New member, crashed before I even introduced myself

[T304L]

After completing the local MSF course, I picked up an almost brand new 250R from the first owner almost two weeks ago. Was having a great time getting to know the bike safely, enjoying the open roads, etc over the next few days until I went down about a half mile from my house on the way home the other night.

In a 45 mph speed zone, I slowed to about 30 for a right hand turn onto a 4 lane road. I swung out too far [primarily due to excessive entry speed (for my skill level) and not pressing & leaning hard enough]. Then I fixated on the impending concrete median on the left hand side. Tires were very quickly approaching the gutter.

Panic set in, and I swerved harder to the right (mid-turn) to avoid the median. Banked hard right and death-gripped the throttle. Launched over the concrete curb on the R.H. side of the roadway. (Left the roadway.) The bike became lodged in trees/shrubs immediately and I was ejected. I front flipped over the handle bars and landed a few feet away looking up at the stars.

Damage to the bike looks substantial. Dented both front and rear rims, RH fairing destroyed, RH turn signal came off, front fender split in two, front inner fairing all twisted up, front main fairing cracked and the clutch won't fully disengage.

I am ok, having suffered some bruises and scrapes from impact and flying through small trees. I was wearing a full face helmet, armored jacket, and boots. Heavy denim jeans were torn up - down to the skin in one place. Feeling like an idiot for the overconfidence/misjudgment of ability, but at least I'm an alive idiot. Fortunately I have good insurance on the bike - the claims adjuster will be looking at it in a few days.

Attached are a before and after of my machine:

[Old Lemon]

dayum man glad you are ok, but that is a totaled bike for sure

[kooshbox]

Glad you're okay. Learn from those mistakes!

[xSean13]

Welcome.
Sorry to hear about your accident.
Sounds like it's time to upgrade to a R6

[CC Cowboy]

I always thought the 250 has too much power.

[ninjamunky85]

It's your lucky day! Your insurance will total the bike. You can then buy it back from them for super cheap and turn it into a track bike. Then take the rest of the money and buy a used 600.

But seriously, it sucks you wrecked, I'm glad your okay. Don't get to discouraged, just learn from your mistakes. Get back out and ride again once everything is taken care of.

[Yasko]

I hope you're ok.

I'm sure you can brake the bike down and sale the parts. Use the parts money for a cheap pre gen, and get right back on a bike.

This will make you a better rider.

How's your gear???? Now you know what gear you'll need, and why.

[psych0hans]

Glad it wasn't worse... Bike parts can be replaced, body parts can't. Be careful out there and good luck getting back on two wheels.

[Samer]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I always thought the 250 has too much power.

[RockyCapone]

lol

[csmith12]

Welcome!

Bummer about your crash but your gear mostly did it's job and your good to ride again soon. Good luck with the bike or getting a replacement and be safe out there.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by T304L

........Feeling like an idiot for the overconfidence/misjudgment of ability........

Don't feel too bad, all of us, experienced or not, make riding mistakes.

Overconfidence is a normal thing of the first times.

Welcome to the site !

[algs26]

Originally Posted by T304L

After completing the local MSF course, I picked up an almost brand new 250R from the first owner almost two weeks ago. Was having a great time getting to know the bike safely, enjoying the open roads, etc over the next few days until I went down about a half mile from my house on the way home the other night.

In a 45 mph speed zone, I slowed to about 30 for a right hand turn onto a 4 lane road. I swung out too far [primarily due to excessive entry speed (for my skill level) and not pressing & leaning hard enough]. Then I fixated on the impending concrete median on the left hand side. Tires were very quickly approaching the gutter.

Panic set in, and I swerved harder to the right (mid-turn) to avoid the median. Banked hard right and death-gripped the throttle. Launched over the concrete curb on the R.H. side of the roadway. (Left the roadway.) The bike became lodged in trees/shrubs immediately and I was ejected. I front flipped over the handle bars and landed a few feet away looking up at the stars.


Attached are a before and after of my machine:

Oh no...

It kinda sounds like you had the right instinct by leaning more (and you didn't lowside). Did you shoot off towards the right curb? What would you have done differently?

[Panda]

Glad to hear you are ok!

[spawned4562]

glad to hear your ok i totaled my bike just before finding out about this site too. almost identical situation, though a left hand turn, was a very steep angle and i entered too fast and found the grass as i was just leaving it on the right side. bike would have been fine if it wasn't for rich people and their stupid curbs... hit the curb popped up in the air and landed on top of the curb. every fairing cracked handle bar bend 20 degrees and everything hanging off ripped off as well as cracked my right rearset off.

