I'm alive and happy

MrAtom · June 2nd, 2015, 12:52 AM

I was gonna take a break from riding but I guess that didn't last much longer than a few days. I started riding again and no longer speed over 5mph unless the situation calls for it (e.g. overtaking a large scary truck). So I guess I did learn my lesson.

That said, I was having some fun out on the bike today, and the speed limit was 55. I hit this turn going 55 in one direction, and exited going 60. I figured I could do the same in the opposite direction on the way back, but I didn't know that in the other direction, the turn tightened up WAY quicker than it did the way I'd just come from. I've done this before, and I wanted to straighten up and get on the brakes, but there was just no time. I straightened up and rode my bike into the oncoming lane and fell off the road onto this soft, loose sand, no time to get on the brakes. I tried to turn back onto the road, but my bike just fell over in the sand, and I fell and my upper half slid on the asphalt on my right side, while my lower half scraped around the ground and stuff.

My gear did its job. I'm mostly uninjured. Just owies.

The bike, though. The right handlebar broke off, the headlight stay bent, and it looks like something up there's peeing out brake fluid. And, there's a 2mm hole in the tank and a huge dent. Nothing I can't fix with a little solder and some new parts. It's got some pretty cool battle scars now, too. It's not like it was a particularly pretty bike to begin with.

I managed to ride the bike home by ziptieing the handlebar onto the mirror and moving the throttle from under the bike with my finger.

I'm not upset about it. It's a learning experience. I got off pretty easily. It could have been much much worse. I can reuse most of my gear, I was meaning to bleed the brakes anyway, and my right handlebar was a little wobbly, anyway. It's all good, man.

BoBO · June 2nd, 2015, 01:46 AM

Sorry about your bike but at least your OK to ride another day. The damage is not that bad, parts for the classic 250 go cheap on ebay.

Motofool · June 2nd, 2015, 05:45 AM

Slow in, fast out is the main forgotten riding principle in this mishap.
If you can not stop on the section of the public curve that you can see, you are going too fast.
You had a clean and neat outcome, for which we are glad.

Hero Danny · June 2nd, 2015, 05:49 AM

Well, at least you're taking it well. Can't say I'd be as level headed as you are if that happened to my bike.

DEFY · June 2nd, 2015, 05:55 AM

Sorry to hear, Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-bop-bop lol. Glad to hear your not badly injured.

Snake · June 2nd, 2015, 06:10 AM

This is something we can all learn from. Glad to see you are in good spirits and alive.

crazymadbastard · June 2nd, 2015, 06:13 AM

Glad you are ok!

LittleRedNinjette · June 2nd, 2015, 06:17 AM

Must have been a fun raid home... Good luck fixing it up!

kdogg2077 · June 2nd, 2015, 06:36 AM

Time to lick your wounds and figure out what went wrong.

Proteus · June 2nd, 2015, 06:50 AM

Glad you're OK. Crashing sucks but at least it seems like you learned something from it.

greenaero · June 2nd, 2015, 07:25 AM

I'm very sorry about your crash but glad you weren't seriously injured. It's important to learn from our mistakes so we don't repeat them. Your protective gear did its job. Good job with the field repair so that you could ride it home.

csmith12 · June 2nd, 2015, 07:37 AM

Glad you're fine.

crazymadbastard · June 2nd, 2015, 07:56 AM

where you hugging the inside of the corner when you went in and ran out of lean angle?

cadd · June 2nd, 2015, 08:05 AM

Sorry to hear about you running wide on the turn. I'm glad there weren't any oncoming traffic and you were relatively unhurt. Heal up quick.

cuong-nutz · June 2nd, 2015, 08:11 AM

Glad you faired well.

When you ever get off the road do not try to turn and get back on the road. Just ride it out and ease it with the rear brake while keeping it upright. Grabbing the front brake will just cause you to low side.

cbinker · June 2nd, 2015, 08:19 AM

apparently you scared the piss out of the bike.

snapshot · June 2nd, 2015, 08:24 AM

Glad that you're okay! Also happy to see that you're taking it as a lesson learned.

Ride on!

J~

LittleRedNinjette · June 2nd, 2015, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbinker

apparently you scared the piss out of the bike.

adouglas · June 2nd, 2015, 09:08 AM

Kind of sounds like you ran into the point where the safe-as-houses MSF-taught approach runs into the need for more advanced skills.

You did precisely what MSF teaches -- tried to stand the bike up and brake. That's good, because it means the lesson took.

That's a sound strategy, IF you're at a speed that will allow you to do so safely. You were evidently going too fast for that course of action to work.

A pretty safe bet that more lean and some throttle would have tightened your line... but unless you've got the experience, that carries its own risks. Trying that for the first time at a for-real "uh-oh" moment may end badly. We have MSF instructors on here... please chime in.

So you'd ridden the same corner the other way, yet were surprised by the increased sharpness on your return leg. What did that teach you?

csmith12 · June 2nd, 2015, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adouglas

So you'd ridden the same corner the other way, yet were surprised by the increased sharpness on your return leg. What did that teach you?

Perfect question! The BRC does not instruct anything more than what MrAtom already did.

And careful with adding lean + throttle at the same time. It's a recipe for a lowside at steep lean angles, low traction conditions or when tight on the bars.

MrAtom · June 2nd, 2015, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motofool

Slow in, fast out is the main forgotten riding principle in this mishap.
If you can not stop on the section of the public curve that you can see, you are going too fast.
You had a clean and neat outcome, for which we are glad.

I'll be sure to remember that one now. You learn some the hard way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

Must have been a fun raid home... Good luck fixing it up!

A little bit of gas from the leaky tank got on my right knee and into my cut haha.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

where you hugging the inside of the corner when you went in and ran out of lean angle?

I didn't even run out of lean angle. My footpeg was barely scraping. I definitely had more and could have ridden it out. If I hung off the bike a little more and just gave it a small amount of consistent throttle, I'd have been fine.

And, no. I was near the double yellow because a lot of dust was gathered up near the right of the road.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adouglas

Kind of sounds like you ran into the point where the safe-as-houses MSF-taught approach runs into the need for more advanced skills.

You did precisely what MSF teaches -- tried to stand the bike up and brake. That's good, because it means the lesson took.

That's a sound strategy, IF you're at a speed that will allow you to do so safely. You were evidently going too fast for that course of action to work.

A pretty safe bet that more lean and some throttle would have tightened your line... but unless you've got the experience, that carries its own risks. Trying that for the first time at a for-real "uh-oh" moment may end badly. We have MSF instructors on here... please chime in.

So you'd ridden the same corner the other way, yet were surprised by the increased sharpness on your return leg. What did that teach you?

I've gone into corners too fast and given it more lean and throttle before. Just not at this speed. It was also downhill. That may have something to do with it. I guess I can't judge how fast I can go through one turn by how fast I've gone through it backwards.

MrAtom · June 2nd, 2015, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Well, at least you're taking it well. Can't say I'd be as level headed as you are if that happened to my bike.

It's only stuff. Stuff can be fixed and replaced

Jono · June 2nd, 2015, 07:58 PM

Been there done that.

Like others have said, Glad you are alright and you're learning from your mistakes.

snot · June 3rd, 2015, 02:39 AM

glad your ok.

adouglas · June 3rd, 2015, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

And careful with adding lean + throttle at the same time. It's a recipe for a lowside at steep lean angles, low traction conditions or when tight on the bars.

Okay, that raises another question, namely: That's really a matter of degree, isn't it?

When you lean, the effective circumference of your wheel decreases... the bike slows down if you maintain constant throttle. So to keep your speed you need to add a little bit of throttle as you lean. Hence "maintenance throttle."

Correct?

