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nsaP posted:Adding bash guard to the list of things to buy.... Bash guard, Bark busters, Rad guards and stronger case covers are my first planned mods if the DRZ I get doesn't have them. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure wot wot?
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Feb 8, 2012 22:03
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Well... hit two spoon drains at 60, saw them perhaps five metres before the intersection and only managed to brake slightly.. Still, punctured my oil pan. It's at the shop right now. $300 new one, and there are none in Aus. gently caress.
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Feb 10, 2012 19:14
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fingerling posted:Well... hit two spoon drains at 60, saw them perhaps five metres before the intersection and only managed to brake slightly.. For us Americans, what is a spoon drain? Or maybe that is a universal term I'm not familiar with? Regardless, that sucks man. Glad you didn't crash, though.
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Feb 10, 2012 19:58
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Scrapez posted:For us Americans, what is a spoon drain? Or maybe that is a universal term I'm not familiar with? Spoon Drain GIS Looks like it would be rough to hit that at speed...
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Feb 10, 2012 20:50
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Scrapez posted:For us Americans, what is a spoon drain? Or maybe that is a universal term I'm not familiar with? Spoon is just the profile of the drain. It's the same in the US.  Could be any drain really. In Australia I think they have a bad habit of digging them down in the middle of the road in low places where water pooling can occur.
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Feb 10, 2012 20:57
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Didn't crash/"wasn't my fault" but got merged into for the first time ever last night - by a police car of all things. Was in the turn left lane at traffic lights and she was in the turn left/go straight ahead one and suddenly switched into my lane. Had me up against the gutter about 3cm from a park traffic light pole and two random dudes in order to avoid her. Was not fun, was shaking the whole way back to my destination (conveniently a pub to have a drink to calm myself down). Was pretty much the most scary thing of the last few years of my life. I don't know what I could have done differently - I kept my 3 seconds, made sure I could see her when I was following behind and then I could see her passenger when I moved into the turn left lane - she made an illegal left merge when it happened. I'm just lucky her passenger was looking at these guys on the side of the road and must have yelled at her.
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Feb 10, 2012 22:20
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Well, this one's embarrassing. I'll put it in this thread instead of the crash thread, because we all get freaked out when that thread gets bumped.  So, I wanted to ride like a dong but the cager ahead of me was holding me back. He wanted to teeter at the brink of the posted speed limit, and as it's a windy two-lane road there's no way around him. rear end in a top hat. I figure I'll just pull over and let him get a ways ahead, so I can ride dong-ishly for a bit until I catch up to him, repeat. I slow down and intend to pull to a stop in this gravel next to the road. Turns out it's a light sprinkle of gravel to camouflage a mud bog. My front tire instantly went sideways and I faceplanted. No damage to the bike that didn't spray off with a garden hose. No damage to me. But I was wearing the same exact gear I had on the last time I went down! This stuff is cursed. Moral of the story? I don't think there is one. Be wary of mud in disguise?
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Feb 12, 2012 22:52
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deliverator posted:Well, this one's embarrassing. I'll put it in this thread instead of the crash thread, because we all get freaked out when that thread gets bumped. Maybe that car driver just wanted you to eat his dust. 
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Feb 13, 2012 02:48
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So on the way home last night I almost wadded the DRZ... I made a stupid decision that compounded some issues. When I got the bike the controls were adjusted to far down for me, whoever had the bike before me was bigger than I am. I should have asked them to adjust it before I left but I'd been at the dealer for almost 2 1/2 hours and I wanted to leave. I rode the 30 miles back to town and stopped by cycle gear. I got some boot, a new jacket, balaclava, and some really thick gloves. I pretty much swapped gear to all my new stuff and took off for the 10 mile trip down a 2 lane road with a half mile of cars. So at this point I had a few factors working against me. New bike that far outperforms my most recent ride, badly adjusted controls, new thick riding gloves and it was dark. Someone decided to make a left turn with no signal a little ways up the line and caused that wonderful brake slamming chain reaction. I was giving myself plenty of room, but I saw the brakes and slammed on the brakes. My Honda would have barely slowed down but the DRZ locked both the front and rear wheel, killing the engine in the process. I was sliding on both the front and the rear wheel at around 35-40 mph. I clutched in and started trying to get into second as I dropped both brakes. The wheels caught and started rolling again and I dropped the clutch restarting the bike. I still had about 30 feet between me and the van but it was still harrowing. I guess the lesson here is don't change a bunch of things at once and hop on the road like it's no big deal. I should have done a few parking lot drills at least first and I didn't. Hopefully this will help someone else avoid doing this in the future. PS: Holy Hell the DRZ is a fun ride!