If you want to make it into a sweet streetfighter lose the fairings and watch for mine or skilletmo's posts as we start converting ours to streetfighters.

welcome, I may be new here but I think its the best place for 250 owners (if not only).

[T304L]

Hey guys, thanks for all the well wishes and the minimum of flaming, though I probably deserve it. Insurance co. will be looking at the bike over the next few days, and I will keep everybody posted.

Originally Posted by ninjamunky85

It's your lucky day! Your insurance will total the bike. You can then buy it back from them for super cheap and turn it into a track bike. Then take the rest of the money and buy a used 600.

I think you are right about totaling it. It has less than 200 miles on it right now.
I am hoping to find another gem like this one, or else get her fixed up and back on the road while there is still nice weather. People seriously tried to talk me into getting a GSXR before this - glad I listened to my gut instead.

Originally Posted by algs26

Did you shoot off towards the right curb? What would you have done differently?

Yep, I was able to turn tighter, but wound up overcorrecting and shooting straight for the right hand curb. I don't think it was recoverable after that point.

The best thing to have done would have been to enter slower for a more controlled, less aggressive turn without the need to correct. Failing that, I think I should have kept my wits about me and made a milder course correction. I would be open to hearing other suggestions.

Originally Posted by Motofool

Overconfidence is a normal thing of the first times.

Yeah, hopefully that's over for me now. I think reality check will actually be good for me in the long run. Don't want to have any disparity between actual and assumed level of ability.

Originally Posted by Yasko

How's your gear???? Now you know what gear you'll need, and why.

Intact, fortunately. My helmet (and brain) did not receive any trauma. The visor is all scratched up and not usable anymore, but that is a relatively inexpensive fix in the grand scheme of things. I may be looking into armored pants at some point.

[IdRatherDrum]

Glad you are okay. That is a great looking bike by the way.

[Alienjoe]

Originally Posted by IdRatherDrum

Glad you are okay. That WAS a great looking bike by the way.

Fixed It's ok man mistakes happen. At least you can learn and move on. Hope this doesn't scare you into never riding again.

[Hitman]

Get those armored pants soon. Torn up knee joints never heal back exactly the same. Glad you are ok tho.

[IdRatherDrum]

Originally Posted by Alienjoe

Fixed It's ok man mistakes happen. At least you can learn and move on. Hope this doesn't scare you into never riding again.

I want to ride so bad so this doesn't scare me away! I don't know how to confront my parents about it.

[Malicious Logic]

Good to hear you're ok but definitely take this as a learning experience. The MSF teaches what it does for a reason. I'm not sure if you paid for it or were lucky enough to go for free but assuming you paid, why waste the money if you're not going to listen? You made the right choice by starting on a 250 but that doesn't mean you can just throw caution to the wind. If you do get back on 2 wheels, take your time and learn.


Edit: Sorry, didn't see your description of the damage. Still seems kinda mostly cosmetic but wow....I guess insurance is quick to total bikes.

[T304L]

Originally Posted by Malicious Logic

Good to hear you're ok but definitely take this as a learning experience. The MSF teaches what it does for a reason. I'm not sure if you paid for it or were lucky enough to go for free but assuming you paid, why waste the money if you're not going to listen? You made the right choice by starting on a 250 but that doesn't mean you can just throw caution to the wind. If you do get back on 2 wheels, take your time and learn.


Edit: Sorry, didn't see your description of the damage. Still seems kinda mostly cosmetic but wow....I guess insurance is quick to total bikes.

I paid for the MSF course prior to buying the bike.

I guess at the time, I didn't think of myself as trying to throw caution to the wind; I had been working on getting to know the bike, progressing at a comfortable pace right up until I made the mistakes leading to the crash. To be sure, there were attitude, confidence, and skill issues all compounding at that moment, and the reality check was - and has been - tremendous.

I got a phone call from the claims adjuster today. They said the damage was estimated at 92% of the value of the bike . Thankfully, two things lessened that blow: I had full coverage with a reasonable deductible, and I had purchased the bike a bit below its appraised value.

I am not sure yet whether I will pick up another bike. The riding experience is a great feeling, but the crash has left me with some doubts about whether my skill and mindset are right for this. I've learned that if I have a minor panic, an otherwise recoverable error might be catastrophic -- and that I may not have the right judgement to evaluate whether I am riding above my skill level.

