How many times have you been down? - Lifetime on the street

[generalissimo]

For the purposes of this poll, exclude get-offs on the track and the dirt. Also, if you want, let us know what happened, so we can learn from your mistake(s).

[sbk12rs]

This YEAR ?

[CJS350]

How about a category for those of us that have been riding so many years that we can't remember all of the times we've fallen off. Maybe I'm speaking for myself?

There are two things that go with age, (1) memory, and (2), .... eh, I seem to have forgotten the second.

As for advice - so it shouldn't happen to you, I'd say always pay attention to what you're doing.

[The AK]

I don't know how I feel about the "so I made mistakes". A few weeks ago I guess I made a mistake which resulted in a laydown. I rode in inclement weather and paid for it on a patch of "black ice". However, the other two times I consider mechanical failure. Old bikes, both of which the front caliper locked up on me; I didn't see those coming, the ice wreck I shouldn't have pushed my luck. As for advice I can only offer that which was given me after the ice wreck; Don't ride when the temp drops below 40. To be honest though, that's hard to do in Indiana, it's cold at least three months of the year.

[(none)]

Once for me, on my 1.5 month old VFR with just 4750 miles on her. Lessons i learned include:
1-Trust the bike
2-Look to where you want to go, not to where you don't want to go.
3-Don't ride outside your comfort zone and don't try to keep up with others.

I was riding on some backroads, following my room mate (who has a '06 1000rr), i was moving along right at the edge of my comfort zone (which wasn't very high) and i was trying to keep pace with him. Both big mistakes. I crested a small rise, the road dipped back down. The road curved slightly, nothing drastic, it just startled me because i couldn't see it until i crested. I for some reason grabbed some brake just as i crested and the bike got light, this resulted in a very mild tank slapper (which really spooked me). I saw my line drifting to the outside of the curve and i kept looking at the ditch, so i went right into the ditch, down the bike went. I slid across the grass for a bit on my back and got up (thankfully, i had nearly full gear on) with just a sore ankle (i was wearing work boots before i had real boots). The bike was totaled by the insurance company.

Things i could have done to prevent all of this:
1-not try to keep up and push the limits so much
2-not freak out and grab the brakes
3-mild tank slapper? ease off the brakes, maybe even throttle out of it.
4-MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL- I should have looked up the road to where i wanted to go and i would have been fine.

I hope others than learn from my mistakes.

[stevek1200s]

Just curious on the post count but joined Oct 2003.
Where have you been for 6 years?
Just curious that's all.

[K-Cord]

Deer !!! Freakin Deer !!

2 deer, two bikes, 2 cases of body length road rash. Lesson - proper clothes.

Bambi is evil

[cruizbz]

Originally Posted by stevek1200s

Just curious on the post count but joined Oct 2003.
Where have you been for 6 years?
Just curious that's all.

Between, being the world's greatest rider, developing every BMW since 1928 for the factory and race teams, conceiving the original idea of web sites for the internet and twirling in the wind. Who has time to post?

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by cruizbz

Between, being the world's greatest rider, developing every BMW since 1928 for the factory and race teams, conceiving the original idea of web sites for the internet and twirling in the wind. Who has time to post?

Don't forget hair teasing

Down once back in 1976. Hit and run while on my kawi 900...never saw it coming...woke up two days later in the ICU. bought a sissy twin (XS-650) a week later.

[generalissimo]

Originally Posted by stevek1200s

Just curious on the post count but joined Oct 2003.
Where have you been for 6 years?
Just curious that's all.

How dare you mock the prowess of one who loves nandi and is far more capable of more mileage and speed than that of the average infidel, non practicing islam awhole.

[chilei]

Originally Posted by generalissimo

How dare you mock the prowess of one who loves nandi and is far more capable of more mileage and speed than that of the average infidel, non practicing islam awhole.

Funny we haven't seen such prowess join us at a rally. Why would an Islam practicing infidel be any faster? (yes, I could post reasons but I am not wanting to send this into jomomma or jokes)

[stevek1200s]

Originally Posted by generalissimo

How dare you mock the prowess of one who loves nandi and is far more capable of more mileage and speed than that of the average infidel, non practicing islam awhole.

Yes sir!
You are the lucky one that I lapped 7 times in 1 -20minute track session. Yes, remember I kept passing you on the outside of every turn. Last session, we were coming down the front straight on the very first lap, you were roughly 135mph, I was 168mph and passed you on the inside of T1. Speed up next time!

[chilei]

Originally Posted by stevek1200s

Yes sir!
You are the lucky one that I lapped 7 times in 1 -20minute track session. Yes, remember I kept passing you on the outside of every turn. Last session, we were coming down the front straight on the very first lap, you were roughly 135mph, I was 168mph and passed you on the inside of T1. Speed up next time!

