FJR probably saved my life

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bowtie_brain

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I was on my way to work this morning, 6:30 am, when a car pulled out in front of me from my right. He watched a car passing across from his right and didn't look to his left before pulling out. I was doing about 45-50 mph and had maybe 40 yards to take action. He pulled out, then saw me and stopped cold, blocking the entire lane. Since I didn't trust him to stay put, I kept braking hard until I slowed enough to veer toward the rear of the car. The tires were chirping as the ABS did its thing across the paint of the stop bar. When I stopped, I was parallel with the car, pointing in the opposite direction and could reach out and touch the glass of the back door. He sped away after realizing no contact took place. I wasn't sure it would be a non-contact event until I came to a full stop.

I made the switch from a Vstar 650 cruiser a month ago. Had I been on that bike, I would have tattooed the side of his car, no question about it. It just couldn't stop as quickly as the FJR1300A.

 
glad you are Aok and that you are happy with your choice of bikes to switch to

 
Glad it was a semi-non-event. Breathe a few times and call someone you love.

 
Fortunately most high performance machines come with high performance brakes as well. Most of the time 45MPH doesn't really require it, but wasn't it nice to have them?

 
It NEVER ceases to amaze me that when they DO finally see you, the usual reaction is to stop dead instead of accelerating to get out of your way. Glad you survived.

 
It NEVER ceases to amaze me that when they DO finally see you, the usual reaction is to stop dead instead of accelerating to get out of your way....
Forest rats seem to have the same reaction...
omg2.gif


 
Back to the old mantra. Be prepared for the worst, expect the unexpected, always drive with an "out". In any sort of emergency, look where you want to go, even if you think it's beyond the capabilities of the bike. Practise sudden braking; squeezing rather than grabbing will earn you a few feet of stopping distance. If your ABS kicks in, you are already beyond your best deceleration. I try to use the ABS as a measure of how close to the limit I am, rather than rely on it totally (though that has inevitably happened).

It's predictable that 99% of car drivers [edit] that have any reaction [/edit] will brake in any sort of emergency. It's a built-in, taught-from-the-start, reaction. Even in the back of a thinking driver's mind, explaining afterwards to an official (police or court) either "I accelerated to get out of the way, but I wasn't quick enough" or "I braked as hard as I could, but he still ran into me". Which sounds most likely to achieve leniency?

(And, what good would a normal car's "acceleration" do for you anyway?)


 
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While I don't ride an FJR, one of the reason I ride what I do is because it's safer than a road king. I ride a lot of miles, and not a week goes by without a car-induced close call. Nimble bike, linked brakes, and ABS are a must.

 
40 yards is a pretty good distance. Curious as to how much of the front brake you used? Did you get on them right away? If so how much force did you apply?

Dave

 
40 yards is a pretty good distance. Curious as to how much of the front brake you used? Did you get on them right away? If so how much force did you apply?
Dave
At 50 mph, 40 yards is only 1.6 seconds. With the time to recognize that there is a problem, the required reaction time and the need to come to a complete stop, I imagine that it could be a butt-clenching moment. Much different if you are approaching a stationary object than reacting to a sudden slowdown of traffic in front of you. Still, it is easily within the capability of the FJR's brakes; especially if front and rear are applied optimally.

 
Glad to hear you dodged the bullet. ABS has saved me once already on the FJR and once on the Wing, wouldn't want to be without it. Hope you never need to use it again.

 
With absolutely no doubt, this will be the LAST motorcycle I ever own without ABS. I know that I'm on borrowed time, and just pray that the motorcycle gods will appease me until my next purchase.

On a related matter, I was not surprised when the OP noted that "... He sped away after noticing no contact...". Although common courtesy would dictate that when a person is relieved of a lifetime of guilt associated with the fact that he/she just killed, disfigured, or at a minimum seriously injured another person solely by his/her inattentive stupidity and/or willingness to put the g-dam cellphone, French fries, lipstick, or whatever down while sitting behind the wheel of his/her killing machine.......

(Sigh)

... , I suppose these days a little common courtesy is just too much to ask.

Sorry - this shit just pisses me off sometimes.

 
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40 yards is a pretty good distance. Curious as to how much of the front brake you used? Did you get on them right away? If so how much force did you apply?
Dave
DAMIFINO! Instinct from several years of riding in the woods on trail bikes, and having had the exact same thing happen a few years ago when I was in a car that had no ABS. I held it straight and upright until veering was no longer an option.

There are 4 alternatives to evaluate in this situation:

1. Break left to the oncoming lane and take the chance he lets off the brakes, assuming there is no oncoming traffic. People can be as unpredictable as a deer in these situations.

2. Break right and go behind him (Odds are better for a miss; no time for the driver to put it in reverse)

3. Hit the front fender (get thrown over the hood)

4. Hit the driver's door (make an impression and take him with me).

Option #1 evaporated as I got closer. The braking was going better than expected, so I took Option 2 as soon as I thought I could turn without laying it down or high-siding.

 
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