It might sound mature to be able to say this now, but I honestly don't know if I will be able to maintain this awareness when riding or handling an emergency situation.

[Alienjoe]

If you truly enjoy riding, you will find a way to get back on the horse. It's ok to feel a little defeated though. Just learn from the mistakes and move on. If they haven't taken her away yet I would definitely say she is worth buying from the insurance company and fixing. A bent handle bar might be enough to not allow a clutch to fully disengage.

[Miles_Prower]

Agreed, give it time. I didn't ride for like nearly an entire month after I crashed. I never really thought about giving up, but I did start thinking about being very careful. I am glad I didn't give up, I've already experienced so many fun adventures, and I've only clocked a measly 6000 miles. Wait a little bit and see if you still have the itch, if you find the risk too great, then call it and walk away.

Sorry about the bike but you are ok! My bike (brand new) was going to be totaled for a little cosmetic damage, with 42 miles on it. They are so cheap they aren't "worth" fixing..just a one and done in the insurance companies' eyes.

[akima]

Originally Posted by T304L

I am not sure yet whether bla bla bla bla. The riding experience is a great feeling, bla bla bla bla

That's what's important

In all seriousness though, I guess you just have to weigh up whether the risk outweighs the reward. For me: the reward is greater than the risk. Also: the whole reason I finally decided to get a motorcycle was because I realized just how much control a good street rider has over the risk than a mindless bad rider does... it's a huge difference. There is a lot of experienced and rational riders on this forum than can help you become the good, low risk rider. I think you're of the mindset to be mature about riding... you've bought a 2fiddy instead of a 600 supersport for starters!

I think there are some people out there who should stay well away from bikes because of their clumsiness or their immaturity. Everyone else should learn how to ride well and enjoy motorcycles!

I'll give you a head start on finding good advice here. Look for the posts from: @gfloyd2002 (my favourite source of info!) @ally99 & @Alex. There are plenty of others here that have good advice too.

My advice (though you are free to ignore it as I'm still a nooblet!) is:
* get yourself another ninjette as soon as possible and start riding it before the fear and doubt sets in any further. If you can afford it, the new ninjette has some fancy safety features that will help new riders. It has [optional] ABS brakes and a slipper clutch to save you from loosing the back end if you perform a dodgy down shift.
* Learn more about bike control (how to corner and how to brake!).
* Practice what you learn.
* When you're on the bike always give 100% of your concentration to riding. Don't think about anything else. Fantastic meditation!
* Learn about safe riding techniques on the road. There's so much to learn here. Most of it is to do with simulating in your mind bad things that could happen and then using that prediction to adjust your speed and lane position.

That's my thoughts

[Slono]

I swore to myself that after hitting a deer I wouldn't ride again. That happened this July and I got back on a (different) bike in October. You'll get over this accident if you just give it time if you really enjoy riding. I told my already paranoid parents about my accident and they told me never to ride again. So I got another bike to help them get over it . If you value the relationship with your parents be honest with them and tell them everything. Then make your move and figure out what you want to do next.

[Dragonracer76]

Welcome. Only two types of riders.... those who have wrecked and those who are going to wreck. Congrats on getting it out of the way early.

[EternalNewb]

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that man. It totally blows, but at least you were wearing enough gear, and got away without any serious injuries.

[Richardcheung]

Hey, i just wrecked today too. Just wondering do you still have your right and rear fairings because ill gladly buy them off of you.

[T304L]

Thanks to all the recent posters with your comments. Dragonracer76, I guess I am ahead of the curve

I will probably be waiting until spring to pick up another bike. Winter sucks here, plus I have been thinking about moving anyway and that would be one less thing to pack and ship. I'm also done with carburetors. Considering the Ninja 300, and also the CBR 250R and 500R. I mean 600RR

I've also considered taking the MSF again or another course to work more on turning, choosing lines through curves, and maybe identifying other bad habits I might have unknowingly picked up. Expensive, but then again, so is being dead.

Originally Posted by Richardcheung

Hey, i just wrecked today too. Just wondering do you still have your right and rear fairings because ill gladly buy them off of you.

Sorry to hear about your crash, man. My insurance totaled the bike and I did not attempt to buy it back from them, sorry. I do know there are a ton of fairings up on eBay for not too much money. Good luck and safe riding!