Up in the Sky

© Ken Bingenheimer

It's not in the sky, but it's still a surprise.

Let’s make it clear right up front that when you’re out on your motorcycle, you get hit by stuff. You get hit by stuff when you’re in your car, too, but most of it you’re not aware of, except the bugs that get smeared across your windshield. Bikes with fairings catch a lot on their windshields that would otherwise hit the rider, but much of it still gets by. And of course, many bikes don’t have fairings. Those riders get it the most.

Usually, the “stuff” is either flying insects or bits of sand or dirt thrown up by other vehicles. Perversely, the aerodynamics of the bike seem to channel these objects right to the middle of the bike, which means you get hit in the face way out of proportion to the number of times you get hit. And of those strikes to the face, an amazing number of them get you right on the tip of your nose, your chin, or the middle of your forehead.

Argue as you may about the necessity of wearing a helmet, one thing I would never ride without is eye protection, and all this flying debris is why. It’s not a matter of if this stuff is going to hit you, it’s a matter of how many times it will happen today.

Odder Flying Objects

That’s all pretty standard and no one thinks much of it. When it comes time for telling stories, though, it’s the really weird stuff you hear about. Let me tell you some of what I’ve seen.

The OFMC had pulled out of Laughlin, NV, on our way to Mesquite one day and we were heading up U.S. 95 toward Lake Mead. It was a four-lane road, moving fast, and I was in the lead. I was coming up on a truck and thinking about pulling around and past him when one of his tires exploded.

There was a huge bang and then the air was filled with chunks of rubber big and small. I hit my brakes and ducked down behind the fairing for protection, swerving to avoid the bigger pieces. No injuries but you bet my heart was pounding. The other guys were far enough behind that they only had to avoid the rubber lying on the road.

Another time Bill and I were coming down from Rabbit Ears Pass on U.S. 40 and rolled into Kremmling. We stopped for gas and Bill wanted some assistance with a hitchhiker he picked up. Turns out a bird had flown right in front of his bike and then vanished. When he got the chance to check it the bird was still there, right at the hinge on his kickstand.

The bird was dead, of course, but it wasn’t easily dislodged. With the kickstand deployed so Bill could get off the bike, the metal pinched it and held it fast. I had to hold the bike up, with the kickstand up, while Bill pried the thing loose.

Oddest of All

Easily the oddest thing I’ve see though occurred one day as John and I were headed to Bill’s to set off on our annual OFMC trip. We were cruising past a golf course when a golfer sliced his drive over the fence and trees right into the street we were on. John was ahead of me and I saw the ball coming. I watched as it hit the exact spot on the street where John’s rear tire was at that instant, ricocheting off the street and the tire and bouncing right back over the trees into the fairway.

John wasn’t even aware it had happened but it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.

So y’all be careful out there. You never know when it’s gonna get weird.