yeah, so i just got my bike repaired from a crash the previous owner got into, and was riding to school, less than a block away, and was merging in turn lane, the person in the right lane was distracted, and locked up brakes and cut in front of me and forced me to take things in my own hands and i made the quick decision to lay the poor ninjette over, to stop things from escalating to someone going to the hospital, so now i need new upper fairing, right and left front fairings, and turn signals.(luckily i was going to replace these parts anyways, but i was hoping to sell them as scratched/damaged parts, so instead of making some money back ill have to fork over the full price) oh and the b*tch fled the scene so no insurance help at all! and i was supposed to go up to progressive the next day and upgrade to full coverage, but too late now...:mad:

Why did you lay the bike down? There is no reason you should have had to do that if it was in fact not your fault. Did you take the MSF class? They teach you how to avoid this exact same situation you encountered. Just saying!

I am glad you are alright though. :thumbup:

Why did you lay the bike down? There is no reason you should have had to do that if it was in fact not your fault. Did you take the MSF class? They teach you how to avoid this exact same situation you encountered. Just saying!

I am glad you are alright though. :thumbup:

well i was going 40 mph and i came inches from having a face full of rear wind sheild lol

So....was that a yes or no on the MSF?

Just found this on a triumph forum that I thought was appropriate:

"I “laid her down” is simply another meaning for “I crashed, and the bike fell over.”
A rider should maintain control of his/her cycle at all times. Personally, I would rather bring my bike to a controlled emergency stop, before ever find myself picking it up off the ground. Good riding technique includes constant, and monitored awareness of your surroundings - adjusting your speed, position, correct gear and acceleration to avoid an emergency BEFORE it ever happens. Most modern bikes have tremendous braking power. Learn how to perform a correct, progressive emergency stop that uses the maximum potential of your front braking capacity. An upright motorcycle at maximum braking force will stop much faster that one sliding sideways on plastic and steel down a roadway"

So....was that a yes or no on the MSF?

Just found this on a triumph forum that I thought was appropriate:

"I “laid her down” is simply another meaning for “I crashed, and the bike fell over.”
A rider should maintain control of his/her cycle at all times. Personally, I would rather bring my bike to a controlled emergency stop, before ever find myself picking it up off the ground. Good riding technique includes constant, and monitored awareness of your surroundings - adjusting your speed, position, correct gear and acceleration to avoid an emergency BEFORE it ever happens. Most modern bikes have tremendous braking power. Learn how to perform a correct, progressive emergency stop that uses the maximum potential of your front braking capacity. An upright motorcycle at maximum braking force will stop much faster that one sliding sideways on plastic and steel down a roadway"

Couldn't put it better myself!!! I had a very similar situation the other day, and not one thought of laying my baby down came to my mind. Last thing I need is to be stuck "under" a pickup truck with heavy traffic behind me.

Shiny Side Up FTW!!!:thumbup:

So....was that a yes or no on the MSF?

i did take the safty coarse, but i really had no chance to react in any other way, i seen it was either going into on coming traffic or plowing through her suv, so i decided it would be better to lay it down, id take road rash and needing a few parts over whole new bike and a trip to the hospital any day!
how ever, i do agree with your quote, but different circumstances require different reactions, my first reaction was to start braking, but i found myself unable to stop in time, so i just slowed to a safer speed and took her down as easily as possible, without having it slide all over the place.

How do you lay a bike down? <-- Serious question. I wouldn't know what to do. Laying it down just seems so awkward and wrong. Do you just lock up the rear wheel and turn the front wheel so it slides out from under you? Just curious.

How do you lay a bike down? <-- Serious question. I wouldn't know what to do. Laying it down just seems so awkward and wrong. Do you just lock up the rear wheel and turn the front wheel so it slides out from under you? Just curious.

Was wondering this as well...

How did laying it down put you out of the way? What if you had gone under her car? That could've been deadly, you have zero control when you lay the the bike down.

To lay a bike down...which I've never done...you either slam on the rear brake, and push the bike with your.......you know what I have no idea. It's just one of those things I wouldn't want to know, I'd rather be in control and come to atleast a slower speed. Rather than, slow down a little, do what ever you did, and now have absolutely no control. Then you would only have the concrete as your "brake". Also if you try to "lay her down", attempting to low side can back fire badly. If for some reason your rear wheel regains that traction, instead of going down you would be doing somersaults down the highway (high side).

So yeah she braked really hard, if I was there, I would have looked for a potential solution even before this happened. That's one thing my training has taught me, play out different situations as you ride and think out an alternate "emergency path". You're not going to use it hopefully at all, but when you do, you can think of where and what you need to do quicker. In fact the other day I used this technique in a situation similar to yours. A truck jumped in front of me and slammed on his brakes. Immediately, I analyzed how far I was from him, was my right lane open, how I was going to brake, etc., etc. You get the idea... Just play it out in your mind, yeah it happened super quick, but you had enough time to think to lay it down.