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Feb 16, 2012 17:17
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Scrapez posted:For us Americans, what is a spoon drain? Or maybe that is a universal term I'm not familiar with? Yeah, it's just two drains running across the flow of the road I was on. The worse part was the road that crossed was a small crest, so I got a bit of air (or the suspension fully extended) before I landed perfectly on the other drain. Turns out my exhaust punctured the pan. $520 all up. Most expensive cup of coffee I'll never have. Also, for those six days I was without a bike... it was horrible!
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Feb 17, 2012 06:15
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so is the DRZ better than R1's?
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Feb 18, 2012 02:06
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the walkin dude posted:so is the DRZ better than R1's? Can't really compare a liter bike to a motard. I'd love another R1, but I can't afford it. I am really enjoying the DRZ but the R1 was the first bike that was ever "mine", so it has a special place in my heart. *edit* the squirrel in this horribly shot video gets it. http://youtu.be/7QCES4qVLJE Ponies ate my Bagel fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Feb 18, 2012 |
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Feb 18, 2012 02:21
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Guess I can add to this - was heading to my friends place to say hello and came around the corner to her house, knowing that the road had been repaved recently and doesn't see much traffic. Decided to cut the corner as there was nobody else about and had the front tyre wash out and slide about 2 foot on me before it got grip again and I managed to straighten the bike out. Probably the closest I've come to dumping it on the road so far, although I think I handled it fairly well - stood it up and straightened the wheel so it didn't grip and just dump the bike. Was my own fault for a) cutting the corner b) I knew the road was poo poo and gravely so I shouldn't have tried to take it like a normal corner Oh well, at least I didn't lay 'er dan!
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Mar 3, 2012 06:02
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I almost bailed in full view of my motorcycle-phobic family who were following behind in their car. Last summer I got my license after taking the course. I bought my first bike shortly after, a 1982 KZ440 LTD. In between maintenance typical of buying something 30 years old, I tried to make the most of the rest of the riding season; buying the bike in August and knowing I had to put it to bed in the fall. I don't have a garage so I took it on a road trip to my parent's place who could store it for me. I made a weekend out of it and tooled around on their country roads. This particular trip, the parents were behind me, following me back to their place on my last ride of the season. It was the first time my Dad had seen me on the bike. He's been a cop for 30 some years and he's seen his fair share of motorcycle accidents and associated carnage. I'm the last person he wants to see on a bike, but he's trying to be tolerant. At the time, I didn't feel like I was riding like a dong. No point in trying to explain it otherwise, though... After going down the highway at 100km/h with the parents behind me, it was time to turn off and take the back roads home to their place. The turnoff is where poo poo just about hit the fan. The corner.  Looks pretty innocuous, right? A simple 90º bend. I set up to take the corner without shedding too much speed. There was no traffic - just me and this easy, right-angle turnoff. I wasn't slowing down to a crawl before committing to this one. No need to! Right!?!  WELL... It turns out that this corner is more than meets the eye. As I'm in the lean, I realize that I have made a big miscalculation.  The road backs AWAY? What in the motherfu-- I'm dragging my left peg and pushing hard for the counter-steer while keeping my head up and looking down this obtuse angled road. I now feel like I'm staring down the barrel of a gun. The road has no paved shoulder, just dirt after the white line. This dirt will no doubt send me to my death, crashing through the ditch and into the barbed wire fence. I'm focusing on watching where I want to go, but I feel dread as I notice that white line is getting closer and closer. I'm now hovering over the line, still dragging my peg in little touch and gos. I know I can't push any harder or I risk low-siding before leaving the road. I now notice that the sidewall of my front tire is on the outer edge of the road, where the asphalt cracks and crumbles away. I am hosed. I am dead and my parents and my wife will be mad at me. Just when I think it's curtains, I come out of the apex of the turn, get lined up on the road, straighten up and ride away.  