Bike delivery close call

[jknappsax]

I just sold my GS 750 to a friend of mine, and he drove home by cage to take the old spoked wheels, etc. home. I rode it to his house, and about 5 blocks away, some idiot in a pickup runs a red light as I'm in the intersection. I managed to stop before I got into his path, and tell him what a cellphone-talking idiot he was. I've had the bike 28 years, and only sold it (with a heavy heart, and to a good friend who appreciates what it is) because I don't have room for more than one streetbike, had to make room for the new GS 1000 I bought and am working on now. But it would have been a drag to wreck the bike I had just sold and transferred title to, minutes before it got to its new home. And me scheduled for kidney surgery 2 days later, it would have ruined a whole bunch of people's day! Any of you out there, try to avoid riding in South Philly. NO FUN!

[seuadr]

wow talk about luck! good thing you stayed sharp and avoided another idiot ( and with so many to avoid.. )

[p_s]

Whew. Good thing you were paying attention. Blind intersections with traffic lights always put me on edge. I wish they'd go after red light runners rather than people going 5 over in the middle of nowhere.

[tkent02]

Whew. Good thing you were paying attention. Blind intersections with traffic lights always put me on edge. I wish they'd go after red light runners rather than people going 5 over in the middle of nowhere.

No revenue in it.

[greg78gs750]

No revenue in it.

true. just read an article about cities taking down intersection red light cameras because they are making drivers "too safe" and they arent making enough money off of them anymore. to protect and to serve. yuh huh.

[spyug]

Glad to hear of the non crash. That would really have sucked big time and likely have screwed up your surgery.

On that subject, I'm thinking good thoughts for you and wishing you a speedy recovery so you can get on that new project.

Best of luck.
Spyug.

[duaneage]

Philly is a nice place to visit but hell on a bike. I've gone through the city a bit and I don't trust the intersections, too many uninsured, drunk, idiot drivers.

[jknappsax]

Thanks for the good wishes!

Surgery went about as well as could be hoped for. I work for the local PBS affiliate, and a few years ago we were making a feature-length film, and we would rent off-duty officers (AND their official police vehicles) to run interferencel, provide security in some BAD neighborhoods we were shooting in overnight, and generally provide support. They put up barricades to block off a block where had a large scene to shoot, and at about 3 AM a guy on a Kawi sportbike wove his way around the barricades, accelerated up to about 60 MPH, and did a wheelie through our set. They gave pursuit; don't know if they caught him. But one of the officers told me that if he pulls somebody over, if they have a valid registration, license, inspection, and insurance, he lets them off with a warning. 60% of the drivers in Philly don't have insurance, a lot don't have a driver's license, in fact are totally illegal. He said that they were taking down traffic lights and replacing them with 4-way stops, because when the light turns yellow, people speed up, but at stop signs, they usually slow down (I didn't say STOP!).

[Ghostgs1]

Glad the surgery went well and that you weren't killed before going under the knife. Don't forget to show us some picks of the new ride, when you are up to it. Ray

[PAULYBOY]

Glad the surgery went well and that you weren't killed before going under the knife. Don't forget to show us some picks of the new ride, when you are up to it. Ray

Hey! Howzabout pix of the new kidney! Get well soon. As soon as you can, ride it like you rented it!

[egent]

I would have to agree, riding the streets of Philly are not fun, but the Schuylkill expressway is much worse. I go from center city to rt 422 almost every day, and I am riding as the weather starts warming up. It is not nicknamed the surekill for nothing.