We learn from our mistake and things happen, but we just pick ourselves up and keep truck'n.

Atleast you didn't brake as hard as this guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-5gKy2HzoY

Any chance you could have swerved into the next lane?

Atleast you didn't brake as hard as this guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-5gKy2HzoY


Im not sure what speed he was going but it was not that fast compared to every one else.
Did he stiffen his arms against the handlebar?

I wouldn't know what to do. Laying it down just seems so awkward and wrong..

That's a good thing Jono. Wheels are on the ground for a reason. Don't ever learn how to intentionally ground your bike, and you'll never be able to, because you don't know ;)

Id break that bitches back windshield with my fullface helmet!

:laugh: I would too. Hopefully she woulda stuck around if her window was broken...

Glad you are OK, Eric; the whole mishap sucks anyhow.

Don't let cagers trap you without an escape.

Always, always keep a door open for you and your bike to escape,...........and the rubber down.

Nine times out of ten I will "emergency escape" over emergency brake; I always count on the idiot following me to be non-attentive.

As stated above, once you are skidding, control for stopping and changing direction goes to zero.

Atleast you didn't brake as hard as this guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-5gKy2HzoY

i bet if he would have held on to the handlebars and tucked his head just a little, i think he could have saved it. that is, after doing a wicked front flip and gaining 23424329508723 style points for the win...;)

How do you lay a bike down? <-- Serious question. I wouldn't know what to do. Laying it down just seems so awkward and wrong. Do you just lock up the rear wheel and turn the front wheel so it slides out from under you? Just curious.

Was wondering this as well...

That's easy! Simply grab a huge handful of front brake and quickly turn the front wheel as far as it can go in one direction. The front wheel will slip out beneath you and you'll hit the floor and slide along the road in an uncontrollable fashion.

I can also explain how to brake your own arm, correctly jump head first off a 2 story building, and/or give yourself 1st degree burns. My point... I think you guys are wondering-about/asking the wrong questions lol :rolleyes:

That's easy! Simply grab a huge handful of front brake and quickly turn the front wheel as far as it can go in one direction. The front wheel will slip out beneath you and you'll hit the floor and slide along the road in an uncontrollable fashion.

I can also explain how to brake your own arm, correctly jump head first off a 2 story building, and/or give yourself 1st degree burns. My point... I think you guys are wondering-about/asking the wrong questions lol :rolleyes:

Oh.. Hahaha. Sorry for asking the wrong questions, BUT
http://www.snarfdog.com/im_curious_hoodie.gif

Jono: he he, it's ok :p

Ah, ok. Sounds like just pole-vaulting yourself over the handlebars. I always pictured 'laying it down' as purposely low siding somehow.

Ah, ok. Sounds like just pole-vaulting yourself over the handlebars. I always pictured 'laying it down' as purposely low siding somehow.

If I wanted to low side, I would start turning the bike (either direction) and leaning in that direction. I'd then hit the rear brake as hard as possible. I'd make sure I didn't let go of the rear brake until the bike had low sided... I think if you did let go of the rear brake early, that's when you'd be sent into a high side.

i did take the safty coarse, but i really had no chance to react in any other way, i seen it was either going into on coming traffic or plowing through her suv, so i decided it would be better to lay it down, id take road rash and needing a few parts over whole new bike and a trip to the hospital any day!
how ever, i do agree with your quote, but different circumstances require different reactions, my first reaction was to start braking, but i found myself unable to stop in time, so i just slowed to a safer speed and took her down as easily as possible, without having it slide all over the place.

In the time it took you to lay down the brake, you would've been applying full front brake, and your rear end would be slightly in the air. Also, if you were at a lesser speed, why would you lay it down. I know I can't judge you since I wasn't there, but from what you typed, it seems ridiculous.

Read proficient motorcycling by D.Hough.
Its never a good idea to "lay the bike down". Rubber has way more traction than your jacket/flesh/plastic/metal.

Even if your collision is unavoidable, you want to stay on your brakes all the way until the impact. Would you rather hit a car in front of you going 15 mph or hit that same car while you are on asphalt sliding behind a bike on your back at 35mph?

And who knows? You might just be able to stop your bike 2 feet short of collision if you stay on your brakes.

How do you lay a bike down? <-- Serious question. I wouldn't know what to do. Laying it down just seems so awkward and wrong. Do you just lock up the rear wheel and turn the front wheel so it slides out from under you? Just curious.

Here is an awesome article regarding "laying the bike down". "I laid it down" is a crock (More charitably, it is an excuse.)
To sum the article up, here is the last paragraph:
You know what I'm saying ... 'laying down' a motorcycle is NOT a deliberate event on the street. Instead, it is an after-the-event explanation, an excuse, of what happened which is designed to save face. In short, it is BS.

