I rarely post any more but I have recent experience on this.
A couple weeks ago I was running at 85 mph north bound on the 5 freeway in Ocean Side CA in the number three lane. Just ahead and one lane over I spotted what looked like a large jagged chunk of concrete about 6 inches in diameter spin off the side of a car tire. Before I could think “Oh chit” it went directly in my path and was still moving when I hit it. The impact was dead on, the front suspension bottomed out hard enough that I felt it all the way to my shoulders, speaker grills flew past my head and the front end left the ground followed by the rear tire for a split second. I know because the engine revved while on cruise control. I was pulling my trailer and it struck it as well.
My front rim was bent approximately 3 1/2 “long and 1 inch up and out. Obviously I lost all air within a second or two and had an out of round rim to boot. The trailer did some nasty jerking and the handlebars started to shake side to side violently. With a bent rim and flat tire it was like I had a board strapped to the rim The first thing that went through my mind was I can do this, I can do this. Rather than grabbing the grips hard I let them loose. I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do but it’s what I did. The bars swung back and forth from my finger tips to my wrists. As the speed dropped on its own (I didn’t touch the brakes, another conscious decision) the shaking reduced. Once it dropped down to about 50 mph I was able to grab the bars and ride it to the side of the road, and a rough ride it was with a bent rim and flat tire. The front tires bead was broken all way around, front fender torn up as well as the rear fender and under carriage of my trailer was ripped up from stem to stern.
I did walk back and locate what I think was the chunk of conrete I hit. I will never know for sure, no paint on it and it wasn't talking. I had to drive it for about a mile on the shoulder at 3 to 5 mph to the next off ramp, called a tow truck and my insurance company.
I wish I could say skill kept the bike up… But I don’t think anything kept it up other than the good Lord and my Guardian Angle.
I'm certainly not trying to indicate what I did was correct, its just the choice I made and how it turned out.