First time you dropped a bike...

Steer into the slide and aim for the shoulder if possible with an instinctual commitment to use, or not to use the slightest amount of front brake to aid in slowing if needed. MSF courses usually have a drill where you intentionally lock up the rear to give you a way to judge rear brake engagement and tire grip during a skid. It might be a good idea to practice on an empty gravel road at slow speeds.

Odysseus, it might not be my first, but here's another one (the third I think:))... plus some other good stories http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?p=270752#post270752
 
weaselbeak said:
I

There are many more lessons that others can chime in with, or even debate somewhat what I have typed for reasons of their own. This is based on my experience at the age of 64 with over 40 years untouched. I think these are the primary ways to stay alive.
Click to expand...

62 here and I've read all that you said with a nodding head.

You can't teach this and some will never learn either. In my experience it comes down to being acutely aware at all times like a antelope on the Savannah . Self preservation ....

Like you say always expect the unexpected, never trust anyone to do the right thing or the expected.Be acutely aware at all times . The moment your attention is distracted is the moment that you are vulnerable.

Its mentally exhausting being that attentive all the time but its the only way to stay alive

Think ahead like a chess game and anticipate what could happen and leave more space to maneuver than you need. One day you're going to need that space and it may just keep you alive
 
I jumped on a bike years ago, an old K1 CB750, full face helmet, and took off down the road, pulled onto the highway and it started to rain so I closed the screen and there was a big hairy spider on the inside of the screen about an inch from my face. I hate spiders and was worried but then it jumped onto my face. Well I freaked out and went all over the road, almost had a head on before coming back to my side and dropping it. It bit me while I was trying to get the helmet off. Luckily for me I didn't get killed or even badly hurt in the tumble but my face puffed up and was painful for a few days. Have been paranoid about spiders ever since and thoroughly check all my gear before putting it on.
The moral of this story I guess, is that you need to thoroughly check your gear before riding, especially if you leave it hanging in your garage.
 
pcoumbe, I don't like spiders much either. Having one inside your helmet....just plain bad. Grew up on a farm, so checking jackets and boots is sort of second nature to me. Thanks for the tip.
 
I was riding my first bike, 83 kz550 ltd, and I didnt realize that a car in front of me had busted their oil line. Im sure you can all see where this is headed. I was unknowingly running through oil, and was ok until I went to turn right into a parking lot. The bike went out from under me so fast I had no idea what happened. One minute Im turning into a parking lot the next minute Im laying on the pavement wondering what the hell just happened. The lady who's car had sprung a leak had pulled into the parking lot ahead of me, and she casually walks over to me and says, be careful I think I sprung an oil leak. No s**t, was my response, from the ground. Luckily I wasnt too banged up. I sold that bike shortly there after and took about a 9yr break from riding before buying my next bike, an 03 Vstar 650. Had that for about 2months and was riding home from work, the night shift, plus being held over for several hours, so had worked about 13hrs overnight, and I was coming around a bend in the road and the van in front of me pulled over to the curb, or so I thought, and I went to accelerate around them when they then turned left in front of me. I was committed, no way out, locked up the rear brake, slid it sideways, managed to stay upright but broadsided into the van and then fell over onto my left side. Nothing broken, just some bruises, and a banged up bike. The guy never put on a turn signal, nothing, just swung to the curb then turned left in front of me. Claims he was just swinging wide into his driveway. Bottom line, like you guys have said, trust no one, and be aware. Been riding ever since, with no problems, but then again Im older now, a bit more aware, and a bit more cautious. Always ride defensively is my advice. Some one once said there are two types of riders, those that have been down, and those that will be down. You ride long enough it happens, but if you ride smart you can minimize the damage.
 
hm All these have gotten me or damned close one time or another.
Pea gravel. They "tar and gravel" roads here as cheap way to put off repaving. The loose gravel lingers at intersections and shoulders, sometimes for years. Think ball bearings. Add blowing sand, wet leaves, corn spilled at harvest time, frost, dew, may flies. Really may fly die off in the spring around here, they grease the river bridges.
Blind spot; every car and truck has at least one, ride there and die.

Repeat above, a car veering left or right often means it's turning THE OTHER WAY!

Always believe other drivers are out to kill you. You will often be proved right.

Look under large vehicles waiting to make a left turn, before passing on their right. I have seen the wheels of an oncoming vehicle ALSO making a left turn under there; the motorcyclist will ALWAYS lose a right of way argument.
If you have not made eye contact with the other driver they have NOT seen you.

Deer travel in groups. It's not the one you see on the road that will kill you. It's the next one in line. Riding at night in deer country is a lottery, pure and simple. Hint; the odds of your "striking it" are MUCH better than the state lottery.

Helmets have saved my life. (more than once)

You need to practice evasion and emergency braking, often. Evasion is much harder than you think, you can't "swerve" a bike like a car. Try it, pick a tar strip or what ever, try to miss it at the last moment.

Do your maintenance, check brakes, tire pressure, tread, bearing wobbles, loose bolts, parts. A once around the bike at least every day is going to save you hurt some day.

