Lowside on the Dragon with the GoPro!

KnoxNinja · June 8th, 2009, 12:19 AM

Went up to the Dragon Sunday evening for a leisurely ride on the 500R and ended up having a leisurely crash. I was actually taking it really easy, and I guess I just leaned in too far. I felt my knee drag a tad (not a good idea in jeans) and then the bike came out from under me. I was wearing all my gear so I didn't take a scratch. Hell, my jeans were barely even grazed! The damage to the bike is mostly cosmetic... I was able to ride it home.

Casualties:
Bar end
Right mirror
Rear brake lever
Muzzy plate on muffler

Salvagable:
Upper and lower fairings
Front brake lever
Muffler
Footpegs

I'm pretty lucky. A touring rider overheard me talking about my wreck at the Overlook. He asked when I went down, and I told him it had just happened. He said he went down up there in October and broke a few ribs and then some. Thanks to my gear and some great luck, I didn't have to hitch a ride home on the meat wagon

Alex · June 8th, 2009, 12:23 AM

Youch! Glad you're ok. If you're going to crash, you might as well do it on video.

zartan · June 8th, 2009, 12:28 AM

wow.. nice and easy..no highsiding ... smooth

So glad you are ok! Hope your bike heals soon!

Snake · June 8th, 2009, 12:31 AM

Sorry to hear about the wreck. Glad ur ok.

KnoxNinja · June 8th, 2009, 01:07 AM

Thanks for the support, guys! I have extra mirrors already (somehow I knew I'd need 'em), and I can repair everything else fairly easily. So the bike should be mended soon. I'm glad I had the GoPro rolling! I'm disappointed that my friend behind me didn't have my other camera rolling though. I'd love to see just what started me sliding. There wasn't anything in the road so it had to have been something I did.

tinng321 · June 8th, 2009, 03:10 AM

Good to hear you're ok. Great video. Wish you have the other video from behind so we can all learn from this.

tjkamper · June 8th, 2009, 05:21 AM

Glad to hear your ok.

TnNinjaGirl · June 8th, 2009, 05:53 AM

Looks like you tucked the fron wheel in. We were talking about that the other day when that VFR went down. If you are going to call me late at night with a wreck, make sure it wasn't self inflicted first.

Seriously though, glad you are ok. Maybe it knocked the gremlins out.

Cali619 · June 8th, 2009, 06:35 AM

Glad you made it out without a scratch on you, and bike is not damaged to bad. Looks like you almost saved it in the vid when the front caught a little traction. Gopro camera was stuck on there like glue as well!

Cali619 · June 8th, 2009, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnNinjaGirl

If you are going to call me late at night with a wreck, make sure it wasn't self inflicted.

CB if I take a spill like that can I call you late at night to avoid self infliction :P ok bad joke

TnNinjaGirl · June 8th, 2009, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cali619

CB if I take a spill like that can I call you late at night to avoid self infliction :P ok bad joke

I don't get it...

Cali619 · June 8th, 2009, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TnNinjaGirl

I don't get it...

ok good....

CC Cowboy · June 8th, 2009, 08:16 AM

Crashin sux, don't do it at all costs!

Snake · June 8th, 2009, 09:08 AM

It's what we all dred and try to avoid.

KnoxNinja · June 8th, 2009, 03:19 PM

Yeah I really try not to crash. At the very least I try to do more riding than crashing. The sad thing was that I was taking it a lot easier than I usually do up there. I had one of those "bad feelings" at the Overlook and I actually told my friend (the Miata behind me) that I was going to take it really easy. I think that might've been my downfall (literally)... I was focusing on good form at a lower speed, and I think I just leaned the bike too far for the speed I was going. The front wheel turning was the result of it losing traction, not the cause, I'm pretty sure of that. I also remember nearly getting it back up, but then it slid again so at that point I just let go of it.

CC Cowboy · June 8th, 2009, 06:10 PM

Jimi, if I were you I'd tell everyone you ran over a squirrel. He was dead in the road and you hit his little squished body and slide through his guts and washed out the front end. Later that night you got him back at dinner time. Squirrel stew.

KnoxNinja · June 8th, 2009, 09:05 PM

It's those damn ghost squirrels again. They're pavement colored... the males have yellow stripes on their backs. A lot of riders go down because of them up there.

