Crash

[unL33T]

Seems to me like going over the bars is some kind of indication you're not sitting on the bike properly or bracing yourself properly when you brake. Personally, I've never even almost been thrown over the bars. The tire will lock up and slide out before I accomplish that kind of braking force. Maybe my tires just suck.

A see a few people saying they avoid the rear when it's wet because it locks too easily. Personally, I use the rear more in the wet because a rear slide is easier for me to control than a front slide... I guess I'm doing it wrong?

[Sushii]

Seems to me like going over the bars is some kind of indication you're not sitting on the bike properly or bracing yourself properly when you brake. Personally, I've never even almost been thrown over the bars. The tire will lock up and slide out before I accomplish that kind of braking force. Maybe my tires just suck.

A see a few people saying they avoid the rear when it's wet because it locks too easily. Personally, I use the rear more in the wet because a rear slide is easier for me to control than a front slide... I guess I'm doing it wrong?

You grip the tank with your knees during heavy braking to avoid this but its possible to lose grip if you don't have tank grips.

You are supposed to use the rear more when its wet. But i wouldn't use it during an emergency braking (Not a suggestion, just what i do), but I'd definitely use it during regular braking when its wet.

[ItIsWhatItIs]

Seems to me like going over the bars is some kind of indication you're not sitting on the bike properly or bracing yourself properly when you brake. Personally, I've never even almost been thrown over the bars. The tire will lock up and slide out before I accomplish that kind of braking force. Maybe my tires just suck.

A see a few people saying they avoid the rear when it's wet because it locks too easily. Personally, I use the rear more in the wet because a rear slide is easier for me to control than a front slide... I guess I'm doing it wrong?

You grip the tank with your knees during heavy braking to avoid this but its possible to lose grip if you don't have tank grips.

You are supposed to use the rear more when its wet. But i wouldn't use it during an emergency braking (Not a suggestion, just what i do), but I'd definitely use it during regular braking when its wet.

Using too much front on a declining rain soaked Road into a puddle the front will lock and slide. Can anyone recover from this without low siding? Using more rear on a wet road may lock the rear into a slide; however, the ability to recover is possible.

[JonnyWyshbone]

Personally I think all braking is a matter of personal preference and circumstance, both of which are in a constant state of change. It all comes down to your level of comfort and experience on your bike and how smart you were riding in the seconds before you needed your brakes. I believe the original point was that a person with little experience may stomp the rear in a panic. Brake however gets you to a stop safely and effectively, but make sure you do not ignore learning or using your rear brake, otherwise your skill with it or its performance may not be satisfactory when it comes time to use it.

I have a pretty good crash story, unfortunately its a really long story and I can't give you your 6-10 minutes back if u don't find it interesting.

[Griffin]

Using too much front on a declining rain soaked Road into a puddle the front will lock and slide. Can anyone recover from this without low siding? Using more rear on a wet road may lock the rear into a slide; however, the ability to recover is possible.

Number of times I've locked the front brakes in 35 years = 1.

Number of times I've locked the rear = 100+ (keep in mind I basically don't use the rear).

Just saying.

[JonnyWyshbone]

Ok, if my story teaches you anything it will be these things....

-Focus on the ride
-Never rely on the kindness of stragners
-Support our Troops
-CAA membership is as important to your bike as insurance
-Never rely on the kindness of co-workers

Focus on the ride:

May last year, nice day, I'm on my way from optical place at Vic Park and Lawrence. Heading home to ajax, feeling pretty good boppin along. I decided to cut through Twyn Rivers from the Sheppard Ave side. I had just crossed over the bridge and was midway through the sharp left before the hill, how I know i wasnt focused was because next thing i knew I felt the rear give a twitch and im on my side going through the turn with the bike on my leg. I managed to kick the bike off my leg and get to a standing position while I was still travelling across the road(My gear made the entire difference. Dainese jacket, SIDI Vertigo Air boots, JoeR gloves. There was a car travelling behind me who was nice enough to go around me as I slid across the road in the opposite lane and then continue on his journey without looking back.

