What crashing taught me

[Kneedragger]

Ive crashed trying to do something I wanted to do and it didnt hurt me or the beater cbr600 I was riding so I didnt mind too much (I was going to get my elbow down in a corner. And I did, eventually.)

Other times I've made a mental error that caused a crash and I bitterly hated it. I broke a rib showing off early this year and that was painfull with a capitol P. But 8 weeks ago my aggression got the best of me at the racetack and I crashed. I was truly scared for myself.. I KNEW I had hurt someting in my back but I refused to go to hospital right away. Later that day I went in and it was compression fractures of two vertebra, among other things.

I'm starting to feel normal again, thank christ, and this last experience really turned my thinking around. I'm giving up aggression on the motorcycle. That might not make sense to some of you, but believe me its a powerful stimulant. Funny thing is I'm not over aggressive on the street at all-- but with my leathers on and all, I go into track attack mode. Or I used to. I recommend track days to learn skills, but medical insurance for racers should be a requirement. Too much can happen out there.

I just discovered this particular forum.. think I'll have a look around!
Oh and my current bike is a CBR929rr.

 

[JacZilla]

I know what you feel like. I raced motocross in the states' amateur ranks for about 9 years. About a year or so before going pro, I smashed up my foot at a normal practice session, adding 7 broken bones to the list of injuries. After a week in the hospital, some surgery, 6 months in a wheelchair, 6 more months on crutches, and a year of rehab I had finally gotten the ability to ride back, but just not the mental drive. I feel like I'm kinda lacking of something to vent on, but maybe that's why I've picked up cars.

 

[Kneedragger]

Wow Jack, thats some serious down time you went thru. You know, its cool to have done the things we do on a bike. If it lasts a long time thats fine, but you cant measure everything that way. So I just keep it real-- I remember what I loved most about the track, and I remember what I didnt like too. Life is bigger than any ONE thrill or outlet. Its bigger than sex and its bigger than bikes (I dont know if life is bigger than having sex on a bike, but thats another story.)

Me too about cars. Simracing and al that. Treat yourself to a really good steering wheel. You deserve it.

 

[JacZilla]

Treat yourself to a really good steering wheel. You deserve it.

Got a G25 setting in front of me and trying to find a beater 240SX to turn into an autoX car. Also trying to talk the parents into giving me some $$$ to go to either O'Neil's rally school or Mr. Barber's place for a while. 👍

After all is said and done though, I'm glad my 'career' stopped when I was 18. I would think it to be way harder to start everything over again when I was, say, mid-late 20's...

 

[Dragonistic]

I've only had one down caused by oil on a wet road, and was only on a 50CC doing about 40mph so I only had some bruises (I would've rode home if they'd have let me!). I'll be honest, I'm confident about my ability as a rider, people (even the police once when they pulled me because there as a computer error showing my bike as stolen!) regularly compliment my riding both on and off track, particularly my control when I hit ice on a turn and managed to slide the rear out and catch it once the tires bit again. But all my experiences have taught me never to take things for granted, never to push my or my machines limits, particularly in bad weather.

Before that simple fall with no real injury, I had no respect for the dangers of being on 2 wheels, and as both my skill and engine size rise, I've learnt to respect everything going on around me much more, which is when the compliments started coming from people who actually know about what they're doing and don't just do wheelies and burnouts all day in a T-Shirt and Jeans.

 

[Kneedragger]

Yeah.. I mean its possible to ride a bike and not risk too much. Heck, a person could even own a sportbike and never go faster than the speed limit if he really wanted to. In my case I have to be honest and say being cautious was not always my #1 objective. I never wanted to crash, but at the same time I would try things or ride in such a way that increase the chance for something bad happening. Its a complicated subject. Motorcycles are not just transportation. They represent a passion and a release and all kinds of other things that most cars dont come close to. And car drivers react to motorcycles a certain way too.. sometimes you have to ride a bike aggressive so as not to be taken advantage of by a motorist. I refuse to be intimidated by meat head car drivers. So its complicated.