Daeldren · June 8th, 2009, 09:26 PM

Ouch, glad your alright. I noticed in the slowed down bit you can see sparks flying.

SpyderGirl · June 8th, 2009, 10:09 PM

Ouch! Glad you're okay. Any idea what caused you to go down? Glad the bike is not too badly banged up too. Stay safe out there!

KnoxNinja · June 9th, 2009, 01:16 AM

Thanks... aside from ghost squirrels, still not sure. I'll hit that turn again soon and find out though!

SpyderGirl · June 9th, 2009, 07:18 AM

Crash anaylsis is important. Let us know what you find out. Glad you're okay!!

Strider · June 9th, 2009, 05:53 PM

OUCH Jimi!
Glad you were able to walk away from this one,
but I'm sorry to hear your bike needs cosmetic surgery...

KnoxNinja · June 9th, 2009, 10:22 PM

not much surgery... I have two extra mirrors for that side, so I put one on. The upper fairing was a mess anyway, so this is just more motivation for me to pull it off and fix it up/repaint it. I'm bummed my pretty Muzzi can got all scratched up though!

Elfling · June 10th, 2009, 03:40 PM

oy, I got sympathy flashbacks watching that- glad you walked away with comparatively little damage

djindia23 · June 11th, 2009, 02:11 PM

glad to hear you walked away ok.... i try to take it easy on twisties as well... my friends on their 600s end up waitin an extra 5 minutes or soo at the end but i dont really care... i ride at my own pace... more props to you for gettin back on that bike after the crash though...

n4t · June 11th, 2009, 03:09 PM

looked as if you hit a patch of small rocks or somethin

KnoxNinja · June 11th, 2009, 06:42 PM

Heh... yes... rocks... I'll go with that! I've had the same debate going on in a 500R forum. One guy thought I throttled it too hard as I was apexing. Maybe?

Alex · June 11th, 2009, 08:16 PM

I think it's just a matter of too much lean angle. Didn't see any obstacles on the road, didn't hear any throttle application that would have particularly upset the bike, I think for the speed you were going and the radius of that turn, you should have been off the bike more to keep it on a grippier part of the tires. Looking at the horizon, it appears to me like the bike was leaned at +45 degrees right before it went, maybe as much as 50 degrees, and that's very close to the usable limit of many street tires. Michelin made a big deal about their Pilot Powers when they were released a few years ago as they could support a 53 degree lean angle, which in their opinion was the most of any competing street tire on the market at the time. I don't know how you measure that in a very scientific way, but it gives you an idea to what they are thinking.

sm0kediver · June 11th, 2009, 09:42 PM

I think having a friend in the car behind you was probably a factor. You were focused more on the aesthetics of your ride than on what really works.

I've been guilty of that

KnoxNinja · June 12th, 2009, 01:30 AM

That sounds accurate, Alex. The last couple times I rode the Dragon, I marked my tires to see how much of them I was using. I completely wore off the chicken strips and even took some of the nubs off the very edge. I'm riding BT045's in case anyone is curious. I think my next ride will focus on getting off the bike without actually getting off the bike

I'm going back up this weekend, although not on a Ninja... but a 50cc mountain bike

Hopefully I won't go down again.

I think my friend behind me did a lot more good than harm! Picking up a 500R with a full tank of gas is no fun by yourself.

June 8th, 2009, 12:19 AM	#1
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	Lowside on the Dragon with the GoPro! Link to original page on Vimeo. Went up to the Dragon Sunday evening for a leisurely ride on the 500R and ended up having a leisurely crash. I was actually taking it really easy, and I guess I just leaned in too far. I felt my knee drag a tad (not a good idea in jeans) and then the bike came out from under me. I was wearing all my gear so I didn't take a scratch. Hell, my jeans were barely even grazed! The damage to the bike is mostly cosmetic... I was able to ride it home. Casualties: Bar end Right mirror Rear brake lever Muzzy plate on muffler Salvagable: Upper and lower fairings Front brake lever Muffler Footpegs I'm pretty lucky. A touring rider overheard me talking about my wreck at the Overlook. He asked when I went down, and I told him it had just happened. He said he went down up there in October and broke a few ribs and then some. Thanks to my gear and some great luck, I didn't have to hitch a ride home on the meat wagon

June 8th, 2009, 12:23 AM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Youch! Glad you're ok. If you're going to crash, you might as well do it on video. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

June 8th, 2009, 12:28 AM	#3
zartan ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: zartan Location: spam la Join Date: Oct 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250 R Posts: A lot.	wow.. nice and easy..no highsiding ... smooth So glad you are ok! Hope your bike heals soon! __________________________________________________ "Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision" Colin Powell

June 8th, 2009, 05:21 AM	#7
tjkamper ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Travis Location: Warwick, RI Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	Glad to hear your ok. __________________________________________________ Addicted to anything that has an engine and rolls.