: yelrotflmao:

That is what can be called "getting Pwned"!!!!

[ROB]

Originally Posted by (none)

Once for me, on my 1.5 month old VFR with just 4750 miles on her. Lessons i learned include:
1-Trust the bike
2-Look to where you want to go, not to where you don't want to go.
3-Don't ride outside your comfort zone and don't try to keep up with others.

(none), to which I would say:
Number 3 is paramount
4- Don't drink and ride (my K75 get off)
5- Be particularly careful in splotchy sunlight or moving from sun to shade (a K12RS lowside on gravel)

[cabnfvr]

Originally Posted by ROB

(none), to which I would say:
Number 3 is paramount
4- Don't drink and ride (my K75 get off)
5- Be particularly careful in splotchy sunlight or moving from sun to shade (a K12RS lowside on gravel)

6 - Never, ever, give up !

[Louis]

Originally Posted by cabnfvr

6 - Never, ever, give up !

Stay really determined in your belief of the above...

7 - Be weary of semis... they're bigger than we are...

[Beech]

Early in my riding days, 1968, I turned left onto a street that had a burger joint just 30 yards down the new street on the right. A guy came out of the burger joint in front of me. I am sure he looked to his left (where I was coming from) and saw it was clear, then I turned onto his street. Moving along on a panhead Harley. Went down and slide up to his door. He would not get out. The bike and I were okay. Learned a few things since then. Didn't go down when I hit that deer last year. Concentrated on staying on the road. Figured if I let it get to the sholder all was lost. Since it was a Harley maybe it does not count. After that, like Pirate it has been over 400,000 miles with no problems. beech

[trond]

Had me a nice one at the age of 16
Driving my Kawa KH100ES and all my money went into gas and party.
The front wheel was worn down to the cord almost. It was fall, the rain was pouring down and assembling in the tracks in the road.
A steep tight 180 and to much speed/throttle.
The front just slipped out.
Passed out doing so and came to due to a screaming trucker.
He thought he had killed me because his rear wheel hit something and he swore I passed between the front wheel and the rear axel.
I was untouched by my Kawa never saw the light of day again.


I still drive like a old woman when it rains, or not at all if I can help it...

[fastlikehell]

Without further explanation: #8 - do not show off...

[Motor]

Originally Posted by ROB

(none), to which I would say:
Number 3 is paramount
4- Don't drink and ride (my K75 get off)
5- Be particularly careful in splotchy sunlight or moving from sun to shade (a K12RS lowside on gravel)

MY QUESTION WOULD BE HOW MANY TIMES IN ONE NITE ON THE SAME CHICK???

[Loggiebone]

Originally Posted by Motor

MY QUESTION WOULD BE HOW MANY TIMES IN ONE NITE ON THE SAME CHICK???

Where you been you deviate?

[Pirate]

Not counting track days.. or the bike falling over while not moving... zero in 400,000+ miles

[JimB]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Not counting track days.. or the bike falling over while not moving... zero in 400,000+ miles

Seriously, I'm impressed Pirate, or would that be Pirate Sir For me and 44 years ridding, it's 3 times or about 1 every 160,000 miles give or take. I hope that'll be all Bad thing is, I don't think I've tried nearly as hard as Pirate. The boy can ride!

Jim

[chilei]

Oh.... You meant riding!

[Bikeaholic]

I was just finishing up getting a tank full of gas. I put my gloves back on and cranked the bike. In my mirrors I could see a woman in a car behind me waiting to pull up to get gas so I put on my right blinker and cut the handlbars to the right to make a 180 degree turn to exit the gas station. As I started to pull away I looked back to the right and saw her front bumper just a few feet from my right leg. I hit the front brake hard to keep from hitting her as she tried to pass me on the right. She hit her brakes and stopped just short of hitting me but since I had hit the front brake hard with the handlebars cut over to the right the bike started to fall over to the right side. I could have caught it but I was on a steep slope that was dropping off on that side. By the time my foot touched the bike was past the point of no return and fell over on me. The woman backed up and left the scene as I was struggling to get the bike off of me. Luckily a bystander helped me get up and pick up the bike. In all of the commotion no one got her tag number.
Lesson learned is never assume that you know what a person is going to do and always keep your eyes on a car that is that close to you when you are starting to move.

[Bertbrumfield]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Not counting track days.. or the bike falling over while not moving... zero in 400,000+ miles

I am truly impressed. In the last 40+ yearsand over 400k miles, I have probably been down 10-15 times due to sand, ice, oil and other hazards. Twice with the wife on the back and another time forgetting about the trailer i was towing.
I have NEVER had contact with another vehicle, but have had many close calls.

