Semi-truck recaps are a real danger during the hot summer months here in the Detroit area. I've seen them fly off many times and at any given time I-94 from Detroit to Ann Arbor can be littered with hundreds if not thousands of pieces of their tires. But the scariest incident I ever had was a little over 30 years ago on I-75 coming back from up north between Saginaw and Flint on my '73 Kaw H2 750 and saw a whole tire and wheel come off a semi in front of me. Watched it bounce twice then land no more than 10 feet to the right of me. Looked in my mirror and saw cars spinning and sliding all over the freeway and median. Too close for my taste.
Well, I suppose it's appropriate here, then, to tell this tale...
On my first-ever 'busa, the '02 grey/silver, I was passing a tractor/trailer when the tread peeled off and hit me, mid-air, at 80+ miles per hour traveling south in I-5; this was August 2003. I'll see if I can dig up some pix of that.
Busa went down on one side, and because of the plastic, never rolled even once. I slid on and rolled down the freeway for a very long distance. My helmet and jacket were so severely scraped and gashed that I know, even with no other damage to my body, I would probably have bled to death.
After I stopped skidding down the slab, I jumped up and ran off the freeway so as not to be run over...(the freeway is 16 lanes wide at that point. It was quite an experience.
My point?
Sometimes it's not even the crap that's laying in the road nor that which runs out in front of you...but that which is flying through the air...!!!
Again I say, it's a crap-shoot!
lease:
