First Ride in a Month, 20 Degrees Out, Dropped it

[IndestructibleNinja]

Grabbed front brake too hard after a tiny pull in a small parking lot. Bike isn't legal, no real gear other than what I was wearing, two pairs of jeans and coveralls. Missing a chunk out of my right fairing, even though when it slipped the left side went down, and skin is missing off my right knee where my clothes were fine, when my left knee is worn through the coveralls and one of the jeans. Weird. Maybe the handlebar whipped the fairing, shouldn't be able to do that but this bike's dimensions are all messed up as it was previously totaled and needed new fork seals? and everything.

This is really my third time dropping this bike, the first time was the first day I got it, 5mph, home in the wet grass, no damage. Second time was a rolling burnout, in the rain 15mph at a car meet, frame sliders were adequate and no damage to bike (but elbow was pretty skinned). This was definitely the worst for the bike, and my knee and left ankle hurt. I'll be alright but I'm gonna spend $200 on a new fairing kit, $20 sliders, and $10 turn signals, and then I'm gonna have to build a cage around this bike because I absolutely hate taking these fairings on and off, and I hate the look of a bad bike.

[Triple Jim]

I'm sorry you and your 250 got hurt. It sounds like it's time to rethink your plans, get some real gear and some riding skills before going for the rolling burnouts. I don't remember if you said before... have you ridden much? Have you taken a basic riding skills course?

[IndestructibleNinja]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

I'm sorry you and your 250 got hurt. It sounds like it's time to rethink your plans, get some real gear and some riding skills before going for the rolling burnouts. I don't remember if you said before... have you ridden much? Have you taken a basic riding skills course?

I've been on 2 wheeled powersports since I was about 8 years old. Mainly dirt bikes and gas scooters, those things are fun.

Out of all the times I've ridden and wiped out, this is the worst, and the mechanism in which it happened is definitely my weakness. I've flipped a dr250 frontward, uphill, with the same motion of my hand, but that was a little under a decade ago. I think it's because I'm coming from not riding for months and the last thing I've touched was a bicycle, and they almost never have good brakes...haha.

The advice, I can take some of it. Wiping out is part of learning the expertise if you have common sense. I would like a riding course but I don't have the time or money. I'm sure I'll get more utility from caging the bike frame and doing low speed maneuvers with no fear of destroying the bike. I never push things at speed with a road bike as the variables are far too dangerous, such as mailboxes, guardrails, other cars, etc. A dirt bike is fun because you can lowside in boxers doing 45 on a grassy track and get right back up and ripping again. I don't have a number for how many times I've done that, but it's a lot, mainly on a XR100, topped out, sometimes on a kx100, and rarely on the dr250, that bike feels as heavy as the XL600.

My analysis of the incident leads me to believe I wiped out from

14 year old tires fully weather checked 360degrees around
20 degrees out
Rusty and freezing cold extremities, even while wearing light welding gloves
Heavy braking during leaning

When I got home I was so cold I could barely manipulate my clothes off

I also realize I completely forgot about one of the most important rules: no braking while turning

From now on, I'm only wearing proper gear, which includes thick leather welding gloves up to my forearm that keep me warm and able to operate my fingers more finely. I can't promise that I won't attempt more crazy stuff, that's what keeps me going, but I'll be more careful next time for sure. I've never had a serious injury in my entire life and look forward to that being the case until I'm really old and dead.

[thedrewski86]

Good thing that Ninja is indestructible!
Bummer though. It'll buff.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by IndestructibleNinja

I also realize I completely forgot about one of the most important rules: no braking while turning.

This quote alone is enough for me to understand that you need to either get some real riding training, or make friends quickly with more experienced riders with significant street experience that can mentor you. If nothing changes, you are likely to hurt yourself again.

[IndestructibleNinja]

Originally Posted by Alex

This quote alone is enough for me to understand that you need to either get some real riding training, or make friends quickly with more experienced riders with significant street experience that can mentor you. If nothing changes, you are likely to hurt yourself again.

I've never heard a single person on this planet advocate braking while leaning in 20 degree weather on decade plus old tires and all while rusty. 99.9% of people don't even ride these conditions to begin with.

I would probably love a riding course just to hang out with other riders or be able to beat up someone else's bike but I assure you I won't be hurting myself. Over the tens if not hundreds of times I've wiped out, I've never been "hurt." That should say something for my judgement. I never put myself in harm's way, or a better way of putting it: I never let harm's way come close to me. I dropped the bike in a parking lot testing things out, you see? No immovable objects, I wasn't pushing dangerous speeds, no cars around, I had my helmet and gloves. I couldn't have asked for a better reminder on traction and the variables at play. I don't think you can ask for a better scenario. If I were the type to get scared of a slip I wouldn't have a bike in the first place, let alone shoes for my feet. I'd stay inside a padded room with bubble wrap around me. I appreciate the concern, but I don't need it.

[IndestructibleNinja]

Originally Posted by thedrewski86

Good thing that Ninja is indestructible!
Bummer though. It'll buff.

Amen, I'll never let this thing die! If only you could see what it looked like before I got it...scary. Totaled, beat up, bad.

[thedrewski86]

It sounds like you have a game plan, Mike. Good luck with the Ninja, they're excellent teaching bikes. No matter our experience level, we all need to be in a state of learning.

More to Alex' point, braking while in a lean is pretty accepted when riding a sportbike; it's something that is done while trail-braking and certainly not something to avoid. I agree with you that nobody is going to recommend it in 20-degree weather on old tires. You did that and, as you said, you learned from it.

Have fun and don't let any keyboard warriors distract you from riding. That's what we're here for. Alex too

[IndestructibleNinja]

Yeah I can't take it too personal because I know a lot of people who never rode before, buy a bike and then wreck it (usually very minorly, like a fairing scrape and bent levers) and just stop riding forever out of fear or discouragement. The advice to take a riding course isn't that bad, I'll never be perfect, and it'd help some even if I wouldn't benefit from it as much as someone who hasn't ridden as much.

I have a fear of braking and leaning because I know it's not as forgiving as dirt and keep myself out of trouble by telling myself not to brake while leaning. I watched a lot of safety material on riding when I was younger and all the wrecks seemed to be from too much speed for the experience level, or grabbing brakes too hard.

I have issues with grabbing brakes way too hard because I grew up on secondhand abused stuff that should've been maintained, but wasn't. I spent most of my time riding clapped out cable and linkage operated drum brakes on an xr100, and because of that, wiped out way too many times on other bikes that had properly working brakes. Old habits are hard to get rid of.

It'd be cool to have a smaller bike for warming up after not riding for so long, one for the dirt, in case I push it and go down. It seems like dirt bikes are made to be dropped a lot more too, the plastics are smooth and don't crack at all until bent in half