Splicer
New member
On my way to a doctor's appointment today (10/30) at about 11:30am I came across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge and headed down Sir Francis Drake toward Larkspur Landing. I slowed from freeway speed down to flow-of-two-lane-traffic.
Coming around the right-hand curve by the entrance to San Quentin, I thought the road surface felt funny. Specifically, it felt like when the surface is uneven, like a shallow rut that makes the bike pull in one direction. I saw what looked like a long shadow parallel to the double yellow and I assumed that that was what was going on. I tried to lean in and cut the corner a bit more sharply to get away from the rut.
That didn't work, and then I felt myself leaning way too far to the right. I tried to straighten up but went from all the way to the right to all the way on the left. I highsided and rolled for what seemed like a long time but probably wasn't—I remember thinking I might be done with the rolling and that I ought to try to get out of the way of any oncoming cars, then realizing I was still bumping my way down the road like a log. I waited it out and then hopped to my feet and ran to the side of the road.
So yeah, rookie move getting up and running immediately after dumping the bike. All I can say about that is that the double yellow on a curve on Sir Francis Drake felt like an unsafe place to stay.
Anyway, the above is just my recollection of events without much analysis. Here's one more fact:
When I told the CHP officer (one of the others told me he was a motor officer but on four wheels today) about feeling like there was a rut that was pulling me to one side, I was looking up the road and seeing what looked like a pretty flat, smooth surface. He said, "see that dark strip? That's diesel."
This lead to overly-facile observations #1 and #2, namely:
I thought I had gotten extra lean from a strip of road surface with inconsistent camber. In fact, that "lean" was probably the tires losing traction and slipping out from under me toward the outside of the curve.
I had misread the road surface. The dark strip was not shadow but diesel fuel.
If I had correctly read the change in my sense of balance as a slide, I would have straightened up and gone farther to the outside, which might have made me uncomfortably close to oncoming traffic, but would have gotten me off the slippery patch. Takeaway: maybe I need to do some dirt-riding to better familiarize myself with what lateral loss of traction feels like.
If I had correctly read the road surface, I wouldn't have been anywhere near the diesel. Takeaway: pay better attention to the road!
Questions I may as well answer so that you don't have to ask:
I don't think I got on the brake (either of them) at all. I was trying to regain control with steering. That said, I'm not sure whether it's possible for my wheel to have totally washed out like that unless it was locked. Spinning objects tend to stay in line. Going back to the scene about three hours later, I found no skid marks at all (though there were scrape marks still on the road from where the bike slid on its side over to the side of the road.)
OTOH, if I lost traction on a slippery patch and the bike was on its side before the tires could touch non-diesel-coated pavement, there might not be a skid mark even if I had a vise grip on the front brake. Seems unlikely but bottom line: the lack of any skid mark doesn't necessarily support my recollection that I did not brake. And I ought to be the first to admit that my recollection of something I might have done without thinking could be faulty.
Was I overgripping the bars? Probably. I know I frequently catch myself with my arms not as relaxed as they ought to be. That is definitely something I don't do on purpose yet often have to consciously relax my arms. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to learn that overly tensed arms contributed to my (literal) downfall.
Was I going too fast? I think I was doing 45 in a 40 zone. Ironically I spent most of the ride going much faster than I usually do because I was running late, but as soon as I got off 580 and onto Sir Francis Drake I slowed to a much more sedentary pace. I was almost there and would have been on time if I hadn't spent a half an hour talking to cops and firefighters at the side of the road. I did not want to or feel the need to ride fast, especially in traffic where in order to go faster I'd have to ride like a dick.
So: anyone think I've missed anything or think that something above doesn't make sense? Or have suggestions other than those I've already mentioned? Or wish to amplify or clarify something?
I apologize for the lack of detail and certainty about some details. It's a cliche that "it happened so fast" but it did kinda go by pretty quick. The logrolling is what I have the most vivid memory of. By then I ceased to have any useful decisions to make other than the decision to not try to get up until I actually stopped.
Coming around the right-hand curve by the entrance to San Quentin, I thought the road surface felt funny. Specifically, it felt like when the surface is uneven, like a shallow rut that makes the bike pull in one direction. I saw what looked like a long shadow parallel to the double yellow and I assumed that that was what was going on. I tried to lean in and cut the corner a bit more sharply to get away from the rut.
That didn't work, and then I felt myself leaning way too far to the right. I tried to straighten up but went from all the way to the right to all the way on the left. I highsided and rolled for what seemed like a long time but probably wasn't—I remember thinking I might be done with the rolling and that I ought to try to get out of the way of any oncoming cars, then realizing I was still bumping my way down the road like a log. I waited it out and then hopped to my feet and ran to the side of the road.
So yeah, rookie move getting up and running immediately after dumping the bike. All I can say about that is that the double yellow on a curve on Sir Francis Drake felt like an unsafe place to stay.
Anyway, the above is just my recollection of events without much analysis. Here's one more fact:
When I told the CHP officer (one of the others told me he was a motor officer but on four wheels today) about feeling like there was a rut that was pulling me to one side, I was looking up the road and seeing what looked like a pretty flat, smooth surface. He said, "see that dark strip? That's diesel."
This lead to overly-facile observations #1 and #2, namely:
I thought I had gotten extra lean from a strip of road surface with inconsistent camber. In fact, that "lean" was probably the tires losing traction and slipping out from under me toward the outside of the curve.
I had misread the road surface. The dark strip was not shadow but diesel fuel.
If I had correctly read the change in my sense of balance as a slide, I would have straightened up and gone farther to the outside, which might have made me uncomfortably close to oncoming traffic, but would have gotten me off the slippery patch. Takeaway: maybe I need to do some dirt-riding to better familiarize myself with what lateral loss of traction feels like.
If I had correctly read the road surface, I wouldn't have been anywhere near the diesel. Takeaway: pay better attention to the road!
Questions I may as well answer so that you don't have to ask:
I don't think I got on the brake (either of them) at all. I was trying to regain control with steering. That said, I'm not sure whether it's possible for my wheel to have totally washed out like that unless it was locked. Spinning objects tend to stay in line. Going back to the scene about three hours later, I found no skid marks at all (though there were scrape marks still on the road from where the bike slid on its side over to the side of the road.)
OTOH, if I lost traction on a slippery patch and the bike was on its side before the tires could touch non-diesel-coated pavement, there might not be a skid mark even if I had a vise grip on the front brake. Seems unlikely but bottom line: the lack of any skid mark doesn't necessarily support my recollection that I did not brake. And I ought to be the first to admit that my recollection of something I might have done without thinking could be faulty.
Was I overgripping the bars? Probably. I know I frequently catch myself with my arms not as relaxed as they ought to be. That is definitely something I don't do on purpose yet often have to consciously relax my arms. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to learn that overly tensed arms contributed to my (literal) downfall.
Was I going too fast? I think I was doing 45 in a 40 zone. Ironically I spent most of the ride going much faster than I usually do because I was running late, but as soon as I got off 580 and onto Sir Francis Drake I slowed to a much more sedentary pace. I was almost there and would have been on time if I hadn't spent a half an hour talking to cops and firefighters at the side of the road. I did not want to or feel the need to ride fast, especially in traffic where in order to go faster I'd have to ride like a dick.
So: anyone think I've missed anything or think that something above doesn't make sense? Or have suggestions other than those I've already mentioned? Or wish to amplify or clarify something?
I apologize for the lack of detail and certainty about some details. It's a cliche that "it happened so fast" but it did kinda go by pretty quick. The logrolling is what I have the most vivid memory of. By then I ceased to have any useful decisions to make other than the decision to not try to get up until I actually stopped.