Full article here, it is not long.
http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=226&Set=

To lay a bike down...which I've never done...you either slam on the rear brake, and push the bike with your.......you know what I have no idea. It's just one of those things I wouldn't want to know, I'd rather be in control and come to atleast a slower speed. Rather than, slow down a little, do what ever you did, and now have absolutely no control. Then you would only have the concrete as your "brake". Also if you try to "lay her down", attempting to low side can back fire badly. If for some reason your rear wheel regains that traction, instead of going down you would be doing somersaults down the highway (high side).

So yeah she braked really hard, if I was there, I would have looked for a potential solution even before this happened. That's one thing my training has taught me, play out different situations as you ride and think out an alternate "emergency path". You're not going to use it hopefully at all, but when you do, you can think of where and what you need to do quicker. In fact the other day I used this technique in a situation similar to yours. A truck jumped in front of me and slammed on his brakes. Immediately, I analyzed how far I was from him, was my right lane open, how I was going to brake, etc., etc. You get the idea... Just play it out in your mind, yeah it happened super quick, but you had enough time to think to lay it down.

We learn from our mistake and things happen, but we just pick ourselves up and keep truck'n.

Atleast you didn't brake as hard as this guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-5gKy2HzoY

yeah, now that im more expeienced, i see things differently, but just in case something like this happens again, i bought a brand new set of frame sliders, and a spine protector! :]

Any chance you could have swerved into the next lane?

no there was on coming traffic and she was half in my lane and half in hers blocking my exit rout, there was a ditch so i couldnt go off road(not that id want to if i had another choice)

Glad you are OK, Eric; the whole mishap sucks anyhow.

Don't let cagers trap you without an escape.

Always, always keep a door open for you and your bike to escape,...........and the rubber down.

Nine times out of ten I will "emergency escape" over emergency brake; I always count on the idiot following me to be non-attentive.

As stated above, once you are skidding, control for stopping and changing direction goes to zero.

yeah, im definately going to be more careful in what my escape strategy is haha i dont wanna spend another 500 bucks on fairings haha

no there was on coming traffic and she was half in my lane and half in hers blocking my exit rout, there was a ditch so i couldnt go off road(not that id want to if i had another choice)

going off road can be risky, there could be anything in a ditch.
the ones around here have concrete pipes, headwalls, and rocks in them.
not to mention glass, logs, and other debris.

how are the repairs going?

going off road can be risky, there could be anything in a ditch.
the ones around here have concrete pipes, headwalls, and rocks in them.
not to mention glass, logs, and other debris.

how are the repairs going?

pretty good, im waiting on my fairing stay bracket to come in from thailand (got it strraight from kawasaki) and in the mean time im doing some mods, and adding some accessories :]

going off road can be risky, there could be anything in a ditch.
the ones around here have concrete pipes, headwalls, and rocks in them.
not to mention glass, logs, and other debris.

how are the repairs going?

what exactly is a head wall?

yeah, now that im more expeienced, i see things differently, but just in case something like this happens again, i bought a brand new set of frame sliders, and a spine protector! :]

Glad to hear that man...

what exactly is a head wall?

a head wall is a 6-12" thick wall of concrete that reinforces the ground behind a drainage pipe. basically a giant block of concrete.

i have seen them get hit by tractor trailers at around 30mph and all it did was chip the concrete. the tractor was totalled.

a head wall is a 6-12" thick wall of concrete that reinforces the ground behind a drainage pipe. basically a giant block of concrete.

i have seen them get hit by tractor trailers at around 30mph and all it did was chip the concrete. the tractor was totalled.

ooooh sorry slow moment, i know what youre talking bout now :p

yeah, so i just got my bike repaired from a crash the previous owner got into, and was riding to school, less than a block away, and was merging in turn lane, the person in the right lane was distracted, and locked up brakes and cut in front of me and forced me to take things in my own hands and i made the quick decision to lay the poor ninjette over, to stop things from escalating to someone going to the hospital, so now i need new upper fairing, right and left front fairings, and turn signals.(luckily i was going to replace these parts anyways, but i was hoping to sell them as scratched/damaged parts, so instead of making some money back ill have to fork over the full price) oh and the b*tch fled the scene so no insurance help at all! and i was supposed to go up to progressive the next day and upgrade to full coverage, but too late now...:mad:

Eric, you may have done exactly the right thing. All these guys that cannot fathom forcing a bike down to avoid more extensive damage have simply never been in that situation before. And the arrogant talk about smashing auto glass with their helmets, well... thank them for self-identifying as amateurs to NOT take advice from!

Eric, you may have done exactly the right thing. All these guys that cannot fathom forcing a bike down to avoid more extensive damage have simply never been in that situation before. And the arrogant talk about smashing auto glass with their helmets, well... thank them for self-identifying as amateurs to NOT take advice from!

Bam exactly. Motogp riders will lay there bikes down sometimes if they can't stop after running of the track to avoid crashing a wall. Nobody was there except the poor guy who crashed. Give him a break. Besides, I'm sure none of you experts have made a stupid mistake. I know I haven't!! :D