But if you add too much, you exceed the limits of the tire... you have 100 traction points divided between acceleration/deceleration forces and lateral forces... add too much acceleration when you're at the lateral limit and the tire gives up. Down you go.

csmith12 · June 3rd, 2015, 07:44 AM

^^^ Sure it's a matter of degree. So many roads have just slight bends where riders can steer (add lean) and continue to accelerate (add throttle) at the same time and it's simply not a big deal at minimum lean angles and/or speeds. Although, sometimes those same mild direction changes can surprise riders in the wet and they slide or go down. The rider is like... "WTF!?!?!?"

The 100 points thing is good to get a rider's mind wrapped around how they need to divide traction into the buckets of lean, speed and steering. It's just hard to apply while mid-corner, when the rider has overcooked it a bit. How do you know how much is too much? If a rider overcooks it way too much, they have to instantly pick between what the rider feels is the lesser of two evils, because asking the front tire to lean and turn at the same time is like gambling, cept you're betting your arse as the ante.

Urban Ninja · June 3rd, 2015, 10:52 AM

Could've been worse but also could've been better

Glad you're ok though.

Finesse · June 3rd, 2015, 08:22 PM

Quote:

I managed to ride the bike home by ziptieing the handlebar onto the mirror and moving the throttle from under the bike with my finger.

that's some epic ****

MrAtom · June 3rd, 2015, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finesse

that's some epic ****

A really cute guy with a truck offered me some help but this was before I lifted the bike up and saw how bad it was and I was a little embarrassed because he saw me after I crashed. Kinda wish I had taken him up on it but the story is more interesting this way.

csmith12 · June 4th, 2015, 07:25 AM

Common... it's a storybook tale.

Strapping young lad comes to save the day and what not. Go ahead, play that the blushing, embarrassed card. The dudes are on board with that.

MrAtom · June 4th, 2015, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

Common... it's a storybook tale.

Strapping young lad comes to save the day and what not. Go ahead, play that the blushing, embarrassed card. The dudes are on board with that.

I'll post a "missed connections" ad on craigslist. What could go wrong?

snot · June 4th, 2015, 06:49 PM

so are you going to get an R6 now or wait till next time and get the ZX10R?

MrAtom · June 4th, 2015, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snot

so are you going to get an R6 now or wait till next time and get the ZX10R?

I'm gonna solder the tank, fix the torn brake line and handlebar etc, and keep on putting around on it until I blow up the engine, then I'll drop a 500 in.

jk getting an H2R

June 2nd, 2015, 01:46 AM	#2
BoBO ninjette.org guru Name: Genesis Location: Paradise Valley Village, AZ Join Date: Jan 2014 Motorcycle(s): SC28 Fireblade Posts: 463	Sorry about your bike but at least your OK to ride another day. The damage is not that bad, parts for the classic 250 go cheap on ebay. __________________________________________________ 94 900RR 04 BMW Z4 2.5 M Package 01 R170 AMG Sport Package

June 2nd, 2015, 05:45 AM	#3
Motofool Daily Ninjette rider Name: Hernan Location: Florida Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16	Slow in, fast out is the main forgotten riding principle in this mishap. If you can not stop on the section of the public curve that you can see, you are going too fast. You had a clean and neat outcome, for which we are glad. __________________________________________________ *Motofool* *.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly* "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí
	2 out of 2 members found this post helpful.

June 2nd, 2015, 05:49 AM	#4
Hero Danny Inline 4!!! Name: Danny Location: MA Join Date: May 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2008 CBR600rr, 1987 KLR 250 Posts: A lot.	Well, at least you're taking it well. Can't say I'd be as level headed as you are if that happened to my bike. __________________________________________________ Be careful. Remember you are invisible

June 2nd, 2015, 05:55 AM	#5
DEFY ᗧ•••ᗣ•ᗣᗣ•••ᗣ Name: Nick Location: NY Join Date: Nov 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R and 2014 Triumph 675R Posts: A lot.	Sorry to hear, Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-bop-bop lol. Glad to hear your not badly injured. __________________________________________________ Spoiler for topic: It might just be the [you] tag

June 2nd, 2015, 06:13 AM	#7
crazymadbastard I'm crazy,your excuse is? Name: Winston Location: Connecticut Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 250 2007 ninja Posts: A lot.	Glad you are ok! __________________________________________________ My Cafe Racer Build My intro post

June 2nd, 2015, 06:10 AM	#6
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	This is something we can all learn from. Glad to see you are in good spirits and alive.

