Fallen off lately?

This turned up in another string but it wasn't truly relevant to that string's topic so I thought I'd start a new one:-
But you would certainly accept that many people ride motorcycles all their lives and never down a bike. Crashing isn't inevitable.
My reply would be:- It's not inevitable, no, but it's highly likely.
So I ask, how often and under what circumstances have the members here fallen off their bikes?

First question I would ask is do you mean dirt bikes or street bikes? When I was alot younger and rode dirt bikes, 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers on the dunes in Glamis Ca. I "fell off" almost everytime we went out but we rode carelessly and did not fear much because the sand was very forgiving and we were young. As far as street bikes go I have only ever "fallen off" once and that was just in the past couple of years when a SUV driver decided to make a right hand turn from the left lane of a 4 lane highway, in a semi-congested heavily traveled area, between my riding partner and myself (behind my riding partner but in front of me). Also I have been riding on the street (both legaly and illegaly) since I was about 14 or about 27years. I always said you have to keep your head on a swivel because it is not if, but when, a careless driver will try to kill us whether it is their intent or not.

I've been off street bikes 3 times.

Riding like an idiot on my '74 TX650A, couldn't make the corner, lowsided in the sand on the shoulder. Road rash, some paint scratches, bent clutch lever.

Coming back from riding woods roads on a Honda XL500. Must've picked up a nail or a thorn in the front tire, it went flat and rolled off the rim. LOTS of road rash, sprained shoulder, trashed helmet.

Riding to work in Charleston, SC on my Goldwing. Just started raining. Combination of rain, oil slick from traffic and clamshell mix in the pavement, lowsided while turning. Minor road rash, torn uniform, maximum embarrassment.

Couldn't even begin to tell ya how many times I did face plants on dirt bikes.

Riding a motorcycle is not a question of "if", but "when" you will go down. My "when" came in 1997 when I miss read a corner on my Ducati. Fixated on the apex and ran right off the road. High sided it after a pretty decent dirt bike style skid. Other than that, I've had half a dozen close calls on the streets. Number one is left turn in front of you at intersections (the number one cause of motorcycle fatalities). These days with dumb asses on their cell phones and texting while driving, it is even worse.

Like ippytattoo said, keep your head on a swivel. My advise is All Gear, All The Time (AGATT). Helmet, gloves, boots, long pants, and jacket is the minimum. The faster you want to ride, the higher the quality should be.

Getting off on dirt bikes is a way of life! Good training for the street though.

1976 - Driving a friends 350-4 Honda with him riding on the back. Too fast, unexpected 90 degree curve with gravel. Choice of laying it down or into a lake. Laid it down, only a bent brake handle.

Over 45 years of street riding probably about 7 or 8 times. Mostly my own fault. Several more times on dirt bikes and track racing.
At least hundreds of; if this or that had been slightly different metal would have been bent close calls.

If you think you can avoid ALL accidents while riding on the street you are wrong.
The only one so far that really messed me up was a high side on the track that messed my back. I've done pretty well after a surgery but it ain't the same.

Every so often I watch youtube MC crash compilations. Lots of eastern European scenes for several reasons, but it makes you realize how thin the line is.

ippytattoo said:

First question I would ask is do you mean dirt bikes or street bikes? - - -

Click to expand...

Well gee ippy,
if you don't fall off a dirt bike you ain't trying hard enough.
I meant street bikes in normal road use.
Me? A few highlights:-
Mechanical failure. Forks broke off my moped. Scary underneath view of a bus radiator.
Inattention. Swung into a tight curve to find it was a gated private driveway. Skinned elbow.
Speeding. Took a corner too fast and hit a traffic bollard. Had to buy a new bollard.
Not tying my bootlaces. Tripped over while push starting. Had to buy the neighbor a new garden wall.
Bad road surface. Slipperiest riding surface ever is end grain wood blocks after a rainstorm. Never went around that block again.
In short, I've fallen off every solo bike I've ever owned. Always wore a helmet. Always landed on my arse. Just like an astronaut's re-entry vehicle, I land fat end first.

Falling off I have to may times but I did stunt riding at one time so happened to many times. Back in the 70s I total a 1965 Chev Bel-Air with a Honda 90 and walked away from it. The guy made a left turn right in front of me and I hit the front fender and slid along the side of it. Messed up the whole passengers side of that car. Of course it total the bike. Flipped a good many learning how to ride wheelies. Also learned it is not easy to ride standing up on the seat. Did a back flip that time and I was riding a 1974 Yamaha 500. Had 2 friend with me riding behind me so they where sure I was dead but when they rode up I was laying there laughing. Could tell more but well lets just say many thought I was crazy

Got whacked by a drunk girl at an intersection 42 years ago, then in August of this year got run over by deer......twice. Didn't ride this year after that.

I haven't fallen off while moving. But I drooped 2 different bikes 3 times just pushing them backwards out of the garage. One was my Sons bike he just got. Luckily no damage. The other was my 82 Suzuki. I managed to bust a pristine side cover.

It was when I first got sick and had lost all my strength.

3 times in the past 20 years. Broken collar bone, some levers, bent bars, and superficial scratches. Twice on automobiles (fault-wise), and once on me. Been over 5 years since the last one. Tip-overs don't really count in my book. Collision or traction loss is what I think of as going down. If you lay it over at the gas station, that's not in the same league as eating shit on trolley tracks and high siding at about 5 mph and breaking your shoulder. My lowest speed dump, with no vehicles involved, and it's my worst injury. Trashed a helmet on that one, and my 60mph get-off. Both with full face helmets that kept my mug intact.

