Never getting 'Comfortable.'

[Dredgshadow]

I wanted to share an experience that I had today, as a new rider, that might help someone out.
I was coming home from a long ride and turned down a familiar road to see if my buddy was home. Let me start by saying that I am extremely cautious and lack any trust for any other drivers on the road. That said, I'm cruising at about 30ish past this row of cars that I have never seen move in my entire life when BAM, out comes the front end of a civic. Everything went immediately into slow motion where it doesn't even seem scary. I grabbed some front brake to shed some speed and realized I'd never ever stop in time. So I released the brake and started a swerve. About this time he sees me and it's a non-event.
It's not like this situation would have killed me, but damn it would have hurt bad. It got me thinking about the fact that I was cruising through there so care free. I should have been more diligent.
So anyway, the good is that I didn't lock up the front brake, and I didn't crash. The bad is that for some reason my mind made me take my left foot off the peg..DUMB. I can only imagine my survival instincts were telling me "stick you foot out and stop this!".....yup that'll work
Anyway, I wish there was a way to really practice how you will act in a panic, but I guess that's kind of impossible. I do visualize as many situations as possible when off the bike, which has saved me from even having so much as a close call when cornering and feeling too hot.
Either way, I'm rambling. Just never let your guard down y'all. It was his fault for not looking and seeing me, but I'm the only one to blame for not anticipating his crap driving.
Mike

[csmith12]

[Panda]

Glad nothing happened. @cc_cowboy has a good quote about staying alert. I'm paraphrasing but it's something like, ride like your life depended on it and everyone is out to kill you.

[Dredgshadow]

Originally Posted by Panda

Glad nothing happened. @cc_cowboy has a good quote about staying alert. I'm paraphrasing but it's something like, ride like your life depended on it and everyone is out to kill you.

I know dude! It's the truth, and I always do that. Honestly, I wear ATGATT and I really didn't get very hydrated before heading out. Not to say that as an excuse, but there is something to be said for having your brain completely exhausted.

[voidrider]

It sort of goes against the entire macho biker image and mindset (No Fear!) but having a bit of fear (properly tuned and controlled into alertness and caution) has saved me so many times!

It seems that the worst situations in my life, really serious stuff with life-changing, lasting consequences, have often come from a moment's inattention when I was tired or thinking, "nothing bad could ever happen".

Screw that lazy mindset. Call me "The Worrier". I don't care what other people think. They aren't the one who has to live with the costs or consequences.

I imagine what can go wrong, and develop strategies even as I ride...'what if that semi-truck to my front right had a tire blow out on its trailer? What if the car approaching from behind me at a stop light doesn't see me and stop before hitting me? Done right it doesn't harsh your ride at all, and sort of becomes a game.

I don't really take on the mindset that everyone is trying to kill me, but I do feel that the potential for an accident is constantly around me and ever changing.

Dare to imagine what can go wrong. If things do go wrong, you are prepared. If things don't go wrong you can be pleasantly surprised and thankful that the Universe / Karma showed a moment of kindness.

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by Dredgshadow

Anyway, I wish there was a way to really practice how you will act in a panic, but I guess that's kind of impossible. I do visualize as many situations as possible when off the bike, which has saved me from even having so much as a close call when cornering and feeling too hot.

You did well to not lock up the front and knew not to brake and swerve at the same time . Visualization is a good thing to do too. Practice, however, is the best.

One way to practice so you will not panic is to learn how capable your bike is which will up your skills. If you can, go to an advanced riding clinic or a track day. If either are not available, practice your braking and swerving skills.

Gear up ATGATT style and find yourself a large parking lot. Bring along a few cut up tennis balls and create a test course.

Be very slow and careful when doing this. Up your speeds in small increments and practice quick stops. Do the same with swerving. Practice weekly if you can.

Now I'm not saying ramp your speeds up to track level stuff but you will be surprised how much confidence you will gain realizing what the bike can do and what you can do.

I had issues riding in the rain until I did a track day in the wet. I used to be really nervous about freeway speeds (70+) until, at the same track day, learned to brake hard from 75mph for a 25mph corner.

Now I know how my bike will brake and I know how it handles in the rain.

Hope the helps.

Jeff

[Bentley813]

What do you guys think about straddling the middle line (motorcycle lane 1) in these situations? Assuming there is no oncoming traffic of course. Or do you just remain alert and stay in the middle.

[rojoracing53]

Dude if your going to stop the bike with the foot brake you'd better have some high quality sneakers.

