| Author | Message | ||
     Cityxr |
I had a low-side crash a few weeks ago; hit a slick piece of road while turning onto the freeway - nothing crazy, my rear tire slipped on the white arrow which was a little wet from dew and I went straight down on my right side. I've been riding almost every day since then, but I've been very nervous about the rear tire slipping on just about every turn. I took it to the canyons over the weekend and tried to get over this, but I'm still a little ill at ease. It's not a gripping fear, it's just something nagging at me in the back of my mind as I'm turning. Anyone else experience this, and if so, any hints on pushing past it? Thanks, -Heath | ||
| Thunderstruck05 |
Its probably different for everyone. I crashed once which i thinks is inevitable, But i was nervous as hell when i got back on the following day. Every time i got on the gas i had this shiver run up my spine, then i would let off and do it all over again. I'd say if hadn't gotten back on the next day i don't think i'd be riding today. Just keep at it and the voices in your head will disappear. Todd | ||
| Livnlo |
time and more time and this will pass just dont forget what it feels like | ||
| Etennuly |
Yeah, you will get past it with time and continued riding. You learned valuable lesson number 92...."Them dam stripes is slippery when wet!"  I had a big slide out over a damp passing lane stripe shortly after I got my Uly. I didn't know a bike could get that far sideways without crashing. I'm over it, but I don't seem to ever forget. When I raced cars years ago, I was told by a wise old mentor "fear is a sign of intelligence". That always has made sense to me! | ||
| Metalstorm |
I was road shy for a couple years after low siding my Sporty. Every once in a great while I would get my groove back but most days I was reluctant to lean past a certain point or twist the throttle past a certain point. Now thankfully I'm back to normal. Mental blocks can be very difficult to overcome but it can be done. You just gotta keep chipping at it in small increments. | ||
| Nutsnbolt |
Here's what I do. This rule applies even when you get a new tire, and it needs to be scrubbed in to gain confidence. Find a parking lot. Empty if preferred. Start making circles. Big at first and as you gain confidence, start pushing the bars a little more and leaning a little more until you are making tight circles. Once you do that, go from right side to left side to just about any thing you want. After that, you can rest assure that your tire is scrubed in and your tire is heated up. You aren't gonna slip after that. Good luck. Mark | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
You got the important part over with bro; you got back on and kept riding. The rest will pass with time. I haven't crashed yet on the street, but once I broke the rear loose momentarily when I gapped the throttle open coming out of a highspeed left sweeper and came about as close as it gets without the actual event occurring. It was early morning and there was a little dew still on the road surface. One moment I'm thinking I'm superman and flying along wondering if there's an inch or a half an inch between the road and my knee. The next moment I was starting to stand the bike up and gapped the throttle wide open like I've done a million times on that curve and experienced the most violent snap into a powerslide I've ever felt. I was an absolute ragdoll on the bike at that moment and it happened so fast, I was powerless even to react. I must have let off the throttle just enough to do some good, but I don't remember even reacting other than tensing up in anticipation of a highspeed highside getoff. Luckily the bike caught traction at the last possible moment and the rear snapped back in line with the front, nearly tossing me off the bike into the ditch back the other way (thank goodness for my gripskin frame covers and cleated crossroads footpegs. Needless to say once bitten, twice shy. Now I'm obsessed with keeping brand new (scrubbed in rubber) properly inflated on my bike along with meticulously adjusted suspension. Note I didn't say I stopped trying to burn the back tire down coming out of a curve. LOL! Just kidding. I've replayed that moment over in my head a million times and it did bother me quite a bit at first. Every day I get a little braver though. You'll be fine man, but I'm thinking both of us should probably learn something from our experiences and remember we're not on the racetrack. Watch out for that paint! Oh yeah, ATGATT. | ||
| Jumpinjewels |