BUT, Jerry, I don't have as many traffic tickets as you !

[Sahadafakaya]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Not counting track days.. or the bike falling over while not moving... zero in 400,000+ miles

I've done a Pat Paulsen tipover in a parking lot on my 2001 Triumph Bonneville. Burned the shit out of my leg on the exhaust. No other get-offs on the road in 30yrs of road riding. I'll guarantee I would have if I'd kept trying to stay with Zombiewolf on a twisty road. Riding doesn't have to be a dick-measuring contest. The "tree of shame" at the "Tail of the Dragon" is littered with the bike parts of the riders who think that riding is a dick-measuring contest.....

Lesson learned? Keep the track day riding on the track where it belongs...

[Muddy1]

Originally Posted by Sahadafakaya

Riding doesn't have to be a dick-measuring contest. The "tree of shame" at the "Tail of the Dragon" is littered with the bike parts of the riders who think that riding is a dick-measuring contest.....

Oh thank god!!!! I was worried that I'd NEVER measure up!!

[guntech]

Rounded a right angle paved corner on my dual purpose bike at normal speed and the rear wheel slid out on a fresh spill of hydraulic fluid across the road... that has slowed me down a bit on corners now...

[MavericK13GT]

Deep breath...not sure if posting the fact that I've never laid down or dropped any of my bikes in the past 13 years is such a good idea. There have definitely been some close calls - the worst was when I was on my 2003 Harley Heritage Softail. I was doing about 45 mph and was about 50ft or so behind a car. An old man in a minivan was oncoming, waiting to turn left. After the car passed, he made his turn directly in front of me (despite our eye contact).

Locked the rear tire and he simultaneously jammed his brakes (thank God). I skidded and smacked my left saddlebag on the right corner of his front bumper. In my brain, I heard "that's it...you're going down." NO IDEA what I did or how I did it...might have been the adrenaline, but I fought the bike upright and didn't go down. The smack of the leather bag against the bumper sounded worse than it was...I envisioned my whole fender crumpled, but my saddlebag was just scuffed. The punch line? The driver didn't stop.

When I finally got home, the wife took one look at me and asked, "what happened?" I told her I'd tell her the whole story after I changed my drawers.

[RSonaGT]

The best one I had was on my Suzuki RM400(1980), man was that a screamer. I was on one wheel and it got away from me. I was sliding down the road on my ass and hoping to walk away. I was wearing a helmet but only had on blue jeans, luckily my wallet in my back pocket saved my sweet ass. After I got up and got the bike going, I came upon a cop coming my way and had to get away from luckily. Man was that fun...
The next time was on the K after I got new tires, I learned a hard fast lesson about that.
It was easier hitting the ground when I was 18.

[EricM]

3 times:

One pretty bad, high way speed was going to pass next thing I know I am in the hospital.

Two others not sure they count on the GS at low speed, la "Peintura" in the rain and another was soft sand both of these were two up with bags.

[apptwins]

Have had a couple of 0-2mph tip-overs, not sure these count. One on pea gravel and another where the curb and gutter was offset way lower than the tarmac.

#9. Be careful where you put your foot down.

Other than that, nothing big in ~30 years of riding. However, my dual-sport bike I had in the '80's liked to take a "dirt nap" now and then ... off tarmac.

Side note: I am currently re-reading David Hough's books on Proficient Motorcycling ... good stuff and worth the effort/cost!

[cabnfvr]

Originally Posted by apptwins

...#9. Be careful where you put your foot down.....

# 10 (and this one can be a life saver)

Once you fall, throw the bike away. You don't need it any longer.

[JamesTexas]

Originally Posted by cabnfvr

# 10 (and this one can be a life saver)

Once you fall, throw the bike away. You don't need it any longer.

Thats no sh#t

[Kneedragger]

Originally Posted by cabnfvr

# 10 (and this one can be a life saver)

Once you fall, throw the bike away. You don't need it any longer.

Well yeah, but how far can you throw one of those things??

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Kneedragger

Well yeah, but how far can you throw one of those things??

Tim...my guess he can toss you and the bike further than you can toss your cookies

[Kneedragger]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

Tim...my guess he can toss you and the bike further than you can toss your cookies

Maybe... post a photo of you on your GS and I'll see how far I can toss my cookies...

[island_tony]

Does this count?? I used to ride my bike to work each day. I was following a truck that turned out to be one that pumped septic tanks. The truck was leaking fluid on the road. I slowed but the rear end started sliding and I couldn't keep the bike upright (Harley Road King), very slick. I eventually did a slow speed slide (15-20MPH) on the engine guards. True Story. It turned into a real Shitty experience. I went home for new clothes and a shower before again heading off to work.

