How would you go about laying your bike down?

tached1000rr · 11-09-2009, 10:34 PM

Just wondering if any of you ever think about what technique you will/would/have used to lay your bike down intentionally? Say for instance a car pull out in front of you and there's no where to go, your options are to lay it down or hit the car. Do you have the skills to lay your bike down in time or do you panic and plow into the car?

My father-in-law had to lay his bike down yesterday when a guy pulled out into his path, I have yet to talk with him about the specifics but it gave me an idea for a thread for this section that we may be able to gain some insight on from other's experiences.

racedoll · 11-09-2009, 10:42 PM

Damn that sucks, was this your old Ninja 500?

Never thought about it in detail. I just look for any escape routes or try not to get into the predicament.

Got me thinking... as usual.

tached1000rr · 11-09-2009, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racedoll

Damn that sucks, was this your old Ninja 500?

Never thought about it in detail. I just look for any escape routes or try not to get into the predicament.

Got me thinking... as usual.

Yup! Scratched up the right side fairing, broke turn signals, have yet to see it but will be getting it back in shape for him. It's still rideable, just has a bit more "character" at the moment.

Other than being a little bit sore and having a sore toe

He's okay too...

Fleck750 · 11-09-2009, 10:44 PM

I don't think I would ever intentionally lay my bike down. Impacts aren't fun, but laying the bike down guarantees that the driver won't be held accountable for what they did.

Adeptus_Minor · 11-09-2009, 10:51 PM

I was in the situation once, back when I was riding my YZF600R.
I wouldn't call what I did a 'skill', it just sort of occurred as a part of a sequence of events.
Thinking back, as best I can remember anyway, I didn't have sufficient time to maneuver around the truck that turned in front of me, so I attempted to brake and the bike just sort of went down and slid into the side of the truck.
(and so did I, for that matter)
I was wearing a good leather jacket and the pavement was pretty smooth in that intersection so I came away with no road rash, just a couple of big bruises.
Probably a much better outcome than t-boning the truck and going airborne.

tached1000rr · 11-09-2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adeptus_Minor

I was in the situation once, back when I was riding my YZF600R.
I wouldn't call what I did a 'skill', it just sort of occurred as a part of a sequence of events.
Thinking back, as best I can remember anyway, I didn't have sufficient time to maneuver around the truck that turned in front of me, so I attempted to brake and the bike just sort of went down and slid into the side of the truck.
(and so did I, for that matter)
I was wearing a good leather jacket and the pavement was pretty smooth in that intersection so I came away with no road rash, just a couple of big bruises.
Probably a much better outcome than t-boning the truck and going airborne.

Definitely a better option....I know a guy who had a corvette do a u turn in front of him, he t-boned the car with the bike nestled up in the door and t-top area, he had to be air lifted to the hospital, now in his instance he was going at a high rate of speed and was in the wrong

Adeptus_Minor · 11-09-2009, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tached1000rr

now in his instance he was going at a high rate of speed and was in the wrong

Yeah, I was legal, doing normal road speed for that street and area.
The little Ford Ranger made an unprotected left across my lane because it was night and he underestimated my speed. (a very common thing, or so I'm told)

The Awesome · 11-09-2009, 11:03 PM

NEVER intentionally crash your motorcycle. When you crash, you relinquish all control over your vehicle and the situation. Additionally, every last moment you can spend braking is a significant reduction in impact force with another object.

tached1000rr · 11-09-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Awesome

NEVER intentionally crash your motorcycle. When you crash, you relinquish all control over your vehicle and the situation. Additionally, every last moment you can spend braking is a significant reduction in impact force with another object.

My philosophy has been up to this point at least ride it out and fight til I'm down, don't panic and do whatever possible and can speak from my experience when that damn F-250 pulled out in front of me, I'll claim it as luck more so than skill but I did not panic and was able to apply maximum braking to get stopped. Then there was that time I hit the road covered in pine straw, took an off road excursion jumped a dirt mound and came back on the road

101lifts2 · 01-15-2010, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Awesome

NEVER intentionally crash your motorcycle. When you crash, you relinquish all control over your vehicle and the situation. Additionally, every last moment you can spend braking is a significant reduction in impact force with another object.

Agree...granted there is always going to be a situation where you cannot brake/swerve or accelerate, but the more you ride (commute) the more you realize that staying on the bike is the no. 1 priority. When you purposely lay a bike down, you chance to get run over by other vehicles. Not good.

1. Swerve and use all of the lane. A bike only requires 3 feet to clear.

11-09-2009, 10:34 PM	#1
tached1000rr WERA White Plate Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NC Moto: 2009 GSXR 1300 Posts: 2,448	How would you go about laying your bike down? Just wondering if any of you ever think about what technique you will/would/have used to lay your bike down intentionally? Say for instance a car pull out in front of you and there's no where to go, your options are to lay it down or hit the car. Do you have the skills to lay your bike down in time or do you panic and plow into the car? My father-in-law had to lay his bike down yesterday when a guy pulled out into his path, I have yet to talk with him about the specifics but it gave me an idea for a thread for this section that we may be able to gain some insight on from other's experiences.

11-09-2009, 10:44 PM	#4
Fleck750 Spiker bike Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: KCK Moto: KZ750 Posts: 1,629	I don't think I would ever intentionally lay my bike down. Impacts aren't fun, but laying the bike down guarantees that the driver won't be held accountable for what they did. __________________ I ride way too fast to worry about cholesterol. ~Author Unknown

11-09-2009, 10:51 PM	#5
Adeptus_Minor Hopster Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Austin, TX Moto: 2009 Buell 1125R Posts: 4,743	I was in the situation once, back when I was riding my YZF600R. I wouldn't call what I did a 'skill', it just sort of occurred as a part of a sequence of events. Thinking back, as best I can remember anyway, I didn't have sufficient time to maneuver around the truck that turned in front of me, so I attempted to brake and the bike just sort of went down and slid into the side of the truck. (and so did I, for that matter) I was wearing a good leather jacket and the pavement was pretty smooth in that intersection so I came away with no road rash, just a couple of big bruises. Probably a much better outcome than t-boning the truck and going airborne. __________________ “Well, obviously before; after was all gendarmes and dick stitches.”

11-09-2009, 10:42 PM	#2
racedoll AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Moto: '04 Kawasaki ZX6RR Posts: 3,392	Damn that sucks, was this your old Ninja 500? Never thought about it in detail. I just look for any escape routes or try not to get into the predicament. Got me thinking... as usual.

11-09-2009, 11:03 PM	#8
The Awesome Custom User Title Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 120	NEVER intentionally crash your motorcycle. When you crash, you relinquish all control over your vehicle and the situation. Additionally, every last moment you can spend braking is a significant reduction in impact force with another object.