I lowsided

[dimeified]

alex thats not what i am saying. im saying that in most, not all, but most of the stories i hear are rider error, that either come up in conversation or i read in a web forum. its a stated fact from msf too. obviously all problems cant be avoided but many can, especially if you arent wheeling your bike. in the op's post theres nothing he could have done, but if he didnt grab the brakes theres a possibility he could have recovered. grabbing the brakes was the deal breaker.

[Alex]

How many miles on your bike, Bill?

[dimeified]

Originally Posted by Alex

How many miles on your bike, Bill?

Only 150 but i never said that i was talking from expirience, i'm taking from what i've been taught, or read. All over the internet you'll read that in a low slide you shouldnt grab the front brake. I know i will eventually go down, and i knew it before i even considered getting a bike, but i also know for sure that i wont be because i was doing wheelies.

[Alex]

Wait, are you reading TrueFaith's comment as "wheelies" or "wheeling"? He was rolling the bike across the yard with the engine off. Not wheelying on his lawn.

At 150 miles you are doing the right thing by learning all you can as well as you can and as soon as you can. But it also means that you have zero experience whatsoever, and many of the impressions that you may currently hold about what is likely/unlikely possible/impossible will undoubtedly shift when you hit the 5k mark, 25k mark, etc.

Every new rider, every single one, thinks that they are safer and smarter than every other rider they've ever read about and heard about online. They can't all be right.

[dimeified]

Originally Posted by Alex

Wait, are you reading TrueFaith's comment as "wheelies" or "wheeling"? He was rolling the bike across the yard with the engine off. Not wheelying on his lawn.

Yes i read it as he was doing wheelies across his lawn haha, my mistake. But yes a lowslide can happen to anyone, and i know that as much as i read and learn, can all go out the window in the heat of the moment, especially with my lack of expirience. But I'm simply trying to understand if there is a difference of risk between "spirited" riding vs "commuting to work", so thats why i'm asking you guys.

[almost40]

Earth to bill,
you will go down sooner or later.
You are human and therefore prone to mistakes.

[dimeified]

Earth to Kevin:

Originally Posted by dimeified

I know i will eventually go down, and i knew it before i even considered getting a bike

I am aware of that, thank you.

[Broom]

I know several experienced, responsible, adult riders who have gone many years without a spill who are now in a wheelchair, permanently brain damaged or dead due to an accident. It doesn't matter how good or responsible or focused you are.... Things happen that are out of your control.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Alex]

Originally Posted by dimeified

But I'm simply trying to understand if there is a difference of risk between "spirited" riding vs "commuting to work", so thats why i'm asking you guys.

In my opinion, no. Whether you're going the speed limt, 5 mph below the speed limit, or 30 mph over the speed limit, it's still quite possible to find yourself on the ground. And the human body is so terribly fragile, that once you're moving at any speed whatsoever, there's significant risk if you end up falling off at that whatever speed. In some of these cases, perhaps even in many cases, it will perhaps have been avoidable if the rider had either more experience or simply chose better reactions for whatever the particular situation. In other cases, perhaps there wasn't a viable choice once they found themselves in that situation. I believe that the more skilled the rider, the better chance they have at choosing the right reaction to keep the bike upright and themselves unscathed. I don't think that those skills can be learned or grown by anything other than miles on the bike.

[dimeified]

Alex, that is exactly the kind of answer i was looking for, and it answers my question, clear, informative, and helpful. Thank you. Not like pointless heckling of "earth to bill".

[DarkNinja52]

Originally Posted by n4v1n

So I lowsided going about 30-40mph with shorts on, Thank God I had my helmet and my gloves on at least but my legs are ripped to shreds, no broken bones thank God. I havent seen the bike in 3 days so far b/c Im in bed trying to heal the major road rash on both legs. Anyways, I might not be riding for a long time, my parents don't trust me to ride anymore, and I really dont think I want to ride for a while. So I bid you all a farewell in the help you have given me to enjoy my bike for when I did have it. Thanks

Get better man, im dealing with some road rash myself, but not like that... good luck and get back on soon.

