I had a real eye opener yesterday

[Wingmaster]

Yesterday I was out on a motorcycle ride. I was litterally in the middle of nowhere when I noticed my rear tire was flat.
I did have cel phone service so I got ahold of my son in law and he was on his way to rescue me. but I was there for about two and a half hours.

This was in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. A car came by about every 5 or 10 minutes whitch is a long time compared to most places.

About a half hour into my wait a car went by and kept going over the next hill a couple miles down the road. about 5 minutes later that car came over the hill coming back.

As the car got closer I noticed they had a license plate from an eastern state and the two guys in the car were really sketchey looking. I had a really bad feeling.

I am the guy that ALWAYS carries. Always. Yesterday was in the high 90's and I think the high was 101 degrees. When I am riding the wind blows my shirt up exposing my gun in a IWB holster and it was hot and any other excuse I had to not carry yesterday. Anyway I wasn't carrying.

These two guys asked if I needed help and said something about having an air compressor and started to get out of their car. I told them I had help on the way and didn't need their help but they kept getting out of their car.

About that time a guy and lady rode up on a motorcycle and stopped and asked if I needed help. The two guys got back in their car and left.

I know in my mind that those guys were up to something. I was a long way from nowhere and very volunerable. All I had to protect myself was a pocket knife. I think at very least they planned on robbing me and taking my wallet. Who knows what else they had planned.

The moral of this story is NEVER I mean NEVER leave home without some way to protect yourself.

I learned my lesson and it turned out allright and for that I feel lucky. It won't happen again.

Thanks for listening
Wingmaster

 

[TraderJack]

Lesson learned...

Thank the heavens you're OK Wingmaster!

 

[sturtyboy]

Wow!

It's too bad we must live in fear of those who look for their advantage over someone else.

Worrying about exposure to IWB carry and a shirt flying up?
That's why they make ankle holsters. It takes a little more time to get it out but at least you got it.

I walked a trio of ladies to their hotel from my restaurant on Friday night. I wanted them to have someone with them for the 4 block trip. Coming back I stuck my carry in my waistband for quicker access.

 

[alwslate]

Because of my back problems my bike is sitting in my garage gathering
dust right now but I do hope to get back on it. But as I have gotten
older and more feeble I've become aware of just how vulnerable a lone
rider is out in the boonies on a motorcycle. The thought never entered
my mind when I was younger. But times are different now. Riding
unarmed is out of the question as far as I am concerned. We live in
a different world today.

 

[murphydog]

Glad you are safe. Pocket carry works well as long as you are wearing pants while riding your motorcycle .

 

[Maddog 521]

You were lucky that time. Put one in the tourpak and if/when someone approaches, lift the lid and stay on the safe side of the bike. Lucky for you another brother came by.

 

[Hillbilly77]

Could it be that they really just wanted to help?
Not all of us easterners are bad people.

 

[Arik]

My first ride home on my first bike was a mini disaster. I've never sat on a bike before that day. At the dealership they let me ride around the parking lot till I got comfortable enough to get on the road. The ride back was about 20 min. A few miles from home I took a left turn too sharp and the bike slid out from underneath me. I ended up on the grass (not hurt) and the bike had somehow rotated the shifter backwards. So instead of shifting with your toes you'd have to shift with your heal....if that was even possible. ..assuming if didn't actually break anything. Didn't know what to do, couldn't call anyone, kinda stuck on the side of the road. A few minutes later a group of mean looking bikers road by. All tattoo'd, patches, 1% ....scraggly looking mean dudes. They pulled over and a few walked over to me. Yep this kid on a Japanese crotch rocket is about to get beat! One guy was even tensing his fists by his sides. I'm thinking oh please let a car drive by...please please please! One guy asks what happened as the others circle me. ..I told him. He goes to his bike, gets some tools, the others stand around me. He looks at my bike takes out a ratchet and in 2 min my bike was fixed! I offer to pay but the decline and just tell me to take it easy the rest of the way.

 

[Old TexMex]

I believe a big reason cowboys carried guns was to keep their most valuable possession-- their horse and saddle.