Other than that one (Not including off road) I haven't been down since I was 15.

[smegtheprez]

Once ==> Alcohol/Street Racing (one and only one time - 38 years ago)

twice more ==> people who didn't "see me" or my motorcycle.

None of them pleasant experiences but made survivable with full gear.

[mikec]

Twice in 45+ years. Both times were my fault: I was going too fast on Harleys. Rode both bikes home afterwards with less chrome than before.

Mike

[Loggiebone]

Originally Posted by mikec

I was going too fast on Harleys.Mike

What?! You mean you were going more that 45mph????

[Kneedragger]

Originally Posted by Loggiebone

What?! You mean you were going more that 45mph????

That's when you know all those Screaming Eagle high-performance parts were worth the money...

[mikec]

Originally Posted by Kneedragger

That's when you know all those Screaming Eagle high-performance parts were worth the money...

Charlie, I cannot tell you how much money I spent trying to outrun other Harley$. If I would have saved that money and invested it, I'd probably have what I have now . Now that the Milwaukee Lead is gone, I've been shocked that there is life over 45, uh, mph, that is.

Enjoy that warm weather out there and post some more of you great pictures sometime. You've been slacking off.

Mike

[Kneedragger]

Originally Posted by mikec

Enjoy that warm weather out there and post some more of your great pictures sometime. You've been slacking off.

Mike

Now, if only I had your photographic skills and equipment, Mike...

[remphoto]

2 accidents -- both minor, thankfully.

First one was a front wheel wipe out and high side fall while making a right turn at an intersection. Loose gravel on the road and I stupidly touched the front brake to scrub off a little speed (I was doing <10 mph). Went down but caught most of it with my leg. Was wearing protective gear and no damage to me and little to the bike.

Second one was a low side crash while almost stopped. Tried to run around the end of a speed bump and the ground was unexpectedly soft. The front wheel wiped out. Again, I caught most of it with my leg and safety gear saved road rash or worse.

[Super8MM]

My first of two was in 1969, I rode a Honda 150, I rode this dirt road to work that morning and no problem but that afternoon on my way home I found they had sanded and graded the far side of a hill. I hit the 2 inch deep loose sand at about 55 mph and got into a tank slapper. I didn’t get off but layer on the tank and rode it end over end 3 times. Besides making the Honda 150 look very funny I had split my jeans from the bottom of the sipper down the crotch and up to my belt loops, and both knees from seam to seam across the front. I had converted my one piece 3/4 helmet into a 3 piece helmet. After about 30 minutes and nobody came down the road I picked it up and got it started and rode it home, I had to go back latter with a car and pick up the extras that came off the bike

My second one was in 1980 on a Suzuki 550 GT. I was going to a happy hour in a club in the basement of a restaurant. it was misting when I turned down the brick alley to the parking lot well the exhaust fans from the restaurant blew out the rear wall of the restaurant onto the alley and the alley was concave for water to run off, I never had a chance when I hit those wet bricks where grease was blown on to them so down the alley I went on my stomach watching the sparks fly off my gt

[Gmarshman]

Two episodes, both of which could have been serious--fortunately neither one was.

1. Sand in the road as I took a turn going around 25-30 mph. Avoidable, but it's the momentary lapses that get you. I was 50 yards from home after a 3 hour+ ride.

2. This one was what I think of as the "classic" motorcycle take out: two lanes each way, double yellow in the middle. I am traveling in the right lane, a car is waiting to turn left from the left lane (on my side of the road). Car coming the other way decides to turn left, never sees me.

I think I read somewhere that this situation is one of the most common for motorcycle accidents. In my mind there are three options:

1. Swerve. Not an option in my case because there was a stopped car on my left and a sidewalk with people on it to my right.

2. Emergency braking. If you have enough room this can be the way to go. If you miscalculate/run out of room you are going to "T-bone" the turning car, in which case I think you want to "eject" out of the bike and try to travel over the car.

3. Dump the bike. This is what I did: cranked the bars over and let go. At the speed I was traveling <40 mph and distances involved, it was the right choice. Bike slid on it's sliders about 50 yards, straight down the middle of the lane. I fell on my hip, popped right up again and chased the driver down the street and made her stop. Lots of witnesses!

[Muddy1]

Originally Posted by Gmarshman

3. Dump the bike. This is what I did: cranked the bars over and let go. At the speed I was traveling <40 mph and distances involved, it was the right choice. Bike slid on it's sliders about 50 yards, straight down the middle of the lane. I fell on my hip, popped right up again and chased the driver down the street and made her stop. Lots of witnesses!

Most excellent!!

[bhaynnes]

I been down more times than a San Francisco Whore...