I shake my head for not knowing the road and putting myself in such a lovely situation that was totally preventable. After I arrive at my parent's house, my Dad meets me in the driveway. He's got his cop Aviators on and big cigar in his mouth. He's shaking his head. He said he thought I was a dead man on that corner. He asks me if I was going too fast for the turn. I said yes and hung my head in shame. Then I put the bike away for the winter. I've been meaning to post this here for a while. Hopefully someone can get use out of it. It was almost the worst case scenario. Being killed or maimed in front of your constantly worrying parents, under circumstances which they forbid, because you've been a dumbass for the brief moment when doing the opposite would have counted the most. As sick as it is, I feel proud of myself for not fixating and not giving up, but holy poo poo - I will never again approach a road aggressively without knowing it intently. Can't wait to get back on the bike, though. I'm now ready to take my lumps from the community... DadWilly fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Mar 3, 2012 |
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Mar 3, 2012 16:35
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Safetyland posted:Stuff about miscalculating the paved environment. Would have happened if you drove a car too. Being inexperienced just hits you so much harder riding a bike. Your dad seems pretty cool though, I think I might like him. Next time this happens (and it probably will), try to counter-steer and don't wimp out at the throttle. Edit: best post/user-name combination in a while.
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Mar 3, 2012 17:00
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Words of truth. Thanks.
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Mar 3, 2012 17:42
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Sir Cornelius posted:Next time this happens (and it probably will), try to counter-steer and don't wimp out at the throttle. I dunno, he already wrote that he was dragging the pegs. Wouldn't countersteering lean him over even more?
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Mar 4, 2012 03:11
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Oh trust me, I was counter-steering like a mother. I was definitely (shamefully) in the speed range where that was necessary. It's funny how you do it naturally, though. Look where you want to be and push in that direction. I don't remember much about the throttle, though. It would make sense that I was either off it due to the speed, or had it on, half assed. I wasn't even thinking about it. I just knew I was going way too goddamn fast for where I was. I recently asked in the questions thread if there was ever a time when staying on the throttle would be bad when losing traction... All signs point to 'stay on the throttle'. I can't remember if I was ready for that, though. DadWilly fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Mar 4, 2012 |
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Mar 4, 2012 04:08
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I was riding down a street and coming up to an intersection. The light was green, and I was about just about to pass the crosswalk when I look to my left and some chuckle-gently caress in a Blazer barrels through the intersection. I hit my brakes and missed him by less than a foot. I'd have gone right into him if I hadn't looked left. He stopped once you got through the intersection, flipped me the bird and shouted "gently caress YOU MAN!" I threw my hands up and shouted "WHAT THE gently caress?! YOUR LIGHT'S RED!" and he sped away. This is about an hour after someone almost merged into me while I had someone on the pillion.
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Mar 5, 2012 04:11
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Tried to overtake a BMW, dude decides to try to race me. My laggy reflexes after work meant that I didn't realise that he was actually trying to race me pointlessly, so had to drop the anchors and detour around a traffic island the wrong way to avoid hard braking on the central hashed section of the road. Stupid. Going up the hill here: http://g.co/maps/a9hbd I suppose lesson to learn is to know your limits at all times, and the limits of your brakes (new bike).
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Mar 6, 2012 22:08
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Out riding mopeds with a few friends last week on Riverside Drive, a really twisty road that runs along the James river here in Richmond. It's a really fun ride, but it can definitely be a bit hairy at times. Anyways, I saw a patch of wet leaves at the last moment while going around a blind curve and put my foot out to warn the person behind me. I must have hit the edge of it because I almost lost my balance, but I managed to regain control. A few minutes later we realized there was nobody behind me and pulled over and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. A few minutes passes and we decide to turn around and go back and see what was up. The girl behind me hit the same patch of leaves and went down pretty hard, had some pretty bad road rash on her hands and knees. Nothing too awful, but she did have the EMT's come and patch her up. I don't know what the point of this story is? Mopeds, Mo problems I guess?
