View Single Post
Old August 14th, 2011, 03:38 PM   #1
Alex
ninjette.org dude
 
Alex's Avatar
 
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008

Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE

Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
Musings on this subforum's purpose

I resisted setting up a separate area to capture our crash stories for quite awhile. Eventually though, I realized that there were so many threads related to the topic, that it just made sense to corral them into a single place. What this post is intended to do, is share my thoughts on why having these stories here can be a good thing for the site, and for us as riders.

First - the whole point of this area is for us to learn from our mistakes, and even more fruitfully, learn from the mistakes of others before we're doomed to make them ourselves. None of us want to crash. Ever. And the more skills we gain, the more knowledge we retain, and the better decisions we make as things occur while we are riding, the more likely we are to avoid that crash.

Next, I believe that the vast majority of accidents that we have on our roadways are avoidable. Yes, there are cars out to get us, and yes, there are road hazards, and yes, there are mechanical failures. But by and large, if we make quicker/better/smarter decisions right when they are necessary, I believe that we are improving our chances. That's why I'm interested in crash stories. That's why I think you should be interested in crash stories. And then of course, there is the natural sympathy we all have to fellow riders who do find themselves injured or worse while enjoying this sport.

There are generally two ways that these threads go. The first example is the somewhat less useful one, the second example is probably a bit more helpful for all parties.

Quote:
Example 1:

OP: I was riding along when for this reason (insert any reason here), I crashed. There was nothing I could do about it, and I made the only decision I could.

Following Replies: Are you sure? What if you had tried this? Have you experienced this before? If you came up along the same exact situation again, knowing what you know now, would you still do the same thing?

OP: Yes, it was utterly unavoidable, and I essentially learned nothing from the experience other than crashing hurts.
Quote:
Example 2:

OP: I was riding along when for this reason (insert any reason here), I crashed. Here's what I think happened.

Following Replies: Various questions about the crash, suggestions about how things might have been different, discussions about training and techniques, etc.

OP: Something along the lines of: "yup, some of that makes sense, and I hope to learn what I can to avoid this same thing happening to me again next week"
Both of these are simplified, idealized, and don't directly match any story below. But I think the point is clear. We're all here to learn, including, I hope, the thread starters themselves. Let's try and keep the vibe in this area with that in mind.
__________________________________________________
Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org

ninjette.org Terms of Service

Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first.

The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)
Alex is offline   Reply With Quote