Never rely on the kindness of strangers:

So my bike is on the side of the road on its side, in a position that my front end is in the ditch and my rear is hitched up on the road. Its awkward enough that I cant right the bike without help, but I'm trying anyway, and people are just driving by me, one after another, not even stopping to ask if I was ok or anything, about 8 or 9 times! When my pop first taught me to drive, he also taught me to be prepared to help in the event that someone needs it on the road, because one day I would need help too, so I try to live my life like that. This day tho it seemed like help wasnt coming.

Support our Troops:

So with helmet still on and dead tired from trying to lift the bike, i just sat on the ground and leaned up on the bike, for a quick rest and because I think I was in a bit of shock. I had my eyes closed and was just trying to determine my next move when I heard someone go by and pull to a stop. It was a white dude about my age (33) and he comes up and he asking me if im ok. I thought I was, but he didnt seem convinced, so he had me take off my helmet, so he could check me for concussion and whatnot (Not a scratch on my lid). It was then he looked down and realized jeans was red on one leg right on the bottom of my knee. He goes back to his jeep and comes up with a F\A kit, so Im all grateful and telling the dude I was surprised he had that on hand, he comes to tell me hes a military medic just back from tour in Afghanistan, hes driving from Alberta to go and surprise his parents who didnt even know he was back on home soil! To tell you I felt like a complete arse for my careless actions causing this guy to take time away from that to help me out was an understatement, but it also taught me something about what we as people consider "important" in our lives. The people who had passed me before this gentleman had something they thought was much more important to do, but to not even ask if a person is ok before leaving, have we seriously fallen that far? He actually sat there with me for like an hour and a half until my buddies showed up, just to make sure someone was there to help me out, like he's got nothing better to do. Its sad now that we introduced ourselves but I cant remember the gentlemans name, but I **** u not I will never forget how he went out his way that day.

CAA membership is as important to your bike as insurance:

So I managed to get a hold of one of my closest friends, whose wife happens to be an insurance person for SF(cant remember title, but is good for info) She first asked me how damaged the bike was(snapped left clip-on, cosmetic damage, frame sliders improperly installed but did help save the bike!)so I told her it was minimal, but inoperable. She advised me not to call insurance if I could avoid it and eat the repair costs, since I hadnt hit anyone else I agreed and called my buddy for a tow. Sadly he was in the west and couldnt help me, but he knew where I was a would send someone to help me. Now I should mention when my buddy came down the hill from Sheppard, he told me there was a cop at the top of the hill trying to catch people. So now Im crapping myself because I cant have anything on my driving record for work, and Im worried that someone passing would tell the cops that a bike wiped out down the road, so I positioned my bike so the good side was sticking out to the road, thus making look like I just took a rest break, LOL, until the tow truck showed up. Now for those who dont know, if you have CAA membership they will always send a flatbed to get your bike. I didnt have CAA at the time, but I knew I was gonna have a problem when a regular tow-truck showed up. The african driver comes out to talk to me and my buddy and so I told him my info, and asked him how much from there to Salem and Taunton. No problem, he says, its just gonna cost 200 bucks!! I wanted to choke the life out of the dude, but beggars cant be choosers and by this time I had been down there in the sun for hours! So I said ok u gotta deal, he says, let me get my things from the truck. He comes back with a flannel shirt in his had and some extension cord. So im looking at my boy like " Is this dude gonna fix my bike right here or sumthin?" He wraps the flannel shirt around my frame, then proceeds to feed the extension cord around the shirt, loops the cord on his overhead hoist, and lifts the bike up in the air on the cords!! I swear to effin u know who I thought I was getting Punk'd or sumthin, this could not be real, but the guy turns to me and says "Ok, we're good" WhoTF is good I wanna ask him! But my boy's like "Chill dude, itll be alright" but he's in tears from trying not to laugh at the look on my face, stoopid *******, lol. So I hop in my buddys KIA and follow behind the bike all the way up to taunton and across, I gotta give the tow truck dude his due, the bike did not budge one bit the whole way home. So I gave him his money, put the bike on its stands and started to decompress. It was like 5:45 on the clock but for me it was 4:20 at that point, feel me?