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Mar 7, 2012 02:23
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_Dav posted:I suppose lesson to learn is to know your limits at all times, and the limits of your brakes (new bike). I did something very similar the other day. I was cruising along a dual carriageway but I didn't know exactly what my speed was because I hadn't got my new speedo fixed up yet. I overcooked it coming in to a roundabout but managed to keep hard on the brakes and lean in enough to avoid hitting anything. I was really lucky that the road was clear in front of me. It was just really stupid becuase I thought I was going 70 ish, but it was probably more like 80-90. Paco de Suave posted:... blind curve ... I was turning at a junction, going maybe 30 with a little bit of lean when I hit a pot hole right at the apex. It sent the bike wobbling all over the place and I was desperate to stand it up and slow down. I couldn't though because there was a car heading in the opposite direction and I was already right over on the edge of my lane. The bike settled out and I made it, but that poo poo me right up.
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Mar 8, 2012 17:59
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I was leaving the bike shop yesterday, and my situational awareness was clouded with thoughts of lean air/fuel mixtures and pre-ignition. I completely blanked on the fact that I was rolling up to a stop sign. In fact, I only noticed when the car who had the right of way realized I wasn't going to stop in time. Lesson learned: Focus on the act of riding when you're riding. Focus on other mechanical aspects of the bike when you're not riding.
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Mar 27, 2012 13:40
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Was on the highway today, thinking about things, and went to merge into the "fast" lane to overtake a slightly slow car. Indicated, checked my mirror and started to move as I done my shoulder check. Said shoulder check saved my life as there was a van just behind my shoulder. Sure got my head out of the clouds!
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Mar 27, 2012 14:00
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I've done both of the last two many times in cars and on bikes. It's a lot more important to be careful of these on the bike though.
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Mar 27, 2012 19:13
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gently caress me, this is turning out to be a bad week for me regarding riding. Had to pop into Ipswich today (a city in QLD) which is about 50km up the highway from where I live. About a 30~ min ride. Woke up, popped into work, picked up the paperwork I needed to take into Ipswich and headed out. Got about 3/4 of the way there and go to do an overtake and got extremely light headed, bike went way wide, right to the other side of the road, tried to get back into my normal line and it was just wobbly as gently caress, my vision was about the size of a teacup plate with the rest blacked out and I was looking directly in front of my wheel when I would usually be looking 70 - 100m ahead. I don't know what the hell happened, I just indicated to let the person behind me know I was about to pull off the highway, gave them a few seconds then hit the brakes and geared down as fast as I could without falling off. Jumped off the bike, threw off my helmet, gloves and jacket and just lied on the side of the highway for 15 minutes or so trying to get back to feeling good enough to get back on my noble steed. I think I was just dehydrated/hungry as gently caress or something - I skipped breakfast and had only had a coffee. Was feeling fine until then. idk. Scared the crap out of me. Oh - not one person stopped to see if I was ok. Jerks. Where the blue truck is is basically where I had to pull over. Not the best spot to pull over :/
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Mar 28, 2012 07:39
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Good decisions really. I've been lucky enough to not have that happen on a bike. Glad you made it out well. I had something like that happen hiking. We came to the end of the trail and there was a hairy rock climb to get to a good view. When I was waiting for others to go up in front of me, my head got light, my vision got starry and started to tunnel, and I felt real weak. I stepped down and waited a bit, eating some and having some water, but I still passed on the climb eventually. It was super embarrassing as I'd talking about climbs that separate the men from the boys the day earlier. That day tho, my body failed me. I didn't have enough breakfast or whatever and I hadn't prepared myself for a risky climb. Or I'm just a pussy. For me it was okay, it'll still be there. I'll get it. For you it's just good that you recognized it and could get off the road. That kind of thing could have easily turned into an evening news story.