June 2nd, 2015, 06:17 AM	#8
LittleRedNinjette Certified Troublemaker Name: Teri Location: Hamilton, NJ Join Date: Oct 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Ninja 250r "Pikachu", 2017 Ninja 650 "Epona" Posts: A lot. MOTM - Aug '13, Aug '14, Feb '17	Must have been a fun raid home... Good luck fixing it up! __________________________________________________ Raven's Rejuvenation A bruise is a lesson... and each lesson makes us better...

June 2nd, 2015, 06:36 AM	#9
kdogg2077 ninjette.org sage Name: Alex Location: Ebensburg, PA Join Date: Sep 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2015 Yamaha FZ07, Ninja 250r 2012 Limited Edition (Sold) Posts: 529	Time to lick your wounds and figure out what went wrong. __________________________________________________ "Take it easy driving. The life you might save might be mine."

June 2nd, 2015, 06:50 AM	#10
Proteus Daily Ninjette Rider Name: Steve Location: Hollywood, FL Join Date: Jul 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2015 Vespa GTS 300 IE Super, 1989 Honda Elite 80 (SOLD) Posts: 402	Glad you're OK. Crashing sucks but at least it seems like you learned something from it. __________________________________________________ Check out my music at http://www.proteusmusic.com

June 2nd, 2015, 07:25 AM	#11
greenaero Motorcycle Hypermiler Name: Vic Location: Livermore CA Join Date: Jan 2012 Motorcycle(s): 1999 & 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250R's Posts: A lot.	I'm very sorry about your crash but glad you weren't seriously injured. It's important to learn from our mistakes so we don't repeat them. Your protective gear did its job. Good job with the field repair so that you could ride it home. __________________________________________________ 235 MPG Hypermotorcycling to a better tomorrow

June 2nd, 2015, 07:37 AM	#12
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Glad you're fine. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

June 2nd, 2015, 07:56 AM	#13
crazymadbastard I'm crazy,your excuse is? Name: Winston Location: Connecticut Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 250 2007 ninja Posts: A lot.	where you hugging the inside of the corner when you went in and ran out of lean angle? __________________________________________________ My Cafe Racer Build My intro post

June 2nd, 2015, 08:05 AM	#14
cadd cadd cadd cadd Name: Cadd Location: 41°21'13.1"N, 74°41'37.4"W Join Date: Jan 2014 Motorcycle(s): 300 Posts: A lot. MOTM - May '15	Sorry to hear about you running wide on the turn. I'm glad there weren't any oncoming traffic and you were relatively unhurt. Heal up quick. __________________________________________________ Riding it like I financed it.

June 2nd, 2015, 08:11 AM	#15
cuong-nutz RIP Alex Name: Cuong Location: Houston, TX Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): '10 250r, '09 265r Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 2	Glad you faired well. When you ever get off the road do not try to turn and get back on the road. Just ride it out and ease it with the rear brake while keeping it upright. Grabbing the front brake will just cause you to low side. __________________________________________________ HalfFast Racing Team Serving Greater Houston Area Riders:WFO Riders MotoHouston HPC CMRA Ride Smart Fastline Lone Star Track Days
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

June 2nd, 2015, 08:19 AM	#16
cbinker Track Clown Name: Chris Location: Kingman, AZ Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): '08 250R, 21 MV F3 800, Kawasaki 400 build Posts: A lot. MOTM - Sep '15	apparently you scared the piss out of the bike. __________________________________________________ TEAM ALFALFA www.apexassassins.com
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