Dragonsitic-- the UK has strict bike license laws doesnt it? Where are you with all that. Are you 'unrestricted' or whatever?

 

[Dragonistic]

Yeah.. I mean its possible to ride a bike and not risk too much. Heck, a person could even own a sportbike and never go faster than the speed limit if he really wanted to. In my case I have to be honest and say being cautious was not always my #1 objective. I never wanted to crash, but at the same time I would try things or ride in such a way that increase the chance for something bad happening. Its a complicated subject. Motorcycles are not just transportation. They represent a passion and a release and all kinds of other things that most cars dont come close to. And car drivers react to motorcycles a certain way too.. sometimes you have to ride a bike aggressive so as not to be taken advantage of by a motorist. I refuse to be intimidated by meat head car drivers. So its complicated.

Dragonsitic-- the UK has strict bike license laws doesnt it? Where are you with all that. Are you 'unrestricted' or whatever?

Very true, just this week I had to perform a full throttle start because some idiot was attempting turn onto a busy road in the wrong lane and go all the way around me (basically into me!) for the sake of... nothing really. If i went slowly he would've hit me, so I made sure I got ahead and stayed there until it was safe for him to pass.

I'm still restricted, I've elected to ease myself in slowly, I had a 50CC for 2 years, and bought a 125 Supermoto, last month. I could've bought a more powerful bike but I've actually been shocked how quick my little 125 is. I'm still on Learner plates as I'm yet to pass my full test (I did the complusary one to be able to ride on the roads solo, but i can't go on highways and must display L plates and be under X bhp which my bike although restricted for the purpose, might just sneak over). The strict laws save lives quite simply, they force us to ease in, I could only have 33bhp once i pass my full test for 2 years, which my bike could reach with a couple of tweaks and the limiter off, but quite frankly being a supermoto it accelerates much quicker then bikes with similar engines, and it's also a 2 stroke so it's easy to throw about being light, and providing masses of power for the size.

 

[wfooshee]

By the thread title, I'm hoping you have learned something about riding and how to ride. It's nice to see someone "figure it out."

I don't know if you ride like a squid (wheelies, lane splitting, etc.) or just super aggressively (like an attitude that the cars are in the way on your personal streets.) Neither of those is safe, and neither reflects well on motorcyclists as a whole. (You yourself said that car drivers react differently to motorcycles. I wonder why. . . .)

That said: 929RR. Kewl!!!! Nice bike for sure!!

I grew up thinking careful is better. Not to say I'm not impatient in traffic, or that I've never seen triple digits (just today, as a matter of fact!) but I've ALWAYS ridden with the mindset that the cars don't even know I'm there. I'm invisible. They will kill me if I let them.

Not being killed has always been rather important to me.

 

[Kneedragger]

Not being killed has always been rather important to me.

Yes its true: getting killed can really ruin your day.

Theres isnt just one relationship between cars and bikes. Bur for sure I do not assume that all cars are my friends. So the way to keep safe is to use the strengths of the bike and minimize its weak points-- like the fact you are a vulnerable, squishy, thing.

As far as my crashes go, you cant ever totally figure it out or 'get it' and then be totally done with it ever again. I try to eliminate obvious faults in myself, sure, but every day is its own living thing. And my worst crash happened on the race track. And the track has its own special rules of behavior. Anyway I appreciate the feedback-- we're all out there together, we all basically know its a special thing to do. Its why bikers signal each other out on the road.

 

[Alex.]

I came off my moped this morning on the ice. I only got 50 yards or so from my house, I never stood a chance. Back end slid out from under me steering was full lock and I flew off infront of the bike and slid along the road, fuel was leaking out of the tank flap and the floor cracked, the left brake lever is bent to a u shape and the left side has some scratches. My lower back hurts but My college bag saved me from hitting the road directly.

My dad then took me in the car to college and nearly crashed, fishtailing it down hill was very scary, at one point we were alsmot at a 90 degree angle to the straight one track road

👎

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

I came off my moped this morning on the ice. I only got 50 yards or so from my house, I never stood a chance. Back end slid out from under me steering was full lock and I flew off infront of the bike and slid along the road, fuel was leaking out of the tank flap and the floor cracked, the left brake lever is bent to a u shape and the left side has some scratches. My lower back hurts but My college bag saved me from hitting the road directly.

