Crash Analysis: learning from our mistakes

[AdmiralKit]

That sounds really weird. What bike were you riding? Did you have a momentary over-throttle through the turn? To have a loss of traction through an otherwise normal corner sounds really strange. Maybe something is off with your bike's suspension which cause the loss of stability?

  I'm riding a 2000 M750, which the local dealership says is running like a champ... had them look over it after I tore it down and rebuilt it last year, they gave me an all clear on it as well as a general tune-up.  I don't think I over-throttled it, but I may be wrong.  I wasn't even to the half-way point in the turn, which I clearly remember because I had to hurry to pick the bike up and get out of the street.  I was running so much on habit/training through that corner and it happened so fast that I don't recall specifically what was going on with the controls, but since I don't regularly wipe out my bike in low speed turns I don't think that was where I went wrong.  Might have been an ID10T error, though - I won't rule that one out.

Those water meter covers can be slippery, do you know if you actually hit it? If there was oil or water on it, I could see that causing you to slip.

I don't know if I actually hit it, unfortunately.  It was close to where my path was, but I can't say with absolute certainty whether I hit it or not - I'm leaning through the turn one second and laying on the pavement the next.  Too fast to analyze, unfortunately, and I wasn't about to go around asking people if they saw how I make the beast with two backsed that corner up... it was embarrassing enough as it was.

[Drjones]

Mini-crash.  Tweedle dumb (me) decides to cut through a parking lot and gets to the cross street, half-ass looks to see if the oncoming traffic is clear, starts to go, sees it is not clear, brakes to stop < 1mph, but is stretched out too far and off balance, bike starts to slip sideways past the point of no return, controlish drop down with hands on the grab rail and clutch pulled in.  Couple scratches on the sliders and exhaust burned area on my left boot.  This was less than a mile from my home and I was in a rush.

[Rudemouthsky]

First crash after about 5 years of riding. Slow left turn at a light, in the last 3/4 of the turn next thing I knew I was on the ground in the lane I turned in to. I vaguely remember feeling the rear tire: skid/catch/bounce then boom. I'm an idiot; I had a HUGE backpack PACKED with groceries. I'd never packed it that full. I'm assuming the weight bouncing around on my back was the primary culprit. It also kind of affected my "feel" of the clutch and throttle. I also had low tire pressure...28 in the rear.

Shockingly the bike has scraped pegs, scraped levers, slightly bent bar, and prob needs an alignment now, that's it. Knee is jacked up and bloody and I'm limping. More embarrassing than anything else. What really sucks is I now have zero confidence in my riding abilities.

[sgollapalle]

Give it a few days and that confidence will come right back up!

Next time take the car or friend's/wife's/gf's/mom's car for groceries 

[The ModFather]

This is a lesson to beware of a clear right lane when the left lane is backed up with cars waiting to turn left. I had the right lane all to myself and was cruising at about 35mph  left lane was backed up with at least 18 cars waiting to turn left. What I couldnt see due to all the cars bumper to bumper from my 9 o'clock to my 11 o'clock was there was a lady going the other way trying to make a left turn between these stopped cars so she could pull in her driveway which was coming up on my right. She claims she did a quick peek didnt see me and made her left as I was approaching. I saw her with about 2-3 car lengths to stop and started braking (2005 620 brakes suck BTW gotta upgrade to 4-pot calipers) to make matters worse she saw me too and panicked and slammed on her brakes (essentially blocking the lane I was in) instead of finishing her turn and getting the hell out  of the way. I wasnt able to fully stop but I was able to slow down to about 10-15mph before I hit her passenger door and flew over the handle bars and into her passenger window. I had on helmet, gloves, padded Dainese textile jacket and boots so I was fine. My bike was also fine (thank god for frame sliders) with no damage other than the rattlecan paint I had applied to my front fender now had an ugly crack in it from bending. Her car had a big ol dent in the door from my front tire. She pulled in to her driveway and her husband came out of the house and they started telling me how I was going too fast and it was all my fault (even though he didnt even witness the crash). I told them if I was going to fast I wouldnt be standing there chatting with them uninjured. Cops showed up  and cited her for failing to yield.  Boy was she pissed. Now I'm repainting my front fender and cautious when the left lane is backed up with stopped cars realizing I cant see very well whats on the other side of those cars. - for what its worth.

[ChrisK]

I feel like a moron, and I'm so embarrassed. I crashed my M900 last Saturday. I guess there's three points to this thread: 1) to try to educate everyone else about the situation that led to my crash 2) to express my feelings about the event and 3) to list out everything I need to do to get back on the road and ask for advice.

The Crash
So, I was 6 hours away from home visiting a friend. We had spent all of Saturday riding some awesome roads, over 330 miles worth of them. I crashed 2 miles from his house on the way home. He was leading because he was navigating. We were coming into a great looking, sweeping bend in the road. In the middle of the bend there was another road you can turn onto. I was looking ahead of my buddy, down the road. I didnt notice that he was braking to turn onto the other road. When I finally noticed I slammed on the brakes locking up the rear tire. It started sliding and I released the rear brake. This snapped the bike back straight so fast that I high-sided before I knew what hit me. I think I probably hit the pavement around 40 mph. I believe the root cause of the accident is a combination of following too close and being too lazy to flick my eyes from his taillight to down the road and back. The rest of you are welcome to analyze it and give thoughts.