Originally Posted by dimeified

i've only been riding for a few weeks, but so far i can't understand how these things happen to riders. im amazed when i hear about guys dropping their bikes. and people even tell me, its not IF you go down, its when. I have to admit i've had a close call already, but thanks to MSF i had some knowlege of how to break fast and hard, and i was able to anticipate the driver not seeing me like they taught us in msf. Are you guys pushin the bikes and breaking speed limits or does this sort of thing happen every day? Did you hit gravel? I'm asking as a humble rider, i hope to learn from other peoples expiriences so i dont have to suffer my own. in any event, dont give up, get back riding asap.

I know im just beating a dead horse, but i have a story from yesterday night i would like to share.

I took a msf course last month, passed, got my license, bought a bike and started riding last week. Last night i decided to practice, it had been raining all day and I wanted to get some time on the bike before dark. I go down the street to an empty parking lot to practice my clutch control , starts and stops.. etc. I was doing fine and everything, and as I go to slow down after a start, my front tire hits a wet spot on the pavement, and thats all it took. I felt the tire slip and I knew i was going down. It happened so fast but I felt it in slow motion. Slid across the parking lot, got road rash on my knee (i was only wearing jeans, lookign into something better as of today).

I hope you never fall, as I was hoping I wouldn't but it was a reality I was trying to deny. But don't think to yourself that you will fall, or else you definitely will, keep positive thoughts but don't get over confident. Stay safe man.

[coolbreeze]

sorry to hear about your crash. heal up fast.

[Syphen]

Originally Posted by dimeified

What i meant was i dont understand how someone could drop a 350lb bike in their driveway not moving, like one rider said he forgot the kickstand. It seems most of these accidents are avoidable. I get the possibility of other driver mistakes and unseen oil/gravel.

I'll admit that I have dropped not only 1, but 2 bikes while not moving at the same time. I was just finishing some work on my one bike and was pushing it into my shed (I have SEVERAL bikes all lined up in there like dominos). I made one bad mistake and didn't have enough room to stand next to the bike while pushing it back. It started to heel over and I couldn't stop it in time and next thing you know, I played domioes with a couple motorcycles in my shed. In the end the snowblower parked at the end suffered the most damage but it goes to show that even after riding for years and years you can still slip up and drop your bike or two at any time.. I cleaned up the scuffs, bought a new set of mirrors for the one bike and put a sticker on the snowblower to cover the scuff! I felt stupid though.

[ScraitT]

I've been riding bikes since I was 6 (offroad). The Ninja is my first street bike as I attempted to stay off the roads as long as possible, but regardless, I have had my fair share of hours on a bike.

One day sitting out front on the 250r, I went to lean it over to get off, and bam, the kickstand wasn't down. I didn't drop the bike, I caught it, but damn, if this bike weight 20 lbs more, I wouldn't have had the leverage to stop the fall.

That's after 17ish years around bikes.

Luckily I have only been down 3-4 times (all offroad) and the only serious injury I got was a dislocated shoulder when I wasn't even riding the bike (I was stopping in neutral, hands off the bars talking to people, and the mud was so slick the bike just randomly slid out).

Point it, stuff happens when you least expect it.


Anyways, to the OP, heal up and get back to riding when your comfortable and ready again. You got your crash out of the way so your golden for the rest of the year! (kidding of course, be careful!)

[almost40]

Sorry there Bill, just trying to give you the condensed version. It happens to EVERYONE. I didnt think it needed to be explained in detail. Experience or not 200,000 miles or 10 miles, mistakes are made and then your sliding on the pavement.

[n4v1n]

I'll try to get pics when my dressings come off to be changed, It's been about a week since the accident and I am much better. The first couple nights were TERRIBLE, like my leg was on fire and I could barely get any sleep. Some vikes helped the situation Now I am able to stumble about more easily than before, When I put put pressure on my legs it feels like they're gonna explode, prolly cause they're inflamed with fluid and whatnot. Not to be too crude but I haven't taken a proper **** in days b/c my legs feel like they're gonna pop, hence I cant get on the seat the right way...lol. But lately that feeling is getting less and less intense. Thanks for all the support guys, I see riding pants in my future lol

[almost40]

Quit taking the vicodin for a day it makes you constipated.

[n4v1n]

Originally Posted by almost40

Quit taking the vicodin for a day it makes you constipated.

I know, but I only take 1 pill at night to help me sleep. I don't take more than that b/c I'm afraid of getting addicted partly b/c I work at a pharmacy and that's a recipe for disaster, plus I'm trying to become a pharmacist myself lol.