June 2nd, 2015, 08:24 AM	#17
snapshot Fogwalker Name: Jeff Location: Western NC Join Date: Mar 2015 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250 "Matilda" Posts: 124	Glad that you're okay! Also happy to see that you're taking it as a lesson learned. Ride on! J~ __________________________________________________ Take care of new riders, for we were them, and they will be us. Y. Hong 2004

June 2nd, 2015, 09:08 AM	#19
adouglas Cat herder Name: Gort Location: A secret lair which, being secret, has an undisclosed location Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia RS660 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 6 MOTM - Jul '18, Nov '16, Aug '14, May '13	Kind of sounds like you ran into the point where the safe-as-houses MSF-taught approach runs into the need for more advanced skills. You did precisely what MSF teaches -- tried to stand the bike up and brake. That's good, because it means the lesson took. That's a sound strategy, IF you're at a speed that will allow you to do so safely. You were evidently going too fast for that course of action to work. A pretty safe bet that more lean and some throttle would have tightened your line... but unless you've got the experience, that carries its own risks. Trying that for the first time at a for-real "uh-oh" moment may end badly. We have MSF instructors on here... please chime in. So you'd ridden the same corner the other way, yet were surprised by the increased sharpness on your return leg. What did that teach you? __________________________________________________ I am NOT an adrenaline junkie, I'm a skill junkie. - csmith12 Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. Heri historia. Cras mysterium. Hodie donum est. Carpe diem.
	1 out of 1 members found this post helpful.

June 2nd, 2015, 07:58 PM	#23
Jono ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Jono Location: Memphis, TN Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Triumph Street Triple, 2009 KLX250SF, 2003 Suzuki SV650S (Sold), 2006 Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: A lot.	Been there done that. Like others have said, Glad you are alright and you're learning from your mistakes.

June 3rd, 2015, 02:39 AM	#24
snot sammich maker Name: snot Location: West Ohio - in the kitchen Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 white 300, 09 KLX 250 SF, 09 thunder blue 250(traded) Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '15	glad your ok. __________________________________________________ https://www.brocksperformance.com/VZ...0035+C450.aspx

June 3rd, 2015, 07:44 AM	#26
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	^^^ Sure it's a matter of degree. So many roads have just slight bends where riders can steer (add lean) and continue to accelerate (add throttle) at the same time and it's simply not a big deal at minimum lean angles and/or speeds. Although, sometimes those same mild direction changes can surprise riders in the wet and they slide or go down. The rider is like... "WTF!?!?!?" The 100 points thing is good to get a rider's mind wrapped around how they need to divide traction into the buckets of lean, speed and steering. It's just hard to apply while mid-corner, when the rider has overcooked it a bit. How do you know how much is too much? If a rider overcooks it way too much, they have to instantly pick between what the rider feels is the lesser of two evils, because asking the front tire to lean and turn at the same time is like gambling, cept you're betting your arse as the ante. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

June 3rd, 2015, 10:52 AM	#27
Urban Ninja ninjette.org member Name: Kate Location: South Bay, CA Join Date: Jan 2015 Motorcycle(s): 2014 Ninja 300, Yamaha TTR 125 Posts: 124 Blog Entries: 2	Could've been worse but also could've been better Glad you're ok though. __________________________________________________ www.beachmoto.com Precision Motorcycle Gear

June 4th, 2015, 07:25 AM	#30
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Common... it's a storybook tale. Strapping young lad comes to save the day and what not. Go ahead, play that the blushing, embarrassed card. The dudes are on board with that. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

June 4th, 2015, 06:49 PM	#32
snot sammich maker Name: snot Location: West Ohio - in the kitchen Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 white 300, 09 KLX 250 SF, 09 thunder blue 250(traded) Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '15	so are you going to get an R6 now or wait till next time and get the ZX10R? __________________________________________________ https://www.brocksperformance.com/VZ...0035+C450.aspx

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