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I never thought i'd have something meaningful to post here and was feeling rather  about not having been any accidents for a year! But just now into my 2nd year i've had my first baby accident.  I was filtering a bit through city traffic, was on a 3 lane city street with me in the middle, I was signalling to change lanes to the right because I eventually needed to make a right turn. As I checked my mirror/blindspot, wasn't quite clear so I looked straight on again and OH gently caress THERES A TOYOTA PRIUS NOT MOVING AT A GREEN LIGHT ABOUT 5 FEET AWAY. I was doing about 10-15 mph, I managed to grab the brake just before running into the back of it so I want to say I was doing under 10mph on impact. The jolt made the back end come up and I kind of did a mini-stoppie (and my nuts slammed against the tank pretty good). When the rear came down the bike had stalled because I didn't grab the clutch lever, the bike and me ended up going down on the right side from a stand still. I didn't hit my head/helmet but landed on my shoulder, I was wearing my full leather gears and my jacket had shoulder/back pads so that helped. I think I was just in like an "Holy gently caress" shock after it all happened, I leapt up and picked the bike back up and tried to push it to the side, keep in mind theres a bunch of cars around so i'm rather embarassed too. Some guy in a Mini saw it happen and got out and helped me get the bike into a better spot. The lady in the Prius stopped in front, I asked if she was ok and offered her my info but she declined and was just glad I was ok and told me we could leave it at that  but her Prius rear bumper literally had no superficial damage at all. The damage to the bike was surprisingly cosmetic, the most immediate concern was that my brake lever had snapped in half on the fall. Luckily theres a big shop in the city that usually carries. So I slowly got back on the bike using only the rear brake to stop and rode it to he shop and bought a brake lever, they were gracious enough to let me borrow a 10mm wrench and screwdriver needed to replace the lever. I could make up all sorts of reasons/excuses for why I made this rookie mistake, I'm thinking just a combination of morning fatigue, unusually cold weather in California lately and my fingers were feeling a but stiff/numb, I probably could have made a little swerve if not braked earlier, I just was just paying too much attention to trying to get over a lane and not the car in front of me. Damages: My broken brake lever  A hairline crack in the fender.  The bikes been dropped a few times before so theres not any more scratches on the side fairing than there normally would be.  My gear made it out amazingly well, theres no real tears anywhere. And I should have landed on my right side.    A bruise in the middle of my left forearm somehow.  God I feel like a dumbass, luckily the damage to the bike was superficial besides the brake lever. I'm glad I was wearing my full gear! Like ya'll should.
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Nov 30, 2010 10:23
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At least you were on the CBR, not the 636. 
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Nov 30, 2010 18:20
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If only you had knee pucks on that suit you would've just slid on those and kept the bike up. 
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Dec 1, 2010 03:02
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Wet road, and the yellow light didn't stay yellow very long   And my poor little Monster 900. Bent handle bar, and put a dent in her fuel tank. It was all my fault. Busy intersection, boy was I embarrassed.
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Dec 6, 2010 07:59
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infraboy posted:As I checked my mirror/blindspot, wasn't quite clear so I looked straight on again and OH gently caress THERES A TOYOTA PRIUS NOT MOVING AT A GREEN LIGHT ABOUT 5 FEET AWAY. This is what is going to get me someday. I've found myself in similar situations and I think it is because on my bike I have this mentality where when traffic slows down I look for a split/change immediately. I need to be more patient instead of trying to save 10 seconds. I've only had one close call but I've definitely been startled a couple times. This only happens a few times a year in my car, but so far about three times since I started riding again in September.
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Dec 7, 2010 00:05
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I'm dumb. Dropped it making a right turn into a shopping plaza today. The person in front of me slammed on his/her brakes and I responded (poorly) to the change in speed by applying brakes mid turn while hitting a gutter The damage: my ego is dead, front right turn signal broken, radiator fairing, fuel tank, and exhaust scuffed, brake lever and maybe handlebars bent. I'm fine. All in all, a lovely thing to happen but I guess an OK lesson to learn at a low speed. Next time I'll carefully apply the rear brake only. Now I get to spend a few hundred bucks replacing parts- at least my bike has character now, rite  \/\/\/\/ edit: re: following distance, that too
FormatAmerica fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Dec 7, 2010 |
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Dec 7, 2010 00:57
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FormatAmerica posted:I'm dumb. Dropped it making a right turn into a shopping plaza today. The person in front of me slammed on his/her brakes and I responded (poorly) to the change in speed by applying brakes mid turn while hitting a gutter The correct solution to that isn't to just apply the rear brake. It's to practice until you train out that panic instinct of grabbing a handful of brake when conditions change or something surprises you. Or to start expecting idiot moves like that and increasing your following distance and having an escape route ready at all times. Glad you're ok
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Dec 7, 2010 01:00
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Doesn't the MSF teach the practice of standing the bike up straight and braking quickly if you were in a turn and needed to stop? Is that the proper way?