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Mar 28, 2012 07:55
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You don't realize how much riding bikes taxes you, especially in the hydration department. I've seen guys pass out at the races after running heats, qualifying and then the race. A rule of thumb that will make you healthier and avoid things like that. Don't have more than 1 soda a day and drink at least 4 glasses of water a day. If you're riding for longer than an hour or two you should stop and drink some water when you fill up for gas. Dehydration is no joke man, ride safe.
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Mar 28, 2012 16:33
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Well, you get dehydrated once you'll be able to notice that poo poo coming on way before it gets serious the next time. At least that's how it ended up for me. Glad to hear you made it home, your description of blacking out on a highway was terrifying.
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Mar 28, 2012 16:41
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Almost got hammered by a taxi on the way to work. Was splitting up stopped traffic and he decided to jump over a lane. If I had come up 2 seconds later, totally woulda creamed me. I had enough room to get around him though 
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Mar 28, 2012 22:15
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So I didn't crash, but I'm definitely an idiot... A friend is emigrating and allowed me to take his Speed triple out for a spin. I have never grinned so hard, or so often as I did last night. Wawaweewa! What a machine. New riders, don't do what I did, it's stupid, and unfair, and god I want it so badly. SO badly.
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Mar 29, 2012 08:29
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Every time you ride a bike that's a step up from what you are used to is a beautiful thing.
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Mar 29, 2012 08:44
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Given that my current is a 9kw (NINE! count them on less than two hands!) scooter in a motorbike frame, it's ... ah ... rather a step up.
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Mar 29, 2012 09:08
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Kind of curious as to the top speed of a 9kw "bike"?
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Mar 29, 2012 11:35
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it tops out at about 60mph, and I have once, on a downhill, tucked and with a tailwind got it just past 70. E: For those that are curious, this is the machine itself : http://www.jonway.co.za/tech.php?id=57 According to the tech specs, it actually makes TWELVE kilowatts, and 14 whole newton meters of torque, so I was quite far out with my initial assessment. I will definitely be looking at my "bike" in a whole new light now. sildargod fucked around with this message at 12:10 on Mar 29, 2012 |
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Mar 29, 2012 12:04
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12kw. What a beast. I bet its a hoot to ride though 
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Mar 29, 2012 12:14
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Sigh ... Had a super smooth moment on the bike today - dropped the number plate from the FZR off at the council building* and hopped back on the bike to leave, had to back out and across the road to my lane. Easy enough right? Crossed the centre line, turned to point in the correct direction, got where I wanted to be pointed and put on the front brake .. a bit hard. Queue bike sitting there at a 35 degree angle from the ground and me holding onto it desperately to keep it from dropping (completely). Picked it up and sat back on it, looked around; "Nobody saw that ri... damnit." Old lady drives past at a putt in her Commodore banging her hand on the steering wheel laughing her rear end off  *Which is in the dead centre of town pretty much
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Apr 10, 2012 10:21
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Ever have one of those days? Was out tooling around and running errands yesterday and I drat near dropped my brand new Iron 883 not once but four times trying to get back home. Parking space? Nearly wrenched my shoulder out. Getting out of the parking space? Caught it again, on the other arm. Leaving the parking lot? Slammed my kneecap against the air filter as it almost went down. Turning into subdivision? gently caress you I'm gonna keep going this way, have fun keeping me upright. Finally got it into the garage. Forgot to put kickstand down, cue 45 degree lean and a good dent in the cabinet next to where I park. Got it upright eventually, set my helmet down very loving carefully and wobbled my way inside. Drove the car the rest of the day. Thankfully I didn't buy anything heavier, I'd likely have a torn ligament somewhere. I've never had this much trouble, think the bike gods just wanted to gently caress with me yesterday.
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Apr 11, 2012 12:06
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I think I had one of those days yesterday - after my near fall in that post 2 up I spent half the night in hospital getting my eye looked at -_-' I think I got something in it when I was riding home and they can't remove it which is really loving annoying.
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Apr 11, 2012 13:52
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Riding is so psychological and doing it properly depends on being able to act reflexively instead of thinking about it. Whenever I do one stupid thing, I always get concerned and start thinking about everything I do, which makes me just keep loving up more. Probably best on days like that you just go get a cup of coffee somewhere for a bit.
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Apr 11, 2012 14:11
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