I don't like fork locks.

Passengers make your bike MUCH less stable. Everything is harder with a passenger.
They need to be told to just sit, upright, no leaning, standing etc. even when you are stopped. They WILL do this stuff if you don't tell them.

Face it; there is a component of luck to living long AND being a motorcyclist. Do everything you can to keep the odds in your favor.
 
pcoumbe said:
I jumped on a bike years ago, an old K1 CB750, full face helmet, and took off down the road, pulled onto the highway and it started to rain so I closed the screen and there was a big hairy spider on the inside of the screen about an inch from my face..
Click to expand...

jeeeezus you were lucky :yikes:

I'm so paranoid about spiders all the time that I shake my bed covers and my clothes every time . I also bang my boots and caps. I hate the damn things. There have been several times I drove up the pavement or off the road when spider has appeared in my car lol:laugh:
 
I had built a custom chopper in 2003, pretty bike with an S&S 124, stretched a bit, yada yada, yada. Pulled over to the gravel got off the bike and had a victory smoke for finishing the build of the beast. Got back on and forgot the kickstand was down, went about 20 feet and dumped it over. Was also wearing shorts and burnt the shit out of the inside of my leg. All damage was easily fixed but i did learn a few lessons that day, 1. quit smoking, 2. don't forget to put up kickstand, and 3. always wear pants on the cycle.
 
My first and hopefully only experience with sliding/rolling down the asphalt went like this. I was 18 at the time and was coming home from a friends. (No Alcohol in my system) Entered a left hand curve a little hot and hit a gravel/sand patch. Rear started sliding out and me riding dirt since I was 5, i reacted and put my foot down luckily also in the sand so it didn't bite the pavement and break my leg. I was able to right the bike just in time for the front tire to hit the curb, jerked the bars out of my hands and of course launch the rear and me over the handle bars. I came down head first a little distance away on that same curb. Still have that helmet with the 2" crack in my garage today. Then I start rolling down the road and every once in a while I see this heavy bike flipping towards me. I still remember thinking that I was going to survive only to be maimed by the bike landing on me. I remember when I stopped rolling I stood up and fell on my arse in the road. My bell was thoroughly rang. A couple of guys I know came by, stopped and helped me and the bike up. After about 30 minutes I was able to look at the bike. No mirrors, clutch or front brake levers, no tach or speedo. Luckily the bar i had installed kept the foot controls intact. They pushed me off and I limped home in 2nd and 3rd about 5 miles. That was my 75 honda cb500t. When i look back on this i can't help but think that i would have been better off letting the rear slide out.
 
I've not laid anything down yet... but I forgot to put the kickstand down on my '08 Ultra Classic in the parking garage at work.... I just got the balance off center when I realized it... OMFG that bike is heavy (850+lbs + me). It was all I could do to muster up enough ass and leg power to stand it back up. My left buttock hurt for three days...
 
There is already a thread running on this topic . It would be good if the two posts could be combined if that were possible ?
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25064&highlight=accident


The only time I came off was at about 15mph and yet the bike (68 BSA Spitfire ) cartwheeled completly over the bars and narrowly missed coming down on top of me. I had only been riding the bike for less than one hour since purchase
There was no warning , nobody else involved and nothing that I could have done to have prevented it.

I'd ridden 10 miles to an MOT testing station. After the test (failed on the rear light bulb) I pulled out of the garage to ride home and turned left accelerated into the traffic and immediately the bike felt like I had slammed into a brick wall.

The bike cartwheeled completly over the bars and narrowly missed coming down on top of me. . It was all over in less than a second and the car floolowing me did well to stop before driving over me.

The garage staff picked me and the bike up but had to lift the bike off the road as the front brake was jammed solid. I found out later that the front brake shoe lining had delaminated from the shoe and jammed in the drum.:yikes:

Imagine that happening at 30+mph on the motorway
 
I've come off hard enough to induce Honda Rash three times.

Technically they were ALL my fault, but only one was due to unmitigated stupidity on my part: Too fast on an unfamiliar road, crest a hill going fast enough to loft the front wheel, only to see a 90+ degree left turn right at the bottom of the hill. Almost made it. Almost...

Second was when I dumped a Goldwing in Goose Creek, SC. Just started raining, turning right, hit the proverbial freshly-watered oil/grease strip. About the time I realized it was greasy, I was eating asphalt. Pride injured more than anything else, and had to take a rift of shat from my co-workers all day about my torn uniform and oozing rash.

Third was on a Honda XL500. On my way home from a morning of bashing woods roads. Just motoring down Navy Boulevard in Pensacola when I noticed the bike was handling a little funny. About the time I glanced down at the front wheel, the tire rolled off the rim and pounded my butt into the pavement at about 35MPH. THAT HURT! Lost enough skin off my right arm and thigh to require medical attention on a non-emergency basis. I was 33 at the time, and it took a LONG time for the soreness to go away and for my right shoulder to work normally.

Curiously, that's about the same time I decided I was too old to be thrashing around on dirt bikes...
 

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