Too close for comfort

Another busy few weeks in my little motorcycling world.

The XVZ1300 Venture is riding much better. It was unsteady in corners, after a quick and easy (yeah right!!) partial removal of the fairing, it seems the triple clamp pinch bolts on the right fork were loose! Nipped them up, shes more stable. Ill be popping the back wheel (the one with the new tyre on) back in to get the balancing and fitting checked, just to be sure.

The VTX1300 is coming along very nicely. The engine block and part of the crankcase cover is now black with chrome fins. The exhaust headers are also black. I’ve purchased new mufflers, unfortunately, they sent two different exhausts, so i’m waiting for that to be resolved. The only ‘major’ work left is sending the rear fender off for paint. I cant wait to ride her properly!

I’ve been riding cruiser/tourer style bikes for a while now. I don’t know if its just luck, but I’ve never had any one pull out on me from a junction on this type of bike.

Maybe its the noise some make (loud pipes save lives?) or the sheer presence on the road of others, but it had been a long time since i’d had the feeling of sheer terror as you grab the brake, praying you slow enough to swerve away or stop!

This has all changed recently with the Hayabusa. As the Venture and VTX have both been poorly, the Busa has been my mode of transport to work on the few sunny days we’ve had. ….. wow do people not see me!

Most have been easy to handle, with a shake of the head and a tap on the visor (obviously where my eyes are!).

The most recent one was one of the worst near misses I’ve ever had.

Travelling down a wide mostly straight country road, visibility was perfect. I was riding at 60mph, the national limit for this type of road.

I saw a car approach from a junction.. before I even had time to sway the bike (it moves the head light making you more visible) he carried on going and pulled out in front of me. The brakes were grabbed (progressively) hard…. the front end dipped, back brake applied…. the phenomenal stability of the big Suzuki keeping it planted despite the heavy braking… The one reason I didn’t hit him? He immediately moved to the right into a lane that turned in that direction for the next junction….

Time slows in these moments… the car moving away from in front of me and the avoidance of a collision… must have taken 2 or 3 seconds … it felt like a minute… I was still in this ‘hype aware’ state as I moved along side him … My head moved across and down to see him…. to my utter disbelief …. moving back into the lane I’m in! HE STILL HASN’T SEEN ME! …. As he heads toward me … I blip my throttle as I desperately try to avoid him … he’s now an inch from my leg… at the final moment he swings away from me.

This was a very scary moment… but in the midst of all this drama… I felt calm.. in control almost (though I definitely wasn’t!) the quick movements of the bike seemed to flow … like my ‘spidey senses’ had kicked in.

I rode the rest of the way home with out so much as a raised heart rate.

Unfortunately, for my amazing fiance, I think i suffered a bit of delayed shock, getting into a needless argument about housework (of all things!) when I got home. That’s when the realisation of what had happened kicked in.

Now, some, may think ‘well its a Hayabusa’ you are probably riding quicker, that’s why more people pull out on you’. Honestly, thats not the case. The Busa is wasted on me… I have my aforementioned (and suffering!) fiance and an amazing 6 year old at home, I never ride crazy (or too fast).

The next Busa ride will be on a Sunday morning, it’s no good to take to work with it’s limited storage anyway.

As I’ve not been pulled out on, on a loud bike… maybe its time to make the Hayabusa loud? After all, I do indeed believe loud pipes save lives.