[LovelyNancy]

i had a little wake up call yesterday that I should have been better prepared for.

Coming back from a ride, I took a corner into a residential street in my neighborhood.
It seems that the closer to home I get, the less vigilant I become.

I was going less than 20mph, leaned into the corner and hit a patch of something that can best be described as tree droppings. Little berry seed type of things.
A whole bunch of them.

Well, I instantly lost traction on the front tire :surprise:, straightened it up and gently braked into the curb.
Not elegant, but I didn't go down, so I count it as a win.

That sure got my attention.
Be careful out there this time of year.
They don't call it Fall for nothing.

 

[Tobacco Road]

i had a little wake up call yesterday that I should have been better prepared for.

Coming back from a ride, I took a corner into a residential street in my neighborhood.
It seems that the closer to home I get, the less vigilant I become.

I was going less than 20mph, leaned into the corner and hit a patch of something that can best be described as tree droppings. Little berry seed type of things.
A whole bunch of them.

Well, I instantly lost traction on the front tire :surprise:, straightened it up and gently braked into the curb.
Not elegant, but I didn't go down, so I count it as a win.

That sure got my attention.
Be careful out there this time of year.
They don't call it Fall for nothing.

You are absolutely right about that LN. Those things can sneak up and catch you unaware. Around here there are plenty of leaves on the roadway and with rain they become even more slippery.

It's also the rutting season for deer so riding at dusk on back country roads is not a good idea this time of year. That may not be a problem for you in LA but no matter, we need to always be vigilant.

So true, "they don't call it fall for nothing."

 

[Offcenter]

Funny you should mention it......
I hit a mess of wet leaves when turning into my driveway a couple of days ago.
I felt the bike slip a bit, but like you, I saved it.
I just have to remind myself to be more careful 'til all the damned leaves are gone.

 

[Retired Guy]

My daughter hit a deer this morning in the Toyota. Bumper, right headlight assembly, right front fender damage. $2,898 and change to fix. (And the deer ran away!)

Couple places on the road out front have "tree droppings". The walnuts are falling, cars run over the walnuts, crushing the hulls and making brown greasy looking places on the asphalt. Sometimes the walnuts themselves are still on the road.

 

[SteveCB500F]

Glad you didn't lose your front tire Nancy. Last weekend I was coming up to the top of a very steep hill and I lost my balance a little bit so instead of planting my left foot first I planted my right foot...directly on top of a dry leaf that I didn't see! Talk about a second of sheer terror. It was like stepping on ice. This particular hill is so steep that if you simply laid your bike down on its side it would probably slide backwards all on its own.

Somehow I managed to keep the bike upright and travel on but it reminded me that it's not just wet leaves we have to be on guard for...it's dry leaves, too. And acorns, walnuts, flattened pieces of cardboard, smashed soda cans...the list goes on.

 

[hogcowboy]

I had a buck run in front of me coming back home yesterday on the freeway. At 75+mph I was still able to miss him but I know the front brake works. I saw him(or something) out of the corner of my eye on the left but instead of staying there he went ahead and started across. Missed him with plenty to spare but if I hadn't caught that movement on the left and started to get off the throttle and hit the brake it would have been different. That's the instinct you need as a rider knowing if something can happen it darn sure might.

 

[Spider_Rider]

Many times little things can hurt you more...

 

[Porky]

There are lots of hazards out there, especially for Motorcyclist!:surprise:

Within 1/4 mile from my Home on the Rural road in front, there is a dead Cat, Raccoon (not me) and an Opossum that I ran over with my F150 on the way home from Sunday nights Church service.:crying:

What is just a perceived little bump in an F150 is very different on a bike.lain:

I have ran over Squirrel's and they just make a crunch sound and not much bike feedback.:sad:

Wet and dry leaves, sand and gravel, tar snakes, white painted road surfaces, RR tracks, oil and antifreeze and other things that litter the road are everyday dangers for we riders.:surprise:

In 1976, in Tijuana, Mexico, my wife and I were on my Honda CB750, in traffic, rolling at about 20 mph, when all of a sudden I see a BIG, dead German Shepard, right in front of me so I stood up (dirt and desert rider) and my wife did the same and we felt a 'Squish' and a big bump and it was over:crying::crying::crying:

I have just barely missed lots of Deer running in front of me and many HUGE Turkey Buzzards and wild Turkeys! I don't even ride after dark anymore because we must have millions of Deer, contemplating suicide by Motorcycle.:surprise::surprise::surprise:

Now, enjoy your ride today:kiss:

Sam:nerd:

 

[Bobby O'Neil]

Yeahh. You should check out my car roof and hood. Looks like I drove through a major hair storm. Sucks.
I live in Georgia and it is hell in the fall with leaves and acorns on the ground.

 

[vito]

I think that in general we all tend to be less vigilant when getting close to home at the end of the ride. The surroundings are so familiar, and we might be a bit tired and already thinking about what we are doing after ending the ride, etc. Many years ago I had a neighbor who had mowed his front lawn and lots of grass clippings ended up in my driveway. As I turned in my front wheel slid out from under me. Did a bit of damage to my Concours and a bit more damage to me. I had just finished an all day ride of about 250 miles and was about 75 feet from my garage when it happened.