[shporsche]

Originally Posted by almost40

Sorry there Bill, just trying to give you the condensed version. It happens to EVERYONE. I didnt think it needed to be explained in detail. Experience or not 200,000 miles or 10 miles, mistakes are made and then your sliding on the pavement.

Sorry about the crash, hope the legs heal well.

Almost40 is spot on, no one is safe on the road.

I havent had a stack on the road, but I did take my ninja off road a stacked it good and proper.
Riding along in a cow rut, when suddenly the rut takes a sharp right.
The bike went right, but I kept going forwards in the air. Very sore shoulder.

Anyways, hope your legs get better and you get the motivation to get back on. Convincing the parent is a small stepping stone, convincing your self is the mountain.

[dimeified]

I don't disagree that no one is safe on the road. What i was asking about is what kind of riding these guys are doing when they are going down. Is it spirited or normal commuting, and im wondering if there is a higher risk for the former. Turning around a curb at a 10 degree tilt vs 30 degrees i thought yeilds different results over unseen gravel. I am trying to learn to assess risk based on how "spirited" i choose to ride my own bike and outside factors like gravel/sand/time of day, etc. But it seems Alex nailed it, explaining that there really isn't a difference, being on a bike is just as dangerous in either situation.

[adouglas]

Speed reduces reaction time and increases kinetic energy.

So you'll have to react more quickly, brake and/or swerve harder and be aware that you have less traction reserve if you ride faster.

If you ride slower you've got more of a safety margin and a greater ability to deal with the unexpected.

If you commute, time of day has a strong influence on the level of risk. The roads are more crowded, people are tired, bored, distracted and talking on phones/texting/eating/grooming/reading/you-name-it while driving. Look at the drivers around you next time you commute. You will see most or all of these activities, every day, and every one of them adds danger to the equation.

Every cager is out to kill you, whether he/she knows it or not.

When I commute, I ride differently than I would when out for weekend recreation... far more conservatively than might theoretically be possible. Much slower, leaving lots and lots of room, spending much more of my attention "budget" on situational awareness and traffic. I also dress in the brightest colors imaginable, plus practice ATGATT. Commuting mode is survival mode for me.

Despite all this, it is entirely possible for some blithering idiot to cut me off and turn me into a squishy hood ornament. All I can do is minimize that risk by maximizing my ability to deal with that situation...by slowing down, giving myself more room and paying closer attention.

By contrast, to use your term, when on a recreational ride I might be more "spirited" and spend more of my limited attention budget on simply enjoying the ride and the scenery.

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by dimeified

I don't disagree that no one is safe on the road. What i was asking about is what kind of riding these guys are doing when they are going down. Is it spirited or normal commuting, and im wondering if there is a higher risk for the former. Turning around a curb at a 10 degree tilt vs 30 degrees i thought yeilds different results over unseen gravel. I am trying to learn to assess risk based on how "spirited" i choose to ride my own bike and outside factors like gravel/sand/time of day, etc. But it seems Alex nailed it, explaining that there really isn't a difference, being on a bike is just as dangerous in either situation.

HA! Just the thought of me wheelying across my lawn is cracking me up! My neighbors would be so horrified they'd get me evicted. I consider myself fortunate they don't mind my Area-P, but doing a wheelie would be a real dealbreaker!

You know it doesn't matter if you're riding "spiritedly" or slow. The severity of every crash is different and depends on a lot more than just speed. I lowsided last year and screwed up my shoulder and knee and spent 3 days in the hospital and I only crashed at about 20mph or less and wasn't showboating. I came into a turn and didn't recognize gravel on the road because it wasn't just in one spot. It was uniformly spread all over the roadway which camoflaged it enough that I missed it looking through the turn. Even though I braked and could have ridden through it, what happened is I ran out of room to stop completely. It was either hit a curb and highside or stomp the brakes harder than I knew I should have to try and stop or bleed off more speed before I hit. Had I had just a bit more room I could have stopped safely, but it was the terrain that finally got me. Every crash is different and you can't generalize about crashing except for the obvious like too much speed or maybe...wheelying across your lawn.

[DarkNinja52]

its a dangerous sport and **** does happen, its something each one of us has to accept or else we are going to be in for a very very rude awakening... yea yea dead horse i know i know

[tinng321]

I know i'm a little late, but sorry to hear about your accident. Don't let this discourage you from riding. People crash all the time. What important is what you learned from it. Get well soon.