Shoulder holster under my Joe Rocket, then went to a small camera type pouch, so I could move it out of the saddlebag to my waist without exposing. Open carry solves a lot of hassles.

 

[jinx]

Glad it worked out for you. Living in this state where the population is just over a half million people, we sometimes forget that we may not be as safe as we think. It is standard procedure to pull over and try help out in this part of the world. That seems to have changed over the years.

 

[Rick_A]

Plenty of folks have declined my help or have gotten aweful nervous because I'm an unfriendly looking guy usually wearing well worn gear and clothes. Their loss. Folks have gotten so jumpy and so excitable I just don't bother any more. The wife always asks me to and I have to remind her why.

ETA: Some ladies have accepted my help and I've been offered dinner once or twice but decline in respect for my lady.

 

[The Big D]

Oh, dear!

Guess I will never offer to render roadside assistance to a traveler in need in Wyoming.

Stopped to assist a motorist in the great state of Maryland the other day. Gentleman was grateful...and did not appear worried that I was going to harm him.

Reckon I must limit my offers of aid to those on the right side of the Mississippi.

Be safe.

 

[Krell1]

My first ride home on my first bike was a mini disaster. I've never sat on a bike before that day. At the dealership they let me ride around the parking lot till I got comfortable enough to get on the road. The ride back was about 20 min.

I did the same on a Honda PCX 150 scooter. I rode around the parking lot and never really got comfortable with it. My ride home was about 10 miles and I was not enjoying that ride at all. Got home OK and then practiced in empty parking lots what I needed to do in the driving test. Took a week long class and got my license. Since then, I'm quite comfortable riding and it's a lot of fun. I bought this specific scooter because it's capable of reaching 65 MPH. I wanted something that could keep up with traffic and this scooter really scoots. I have had some thoughts on being vulnerable being in the "open" so to speak. I think it's a good idea to carry when riding, just makes good sense.

 

[Sconnie]

Hard to say if they were up to no good or not. But they may have been muttering about the inflation kit thingy that comes in cars these days versus even a doughnut spare. I felt deja vu when my kid got one of those things in his new car back in 2010. I fussed about not having a doughnut and then I remembered my dad who fussed to beat the band when his new car had a doughnut versus a full sized spare like he had up until that point.

Never have used it but I even have this air compressor thing in my rickety old mini van.

But you do have to go with your gut in situations like that. And then for those of us who remember the pre-cellphone days...whew, how did we survive!

 

[Protected One]

Better to suspect trouble and act accordingly, than to not suspect and be proven wrong.


Glad you rode away safe.

 

[Mainsail]

I am the guy that ALWAYS carries. Always. Yesterday was in the high 90's and I think the high was 101 degrees. When I am riding the wind blows my shirt up exposing my gun in a IWB holster and it was hot and any other excuse I had to not carry yesterday. Anyway I wasn't carrying.

Trying again. The video ads on this forum crashed my browser.

First, I’m glad to hear you made it home all right!

Second, I’m glad to see that you are willing to remedy your mistake. I'm a little confused about the rationale you used to go out riding alone, far from help, without your sidearm.

You have many options in your state:

- Concealed carry on the bike or in a backpack.
- Indifferent carry (who gives a flip if your CC gets exposed?).
- Open carry.

If it were me I would much rather allow my shameful secret to be exposed (that I carry for self-defense) than to get carved up like a thanksgiving turkey for my wallet. Gunfight Rule 1: Have a gun.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Hey Wingmaster, If your moniker means you ride a Goldwing, how about using one of the fairing pockets (one is even lockable) or a tuckable IWB? As an easterner, I picture a western rider with a lever action carbine in a fringed scabbard wrapped in a bedroll on your trunk rack. Glad all went well and keep the shiny side up.

 

[silentflyer]

Just like the credit card add..."never leave home without it"

Always have a hog leg of some sort when I am out on the bike...

 

[quinn]

Long rides on hot days...I have a Kel-Tec 3AT that lays very flat in a soft Uncle Mike's pocket liner. Does not wear a hole in my leg or jeans even given the HD vibration.

 

[Mister X]

Just curious, what kind of knife did you have on you?