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Dec 11, 2010 20:36
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Korwen posted:Doesn't the MSF teach the practice of standing the bike up straight and braking quickly if you were in a turn and needed to stop? Is that the proper way? That's the ideal way if you've got the space, but you can also ease on the brakes and bring the bike more upright as you slow down. Start out really easy on the brakes and apply more pressure the more upright you get. This way allows you to follow the turn more if there's not room to stop straight.
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Dec 11, 2010 20:44
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Korwen posted:Doesn't the MSF teach the practice of standing the bike up straight and braking quickly if you were in a turn and needed to stop? Is that the proper way? I remember the MSF being really specific about braking when upright for the most part (and I tend to do this still), but the truth is you can brake with the bike at a lean, you just can't break as much and if you brake too hard and lock it up you're in a world of hurt. Obviously you aren't riding like them, but you should check out the onboards of the motogp riders that you can see some time. Many times they're breaking all the way into the apex.
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Dec 12, 2010 00:13
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It's in one of the books on How To Not Suck At Motorcycling - I think the one by the scientologist - was it Keith Code? Anyway, figure each tire's got a dollar worth of traction, and braking, turning and accelerating each take up a piece. If you've got 95 cents worth of turn taken out of your tires, you can only apply five cents worth of brakes - but you can apply brakes, if your hands are sensitive enough to not just mash it. Stand it up a little, so you've got seventy-five cents worth of turn, and you can throw on 25 cents worth of brakes. It's a pretty good way to think about it IMO without getting into vector diagrams for the contact patch. e: Oh hey and under that paradigm standing it all the way up is for people who haven't yet learned to not mash it all the way, IE people just getting their first MSF course under their belt Phy fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Dec 12, 2010 |
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Dec 12, 2010 00:43
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Phy posted:e: Oh hey and under that paradigm standing it all the way up is for people who haven't yet learned to not mash it all the way, IE people just getting their first MSF course under their belt
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Dec 12, 2010 01:28
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Can I get in on this?  Earlier today I went out with ProbablyHatesYou to ride around Pasadena. We found some pretty cool little twisting roads in some hills above the rose bowl. My ninja 250 and I happened to take a curve at some 30-35 mph and the curve just kept curving around steeper. I panicked a bit as my bike started to cross over into the opposite traffic's lane and leaned WAY THE gently caress over to try to get back into my direction's lane (I didn't want to brake a lot in the middle of this). I felt my rear tire give a little kick and, how to put it?, watched myself gently slide away from my bike. It was, strangely, a really peaceful experience. My bike and I both ended up sliding off the road into some grass and the rails at the edge, about 20 feet total. I dragged my bike up back onto the road and had a little pow-wow with ProbablyHatesYou about what happened and what I may have done wrong and checked out the bike as well. We popped my front blinker back on and lamented the scratches to my side fairing, mirror, front brake lever and exhaust. The fairing up at my front wheel is also pushed in a little bit. All easily fixable or recoverable. We got on with the rest of the ride and I learned to take blind turns at second gear instead of fourth so I could use engine braking and throttle acceleration to some effect. I have a bruise on my upper thigh/lower hip that is sore to the touch but doesn't bother me otherwise. My padded overpants are a little cut up at that spot, but the armor beneath seems fine. I have a small patch of skin scraped off the top of my wrist where my sleeve rode up. I had a scratch on the chin of my helmet and my leather jacket got a TAD scuffed. I was incredibly lucky there wasn't opposing traffic when that poo poo happened. I like to think I am better for this - and this type of stupid accident (and others of its ilk) won't happen again. Goddammit. Zen, at least I didn't slam on the brakes this time@?!?! 
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Dec 12, 2010 02:02
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nsaP posted:Obviously you aren't riding like them, but you should check out the onboards of the motogp riders that you can see some time. Many times they're breaking all the way into the apex.
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Dec 12, 2010 03:31
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Drifter posted:Goddammit. drat, dude. Still wanna go riding tomorrow?
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Dec 12, 2010 06:36
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sirbeefalot posted:drat, dude. Still wanna go riding tomorrow? Of course. You missed out on a really fun ride today, man. I'll only get better by doing it more.