June 8th, 2009, 06:35 AM	#9
Cali619 Giggity Giggity Name: Ryam Location: San Diego Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): 08 ninja 250R aka Hiryu Posts: 481	Glad you made it out without a scratch on you, and bike is not damaged to bad. Looks like you almost saved it in the vid when the front caught a little traction. Gopro camera was stuck on there like glue as well! __________________________________________________ Facebook DY Fender chop, Danmoto CB slip-on w/baffle, Airbox removed, Kleen-air removed, shimmed needles, Mikuni #117.5 Main jets, K&N RU-1822 air filter pods

June 8th, 2009, 12:31 AM	#4
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	Sorry to hear about the wreck. Glad ur ok.

June 8th, 2009, 01:07 AM	#5
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	Thanks for the support, guys! I have extra mirrors already (somehow I knew I'd need 'em), and I can repair everything else fairly easily. So the bike should be mended soon. I'm glad I had the GoPro rolling! I'm disappointed that my friend behind me didn't have my other camera rolling though. I'd love to see just what started me sliding. There wasn't anything in the road so it had to have been something I did.

June 8th, 2009, 03:10 AM	#6
tinng321 ninjette.org sage Name: Tin Location: NJ Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 08 black 250r (sold); '09 black zx6r Posts: 903	Good to hear you're ok. Great video. Wish you have the other video from behind so we can all learn from this.

June 8th, 2009, 05:53 AM	#8
TnNinjaGirl Ms. Personality Name: CB Location: Murvill, TN Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): Depends on the week you ask Posts: A lot.	Looks like you tucked the fron wheel in. We were talking about that the other day when that VFR went down. If you are going to call me late at night with a wreck, make sure it wasn't self inflicted first. Seriously though, glad you are ok. Maybe it knocked the gremlins out.

June 8th, 2009, 08:16 AM	#13
CC Cowboy ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Whodat Location: Ware Is.,MA Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): I pass the wind! Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '13, Jun '14	Crashin sux, don't do it at all costs! __________________________________________________ If everything seems under control; you're just not going fast enough!

June 8th, 2009, 09:08 AM	#14
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	It's what we all dred and try to avoid.

June 8th, 2009, 03:19 PM	#15
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	Yeah I really try not to crash. At the very least I try to do more riding than crashing. The sad thing was that I was taking it a lot easier than I usually do up there. I had one of those "bad feelings" at the Overlook and I actually told my friend (the Miata behind me) that I was going to take it really easy. I think that might've been my downfall (literally)... I was focusing on good form at a lower speed, and I think I just leaned the bike too far for the speed I was going. The front wheel turning was the result of it losing traction, not the cause, I'm pretty sure of that. I also remember nearly getting it back up, but then it slid again so at that point I just let go of it.

June 8th, 2009, 06:10 PM	#16
CC Cowboy ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Whodat Location: Ware Is.,MA Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): I pass the wind! Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '13, Jun '14	Jimi, if I were you I'd tell everyone you ran over a squirrel. He was dead in the road and you hit his little squished body and slide through his guts and washed out the front end. Later that night you got him back at dinner time. Squirrel stew. __________________________________________________ If everything seems under control; you're just not going fast enough!

June 8th, 2009, 09:05 PM	#17
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	It's those damn ghost squirrels again. They're pavement colored... the males have yellow stripes on their backs. A lot of riders go down because of them up there.

June 8th, 2009, 09:26 PM	#18
Daeldren two wheel addict Name: Kenneth Location: Simpsonville, SC Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 94 xlh 883, 1984 kawi gpz money pit Posts: 556	Ouch, glad your alright. I noticed in the slowed down bit you can see sparks flying.

June 8th, 2009, 10:09 PM	#19
SpyderGirl 3 for street, 2 for dirt Name: Katlyn Location: San Francisco Bay Area (California) Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Can Am Spyder PE #1344 / 2009 Kawi KLX140L Monster Energy / 2009 Kawi Ninja 250R (RIP 8.23.09) Posts: 586	Ouch! Glad you're okay. Any idea what caused you to go down? Glad the bike is not too badly banged up too. Stay safe out there! __________________________________________________ Feel free to look me up on facebook.

