Motorcycle Safety: Taking a Breather

[Motofool]

Copied from:
http://www.roadrunner.travel/2016/08...ng-a-breather/

Here’s the situation: the sun is shining, and you’re carving your way down a beautiful mountain road. The curves are exhilarating and plentiful. It’s a perfect riding day. You’re humming along having a blast when you slice around yet another spectacular bend and run straight into a bunch of gravel deposited by the previous day’s heavy rains. Your bike slides out from under you, and the two of you skid across the road. You come to a stop with adrenalin coursing through your veins. You leap to your feet and a quick self-assessment reveals no injuries—you were wearing full gear after all, and the crash happened at a relatively low speed anyway. You run over to your bike eager to see what damage has been done. The adrenalin is still pumping, so you yank your motorcycle up off the asphalt with little regard for proper technique and are pleased to find that aside from a few scuffs your beloved steed isn’t much worse for the wear.

What now? Do you dust yourself off and continue your ride? Or do you take a breather?

While it may be tempting to get right back on the horse after a minor spill, it can be the absolute worst thing you can do. When the adrenalin wears off after an incident, many riders experience shaking, become light headed, or even pass out—a mild form of shock. Obviously, if you’re on your motorcycle when these symptoms occur, you’re in serious danger of a second, and potentially far worse, crash.

This is why if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, it’s very important that you take at least 20-30 minutes to let the excitement of the moment subside before getting back on the motorcycle. This is a good time to make a more detailed assessment to ensure both you and the bike are fit to keep riding. If after you’ve cooled down for a bit you feel 100-percent ready to resume with none of the previously mentioned symptoms, then you’re probably in the clear. If, however, you have any reservations about yourself or your bike, it’s best to call a tow truck and/or a friend/loved one to come pick you up. Of course, if you have any physical injuries, you should immediately call 911 for medical assistance.

Have you ever had a similar experience?

Text: David Burbach

[CaliGrrl]

Seems reasonable.

[kindboy]

Good points. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. The cause of my first crash was due to exhaustion. First time on the twisty mountain roads with changing elevation left me feeling woozy after a few hours of riding. My friends are much more experienced riders so their bodies kept up with the pace my group was going. I had been keeping up which left me confident of my riding and the progress I had been making.

My first mistake was getting back on the bike when my symptoms alluded to less than ideal rider conditions, instead of taking the extra 10 minutes to rest and feel normal. It resulted in sloppy lines, laggy reaction, and poor control over the bike.

Down the road comes a hairpin turn. I went into the turn too fast for my own comfort level. I pick the bike up and emergency break. Not enough clearance to stop, pass the double yellow line, and right into the ditch on the other side of the road. I end up front flipping off the bike, land on my back, face up towards the sky seething with remorse. All fault was mine alone. With a deep breath and thanking ATGATT, I pick myself up and the bike to assess the situation.

I'm OK, the bike is OK but we've both suffered some aesthetic damage only (thankfully).

We take a quick pit stop to a nearby gas station to get some sugar and liquids in me to fight and wait off the adrenaline rush and talk through what went wrong.

Like we prep for the corners, we must prep for the ride itself. Ascertaining your physical condition is paramount in your ability to ride safely. Some takeaways I've learned from that experience is to take rests and breathers. Ride at your own pace. Look into the damn corner. The importance of picking a good line. Ask yourself if an idiot would do it and if the answer is yes, then don't do it. Your life is in your hands, so take it seriously. Confidence is the food of the wise man, but the liquor of the fool.

[Panda]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Have you ever had a similar experience?

I was heading into work and I lowsided at about 10mph going around what amounted to a 300 degree right hand turn. Cold tires, cold brain, too much lean, and I got abrupt throttle control equals me on the deck.

When I lost the bike I was mid turn, and leaned over. I, instinctively and stupidly, threw my right elbow out to brace against the impact. (I should have just ridden it down and taken the impact against my thigh, arm, and shoulder.)

Bike goes down, (f**k!) I pop up, give myself a quick pat down, lift the bike up, quickly check it out, jump on, fire it up, (whew, it started) and start heading back into work. I consciously realize that I got a pretty good adrenaline dump and I'm probably not feeling too much pain yet. I get into the office and my right elbow doesn't feel right. No contusions or broken skin, my gear protected me fairly well.

I go to a couple meetings and by now my arm is singing and I can't move it so I go to urgent care and sure enough I have a radial head fracture. In hindsight it was a pretty stupid move to be riding around NYC with a fracture in my arm and it could have been much worse.

Great advice to just relax after a drop to get your head and make sure your body is in a good place.

[CaliGrrl]

After dumping my bike, in similar circumstance (blow the corner, e-brake, skid and dump), I could tell when the adrenaline (and then the shock) wore off. I don't think it would have been smart to get back on too quickly. This is the first time dropping my bike like this, and it's been a bit startling.