Tip: Bungie cords, plastic bags and vibrating English motorcycles don't mix.
Years ago, going home westbound on the Long Island Expressway, rush hour traffic, from a long weekend out in the Hamptons. Bike at the time was a '74 Triumph Trident 750. Damp weather conditions, so I had my gear wrapped in plastic bags, bungie corded to the seat behind me. Now I'm in the left, fast lane, looking at the spinning lug nuts of the tractor trailers in the center lane. Now, if this was a curved part of the expressway, I probably wouldn't be here to tell. All of a sudden, my rear wheel locks up at 70 MPH. Pushing the clutch in does nothing. I start to panic, but manage to skid to a stop into the center shoulder next to the concrete barrier, with cars wizzing about. The eastbound traffic away from NYC wasn't bad, so I left the bike, hopped across and up an overpass where I found an NYPD cop. He came down with me, stopped traffic, and we both dragged the bike across the three lanes safely to the side.
Turns out a plastic bag wrapped sweatshirt wiggled it's way off it's bungie corded perch right into the spinning chain, ignoring the chain guard on it's way down to shred itself and lock the rear wheel.
These days, though not into the Goldwing mode of bike travel, I'm affluent enough to afford nylon tank and saddlebags:). But affluent isn't the word when it comes to steps you take to preserve your life!
Stephen
