i once had a gl500 with a squire child adult sidecar on it. (gl500 was a monoshock cx500 with longer forks and a goldwing 1000 fairing fitted. they were wallowy beasts but it was brilliantly reliable) anyhow, i always loved riding in the snow even on a solo. i like the challenge, but in the snow on an outfit its challenging but fun too. anyhow, its winter in i think, 1994 ish, im going to work on the outfit, down a steep hill near home doing about 25mph, but as i was on a hill and didnt have a chair wheel brake, i figured i could coast down and lose some speed going up the other side. the road hadnt been gritted and was a sheet of compacted snow and ice. it was all going well until the car in front decided to hit the brakes for no reason at all, (there was nothing in front of him, no turns, pedestrians or other vehicles. so i lightly applied front and rear brakes together, and the bike just spun into the path of the approaching traffic, traffic which was, at this time, a petrol tanker. i pirouetted 2 complete rotations before coming to rest on the pavement at the opposite side of the road facing back the way i came. the tanker thundered on up the hill without stopping, i figured that he wouldnt have got it going again had he stopped. i sat there like a statue for a minute or two whilst my arse attempted to release its grip on the saddle of the gl. eventually i calmed down and managed to get the outfit back facing the right way and off to work. i recconed later on that the lack of a chair brake was my problem, the weight transfer as i braked had spun the outfit in circles. it was one of the closer near misses i had, and the first on an outfit. but i still enjoy riding in the snow. we just dont get much of it these days.
