Best way to retrieve items on highway/freeway

[NoTraffic]

So in my decade of riding, fortunately I have never needed to do this but the other week I saw a rider in need and couldn't come up with the right solution.

Say you're side bag or top case comes undone and falls off right in the middle of 101. You pull over because you're invaluable laptop is inside.

What's the safest way to retrieve it? Unfortunately I saw a rider's top case right in the fast lane and he was pulled over wondering what to do during heavy commute hours.

LEO's chime in. Mods feel free to move to General if it might get a better response.

You can't really block traffic with your bike because you would need to hold the top case (assuming some mount bracket broke off or is now inoperable).

 

[bikewanker]

First ask yourself if you have life insurance. Then consider the value of your lost contents. Are you comfortable with an Uber driver whizzing by a couple feet away with a phone blocking 17% of his windshield? I understand that shoulder width varies but I believe there are few actual drivers on the road and I don’t even trust them.

 

[budman]

I have lost shit on both.. love those Ducati bags! arty

On the Freeway it was fairly early on a Friday and luckily it was able to be kicked to the curb by a bud following me. Still had to dismount and run into the slow lane.

On the Highway (not well travelled) It was easy to pick up the cloths bloom (bomb).

I imaging the proper protocol is to call for support.
The busy freeway is the obvious big issue.

Look forward to hearing about that.

 

[tgrrdr]

years ago, may have been on BARF, someone lost a top case on 680 in WC. As I recall Caltrans recovered the topcase and he got it back from the local office. (It's possible that I totally made this up and it never happened.)

If there's a wide shoulder you could pull over and retrieve it yourself if you think it's safe. If it's a danger to traffic you could call CHP - I've seen them to rolling blocks to remove "debris" from the roadway and think a box or bag could be hazardous to other riders/drivers.

 

[ctwo]

I lost a glass pack on 280, around 2am. I was walking back up the highway to get it when a nice beemer came along and ran over it, hitting the bottom of their car. I was able to run across to the other shoulder and get it. Later at home, I discovered a large chunk of rubber wedged into the end, the complete sidewall and a bit of tread. The beemer never stopped.

Or (cue in that gif of a moto racer in full lean, dragging elbow, picking up a soda can)

Or, just use THE FORCE.

 

[thedub]

First of all, if my top case fell off I'm not sure how I would even know. It's not visible in my mirrors and it's not like I can feel it back there while riding. I probably wouldn't notice until I arrived at my destination.

The obvious answer to your question (to me) is wait for a break in traffic to run out and grab it. But, if it's a busy highway at rush hour, that break in traffic may never come.

Assuming that a) I immediately noticed my top case fell of and b) I absolutely needed to retrieve it and c) traffic was too heavy to retrieve it myself I would probably just wait there on the shoulder for a CHP or Caltrans to pull over to check if I was ok then ask them for help.

Lastly, if my top case is sitting in the middle of the freeway during rush hour, I would expect a texting driver to hit it and destroy it before I could retrieve it anyway.

 

[zelig]

I have watched all six seasons of CHiPs and am surprised they never covered this specific topic. But I remember several instances when they blocked rearward traffic for something unfolding ahead.

 

[CDONA]

WB I 80, the hill between Lagoon Valley & Fairfield, say 1972.
I lost these @ 70 per, being nearsighted, tough to see without them.
Barely can see them, two lanes in, & still usable, I couldn't leave them.
Fast moving blurry cars, waiting for my chance to retrieve, heart stops with every passing car, still there,

 

[Maddevill]

A friend lost one of his BMW side cases on the freeway. He pulled over and, while he was watching, a car ran over it and just kept going, dragging the case along under the car, into the distance.
When my top box ejected, it was nice enough to hit me in the back as it exited.

Mad

 

[TheRiddler]

DO. NOT. RUN. INTO. THE. LANES. Being a pedestrian on the freeway is a good way to get killed.


youtu.be/aKSqCuXWl00

Generally, assume it's been destroyed. Most times I've had calls of people wanting to retrieve an item, it's in 50 pieces by the time I get to it. Sometimes it's in a spot where it's simply not safe to get it, and we won't stop the freeway and risk injuries to people via crashes to pick up property.

 

[bikeama]

I had a top box open on I5 30+ years ago. Nothing in it worth dying for, just kept on riding. I still miss one pair of gloves that were in the box.

 

[budman]

vid no worky.

 

[NorCalBusa]

vid no worky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKSqCuXWl00

 

[Biga]

Don't do it
If anything happens the first correct thing to do IMO is to get out of the FRWY.
Don't matter the value... it's not worth it.
I almost got killed not thinking about safety!
Muffler broke and got tangled. I stopped at the shoulder and I went under the van to try to untangle, a driver not paying attention on the last minute miss the back of my van and the car hit the corner of my rear bumper which opened the car like a sardine can from bumper to bumper.
Nothing happened to my van but can you just imagine the things going thru my head while I was under the van when this was happening?
I really thought that was the end...
I hope this helps you and other make your decision next time.

P.S. if you cannot exit the frwy, walk the opposite way from your vehicle and don't take your eyes away of the income traffic and don't stay inside waiting for help either as people have died that way. Get out and stay away from the vehicle

 

[thedub]

Generally, assume it's been destroyed. Most times I've had calls of people wanting to retrieve an item, it's in 50 pieces by the time I get to it. Sometimes it's in a spot where it's simply not safe to get it, and we won't stop the freeway and risk injuries to people via crashes to pick up property.

This is the real world answer this thread needed.

So the answer to OPs question is make sure your luggage is attached securely, because if it comes off at the wrong time, you ain't getting it back, invaluable laptop or not.

 

[horsepower]

Not to be a kill joy, but just this morning I had to retrieve a little rescue dog who was killed on I-80 in the fast lane shoulder after it got loose from the transport and his new fosters. getting news of it was tough enough but I had to go get him and take the risk.
People are idiots and do stupid things and CHPs have to see the results of that stupidity every single day. the stuff is just stuff but I couldn't bear to leave this little soul out in the rain alone.
RIP, little Balboa We saved you from the county shelter's death needle sadly to let you down in the end anyway. I am so sorry.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Lastly, if my top case is sitting in the middle of the freeway during rush hour, I would expect a texting driver to hit it and destroy it before I could retrieve it anyway.

I lost the lid off of one of my aluminum side cases on my KTM 990 Adv a few years ago on Foresthill Road east of the town of Foresthill. Truly middle of nowhere in the Sierras. I slowly rode back to where I knew I still had it and didn't see it. Then headed back the other way and there it was in the road. There were only three cars on that road that I saw during the entire episode and one of them managed to run over it and smash it.

I would expect the average life span of a case dropped on the freeway during rush hour to be about 20 seconds.

 

[berth]

Fast moving blurry cars, waiting for my chance to retrieve, heart stops with every passing car, still there,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DGu5X3Dy0I&feature=youtu.be&t=122

 

[davidji]

I think you're supposed to do this

 

[bojangle]

I think you're supposed to do this

Frogger that shit! :thumbup