How would you go about laying your bike down?

[Speedracer42]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

Too be blunt....
I do not know of anyone who has laid a bike down intentionally.
I know plenty of people who wiped out and claimed they did it intentionally (cause real men are always in control and would never fuck up!!)

TOTALLY agree with the Awesome and Pauldun. I call BS when people say "they had to lay the bike down" Really? You had such presence of mind to know you were in trouble that you chose to GIVE UP slowing the bike down with both tires on the ground and pitch it to the pavement? Thats fucking retarded. You have brakes and most bikes, esp sportbikes are capable of incredible braking. Use that until you can't anymore. Period

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by Speedracer42

TOTALLY agree with the Awesome and Pauldun. I call BS when people say "they had to lay the bike down" Really? You had such presence of mind to know you were in trouble that you chose to GIVE UP slowing the bike down with both tires on the ground and pitch it to the pavement? Thats fucking retarded. You have brakes and most bikes, esp sportbikes are capable of incredible braking. Use that until you can't anymore. Period

Oh you kids these days.

There was a time when knowing how to lay your bike down, was considered an essential skill. Granted, this was in the days of drum brakes, which of course, sucked. But it's still a viable option in extreme circumstances.

Given the choice between hitting a car, truck, moose, etc., and dumping your bike before you hit said big fucking thing in your way that is going to totally fuck your shit up, you would be a fool to not try it.

I've never had to do it on the street, but I have done it on the dirt. Both times it was completely my own fault. Once, going too fast towards a corner on a downhill run, it became apparent that there was no fucking way I was going to make the turn. I had misjudged the "road" surface, and my brakes were not slowing me down fast enough. The choice was dump, or go over a fairly nasty cliff. I chose dump. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

The mechanics of it are very simple. Grab a hand full of brake, and whack the bars in the opposite direction of where you "want" to fall. You will essentially counter steer yourself into the ground. The hard part is making yourself commit, and it's obviously not something you want to practice, however, if you have absolutely no where to go, it's a hell of a lot better to crack a couple of ribs, than to stick your head through the side a Buick, just so you can say it wasn't your fault.

JC

[unknownroad]

I'd take a couple of shop towels, fold one up a few times and put it over the bar end, and just fold the other one in half to go under the tank. Stand on the down side, grip the bar on the down side with one hand, and the grab rail or underseat rail with the other. Start close to the bike and walk backwards slowly, bending at the knees as it gets closer to the ground. If you've got the leg strength, it'll be smoother if you balance the bike on one knee as it gets lower, and switch your grip to the up-side bar end.

Getting it upside-down, I usually grab the fork with one hand and the back wheel with the other, and turn the wheel sideways once the bike is high enough off the ground. That way, the handlebars are in line with the bike rather than moving your pivot point way out to the side. Best to have a few extra towels, and work on a rubber mat.

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by unknownroad

I'd take a couple of shop towels, fold one up a few times and put it over the bar end, and just fold the other one in half to go under the tank. Stand on the down side, grip the bar on the down side with one hand, and the grab rail or underseat rail with the other. Start close to the bike and walk backwards slowly, bending at the knees as it gets closer to the ground. If you've got the leg strength, it'll be smoother if you balance the bike on one knee as it gets lower, and switch your grip to the up-side bar end.

Getting it upside-down, I usually grab the fork with one hand and the back wheel with the other, and turn the wheel sideways once the bike is high enough off the ground. That way, the handlebars are in line with the bike rather than moving your pivot point way out to the side. Best to have a few extra towels, and work on a rubber mat.

Or, you could just let Tigger ride it.

JC

[azoomm]

I do it only to make epic slides underneath semi trailers....

[Rider]

Originally Posted by azoomm

I do it only to make epic slides underneath semi trailers....

I tried that but I ended up under the wheels.

[z06boy]

I learned everything I need to know right here...

[Kerry_129]

Everybody knows plastic/aluminum/chrome has a higher coefficient of friction than brake pads & rubber.
'Nothing I could do, so I laid it down' = don't have a clue how to brake/countersteer hard (stomp the rear & fishtail) - in the vast majority of circumstances.

[Rider]

Originally Posted by Kerry_129

Everybody knows plastic/aluminum/chrome has a higher coefficient of friction than brake pads & rubber.
'Nothing I could do, so I laid it down' = don't have a clue how to brake/countersteer hard (stomp the rear & fishtail) - in the vast majority of circumstances.

Sometimes all the braking and counter steering in the world won't help you when a dump truck is blocking the entire fucking road.

[Tmall]

Your brakes will always slow you down faster than your skin...

If you came to a stop from sliding under his rear wheels, I can't help but think you would have been able to stop had you used your brakes.

Maybe not, but everything I know of physics says yes.