After the crash: What did you learn?

[tached1000rr]

For those of you who have gone down, what lessons did you learn? What did you do or not do that contributed to your fall? What take home message do you have for your fellow riders as a result of your experience?

[Dave]

stay loose

[zed]

after the last one?


it hurt like hell, don't remember the crash or about a 1/4 mile before.

[Mr Lefty]

keep a firm grip on the clutch... don't get complacent.


I mean... those tits were worth it

[Rider]

I learned that dump trucks are heavy and ABS would have saved my bike.

[Archren]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

don't get complacent.

Bingo.

True for many things in the world. We have a saying in the Army, "stay alert, stay alive.." and it applies to motorcycling/driving as well. The more you pay attention to traffic, road conditions, what you are doing, and what your mental/physical condition is, the more you can reduce your risk of going down.

And knowing your own limits.. and not to push them on public roads. If you want to push your limits, go 110% balls to the wall... take that to a track. On the street you don't always have EMS within 50 feet of you to come rescue you if something goes bad.. and on the street you can never predict with any certainty what will be around the next bend.

Complacency kills...

[pauldun170]

I learned that you go where you look.
Unfortunately I was looking at the side of the road...

That and just because you kept it upright going off the road doesn't mean you should just ride back on to the road without checking to make sure the asphalt isn't significantly raised at the very spot where your front wheel is approaching...at an angle.

[DLIT]

I learned that I was riding above my ability at that point. I started to get confident after a few months and I passed a car right before a corner and I didn't know enough at that time to handle the corner properly. So I slowed as much as I could and took it off road. The bike was rideable and I hurt my pride more than anything. I was back out there in the next couple days and I think that's real important. Get right back on and don't be discouraged. Had I known what I do today, I woulda made it.

And I was on a 13-mile one way loop, so you didn't have to worry about cars coming at you.

[nhgunnut]

That light weight Cruiser style boots have not place on a sport bike (broke bones in both feet)