- Joined
- May 4, 2005
- Location
- Orinda, CA
- Moto(s)
- A funky red & white Italian named Gianni Cervo! Versys - two of 'em! And a Ducati for laughs.
- BARF perks
- AMA #: 281672
Pinehurst is my favorite nearby road for playing. Lots to do. Good fun. 
It's a familiar story, it seems. Out for an little romp after work. Cruised up Wildcat, then up to Grizzly Peak and past the wall. Continued on Skyline, then down towards Canyon to ride Pinehurst towards Redwood. It was a beautiful evening, climbing up the hill out of the canyon towards where it gets fairly tight.
I ride goat trails a lot, and while Pinehurst is tight in places, it's no goat trail. It's got a centerline, and for the most part the pavement is passable. Still, it has a fair number of blind right handers, and one lesson I've learned from the goat trails is to assume that there can be something ugly coming around them. My habit is to set up to the right, and to hug the right all the way through the turn, even though it does not provide the best line of sight.
Climbing up the hill at a spirited pace, I flicked it into one of these blind rights. At about 1/3rd of the way through a red Miata with the top down and a young guy behind the wheel appears coming the other way with both of his inside wheels on my side of the yellow line.
First thought, "Shit!
"
Second thought, "Good thing I'm way over to the right."
About the time that second thought was forming, what should appear but a silver 350Z trying to pass the Miata on the inside! Oh fuck yes, this shithead is trying to go inside of a car that is already in my lane in a turn that was a blind left for both of them.
Aim for the gap - maybe a foot wide path of pavement - and roll on the throttle. Reflex. No contact.
To be clear, had I been cleanly in the center of my lane, it would have been a head-on collision. Had I late apexed by running out close to the yellow line before turning in to improve my view of the turn, it would likely have been a head-on collision. Had I been upright rather than leaned over, my bars would have contacted the car. It was close.
I've been riding motos more than 40 years, and I've had an M1 for nearly 33 years. Close calls are uncommon for me. I haven't had a true close call since a cager hit me in the maze a couple of years ago. This was fucking close.
What's next was stupid. I chased him and caught him in traffic. I tried to get him to pull over, but he appeared to ignore me, but then again, he was talking on the phone when I came up behind him. What would I have done if he'd pulled over? Probably gotten my butt kicked. Not smart. Neither was he. The dope was clearly running laps on Pinehurst. When I decided it was fruitless to mess with him, I headed into Moraga where I found a LEO doing speed enforcement, and notified him of my experience. To my pleasant surprise, after giving him the details, the LEO headed out to look for the cager. I doubt if he found him, but I sure appreciate the effort.
If you've read this far, what do you get out of this?
There, had to get that off my chest. /rant breathe yeah, yeah, yeah M4fuckingM.
Ride safe.
It's a familiar story, it seems. Out for an little romp after work. Cruised up Wildcat, then up to Grizzly Peak and past the wall. Continued on Skyline, then down towards Canyon to ride Pinehurst towards Redwood. It was a beautiful evening, climbing up the hill out of the canyon towards where it gets fairly tight.
I ride goat trails a lot, and while Pinehurst is tight in places, it's no goat trail. It's got a centerline, and for the most part the pavement is passable. Still, it has a fair number of blind right handers, and one lesson I've learned from the goat trails is to assume that there can be something ugly coming around them. My habit is to set up to the right, and to hug the right all the way through the turn, even though it does not provide the best line of sight.
Climbing up the hill at a spirited pace, I flicked it into one of these blind rights. At about 1/3rd of the way through a red Miata with the top down and a young guy behind the wheel appears coming the other way with both of his inside wheels on my side of the yellow line.
First thought, "Shit!
" Second thought, "Good thing I'm way over to the right."
About the time that second thought was forming, what should appear but a silver 350Z trying to pass the Miata on the inside! Oh fuck yes, this shithead is trying to go inside of a car that is already in my lane in a turn that was a blind left for both of them.
Aim for the gap - maybe a foot wide path of pavement - and roll on the throttle. Reflex. No contact.
To be clear, had I been cleanly in the center of my lane, it would have been a head-on collision. Had I late apexed by running out close to the yellow line before turning in to improve my view of the turn, it would likely have been a head-on collision. Had I been upright rather than leaned over, my bars would have contacted the car. It was close.
I've been riding motos more than 40 years, and I've had an M1 for nearly 33 years. Close calls are uncommon for me. I haven't had a true close call since a cager hit me in the maze a couple of years ago. This was fucking close.
What's next was stupid. I chased him and caught him in traffic. I tried to get him to pull over, but he appeared to ignore me, but then again, he was talking on the phone when I came up behind him. What would I have done if he'd pulled over? Probably gotten my butt kicked. Not smart. Neither was he. The dope was clearly running laps on Pinehurst. When I decided it was fruitless to mess with him, I headed into Moraga where I found a LEO doing speed enforcement, and notified him of my experience. To my pleasant surprise, after giving him the details, the LEO headed out to look for the cager. I doubt if he found him, but I sure appreciate the effort.
If you've read this far, what do you get out of this?
- Beware of a silver 350Z with the California plate "DIVINE Z". He nearly killed me. Don't let him kill you.
- On blind rights, expect the worst, including some stupid bubba in your lane. Choose your line and speed accordingly.
There, had to get that off my chest. /rant breathe yeah, yeah, yeah M4fuckingM.
Ride safe.
The only reason I caught the guy is because he was running laps, and he turned back around instead of going to Moraga or Canyon, then he got caught in traffic. On a clear road he was going faster than I was willing to go, even with a load of adrenalin. 