How I Feel
I have some roadrash on my hip and elbow but I was wearing boots, jeans, leather jacket, and helmet. My biggest injury is a separated shoulder. Recovery time looks like it will be around 6 weeks. I feel so lucky. When I hear of other accounts, such as the real recent thread about the guy ending up with a broken leg and multiple other complications, it makes me really count my blessings. Like his story, if you saw the helmet you would understand that it saved my life.
I know this is a dangerous hobby, but I love it, and I can't wait to get back on the bike.

What Should I Do Now?
All of the damage occurred on the left side of the bike. Damaged pieces are as follows:
Tank
Exhaust Can
Foot peg
Shift Lever
Handlebars
Mirror
Clutch Master
Clutch Lever
Left Hand Switch Module
Grip
Headlight Ring
Headlight Lens
Front Fender

The thoughts going through my head are things like - should I just get it running again so I can get back to riding? How much should I spend on replacement parts? Should I view this as a blessing and an opportunity to take the whole bike apart and repaint the frame, tank, and fenders the way I want them? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Cheers to being alive and able to ride again! 

[Dirty Duc]

If you have winter... I would get it running and ride it until you put it away due to snow/cold and tear it down at that point.

It gives you some time to really decide what you want to do, time to save up the money to do it, and you still get to ride this summer.

[ChrisK]

Yeah that's a definite possibility. I rode into December this past winter but it was unseasonably warm. I will hate riding around with a dented tank though...

[ab]

Glad you made it. Speedy recovery.

Too add to your lessons

1) Biggest lesson I have learned riding with others is too not follow close.  That rule has saved me and riders in front of me.  I have seen about 5 riders in front of me crash and avoid them coz I maintained distance.  Of course I still managed to be clipped by a rider behind who despite follow from afar wasn't paying attention.  Now if rider behind me is close, I motion him/her to pass.  I make mistakes and may panic in a twisty road and can't afford a rider behind plough into me.

2)
I also know that in group ride if I can't make that turn the rider in front took where a route changed, make the beast with two backs it, i will miss that turn and turn back.  I know my limits and when I can and can't do it.  It ain't a competition.

[ChrisK]

2)
I also know that in group ride if I can't make that turn the rider in front took where a route changed, make the beast with two backs it, i will miss that turn and turn back.  I know my limits and when I can and can't do it.  It ain't a competition.

This is what I wished I would have done. There was an oncoming car in the other lane so my only option was to go around my friend to the right of him, but still, I could have and it would have saved me. Hindsight is 20/20.

Also, I meant to say in my original thread. Go to an empty parking lot and practice this. Get up to speed, lean the bike over like you're in a turn, then stand it up straight and brake as hard as you can. Over and over until you're really good at it. Would have saved me.

[RBX QB]

... I slammed on the brakes locking up the rear tire. It started sliding and I released the rear brake. This snapped the bike back straight so fast that I high-sided before I knew what hit me. ...

How much of a factor is this? (disclaimer: I have not yet dropped a bike at speed)

Seems that releasing the rear may have contributed to throwing the bike around, especially if the front brake was still engaged. This is all subject to bike orientation at the time the brake was released... (and again, I've never gone thru this experience)... I'm just thinking about how I have more control trail braking in curves than I do when using the front, and wondering if this may be part of what happened.

For dropping the bike at 40mph, glad you fared as well as you did.

[rule62]

I've got a yellow front fender from a 1098. It fits my '04 620. Depending on your fork mount spacing, you can have it if you want it. Wish I had more spares for you, but I just got rid of some before we moved.

Most importantly, I'm glad you are okay.

[Steve.In.Atlanta]

For dropping the bike at 40mph, glad you fared as well as you did.

Glad you're as well as you are. You've got 6 weeks of recoup time, if you've got the funds, get going on fixing and making it better than it was. As for parts, just keep trolling ebay looking for the parts and select used. You should be able to pick up most of the stock stuff reasonably.

[ChrisK]

How much of a factor is this? (disclaimer: I have not yet dropped a bike at speed)

Seems that releasing the rear may have contributed to throwing the bike around, especially if the front brake was still engaged. This is all subject to bike orientation at the time the brake was released... (and again, I've never gone thru this experience)... I'm just thinking about how I have more control trail braking in curves than I do when using the front, and wondering if this may be part of what happened.

For dropping the bike at 40mph, glad you fared as well as you did.

Yeah I believe releasing the rear brake contributed heavily to the crash. I think the proper thing would have been more front brake and less rear brake. Again, it happened very very fast so a lot is speculative... but that's what makes sense to me.

[Howie]

Glad you are OK!  Never let off the year brake once it is locked in a panic stop, a high side will likely result. 

I have a dark fender, what year is your bike?