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. :(