That's not too bad considering it's nearly 180K miles of riding. I've got 120k of my miles on the 3 bikes I have now.

How many falls in 49 years of riding? Too many to count, but nothing significant in the last 8 years; the older we get the more fragile we become, and I keep that in mind these days. One bit of advice, youngsters--you'll never develop your skills without testing your limits, and you're not testing your limits if you never take a fall. Dress for it, and play where the cages are sparse.

Well planeben as you said "Number one is left turn in front of you at intersections (the number one cause of motorcycle fatalities" I didn't go down but i am happy to say learning along time ago look where you have to go and not what is about to kill you has saved my life more than a few times twice this year once yesterday. Both times I was just missed less than 2 feet. the one a few months back around 6 inches away from my right knee. Thought I was going to lose my right leg. I made the correct move to give myself atleast a small chance of survival. The person saw me at the last second slammed on the brakes. Just about wet my pants on that one. I mean I felt the wind on my right knee as it passed the right head light. yesterday I swerved and the driver saw me at the last second again. Well I'm still here .
Last year from my stupidity going to fast for conditions going around corner front tire washed out body slamming me broke left shoulder.
now back when I was younger and was a drinker well as little as I can remember there were a few dounuts gone slightly awry. do those count? i would have to say 1/2 dozen low sides less than 20mph. to many dirt crashes to remember. But one stands out because thats why my right knee has been trashed for 30+ years. such a simple way to go down. I was jumping the bike nothing special on one landing the front tire landed on a the side of a grapefruit size and shape rock slamming me on the ground with the bike on top of my right knee bummer I say.

Like grizld1 been riding along time. Had some bad accidents in my early years. Got broadsided by a car.If it hadn't been for very fine general surgeon I would have lost a foot. Took a year and a couple of operations and back at it. Then a tree jumped out in front me another summer in the hospital shit happens. I don't ride as hard these days. Down a couple of times on the 650 no broken bones some road rash testing my limits

Had a stupid one this summer, must have been more than 20 years since the last one, not counting riding on snow/ice. Only 5 km from my house, there is a temporary bridge (army engineers style), about 40 m long, with a wood surface. This gets really slippery when wet, something I was aware of. Still, I managed to lowside my Ducati ST2 at maybe 20 mph. The damn thing was so slippery that letting off the throttle just a fraction while in 3rd gear locked up the rear wheel, and I went sideways for a while before falling off. Cracked fairing, broken mirror and indicator lights and a bruised ego was the end result.

I've had two TIF's spaced about ten years apart. Both were not my fault, of course, but my poor attitude those particular days contributed to the accidents. Going just slightly too fast, not really speeding, and not reacting to the developing situation. Complacency. You tend to ride more responsibly after a wreck, but that wears off in about ten years when the scars heal.

In the Seventies I dedicated myself to becoming a competitive observed trials rider. Fall offs and tip overs beyond counting. As several of you have noted, if you ride dirt bikes you're going to fall.

Only been down once on a road bike. Harley FXSTC, hot day, full leathers, riding in last position with a couple others. Two lane blacktop, came into a big right hand sweeper too hot, someone towing a boat had dumped their bilge water in my lane. The bike lowsided and I stepped off at about 65mph. Landed on my butt in the oncoming lane and slid thirty yards down the borrow pit on my back. When the dust settled I realized I wasn't dead, just a cracked helmet, scuffed leathers and a really sore arse. The Harley was killed.

In retrospect I was riding tired, too warm, too fast and not paying attention. LUCKY!

roy

I have been riding 55 years. Yes I have been down several times on the street and many more on the dirt. Reasons vary from oil in the road, water around a turn, friend wrecked in front of me, and two elderly ladies making wrong decisions. The last one a 92 year-old made an illegal and unsafe right hand tun in front of me. It totaled my KLR650, but with the money from the accident I bought two XS650's. All is good.

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I've had some good get offs in the dirt. Pancaked my XR650R on a sandy rolling off road trail that was peppered with exposed rock. Resulted in a tear of skin on my right elbow that required a box of staples. If I hadn't been wearing body armor, I would of shattered the elbow. Rode out and loaded the bike with a sore elbow. Didn't know the extent of the injury until I was taking off the body armor and it was stuck to my elbow. I remember picking up the bike right after, then sitting down to recover and drink some water. Next thing I know is a Forest Service Officer was asking if I was OK. Must have passed out. The bike wasn't hurt at all, I must of acted like an airbag. That bike was stolen a few months later.

Next one was my KTM525MXC. I was riding up an old mine access road that was nothing but broken up hard rock. Going way faster than needed, my front end kicked out to the left and I went down hard with my right hand still holding the throttle grip. Lacerated my pinky and ring finger pretty good. I had never let go of the grip, and suddenly my bike starts pulling hard on me. It was trying to slide off the trail over the edge. So I dug in and pulled it to me. When I stood up to pick up the bike, I looked over the edge and about had a hart attack. It was a drop of nearly 50 feet and the bottom was a knarly mess of boulders and ironwood trees. Rode to a nearby friend's house in Green Valley to clean up my hand. Glued the cuts up with super glue.

Both instances, I was riding alone. I could of died, or been seriously injured more than I was in either incident. Proper gear and a lot of luck saved my ass. After the KTM mishap, my wife said no more riding by myself.

I forgot to put my stand down once,,,, in front of everybody at work. Does that count?
Many wipeouts on dirt though. hitting the ground isn't foreign to me.