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First crash (woodside)

Tiny Ryder

Tiny Ryder

Tiny Rydin
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Location
SF
Moto(s)
FZ-09
Name
ALEX
I have been riding for about a year now. I have taken the twisties before many times. Always picking up the pace and learning what I can handle. I recently got a another bike that I havent taken on too many twisties. But nonetheless I rode out with a couple of my buddies on a more aggressive route that I never been on. My more experienced friends were in front and I was second to the back and my buddy last. On one of the first turns I didnt know realize it was so sharp and was going a little too fast. In the turn I started going to wide and drifting into the oncoming lane in a blind turn. So I panicked and went into a ditch into some sharp rocks. I remember riding into the ditch and I guess I flew off and landed on my stomach on the rocks and then my bike flew on top of me. Pinning me under my 400 pound plus bike. Unable to move or breathe. I tried yelling to my friend for help but it was hard for him to get to me fast, because obviously there is nowhere to really pullover. He rushed over and tried to lift the bike off of me but because of the rocks is was too hard. Thankfully some people pulled over and helped him. Crashing wasnt so scary but having your bike slide at you and pinning you unable to move or breathe was a little traumatic for me. But thankfully nothing was broken. Just felt like I got hit by a bus. And I was wearing my jacket knee pads and my friends icon vest with the back armor. If I hadnt been wearing his vest I think i would have broken a few bones. Bikes a little messed up but it was ride able. So I rode it back to SF. Next time I'm gonna take it a whole lot slower. Cant wait to fix my bike and try it again!:)
 
Good to hear that you are alright and that your gear worked for you. I find that sometimes when I am around other riders I will move closer to out riding my skill level. It is something I try to work on.
 
Sorry to hear; glad your ok.

Well you know you came into the corner too fast, & it was tighter than you thought. What should you have done differently?

If it was me, I would have kept trying to make the corner no matter how paniced I was & positive I wasn't going to make it. How? Countersteering, that's how. Do you understand the concept & know what countersteering is?

I would have been pushing on the inside bar while pulling on the outside bar as hard as I could while at the same time leaning it down to the max. It's the way a bike turns, leaning while "falling" to the inside of the tires profile.

This would have "tightened up the corner," changing the line further to the inside= perhaps allowing you to make the corner? Let us know if you understand these things I've mentioned? Have you taken any riders school/training yet? Might be time to consider it?

IMHO/FWIW

=ebd
 
MissCBR said:
I have been riding for about a year now. I have taken the twisties before many times. Always picking up the pace and learning what I can handle. I recently got a another bike that I havent taken on too many twisties. But nonetheless I rode out with a couple of my buddies on a more aggressive route that I never been on. My more experienced friends were in front and I was second to the back and my buddy last. On one of the first turns I didnt know realize it was so sharp and was going a little too fast. In the turn I started going to wide and drifting into the oncoming lane in a blind turn. So I panicked and went into a ditch into some sharp rocks. I remember riding into the ditch and I guess I flew off and landed on my stomach on the rocks and then my bike flew on top of me. Pinning me under my 400 pound plus bike. Unable to move or breathe. I tried yelling to my friend for help but it was hard for him to get to me fast, because obviously there is nowhere to really pullover. He rushed over and tried to lift the bike off of me but because of the rocks is was too hard. Thankfully some people pulled over and helped him. Crashing wasnt so scary but having your bike slide at you and pinning you unable to move or breathe was a little traumatic for me. But thankfully nothing was broken. Just felt like I got hit by a bus. And I was wearing my jacket knee pads and my friends icon vest with the back armor. If I hadnt been wearing his vest I think i would have broken a few bones. Bikes a little messed up but it was ride able. So I rode it back to SF. Next time I'm gonna take it a whole lot slower. Cant wait to fix my bike and try it again!:)
Click to expand...

How were you feeling about your riding 1 mile before the crash? 5 miles?

In retrospect, were there any clues that you were riding differently that you may have missed or ignored? In general, when you are riding, where do you look when cornering? How far ahead of you? Do you find that you look at the ground or higher up (eye level)?
 
