Been riding for 50 years and this is the first time something like this happened to me.
Pulled up to a busy two lane road and my entrance from the stop sign was a steep up hill bank. A pickup truck passed me and unknown to me a aluminum storage shelf assembly fell out of the pickup truck and was laying across my lane.
As I turned onto the main road, I noticed the pickup truck pulling over to the berm but there wasn't room for him to get completely off the road.
As I started accelerating I was watching the truck in case he swerved back into the road and had not spotted me because I could see his head was turned.
All of a sudden I realize this thing is laying across my lane and I can't stop in time.
The truck is on my right and there is on coming traffic coming at me on my left.
The shelves were dark gray so they blended into the road for me ..
I hit it between the shelves and smashed it up pretty good.
As it folded up it brushed the lower fairing on both sides and the left side flipped up and smacked my toe pretty good.
Got stopped safely and pulled over and checked everything.
The gray paint that rubbed onto the fairing came right off, you can't even tell it was hit.
The pickup truck driver apologized several times.
I told him not to worry about it, he goofed up but lost his shelves and I should have seen them, but didn't and I didn't get hurt and no damage to the bike.
My toe hurt for about a day but I could move it around fine and the pain is gone now. I am just glad a jagged piece of metal didn't tear into my foot.
All this happened from takeoff to the incident in just a few seconds.
I am buying some hard toe boots in the next week or so...!!!
Pulled up to a busy two lane road and my entrance from the stop sign was a steep up hill bank. A pickup truck passed me and unknown to me a aluminum storage shelf assembly fell out of the pickup truck and was laying across my lane.
As I turned onto the main road, I noticed the pickup truck pulling over to the berm but there wasn't room for him to get completely off the road.
As I started accelerating I was watching the truck in case he swerved back into the road and had not spotted me because I could see his head was turned.
All of a sudden I realize this thing is laying across my lane and I can't stop in time.
The truck is on my right and there is on coming traffic coming at me on my left.
The shelves were dark gray so they blended into the road for me ..
I hit it between the shelves and smashed it up pretty good.
As it folded up it brushed the lower fairing on both sides and the left side flipped up and smacked my toe pretty good.
Got stopped safely and pulled over and checked everything.
The gray paint that rubbed onto the fairing came right off, you can't even tell it was hit.
The pickup truck driver apologized several times.
I told him not to worry about it, he goofed up but lost his shelves and I should have seen them, but didn't and I didn't get hurt and no damage to the bike.
My toe hurt for about a day but I could move it around fine and the pain is gone now. I am just glad a jagged piece of metal didn't tear into my foot.
All this happened from takeoff to the incident in just a few seconds.
I am buying some hard toe boots in the next week or so...!!!
