After the crash: What did you learn?
 

For those of you who have gone down, what lessons did you learn? What did you do or not do that contributed to your fall? What take home message do you have for your fellow riders as a result of your experience?

stay loose

after the last one?


it hurt like hell, don't remember the crash or about a 1/4 mile before.

keep a firm grip on the clutch... don't get complacent.


I mean... those tits were worth it :lol:

I learned that dump trucks are heavy and ABS would have saved my bike.

Bingo.

True for many things in the world. We have a saying in the Army, "stay alert, stay alive.." and it applies to motorcycling/driving as well. The more you pay attention to traffic, road conditions, what you are doing, and what your mental/physical condition is, the more you can reduce your risk of going down.

And knowing your own limits.. and not to push them on public roads. If you want to push your limits, go 110% balls to the wall... take that to a track. On the street you don't always have EMS within 50 feet of you to come rescue you if something goes bad.. and on the street you can never predict with any certainty what will be around the next bend.

Complacency kills...

I learned that you go where you look.
Unfortunately I was looking at the side of the road...

That and just because you kept it upright going off the road doesn't mean you should just ride back on to the road without checking to make sure the asphalt isn't significantly raised at the very spot where your front wheel is approaching...at an angle.

To wear good boots and not tennis shoes. :yes:

The accident wasn't my fault and in the same exact situation on the exact same type of bike (cruiser) it would probably still have happened. :idk:

HOWEVER my ankle and heel got completely destroyed and I almost had to have my leg amputated at the knee because they didn't think they could save my foot. :panic:

Several surgeries later I still have my leg. :rockout: Problem is though my ankle and heel still give me problems...7 years later.

I also had a compound fracture of my femur (same leg)...that would have probably still have happend but boots sure would have helped my foot/ankle.

Oh yeah...2nd thing I learned ? Ride a sportbike and not a cruiser. :lol: I'm joking but that was also part of the problem since my legs were stretched out in front of me. :lol: Ouch !!

HAHAHA!!! Which Crash???

Short answers:

Crash 1 - Don't freeze. When something panics you you must continue to control and direct your motorcycle. When it is time to brake, brake, when it is time to turn in, turn in. It is better to crash doing what you should be doing than not doing anything at all.

Crash 2 - Running wide is not an option on the street. Once it leaves the white lines it is officially out of bounds and don't expect to ever come back.

Crash 3 - pay attention to conditions!

Crash 4 - In the event of a false neutral DO hold the clutch in. Tranny gears can re-engage all by themselves and hi-side you to Ohio.

Crash 4 - Stay focused/ Dont fixate! That waiving yellow flag means slow down but don't quit riding, you will miss your markers and fall down.

I could go on but we don't have that much time...I could also throw in stories, anecdotes, and lessons learned while crashing cars, bicycles, ATVs, Jet Skis, Snowmobiles, Go Karts, Lawnmowers....You get the picture?

What wreck?
Oh, yeah! that's why I still have a 20k hospital bill, and this really neat pattern on my shin from those staples they put in!!!

Seriously, God must love me, because I can't remember a thing. Which constantly screws with me, because not knowing what I did wrong, I can't correct it in the future.

So I don't ride during dusk, because we think it was Bambi that caused me to run off and back on the road. I felt like a cop, going back to the scene and trying to reconstruct why I wrecked on a wide open curve and the BF riding 50 feet in front of me. :(

Stay in the lines!!!!

My accident wasn't that bad considering the low speed but I was pulling off the road to help a downed friend. I still had a lot of speed with me when I crossed the white line right into a gravel build up.

Regardless, always stay away from the lines. They are slippery and crossing either one is bad news.

I learned there was a hard downhill left right after that hill and cattle gaurd...also barbed wire fences hurt :scratch:

Deer are stupid.

I never learn anything. I just keep crashing, and crashing, and crashing, and crashing...

let see, first of all (many years ago) dont loop a wheelie wearing shorts and a t shirt!! EVER, you wont have skin ANYWHERE, you cant feed yourself, dress yourself, etc

second: cars dont see you and will run over the entire left side of your body, fracturing your pelvis, breaking most of your ribs,shoulder, collar bone, etc

concrete hurts and helmets save lives

oh damn. both of those had to hurt like a SOB

Cell phones leave a nice size bruise for about 2-3 weeks when you land on them.
________
Ferrari ascari

you are correct

I've thought about this one before, in terms of if I'm better off with it in the front pocket of my pants or the pocket on my jacket

never been hit in the nuts with a cell phone huh? :lol:

care to share? :lol:

To avoid the center of the turn lane at a stop light...that black oily looking stuff is as slick as oil. :idk:

Maybe because it's.... oil. :D

:lmao:

I try to block that one out :lol:

Dirtbike + cell phone in front pocket of riding pants (pocket oriented a bit more forward and toward the center) + rock = soprano PrtclMn

- Look where you want to go
- Keep looking where you want to go
- Are you looking where you want to go? If not, do that.

- If your back tire slides, stay on the gas. Don't chop the throttle, or you might get vaulted off the bike or thrown into a tank slapper when the tire catches.
- If you get into a tank slapper, stay on the gas (give it more if you can)

- On the track, don't try and save a blown corner. Just straighten up and run off.
- On the street, you probably have no run off room, so lean or die. Push the handle bars for all you're worth and pray.
- Keep your focus ahead of you on what you're about to do and not behind you on what you just did

- If all else fails, and you find yourself sliding along the ground or flying through the air, just relax and let it happen. Be a rag doll, and you're less likely to break bones.

I can tell you that after a crash the tank bag don't stay with the bike and black ones are really hard to find at night. also having it in the trunk isn't that good either if you can't walk or crawl to where your bike ended up. I still put mine in the trunk.

Sounds almost like mine. I went into a curve, thought I felt my rear tire slip, panicked, and let go of the throttle. I didn't highside though...I lowsided instead.

Main lesson learned: DON'T PANIC! When it doubt, gas it. :lol:

:rofl:

Brakes and gravel patches mid corner do NOT go together...wrecked twice because of it (first one was at night and couldn't see gravel). I have since developed gravelphobia. Buying a dirtbike is slowly curing me of that condition.

I got room in the bra for it. ;)

I'll even let you retrieve it. :)

I learned that I was riding above my ability at that point. I started to get confident after a few months and I passed a car right before a corner and I didn't know enough at that time to handle the corner properly. So I slowed as much as I could and took it off road. The bike was rideable and I hurt my pride more than anything. I was back out there in the next couple days and I think that's real important. Get right back on and don't be discouraged. Had I known what I do today, I woulda made it.

And I was on a 13-mile one way loop, so you didn't have to worry about cars coming at you.

That light weight Cruiser style boots have not place on a sport bike (broke bones in both feet)