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| *Vultures Knob>>>Street Bike |
For motorycle riders, have you ever been down (crashed) on your bike? |
I've come across (more than once) that almost every rider who rides on the streets for awhile will eventually dump his/her bike. If you have, how many total years riding experience do you have? Almost 3 years into riding, I was going to work in the dark (it was January, after all). Traffic was heavy but moving at about the speed limit of 40mph. I'm used to traffic, and was quite confident in my following distance. In fact, I was waiting for someone to take advantage of the space and pull in front of me soon. There was a woman driving a newer red Mustang in front of me, with a large black SUV in front of her. I couldn't see what traffic was doing more than two vehicles ahead. The Mustang in front of me put on her brake lights, but didn't slow down at first. I let off the throttle and started braking, and the Mustang instantly locked up her brakes and rear-ended the SUV. I grabbed the brakes for all I was worth, the rear tire skipping as it reached the very edge of traction. I knew there was a very big vehicle behind me, as I had already seen two square, high and widely spaced headlights in my mirrors earlier. Even if I stopped, would I get crushed? I couldn't say for sure if there was a car right next to me, so could I swerve? Each millisecond that I spent considering my options brought me closer to the Mustang, which had stopped quite instantly. Perhaps knowing about my imminent squishing from behind kept me from braking fully, so my split-second decision was to swerve enough to split the lanes to avoid it all. I almost made it. My front tire missed the Mustang's bumper completely, but the left side of my fairing nailed the rear corner, sending me flying over my bike and the rear of her car. I hit the pavement pretty hard without sliding much, and I don't think I was going much over 20mph on impact. I never felt hitting the ground. I tried to "tuck and roll" while in midair, and came down hand-wrist-elbow-shoulder-hip. My next thought was to GET THE HELL OUT OF TRAFFIC BEFORE I GET RUN OVER! So I stood up and found out my knee hurt a LOT. Since I landed dead even with the Mustang's dashboard, the lady driving had rolled down her window and kept yelling, "Are you okay?" Perhaps you lose track of time in such situations, but it seems to me that there was suddenly an AMAZING number of people suddenly surrounding me, telling me what to do. The vehicle behind me (which turned out to be a full-sized '94 Ford Bronco) had stopped about 2 feet from the Mustang, so I definitely would have been crushed. I sat in the back of the black SUV while the driver (who was an EMT- luck?) made sure I was safe. The ambulance came and took me to the ER, where I found out that there was nothing torn or broken in my knee. I'm glad I wore full gear, and always do. I know it saved me from being pretty torn up. I literally walked away from totaling my motorcycle (unless you count the limp), and was only off work for one day. Within a month my insurance had taken care of everything, and two weeks later I had a new motorcycle. There were a dozen things that I might have done differently, in retrospect, but given the situation I think I did the best I could. The saying is true: there are riders that have crashed, and those that will; it's just a matter of when. Be sure to understand your ability as well as the bike's, and ALWAYS wear proper gear. It has been built for a single purpose, and that is to save your bacon. Looking at the answers, do you see a common thread? Consider for a moment all those that have crashed and CANNOT answer, and why that is. Source(s): Riding sportbikes for 4.5 years. Got blasted at an intersection in '90. Guy ran the red light. Have had cycle license since '70. I have been lucky in that I have never had to put my bike down. I have been close in hitting someone (car), and skidding, but I kept up and didn't hit anything. I believe the Lord was looking out for me!! I was riding as a kid on smaller bikes, and then in '94 bought my first street bike. Sold my last bike this year to pursue college. So I have probably close to 20 years riding experience. Too, I am not the best of riders, just some luck and God. I have never dropped my bike (yet). Knock on wood. I hope I never have to. I heard it hurts. I've dropped my bike three times in 30 years. Never my fault! I average about 12,000 a year it is bound to happen. I've had a motorcycle endorsement since the 60's. I dropped my bike several times, parking on an incline, turning into a parking lot on loose gravel, stuff like that. I ride cruisers and dressers, when they start to go, you let'em go. Never had to ride one down, don't want to try. |
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