had a similar experience. was getting off the highway and hit the white paint on the exit. fortunately, didn't go down but sure did feel the bike sliding. heart was pounding but kept going. my hubby was behind me and saw the slide and made sure to tell me to STAY OFF THE LINES. this too shall pass. | ||
| Sandman865 |
I agree Stay of the lines in the wet! Dangerous WWW.ILLCONDUCT.COM | ||
| Cityxr |
Thanks for the advice everyone. I hit the parking lot tonight after work and did some figure eights (been a while since I've done that). I found out two things. 1. I feel more confident even with just the 5-10 minutes putting around the lot. 2. I should do this more often. I'm planning on doing a longer more in depth MSF style lot practice maybe this weekend, so I can have a little light out while I'm riding. Thanks again. I'll keep the rubber side down.  -Heath | ||
| 12r |
Stay off the painted lines - period | ||
| Kilroy |
Take it from someone who has high-sided at about 40 MPH - low-siding is the lesser of two evils. If you are on dry, clean, unpainted road, and your options are to either keep leaning or to do anything that might result in a high side - KEEP LEANING!! If your bike and tires are in good shape, it is extremely unlikely that it will ever come out from under you. You just hit an unfortunate area of the road, just try to avoid those in the future, and you will get over the rest. Good Luck - | ||
| Nevrenuf |
nothing like trying to come to a stop at a stop sign on the ultra after it had rained that night and realize that your not going to stop and thanking god that it was a saturday and no one else was at the stop sign so your able to go straight on through without any consequence. | ||
| Macbuell |
I agree about painted lines. Also avoid manhole covers in the summer. The get really hot and slick in the summer heat. I learned that one the hard way. | ||
| Rainman |
Take an experience rider course through Riders Edge or MSF, they're pretty fun because its with a bunch of bikers who already ride, and then practice every time you ride. When I leave my house or return I have a course where I swerve around certain manhole covers, take certain tight right turns and occasionally stop in them and have stop signs where I panic stop. It worked on my Wing (out curved a CBR 600 F4, one day, poor kid didn't know the old fart on the couch knew how to ride,  and it's helped me get used to the Blast. It keeps your confidence up, creates good habits and makes the neighbors about your sanity. though  | ||
| Smcnamara |
Like Rainman said, the ERC is a good investment of your time, but for what I think is even more helpful, consider picking up a copy of Lee Parks' book "Total Control" http://www.amazon.com/Total-Control-Performance-St reet-Techniques/dp/0760314039 and running through his control drills, and consider taking the ARC course if it's offered anywhere near you. To me, they take the notion of control drills one step beyond the ERC curriculum, and really provide an excellent way of improving your skills. Everything in the course is covered in the book, with the main benefit being they actually make you *DO* all the drills. You can read about it all day, but you actually have to practice for it to make a difference. *NOTE: I am not in any way affiliated with Lee Parks or his ARC class, I just think they are an excellent offering.* | ||
| Rainman |
Any class you can take -- Superbike School, Cornering School -- is going to help. We have folks who put their bikes up for the winter (in Va? Are they nuts? It gets up to 45 degrees here!) and they come out for the beginning rider course every March and the ERC every May just to get their licks back. | ||
| Smcnamara |
I agree. I've been through CSS Levels 1-3, and found it very worthwhile. For Cityxr's specific lowside related lean worries, I don't think you can beat the ARC knee-down and figure-8 drill. Pretty much the same drill that Nutsandbolt provided above, but if you want suggested measurements for the course, you can get it from the Total Control book (perhaps as you were browsing it at the local bookstore... For as good as CSS was (and I thought it was VERY good), I think I would have gotten even more out of it if I had done the ARC stuff beforehand. YMMV. | ||
| Firebolteric_ma |
I crashed earlier this year while in N.Y...Hit the yellow line while it was wet out and ended up going down. I asked the same question as I had a slight hesitation every time i hit a hard turn, made me nervous in the turns and such. I know my mind was saying "lean more" and my body was "no way" but I made it lean...time has fixed this somewhat, But it is still in my head and I don't forget it. Valuble lesson to learn... respect the lines in the road and don't cross them as they will cross you right back! |
