I'll be damned, fell over again!

[Thorgrim]

Last week. But this time I know why, and also why I fell the last time.

Last week I came to a 4-way stop to turn right. My road is downhill, the road I'm turning onto is also downhill, it's a damned awkward place for a bike considering that it's four 3-lane roads coming into a 4-way stop, and some folks can't tell when it's their turn. I stopped for the sign, looked left, straight, and right ... and fell over s-l-o-w-l-y to my right. This time I just let the bike go and saved the still-broken shoulder blade. No damage, I almost saved it using the good arm. Thankfully some nice guys in a 4x4 were right behind me, and when I waved them around one of them instead got out and helped me stand up the bike again. Nice folks.

This time I figured out what's happened to me in both booboos, and a lot of it is old habits from dirt bikes. None of my dirt bikes had rubber footpegs, and I rode in slick-soled old school MX boots. My CZ footpegs didn't even fold or have teeth, they were just round end metal sticks sticking out from the frame. As such, I still have muscle memory of just sliding my foot outward to get off the pegs instead of picking my foot up and setting it where I wanted it. Now I have a street bike with big sticky, squishy footpeg inserts, and I'm riding in a pair of Alpinestar Scouts with cleated, soft and super-sticky soles. You could walk up walls in these boots, especially if the wall surface is like the peg inserts. Looking back, in both cases I couldn't/didn't get my foot disengaged from the pegs, which is why I got tangled in the first turn-over to the point that the bike levered my leg into body-slamming me onto my shoulder. At least this time I realized that the bike is cheaper to fix than I am and let it go when I didn't thing I could hold it without hurting myself further. No damage other than ego, which is getting smaller by the day.

That's not to say that my technique wasn't seriously flawed, it was/is. But except for plunking around on the Alpina, I've never had to learn to ride slow, and the lesser lock-to-lock angle on the CB makes Alpina-learned technique feckin' useless. I've still got to learn to work better with the bike I have now. At least, finally, I have some idea of where I should concentrate. I think I'll ride the bike to the orthopedist tomorrow.

But what I really have to do is buy some damned street boots and stick these in the closet until I get a dirt bike or dual sport. Of course, I'd hate to lose the value of the boots, who knows, they could dry rot ... and my local dealer has a brand new DR-Z400SM on the floor ...

PS - I have to give my riding buddy credit for figuring this out, he was behind me at a light and noticed my lack of good "footwork" getting on and off the pegs. He was right.

[JohnnyBravo]

Your having some tough luck, but you learned from it. Hope your shoulder heals fast, an ya keep it up from now on

[rasta]

Sounds like you may have been able to save it if your shoulder wasn't broken. At least there's no damage though!

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

Your having some tough luck, but you learned from it. Hope your shoulder heals fast, an ya keep it up from now on

As was said in Monty Python's "The Holy Grail", "I've 'ad worse". Really, I have. My concern is figuring out where I effed up, and I may have a winner on this particular shortcoming. So far I've been very, very lucky to avoid the more dangerous stuff at speed that could screw me up royally. I put 100 miles or so on the bike today just travelling by guess and by golly in a big circle outside of town, and ended up about a half mile from where I started just by very rough (using shadows to find south) compass bearings. I like that kind of a ride, it's how I navigate in the woods off the bike.

Part of "general riding problems" is that I've moved from rural to city, and although it's back to a small city where I lived before, the traffic is hideously worse. I'm not the only person who isn't accustomed to this level of traffic - many/most of the locals aren't either, and they don't drive very well or predictably in it. Honestly, I'd rather drive in downtown Atlanta than in downtown Johnson City TN at lunch rush, as the Atlantans know how to deal with it. But, what cannot be changed must be endured. Since I'm retired I can schedule most of my riding when traffic isn't bad, and once I get out of town it's all gravy with an occasional bit of cow flop on the road. It dries pretty fast, though.

[JohnnyBravo]

Haha ride on.. I like country riding better as well, was never as fun in Jacksonville as it is in the sticks of Carolina!!!

[Panda]

Glad you are ok!

Another reason to lift your foot clear of the peg, especially if you are wearing jeans is that your pant cuff likes to get caught in the peg if you don't lift clear.

It's pretty easy to hang your foot up 6 inches off the ground because your jeans are caught on the peg. It's somewhat inconvenient if this happens while slowing for a stop as it's difficult to hold the bike up with your foot if your foot is dangling in midair.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Panda

Glad you are ok!

Another reason to lift your foot clear of the peg, especially if you are wearing jeans is that your pant cuff likes to get caught in the peg if you don't lift clear.

It's pretty easy to hang your foot up 6 inches off the ground because your jeans are caught on the peg. It's somewhat inconvenient if this happens while slowing for a stop as it's difficult to hold the bike up with your foot if your foot is dangling in midair.

You know ... it could be that's what happened and it just felt like it was my boot that got fouled. Thanks for mentioning that, I need to look (with the bike on the stand) if that's likely to be an issue with my particular bike.

[akima]

Glad you're ok. I'm starting to think you'd have better luck assuming there are no transferable skills between the mx bike and your new standard. Saying that though, I've heard lots of sports-bike, track riders say that riding mx is really useful to improve your track skills.

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

. No damage other than ego, which is getting smaller by the day.

Aww!

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

(using shadows to find south) compass bearings. I like that kind of a ride, it's how I navigate in the woods off the bike.