[bfpower]

Nice to see a story with a good ending... good job keeping safe.

You never know what will or won't kill you. Always best to prepare for a bad crash.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Dredgshadow

.............The bad is that for some reason my mind made me take my left foot off the peg..DUMB. I can only imagine my survival instincts were telling me "stick you foot out and stop this!".....yup that'll work

It seems to be a common reaction:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...light=percoset

Stay alert !!!

[Dredgshadow]

Thanks for the positive responses everyone. And yes, I would love to do a track day or something to really see where the limits are. I think I asked in a post once about braking and how to know where the limit is. I have a feeling I'm not as close as I think, but I also don't want to find out the hard way. It seems like a bit of a pickle because you don't know the limit until you've reached the limit which equals .
As a side note I wear atgatt and being in TN means hydration is a definite must. The mind can definitely get a less focused from being dehydrated.

[choneofakind]

^^^ I'd bet $10 you're way far from the limit on the front, and a lot closer to it on the rear. We're all guilty of that.

My solution: go play with the brakes on a bicycle at <15 mph. Notice the feedback you get when the wheels are juuuust about to lock? That's the same feeling you'll get on the motorcycle during braking, it just takes a lot more brake to achieve and you have more precise modulation of the brakes so you can back off just a hair.

Next, go to your cage and practice what my driving instructors called '30-30' in an open parking lot. Basically, get up to 30 mph, then start braking to 0. Do it in 30 feet. it's possible on all relatively recent production cars. Do it 4 ways. 1) mash on the brakes, engage the ABS. 2) mash on the brakes progressively. Get right to where ABS kicks in, back off to turn off the ABS, then add a touch of brake to get to that threshold of almost skidding. This will be faster than using ABS. for variations 3 and 4, repeat on wet pavement.

Now that you're a pro on a bicycle and a car, apply that finesse to the motorcycle. Rather than worrying over whether you've reached the limit or not, feel the bike and listen to the feedback you get; you'll know when you're in that threshold of just about to skid. That's the sweet spot.

[JustRidin]

Anytime I ride I try and actively see the potential threats coming up. If there's a row of cars be ready to swerve and stay out away from them. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (or more....like your life).

[JohnnyBravo]

Glad you got a lesson of the non event type!!! They are a lot cheaper than the lessons from the event type.

[Misti]

Originally Posted by JeffM

You did well to not lock up the front and knew not to brake and swerve at the same time . Visualization is a good thing to do too. Practice, however, is the best.

One way to practice so you will not panic is to learn how capable your bike is which will up your skills. If you can, go to an advanced riding clinic or a track day. If either are not available, practice your braking and swerving skills.

Gear up ATGATT style and find yourself a large parking lot. Bring along a few cut up tennis balls and create a test course.

Be very slow and careful when doing this. Up your speeds in small increments and practice quick stops. Do the same with swerving. Practice weekly if you can.

Now I'm not saying ramp your speeds up to track level stuff but you will be surprised how much confidence you will gain realizing what the bike can do and what you can do.

I had issues riding in the rain until I did a track day in the wet. I used to be really nervous about freeway speeds (70+) until, at the same track day, learned to brake hard from 75mph for a 25mph corner.

Now I know how my bike will brake and I know how it handles in the rain.

Hope the helps.

Jeff

Great suggestions, exactly what I was going to say It's good to know your limits and the more you practice the more likely you will be to react correctly in an emergency situation.

To the OP, glad you kept it upright and sounds like you did the exact right thing. It's important to be aware and focussed every time you ride, thanks for the reminder!

Misti

[ally99]

Nice job OP! Many new riders would try to brake and swerve at the same time. Props to you for not doing so!

[lgk]

While i think you should never be comfortable on the street,
You should never let any fear control your actions.

I train my reflexes on an empty parking lot.
An drill emergency drills often so my brain executes them well in awkward situations and decides in an instant the limits of each maneuver and the correct one.


I also train my brain to look for space.
I treat the space around me as a spherical force field against danger.
When the field starts getting hit i move to regenerate it.

[Dredgshadow]

Like I said, I appreciate the nice responses. I posted this so others may benefit from my experience because I really am an almost overly cautious rider/driver. I don't mean I always go slow, because sometimes going fast is the best defense, but I'm always making efforts to see and analyze every possible situation.
When this happened I could literally see my house down the hill. I have lived here 7 years and nobody has ever pulled out of that car graveyard. It can always happen no matter what. If I'm 99% diligent and someone pulls out on me during the other 1%..well.....
Safe riding