Do you think riding near the end of the group contributed to "trying to keep up"? Would riding at the front of the group help in terms of forcing you to judge your own corner entry speed instead of relying on others?

It is interesting to note from the Hurt report that most (about 50%) accidents happened to riders with less than 5 months experience on the bike they were riding. That means when you switch to a new bike, there is a learning period and during that time your risk is higher.

Good questions about cornering in general. What were you looking at? What do you think about when you set up for a corner? Were you planning a late apex or standard apex?

Glad to hear you came out ok.
 
Your own evaluation and EBD's comments are spot on. Recognizing your panic is what caused the crash is tremendous incite- that knowledge is quite powerful going forward.

Three phases to an incident; before, during and the outcome. One can influence two.

Fighting a blown turn with all you have, to the very end, is paramount- never accept a crash; fight that bitch all the way to the end and do all you can to reel things back in. Do NOT give up & become a passenger. You'll find the bike more capable than you ever imagined.

Glad you are ok, now get back out there and soon- don't let "head trash" develop with a break.
 
NorCalBusa said:
Fighting a blown turn with all you have, to the very end, is paramount- never accept a crash; fight that bitch all the way to the end and do all you can to reel things back in. Do NOT give up & become a passenger. You'll find the bike more capable than you ever imagined.
Click to expand...

I generally agree with this, though you can make the case that sometimes the option that gets you out of the oncoming lane in the shortest amount of time is the lifesaving choice, even if it results in a crash in the shoulder. I could only consider that if an oncoming vehicle were coming and running off the outside of the lane would be faster than completing the arc and coming back into my own lane.

Your point about the capabilities of the bike being greater than we think they are is totally valid and can be used to keep from crossing into the oncoming lane in the first place.

I'm hoping that the OP will answer Enchanter's questions as the real takeaway will probably be found there.
 
You need to go riding with us and your friends, check the newbie rides. Maybe your friends are too advanced for your riding skills and maybe you were trying to catch up. What ive learned and what these guys/gals instill is ride within your limits and you cant go wrong.

Plus like that one guy posted being on a new bike takes a bit to get used to. I bet if you were on the cbr250 you wou would have took that turn like a champ. October will be my 1 yr anniversary so to speak, I've had one close call, going too fast into a turn was my mistake and target fixating.

On a side note, I don't blame the bike for wanting to be on top of you, lol. I kid I kid.
 
The rule that I live by for roads that I have never been on before is that I do the speed limit in turns that I've never been on before. Never gotten into trouble with this.
 
hi

Thanks sparks!
And yes I have taken the msf course before. I do know where to look in a corner and know how to counter steer. I do pay attention to the signs in the twisties fo sho. They really help me to judge how tight a turn is usually gonna be. But this route didnt have any signs which really threw me off. But all is good and next time im gonna tear that corner up! :)
 
MissCBR said:
I recently got a another bike that I havent taken on too many twisties. But nonetheless I rode out with a couple of my buddies on a more aggressive route that I never been on.
Click to expand...

Moral of the story: Very important to get very familiar with a bike before attempting aggressive riding on unfamiliar roads.

Good to hear you're okay otherwise buddy. ATGATT FTW!
 
Seen this too many times. A rider that "gives up" on the corner and bails.

Never say die. Lean that sucker cause she can take ,more than you think.
 
^^^ and if she can't, you're frequently no worse off, so might as well go down trying!

:thumbup
 
Like others have said, you didn't really come into the corner too hot. We know this because everybody in the group ahead of you made it through the turn safely going faster than you. What really happened (as you know) is that you entered the turn too fast for your comfort level (which was undoubtedly lower than usual, since you were on an unfamiliar bike) and you panicked.

The solution, as others have also said, is to slow down to a speed you're comfortable with and try to make the turn, even if you don't think you can. You'll probably surprise yourself. Worst case, you lowside, which would probably be preferable to what you did.
 
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