those that have crashed before...

[Trip]

you got to train yourself not to release the throttle. Bad bad idea to release. Could of highsided.

[Gunther1000]

Sliding the rear on the street just feels so strange cause you never do it.

The first natural reaction is to try to let off and get things back to normal. But as you all should know its the worst thing you can do. A front tire will not slide out if your still on the gas. The weight transfer to the front on a roll off isn't the only thing to put you into a high side or tank slap, its the slipping rear also regaining to much traction and wanting to throw the bike over.

After years of Ice racing and dirt riding I used the rear tire to steer all the time, but when your on the street that feeling just doesn't get used. and when you identify whats going on you can deal with it but i think it just scares you into letting off before you know what is going on and at that point its to late!

My bike brakes the rear loose on roll on's every morning when I leave for work. I can even pull out of the turning lane doing a little power slide most days and not really give it much thought. But let that happen coming out of a corner and it shocks me most times. unless the road is wet/cold I know it will happen and can prepare for it.

What kills me is when like at a place like the gap and the tire comes loose and your not even thinking its possible. When it does I think hum, I rolled on twice as much power last time I wonder why it did that now?

[NONE_too_SOFT]

Originally Posted by Gunther1000

Sliding the rear on the street just feels so strange cause you never do it.

when i first started riding i locked up the rear and did some drifting a couple times. Whoa shit moments... that was back when i actually used the rear to stop in an emergency.

I remember it scared the piss out of me, but in retrospect it was kina cool. especially the one where i slid like 20 feet and out around the side of a pickup that decided to stop in the road to admire the scenery.

[MikeSP1]

One of my more recent get offs involved the side of a Toyota. I'm tooling down the road on a Shadow 750 when a car pulls out in front of me from the on-coming lane. At this point time stops and my brain knocks on the back of my forehead and calmly says "Hey dude, guess what! You're screwed. You've got half a second before you smear the side of that car, good luck." Time resumes its proper flow and I eat the side of the car at about 45. I can still remember seeing my front tire contact the side of her car. I can still see my front forks compress and the drag bars buck forward and then recoil back to smack me in the chest. As I felt my ass comes out of the saddle I can hear the most immense BANG of my life. With the bang resounding through my head my thoughts are going wild. I'm thinking "This is gonna feel REAL bad," "This cannot be happening today," and "I hope I make it out of here alive, much less one piece." As I go flying through the air, the whole world goes blank, my mind goes blank, everything goes silent. I don't remember the impact with the ground, don't remember sliding/tumbling, don't remember anything until I opened my eyes, spread eagle in the middle of the intersection, looking up at the clear blue sky. Getting up was an interesting feat because rolling over wouldn't work, I just couldn't build up enough momentum to get up onto my side. Sitting straight up was the only thing that would work.

I hope this helps with you're looking for. I'm sorry for your loss, but he's probably carving corners as we speak.

[Gunther1000]

I recall saying once "are my guts hanging out?" To a friend who saw it happen after sliding for 1 or 2 seconds on my way to a ditch. I had zero gear on and it ripped my shirt and pants in the back completely off, shit even my Boxers were gone! This was my first crash and I just kept my head after ducking a street sign and ended up nearly on a front porch with some lady asking if I was alive...

By the pain I was sure my insides were hanging out.

My back was so rashed and gravel filled I couldn't tie my own shoes for 6 months or more. My back and arm still have the scars, though there not nearly what they were way back when.

Even worse My friend was driving my new Z-28 and I got to ride shot gun pumping blood all over my own car.

Fucking retard...

[itgirl]

everyone has such great stories. thanks for sharing them. i did go out for a ride yesterday. just around town to do a few errands. it was on the harley, but this time i wore my full face helmet instead of my 1/2. that alone helped me feel a little safer. at first i was a bit paranoid (for no real reason, since i have yet to crash) of my surroundings...being overly cautious. but then i could feel the cool air rushing in the vents on the helmet and i smelled the crispness of that late august day and my worries slowly trickled away. i realized that even though riding is dangerous, it is something that i could never fully give up.

[Phenix_Rider]

Originally Posted by Trip

you got to train yourself not to release the throttle. Bad bad idea to release. Could of highsided.

I know this now, and I knew it then. Nothing I could have done about it because it happened so fast. I only figured out what happened long after I crashed.

Originally Posted by Gunther1000

A front tire will not slide out if your still on the gas. The weight transfer to the front on a roll off isn't the only thing to put you into a high side or tank slap, its the slipping rear also regaining to much traction and wanting to throw the bike over.
And when you identify whats going on you can deal with it but i think it just scares you into letting off before you know what is going on and at that point its to late!

It was pretty obvious the front slid and then I screwed myself. Never broke traction on either tire before (in a corner). Skidded the rear on the brakes a few times, but I can deal with that. This time it was just too fast with no warning. Those tires and my bike don't work together.

Originally Posted by itgirl

everyone has such great stories. thanks for sharing them. i did go out for a ride yesterday. just around town to do a few errands. it was on the harley, but this time i wore my full face helmet instead of my 1/2. that alone helped me feel a little safer. at first i was a bit paranoid (for no real reason, since i have yet to crash) of my surroundings...being overly cautious. but then i could feel the cool air rushing in the vents on the helmet and i smelled the crispness of that late august day and my worries slowly trickled away. i realized that even though riding is dangerous, it is something that i could never fully give up.

I'm glad you're feeling better about riding. Seems like it's one of those things- If you think about it too much, look at the risks only, your nerves build up and make it worse and more dangerous. Just minimize the risk and do the deed. Putting on the full face helmet, leather jacket, leather gloves, boots and riding pants is almost a symbolic thing for me. It's part of the ride- my way of protecting myself from anything stupid I might do. If I have the proper gear, and don't ride like a maniac, I'll be fine- but if I do fuck up, there's a good chance I'm walking away.

Confidence means more than anything in this sport. A tough line we walk- knowing we're not superman, but knowing you can handle yourself.

[smileyman]

Gotta get right back on that pony! This is silly but has always worked for me..After a get off I like to shake my adrenaline up a bit on the next ride, wheelie, or do little drills like panic stops or anything that gets my adrenaline and confidence back.

I remember when I was racing the first race after a big spill felt like I was all tense and stiff, like I was just waiting for the next fall. That was easy to get out of after getting passed a couple times, my competitive spirit just wouldn't let my nerves hold back my drive to win...

[Trip]

Originally Posted by Phenix_Rider

I know this now, and I knew it then. Nothing I could have done about it because it happened so fast. I only figured out what happened long after I crashed.

That's why you got to train yourself, just pound it into your brain where your reaction is to accelerate instead of let go.

[dReWpY]

Originally Posted by CW AF 03

Something along the lines of "Son of a bitch! This is going to be expensive..."

what he said