Never rely on the kindness of coworkers:

So a week after crash Im at work, and a dude I kinda know comes up to me and says "Hey I saw you crash your bike the other day down in twyn rivers, but I had just finished my shift and I wanted to get home." Sorry to use poor language but at this point in my brain Im saying "You phucking *********, you saw not a random stranger having an accident, but someone you know well enough that your stupid *** will stop and approach said person to tell them just how big a ********* you are, but you couldn't stop to offer assistance!!?" Lucky for him, I need my job and our policies on creating a poisoned work environment are very vague, so I have to be careful what to say to this idiot. So figuring I gotta see this degenerate everyday I just smiled and was like "Ya, lucky I wasnt hurt too bad" but I havent spoken to this dude since, and I told some other people at my work who ride what he did and they couldnt believe it.

Learned a ton of stuff from one fall. Trust me God makes things happen for a reason. I am grateful for the riding lesson and Im grateful for the soldier who went out of his way to help me. Im also grateful to the people who didnt help, youve reinforced my belief that I must help people who need it when necessary, because we as good people have to take care of each other, otherwise we at risk of becoming an endangered species.

IOU 8 minutes, lol sorry

[JD1]

You grip the tank with your knees during heavy braking to avoid this but its possible to lose grip if you don't have tank grips.

You are supposed to use the rear more when its wet. But i wouldn't use it during an emergency braking (Not a suggestion, just what i do), but I'd definitely use it during regular braking when its wet.

I should clarify: the bike flipped with me on top of it. Too much front brake on a light bike kicked up the back end.

[Griffin]

I think maybe people are thinking about this braking thing way too much. Go practice and you'll see what works for you. You should be practicing hard braking on a regular and frequent basis. Many people are completely surprised at how fast they CAN stop. Most times people are not braking to capacity when they crash.

[Sushii]

I should clarify: the bike flipped with me on top of it. Too much front brake on a light bike kicked up the back end.

Sorry i assumed you were under the bike...

[ItIsWhatItIs]

I think maybe people are thinking about this braking thing way too much. Go practice and you'll see what works for you. You should be practicing hard braking on a regular and frequent basis. Many people are completely surprised at how fast they CAN stop. Most times people are not braking to capacity when they crash.

In the moment there is no thinking. Acting will be a result of habit. If the habit is using front brake only, that will likely be the inclination in a heavy braking situation. The only real practice is to ride and be on your guard. The fact is, my scenario was not hypothetical. I low sided coming to a stop on a rain drenched declining road. In the moment I felt my front handle bar drift to one side, I knew my front tire was sliding. I also knew I was going down and thought something was wrong with the bike to cause the front to start sliding to one side. This is the point I deferred control of the situation to my subconscious mind as the next thing I am doing is watching my bike slide to a stop another 10 feet as I got up to my feet. I walked to pick up my bike and wheeled it off to the dirt shoulder.

unlike jonnywyshbone someone stopped and I waved them off. They still stuck around and I shooed them off again. I was relatively fine given the situation and thought whatever injuries I sustained I could shake them off. I put the bike in neutral and it started no problem. I wasn't sure what the hell happened, so I put the bike in gear and rode back to the house to retrieve my car. My injuries are a sprained thumb, a huge bruise on my hip, and a strain in my groin area. Throughout the day I replayed the events in my mind and concluded I over braked the front. I have looked over my bike and the only damage remarkably is a broken turn signal lens which I ordered for 7 dollars and some scratches on the handlebars. I topped up the oil and adjusted the rear brake to add greater sensitivity.

This was a ride and learn situation. My slack attitude to the conditions and my sloppy braking habits (to much front) let this happen and my body is paying the price. This probably wouldn't have happened if I applied both brakes in a consistent and uniformed manner. When I resume my riding I will be tweaking my braking habits to ensure I will not repeat this. This tweaking will include using both brakes always. Not one over the other. The only time I use front is for slowing down, not braking.

As for coworkers I told a few but I am sure there are some who think I got what I deserved. Perhaps . I ride for me, not them. If they chuckle over my ill fortunes, I couldn't careless. As they say what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. No doubt I will emerge a more astute rider.