That certainly woke me up.

[earlfor]

I was headed home after a ride this afternoon and decided to take the quick way back, on the expressway. Traffic was heavy and moving along at 80-85 mph. The highway was six lanes, three north, three south and I was in the center lane southbound with a car almost along side on each side and one in front of me. In front of the car leading me was a semi flatbed hauling lumber. Apparently, a hold down strap on a pallet of 4"x4"x 8' fence posts had broken and I did not see that. The first indication I had that something was wrong was when about a dozen big, honking posts, rolled off the left side of the truck, landed on their ends and starting bouncing through traffic like pogo sticks. It was a madhouse between dodging cars that were dodging posts and dodging bouncing and spinning posts. For about ten seconds, I was busier than a hound dog at a flea festival. heh A couple of cars behind me were hit, some by posts, others hit each other. No wrecks, that I could tell, but a lot of messed up fenders, etc. Funny thing was, no one slowed down. It all happened with everyone still moving at 80-85 mph.

Note to self. From now on, do a quick check of tie downs when approaching or following a loaded flatbed.

Observation to self. This is the fourth time the Bandit has been able to save my butt. I owe her a few treats,....again.

Conclusion. I sure don't want to do that again.

[tkent02]

Congrats on being lucky enough to survive when you are unlucky.

[sk843143]

Situational awareness...... Make shure u have an out at all times.
From ur description it sounds like you were nearly boxed in.......just some advice not tryn to point fingers or start trouble

[Flyboy]

In this case it sounds like Earl didn't have much option of an "out", you cannot plan for lumber bouncing randomly across the freeway, you have no way of knowing where it is going to go after the first bounce.
Not so sure about the Bandit, but I recon your guardian angel could do with some time off. Glad you are ok and in one piece.
I don't trust loads on the back of trucks at all, and try and get ahead of them as fast as I can.

[MisterCinders]

Um, probably helped being boxed in, so the cagers could run interference on those fence posts.

Did you have that SpyHunter/Peter Gunn theme in your head when it happened? The play-by-play sounds like a Michael Bay film.

Glad you are alive and well.

[Billy Ricks]

A few weeks ago I was riding and about to overtake a truck pulling a flatbed trailer when one of the tires blew out on the trailer. I had to dodge the tore shreds as they came off. Just before or after that a truck with landscaping equipment lost a wheelbarrow and a couple of shovels on an off ramp I was on. I got on the brakes and waited for things to decide which direction they were heading before I went through that mess. Nothing compared to your situation Earl but it got my attention.

[earlfor]

In this case it sounds like Earl didn't have much option of an "out", you cannot plan for lumber bouncing randomly across the freeway, you have no way of knowing where it is going to go after the first bounce.
Not so sure about the Bandit, but I recon your guardian angel could do with some time off. Glad you are ok and in one piece.
I don't trust loads on the back of trucks at all, and try and get ahead of them as fast as I can.

I try to avoid following large trucks, but in this case, the best I could do was follow with a "blocker" cage in front of me and keep as much distance as I could, but not so much that another car would take the space. It was enough, just barely, but misses don't count. If I had been in the left lane and passing the truck, I would have had a real problem.

[earlfor]

Situational awareness...... Make shure u have an out at all times.
From ur description it sounds like you were nearly boxed in.......just some advice not tryn to point fingers or start trouble

When traffic is heavy and outs are scarce, one option is to use the traffic as a defense line. Sometimes, thats all you have to work with.

No "trouble". heheh

[earlfor]

Congrats on being lucky enough to survive when you are unlucky.

I tell ya Tom, sometimes it just plainly sucks being me. LOL

[earlfor]

A few weeks ago I was riding and about to overtake a truck pulling a flatbed trailer when one of the tires blew out on the trailer. I had to dodge the tore shreds as they came off. Just before or after that a truck with landscaping equipment lost a wheelbarrow and a couple of shovels on an off ramp I was on. I got on the brakes and waited for things to decide which direction they were heading before I went through that mess. Nothing compared to your situation Earl but it got my attention.

OH, that would get my undivided attention real quick! I'm glad you kept your wits about you and wiggled free, untouched. This motorcycling stuff can sometimes be just too much fun. LOL

[cowboyup3371]

Congratulations on making it another day and the skillful riding.

[earlfor]

Congratulations on making it another day and the skillful riding.

Have you noticed its always boredom or terror and nothing in between?
I don't believe its me so much as how good a bike the B12 is.

[Flyboy]

Earl, I always thought that was the definition of flying, hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of stark terror.

[sedelen]

You're one lucky guy, you cheated the devil again alright. Buzzards, dancing fence posts, a guy cutting you off, or was that a woman. What next?
I had two occaisions where I dodged debris off trucks. One was a recap off a semi I was behind, fairly far behind. I saw it go up high, and as I was watching it I was trying to determine where it would touch down. It hit about 10 feet to my left, it would've hit me had I not moved over closer to the shoulder.
The second time I was behind a pick-up truck with a jon boat in the bed.
It wasn't strapped down, it blew out and started sliding down the road in front of me, I just went around it, no big deal really. It's the stuff laying on the road that bothers me.

[earlfor]

Earl, I always thought that was the definition of flying, hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of stark terror.

Fortunately, when I was flying, I only had one time that was seriously in the fan with an engine failure just after lift off and only enough power to fly in ground effect. I had to fly at grass height, around bushes and picked up a lot of debris in the gear before getting things sorted out. The other , gotta get it perfect the first try, was a dead stick into a small pasture with tall trees at each end. That was the only landing approach I ever made with the plane in a max slip and going sideways all the way to the ground on a short final. LOL