That's really cool. I always wondered how people got any kind of bearings while in a forest, other than big visible land marks (which there might not be any of).

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

But, what cannot be changed must be endured. Since I'm retired I can schedule most of my riding when traffic isn't bad, and once I get out of town it's all gravy with an occasional bit of cow flop on the road. It dries pretty fast, though.

Good philosophy!

[Mocha Man]

It's okay though! Now you've learned your lesson...twice

[Thorgrim]

I think the real lesson is that, moving from dirt to street with a long stretch in between, I have habits, but not good habits, and when push come to shove I'm a dirt biker. That's just fine if you're riding dirt on a dirt-oriented bike, but it's kind of hard on a 500 with street tires to just "kick the tail out and nail it" if you hit a turn a bit too hot. It's especially hard to ride super-parking-lot-slow when you've ridden as long as I have and never really had to do that. I've ridden slow, in fact super slow, but it was on a Bultaco Alpina which in no way resembles my Honda. Cinch all that up with a sudden and unnatural (to me) premature fork-lock on the CB and I'm toast. Honestly, I don't know how you racetrack guys/gals keep from killing people in the pits if you have to do tight turns.

I have determined, however, that in first gear and low speeds, the 2013 CB500F is a snatchy little biyotch and is prone to trying to dump you on your azz. If traffic and traffic light timing allows me to keep it in at least second it's easy to make even a city-street 90 degree right turn, tight and as fast as you like, as the bike tucks in and lays over easily. Sucks to get slowed to first, though, no matter how good you think your throttle/rear brake/clutch control is this bike is a snatchy bitch. I've thought about going up a tooth on the countershaft sprocket, but I just found a Triumph Scrambler that I might work a trade on. If not, the CS sprocket's going up a tooth. We'll see, it may not work as I envision, may have to go down 2 or so teeth on the back instead. Like me, the bike is undergoing a "learning process". Ha!

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Mocha Man

It's okay though! Now you've learned your lesson...twice

Ya think? As Strother Martin said in Cool Hand Luke, "there are some men you just cannot reach". Damn, hope I'm not one of them.

Saw the ortho doc today, it's all healing nicely. Still hurts a bunch on certain movement but no big deal. And, as I said elsewhere, I put my name in the hat for a deal on a 2013 Triumph Scrambler. It's only about 60 pounds heavier, and the way it's made it would be a lot easier to pick up. My biggest problem with the little 420# Honda is that, except for the bars, there's no good place to get a grip in order to "back it up" to centers. Picking it up is like trying to pick up a big squid, there's just no place to get a grip save the tail, and I can't reach those and the handlebars at the same time. Best idea - don't drop the f*cker. But, if I can make a deal on the Scrambler, that's a bike made to be dropped. My kind of bike, it seems.

[CycleCam303]

Take it easy out there! I thought street riding was supposed to be the easy on the body option. I seem to find dirt riding involves me going crazy and finding the ground. You on the other hand...

Serious question thorgrim. Are you having fun street riding? If you're a dirt rider at heart and the street isn't fun then maybe just getting a dual sport or dirt only bike is your answer b

[crazymadbastard]

You got a broken shoulder and still riding? Though guy for sure! I suggest practice slow speeds manuovers over and over in a parking lot with no stress from other drivers.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by CycleCam303

...
Serious question thorgrim. Are you having fun street riding? ...

Oh, Hell Yeah! I'm just not very good at going slow, fast is just like dirt but with better traction! I'll get the details worked out eventually, the reason I post my screw-ups here is to get some input from the street riders with more experience. And, I'll probably end up with a dirt bike too now that my blasted house finally sold, but I'll keep this or another street bike becuase it turns everyday drudgery trips into fun, and here in TN I can ride most of the year if I don't mind getting a bit of rain now and then (I don't).

You guys are a great sounding board, I think I've learned more about riding in the short time I've been here than in the sum total of the years I spent plonking down the road (punctuated by an occasional moment of sheer terror). Many thanks!

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

You got a broken shoulder and still riding?

Yeah, I'm not my folks' smartest child. It just hurts when I do *this*, so I try not to do *this*. Hey, I'm in my 60's, if I waited for everything to heal and be better my ass would grow roots to my chair. Gettin' old ain't fer sissies.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

Gettin' old ain't fer sissies.

Yep, and certainly beats the alternative to getting old...

[Thorgrim]

Finally, I've had some groovy, groovy days on the bike lately. Seems like it's beginning finally to fall together for me. Oops, guess I just jinxed myself.

I love this area but the traffic is a bit ... off. First, it's in the South (tm) so forget turn signals. In fact, if you see someone use a turn signal, odds are that they're going to turn the other way at the last split-second. Adjust accordingly. Second, people slow down at traffic lights even if they're green. Swear to God, they do. This is where I wish I could split lanes, but I can't legally. I try to stay legal. Third, when stopped at a red traffic light and it changes to green, you can expect a period of disbelief by the driver(s) in front of you that they are actually allowed to proceed. If you let this piss you off your anger will consume you. Look for holes in the traffic. If you aren't averse to swerving (honestly, officer, they taught us this in the MSF course) you can allllllmost lane split legally. As Gallagher said, take all the yellow and just a leeetle bit of the red.

Thanks to all of you for helping me fix my new-again problems (I'm not done, but things are much better thanks to you guys). Sometimes baring your soul is the best thing you can do. That does not apply to extra-marital affairs, according to some of my acquaintances, but it can help in other areas. Riding is one of the latter.