My dad then took me in the car to college and nearly crashed, fishtailing it down hill was very scary, at one point we were alsmot at a 90 degree angle to the straight one track road

👎

Sorry to hear that, pretty hard to judge the conditions this morning, all seemed clear. Guess you were just unfortunate this time. Did you get your back checked out? Better to be safe than sorry!

P.S: I'd tell your dad to either slow it down, or invest in some winter tyres 👍

 

[UnoMOTO]

Well...after seeing two family members die on a motorcycle it surely got my head in check. Until that point I used to ride far above what I should have in the canyons. Basically to the point that if the slightest conditions changed there would have been no room for error. I’m not sure why I had to behave like that to get enjoyment out of motorcycling. It was like that with wheelies also because I would take the back roads to work just to play all the way to work in the mornings. I haven’t went down myself but seeing many others have at least made myself get my head correct when I ride now.

 

[Alex.]

P.S: I'd tell your dad to either slow it down, or invest in some winter tyres 👍

I kid you not, we were going no more than 15mph

 

[Kneedragger]

Well...after seeing two family members die on a motorcycle it surely got my head in check. Until that point I used to ride far above what I should have in the canyons. Basically to the point that if the slightest conditions changed there would have been no room for error. I’m not sure why I had to behave like that to get enjoyment out of motorcycling. It was like that with wheelies also because I would take the back roads to work just to play all the way to work in the mornings. I haven’t went down myself but seeing many others have at least made myself get my head correct when I ride now.

What you say reminds me of a quote from the movie 'Faster'. Its the observation that the real cause and motivation of top racers is actually something like being driven by personal demons. Not demons in the religious sense, but demons in the sense of absolutely ignoring thoughts or evidence that is contrary to doing 'xxxx' on a motorcycle. Ignoring thoughts or evidence that you can get really really damaged if one little thing goes wrong.

And ok, thats a good quality to have if you are a professional racer getting paid big bucks, but for normal people its a quality that can give a false sense of safety. And for what? All you are doing is feeding the demons of more lean angle, more speed, longer wheelies, higher stoppies, etc.etc.

 

[Alex.]

Total replacment parts will come to £105

 

[wfooshee]

Hey, I wanted to comment on touching the elbow down. I was a corner worker at Barber this year for the AMA weekend and got some shots of Ben Spies. He's famous, of course, for the elbows down, but he rides holding them out, much different from most riders.

Sorry about the size of these pics, don't have any smaller ones hosted anywhere.

A good comparison is this shot from a page on roadracingworld.com, where you can see how much higher he holds his elbows:

Here's a couple of shots I took at my AMA weekend. The first was going through the turn2/3 sweep, and the second was the next-to-last turn, taken from my corner station.

Compare this shot of Miguel Duhamel with Spies at the same point on the track.

You might think that Duhamel was taking it easy that lap. Maybe. But I have no shots of him tucked as tightly in a turn as Spies was, and I have no shots of Spies not like that.

So to put an elbow on the ground, ride with your arms out like the funky chicken, and keep your chin on the triple tree (well, almost.) Or just forget it and stop crashing.

BTW, I can't do that. Actually, I've only scraped a peg twice. Of course, both of those were on the way down into a low side, so I don't think they count.

 

[Kneedragger]

Thanks for posting the pics. And its cool to work the corners during a race weekend-- especially you doing it at an AMA event! As far as the elbow goes I dont have a way to upload a picture of myself doing it but I have pictures. In my case I did it in an empty parking lot using Pilot Powers, not slicks. But it was strictly a one time obsession.. unlike knee dragging which I like to do whenever I can. I like the sensation.

Thanks again for the pics! Yeah, good ole' 'ELBOWZ' (too bad about Ben not finding a GP ride next season)

 

[wfooshee]

He's gonna do fine in WSBK, he was 2nd fastest in the South African tire testing this week.