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Dec 13, 2010 03:34
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Drifter posted:Lowside during lean. All sorts of stuff can cause a lowside during a lean. It's still mostly rider error, but the more leaned over you are, the less warning you get. For your case, I'll bet you chopped the throttle abruptly in the turn, causing you to lose ground clearance and traction at the same time. I say this because you clearly weren't comfortable with how leaned over you were and were probably pretty stiff on the controls, and you mentioned feeling the rear squirm around. The only advice I can give is that you can almost always lean farther than you think you can, and that you need to stay on the throttle and keep counter-steering to get the bike over. 30-35mph is pretty slow and the bike can take a really tight corner comfortably at that speed, even a decreasing radius. The other advice is that to combat the threat of blind corners and decreasing radius turns, avoid taking the "fast" inside line through corners. Instead, purposefully stick to the outside long enough so you can visually see through the corner, and then go ahead and start bringing your bike toward a late apex.
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Dec 13, 2010 08:33
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FuzzyWuzzyBear posted:The only advice I can give is that you can almost always lean farther... and keep counter-steering to get the bike over. 30-35mph is pretty slow and the bike can take a really tight corner comfortably at that speed, even a decreasing radius. Yessir. Thanks for the really helpful feedback. I really think a whole lot of stuff went into me doing this wrong. Target fixation (I really didn't want to cross the lane), throttle deceleration and not counter steering fully were definitely things that contributed more than anything I would blame my bike and physics for. That said, went into Coldwater Canyon and Laurel Canyon the other day to practice all those things, and only good stuff came of it. Plus, I just got total control and proficient motorcycling in the mail today.  Now I just need to buy some sandpaper for my baby.
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Dec 13, 2010 15:51
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Drifter posted:Yessir. Thanks for the really helpful feedback. I really think a whole lot of stuff went into me doing this wrong. Target fixation (I really didn't want to cross the lane), throttle deceleration and not counter steering fully were definitely things that contributed more than anything I would blame my bike and physics for. Just to add to the foregoing, this is a classic inexperienced rider crash. One of the features of better-developed situational awareness which comes as you gain experience is the ability to anticipate how much of the envelope you will need to use to get round a corner on a given line, and to adjust your entry speed accordingly. You are no longer "surprised" by a control input needed mid-corner because your hindbrain (for want of a more accurate description) has already done the calculations and prompted you to adjust your line and entry speed to a level you are comfortable with. The Keith Code answer would probably include the observation that as an inexperienced rider, the "in too fast, in too deep" "stress reaction" (as he calls it) is being triggered far too early, causing you to freeze up like a deer in headlights and run straight on. You probably actually did well to slow the bike, shake it off and start riding again, albeit you then lent over too far / chopped the throttle and lost traction. He would say that this can happen to any rider pushing their personal limit, but with inexperienced riders this is likely to happen pretty quickly. The solution, according to his "method" would be to analyze corners methodically, determining where you need to place braking, turn in, apex and corner out ahead of time, rather than just trying to up your limit by slinging it into a corner faster/later and hoping to come out the other side.
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Dec 13, 2010 20:20
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On Halloween I turned my 83 Honda Shadow into a hunk of scrap metal. I have no memory of the accident or the few hours before it. Either I clipped a car or a car clipped me. Either way I veered off and struck a curb sending me flying. I left some bone and muscle on the pavement, bone came through my lower right leg in 2 spots. I was carted off to the closest trauma center. Injuries: Road rash to my arms and hands. Broken Femur, Tibia, Fibula and damage to my foot and ankle. My helmet just seems to have cracked the visor, I much prefer that to a shattered face. I think I'll stick to HJC products. For now I'm either in a wheelchair or the walker and I'll tell you that I never thought I'd miss walking this much.
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Dec 17, 2010 13:16
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threeskin posted: Daaaaaaaamn.That makes the 2 broken fibulae on our roller derby league look like hangnails, and both those girls are in wheelchairs/required surgery etc. The fact you're allowed to use a walker already is a really good sign, actually. Glad you made it through and are on the mend. I take it from the wording of your post it was a hit & run? Any sign of traded paint or anything on your bike, or is the "getting clipped by a car" just the best guess given the results of the accident? Definitely got a jaw-dropping x-ray out of the deal, hope you continue to heal up quick.
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Dec 17, 2010 13:33
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It wasn't a hit an run. They're investigating it but I was told the guy stopped and was the one to call the ambulance to make sure I was ok. My femur was at least a clean break.