June 9th, 2009, 01:16 AM	#20
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	Thanks... aside from ghost squirrels, still not sure. I'll hit that turn again soon and find out though!

June 9th, 2009, 07:18 AM	#21
SpyderGirl 3 for street, 2 for dirt Name: Katlyn Location: San Francisco Bay Area (California) Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Can Am Spyder PE #1344 / 2009 Kawi KLX140L Monster Energy / 2009 Kawi Ninja 250R (RIP 8.23.09) Posts: 586	Crash anaylsis is important. Let us know what you find out. Glad you're okay!! __________________________________________________ Feel free to look me up on facebook.

June 9th, 2009, 05:53 PM	#22
Strider Back on the Black! Name: Alan Location: Gastonia, North Carolina Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250 (Black) Posts: 831	OUCH Jimi! Glad you were able to walk away from this one, but I'm sorry to hear your bike needs cosmetic surgery...

June 9th, 2009, 10:22 PM	#23
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	not much surgery... I have two extra mirrors for that side, so I put one on. The upper fairing was a mess anyway, so this is just more motivation for me to pull it off and fix it up/repaint it. I'm bummed my pretty Muzzi can got all scratched up though!

June 10th, 2009, 03:40 PM	#24
Elfling ninjette.org guru Name: Becca Location: Clearwater, FL Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 03 Ninja 250, 02 CBR600 f4i Posts: 253	oy, I got sympathy flashbacks watching that- glad you walked away with comparatively little damage

June 11th, 2009, 02:11 PM	#25
djindia23 Ride or Die Ninja Name: Kichu Location: New Jersey Join Date: Feb 2009 Motorcycle(s): Blue Ninja 250R (the fastest color) Posts: 90	glad to hear you walked away ok.... i try to take it easy on twisties as well... my friends on their 600s end up waitin an extra 5 minutes or soo at the end but i dont really care... i ride at my own pace... more props to you for gettin back on that bike after the crash though...

June 11th, 2009, 03:09 PM	#26
n4t ninjette.org member Name: Tim Location: Macon, GA Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 08 Ninja 250 Posts: 78	looked as if you hit a patch of small rocks or somethin __________________________________________________

June 11th, 2009, 06:42 PM	#27
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	Heh... yes... rocks... I'll go with that! I've had the same debate going on in a 500R forum. One guy thought I throttled it too hard as I was apexing. Maybe?

June 11th, 2009, 08:16 PM	#28
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	I think it's just a matter of too much lean angle. Didn't see any obstacles on the road, didn't hear any throttle application that would have particularly upset the bike, I think for the speed you were going and the radius of that turn, you should have been off the bike more to keep it on a grippier part of the tires. Looking at the horizon, it appears to me like the bike was leaned at +45 degrees right before it went, maybe as much as 50 degrees, and that's very close to the usable limit of many street tires. Michelin made a big deal about their Pilot Powers when they were released a few years ago as they could support a 53 degree lean angle, which in their opinion was the most of any competing street tire on the market at the time. I don't know how you measure that in a very scientific way, but it gives you an idea to what they are thinking. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

June 11th, 2009, 09:42 PM	#29
sm0kediver one disaster at a time Name: Jody Location: West Georgia Join Date: Aug 2008 Motorcycle(s): EX250J9 Posts: 411	I think having a friend in the car behind you was probably a factor. You were focused more on the aesthetics of your ride than on what really works. I've been guilty of that

June 12th, 2009, 01:30 AM	#30
KnoxNinja BRKDWN. Name: Jimi Location: Knoxville, TN Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 89 GPX250R, 89 GPZ500S Posts: 126	That sounds accurate, Alex. The last couple times I rode the Dragon, I marked my tires to see how much of them I was using. I completely wore off the chicken strips and even took some of the nubs off the very edge. I'm riding BT045's in case anyone is curious. I think my next ride will focus on getting off the bike without actually getting off the bike I'm going back up this weekend, although not on a Ninja... but a 50cc mountain bike Hopefully I won't go down again. I think my friend behind me did a lot more good than harm! Picking up a 500R with a full tank of gas is no fun by yourself.

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