about 8:30pm, just where the it goes to two lanes, very dark, when I thought I saw some dark object moving in my lane of travel heading directly towards me.  I couldn't tell what this blob thing was or even if it was anything at all, then I start to make out four white dots moving erratically in front of me.  There the eyes of two dogs (medium build Labrador type animals) it's all too late now, breaks on, down shifting no where to drive out from impact is definite .  There running and I am going about 40 mph,  I weight the right peg attempting to swerve to miss the first closest dog, missed him, breaks off attempting to do the same thing left to miss the second dog, no luck, I drove over its back end.  Front is falling and steers left as it moves over its fur.  At this point I am thinking how best to crash (fall).  I am very loose on the bars almost to the point of letting go and beginning to trying to brace myself for the fall when bang the front sticks as it begins to move from the dog to the pavement.   The rear end made some violent maneuver but like a caster the bike came back into line and I safely stopped.  I tried to locate the dogs to see if I injured the one but it and the other dog ran behind the homes in the neighborhood.  During all of it there was no panic on my part, I just methodically attempted to pilot myself to safety.  I do believe I owe going to the track with the SSA as maybe the single biggest factor in pulling off hitting a medium size dog and being able to come to a safe controlled stop.  And luck too.

[n10sive]

nice job on the save!

I know how you feel...your story after the hit sounds just like mine when I got tagged by a car last month

[Team Gorgonzola]

Great save, trackdays are the key to better understand your bike and how it behave.

[cobra23]

A BIG +1 on that..

The track teaches you so much more and so much faster...

It's like the labioritor....

I did not get on the track this year due to a gig in Washington.

[GreenMachine]

I know what you're talking about Oldbolt.  When it comes time, reaction sets in and you just enjoy the ride, then wonder what the hell happened and how you managed to do what you just did. 

[youngster775]

good job on the maneuvers! glad you and the bike are OK. 

[sparkygixxer]

did you ever think on the way home or at home and shake your head,  Really?  Did that just really happen, holy crap?      I would have

[A DRAGON]

Wow just read this.  Oldbolt.  Excellent job.   So happy to see you can keep a cool head and control to.  I was cheering when I got to the end.   Saying SSA saved this one. 

I had a friend tell me if your ever going to hit a dog of any size it might be better to drop a gear and gas it.  So you can unload the front end.   It's just a thought.  Haven't been proven yet.     Try it and let us know how it works out?

So very happy your OK.  Good Job.  Your another step closer to becoming a good rider.

[Alumitanium]

what's interesting is the time and detail of the events when it took less than a second to fully occur. Shows the amount of mental focus us motorcycle riders must posses. Ask a car driver what happened in their accident or near miss, and they'll say: "i don't know"

[n10sive]

When I was hit by the car last month, I described to people what went through my head the whole time and the most common response was "How did you have time to make all those decisions in such a short time?" In what was only a second in real time, went down like about 30 seconds in my head. I attribute that to riding track days and having a different mental focus than when I drive my car.

[edmunsan]

My question after close calls is was the reaction agressive or defensive? I have found both on most cases. Defensive divertion, with an agressive middle finger As for animals they get finger also Just kidding I dont flip anybody off, especially on a bike. Good job Old Bolt!

[A DRAGON]

Ed.  That's something I've never though of.   

My question after close calls is was the reaction aggressive or defensive?

I never really really thought of it being aggressive.  But your right.  I guess it goes with command of your machine.  I like it