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Dec 17, 2010 14:28
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threeskin posted:For now I'm either in a wheelchair or the walker and I'll tell you that I never thought I'd miss walking this much. poo poo!  Good to see you're still alive and have all your limbs, broken as they may be. Since you basically don't remember the accident this is probably a worthless question, but what impact was it that messed your leg up? Getting hit by the car or did you break it on the curb? What kind of boots were you wearing? That's a ton of damage to your ankle
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Dec 17, 2010 15:33
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Ow ow ow ow ow holy gently caress ow
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Dec 17, 2010 18:09
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Goddamn that's a hell of a break. What gear were you wearing? What's recovery time looking like? I hope you're all covered for medical 
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Dec 17, 2010 18:15
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needknees posted:poo poo! No boots in the world are going to help you in a situation where the forces involved break your femur and tib/fib like that
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Dec 17, 2010 20:52
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My gear? Jeans and a T-Shirt, which were cut off. My footwear was a pair of ankle covering hiking boots. Unfortunately I was laid off from my job briefly before this happened and did not have insurance. That didn't seem to matter to the hospital at the time of treatment, even now the surgeons who performed the surgeries are seeing me without payment. I did however receive a 48 page bill for my hospital stay in the mail. I see my orthopedic surgeon the 29th and hopefully he clears to me start putting partial weight on it. One of the craziest experiences was being wheeled into the OR for one of my last surgeries to see all 4 of my surgeons there and them explaining to me that I have to be awake for the first 20 minutes or so of the surgery. They used a medical version of a multimeter and ran a pretty painful current through my reconnected nerved endings to make sure they were connected to the right toes. This is what my ankle looks like now.
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Dec 17, 2010 23:09
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threeskin posted:My gear? Jeans and a T-Shirt, which were cut off. My footwear was a pair of ankle covering hiking boots. Is this sarcasm? Good that you came out alive, looks like an awful break. Russian Bear fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Dec 18, 2010 |
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Dec 18, 2010 09:33
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Russian Bear posted:Is this sarcasm? Good that you came out alive, looks like an awful break. Pretty sure gear wouldn't have mattered with regard to the broken bones.
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Dec 18, 2010 16:13
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n8r posted:Pretty sure gear wouldn't have mattered with regard to the broken bones. Depending on if the ankle folded causing the lower break, it might have saved him from that one with proper tall riding boots.
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Dec 18, 2010 20:00
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n8r posted:Pretty sure gear wouldn't have mattered with regard to the broken bones. Sure wouldn't have hurt Regardless that's some crazy injuries, I hope you get better and dont have too much long term damage done
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Dec 18, 2010 23:55
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Russian Bear posted:Is this sarcasm? Good that you came out alive, looks like an awful break. Not at all. I meant the EMTs cut off the jeans. I know it was stupid to have not been wearing any gear. I'm healing pretty drat well so far. Most of my pain has passed. Now it's more dull aches in my joints. The morning I tried to trim my toenail and the whole thing sort of fell off. I'm looking forward to walking again and taking an MSF accredited course.
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Dec 20, 2010 02:11
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threeskin posted:I'm healing pretty drat well so far. Most of my pain has passed. Now it's more dull aches in my joints. The morning I tried to trim my toenail and the whole thing sort of fell off. Christ. Moon (2009) spoiler: This is highly reminiscent of when Sam Bell discovers he only has a three year shelf life and starts literally falling apart.
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Dec 20, 2010 03:14
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Be careful on those wet roads. I braked a bit too hard coming up to a stop sign and the front locked, causing the SV to tuck out from underneath me. Just a bit too aggressive and there was no way to save it. Lots of embarrassment at a busy intersection, but thankfully the bruised ego and a few fairing scratches were the extent of it.
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Dec 20, 2010 10:05
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I had a really dumb accident a few years ago. I was leaving my driveway, and (something happened) and I accelerated too fast. I couldn't turn onto my street quite fast enough and bumped the opposite curb and fell over. By reflex, I tried to keep the bike from tipping over with my leg. Not only did this not help, it caused a tibia plateau fracture, which is where the top of the tibia is compressed, like when you push on styrofoam. The bike sustained a broken mirror. The surgery to fix this was to *re-break* the tibia in order to lift it up. Put in some new bone material, and a bunch of bolts to hold it together. I couldn't put any weight on the leg for about six months, which was miserable. Anyway, this gives me a chance to post the cool pictures of my leg bolts:  Click here for the full 1632x1224 image.
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Dec 25, 2010 03:44
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Ow jesus gently caress ow... dude, get well soon, etc.
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Dec 25, 2010 09:46
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Kommando posted:Ow jesus gently caress ow...
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Dec 25, 2010 12:05
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Well if he still hasn't healed by now, then I hope he gets well soon too.
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Dec 25, 2010 12:21
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M4rg4r1ne posted:Well if he still hasn't healed by now, then I hope he gets well soon too. Actually, now that I think about it, it has been eight years. I still can't straighten out my leg completely without some pain. However, that is more because I didn't do any physical therapy after it healed. For all the recently injured goons IIT -- MAKE SURE YOU DON'T NEGLECT YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPY! You will regret it later.
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Dec 25, 2010 18:31
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Mr Clownfish posted:
I wonder why you had to be off it so much longer than a normal break. Glad to see you recovered.
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Dec 25, 2010 20:47
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