Crash Analysis: learning from our mistakes

[Popeye the Sailor]

Okay. Good point !

Hope you're okay btw! (I don't know how I missed that last time)

[ducpainter]

Three riders...

single file staggered across the road.

No excessive speed, although we were speeding

Car pulls out from our right. I was second in line. The lead bike and I both swerved left and braked. He braked a lot harder than I thought was necessary under the circumstances. I hit his bike with my right bar end and as my clutch cover was tearing his rearset off my brake lever hit his back, forced my bars to a right lock, and locked my front wheel dropping me like a stone. The lead rider did not fall.

I didn't do much right other than not hit the car. I didn't die...that was a good thing, and I had ATG on...not a mark on me...just some bruised/broken ribs.

I made the stupid mistake of assuming the lead rider would see the danger and react the same as I did. Everyone reacts differently to danger. I should have spent more time braking/slowing and less time swerving. It would have worked out better.

The biggest message here is wear your gear folks...it could save your life.

[Lukey]

Thanks to the red light story, I'm reminded of how a little advice can go a long way.  As for me:

1. First crash happened 3 seconds after the first time I let the clutch out of a motorcycle.
MORAL: Take the MSF course, don't be self-taught from reading the DMV book!

2. Second crash happened when I gassed a CBR and let out the clutch, thinking that a 600 would be less powerful than my [Nighthawk] 750!
MORAL: Remember that you are an idiot. Or at least consider that you might be one.

3. Next crash happened in the grocery store parking lot, trying to wheelie my maxi-scooter off a raised section of pavement.  A car came around the corner and I grabbed the front which immediately locked.
MORAL ONE: Never say "watch this" to friends before getting on your bike.
MORAL TWO: Parking lots are like demolition derbies...don't bring a knife (bike) to a gun (car) fight!

4. Another crash happened downtown in a major city.  About a minute into the first rain in several weeks, I touched the front brake and was immediately on the ground.
MORAL: Watch out for slick roads when the first rain touches down! Use the rear.

5. I never used to wear any gear besides a helmet. Now that I've bought all the gear, no accidents.
MORAL: Murphy was right. COROLLARY: I still wear all the gear and still ride like everyone's out to get me.

Ride safe, friends. 

[He Man]

1- riding WAY beyond my limit.
advice: dont ride beyond your limit.

2-Always be weary of the surface you are riding on
advice- good tires for the right condition. I slipped on a mix of rain and oil. nothing could of saved me. wear the right gear or end up with 3rd degree burns like me

3- lets hope i  dont go there.

 

[jclin]

+1 on the grabbing the front brake. Ease it in, no matter what. I know, easier said than done, especially in a panic situation.

It's astonishing how fast the ground comes up to you when you grab the brake too hard. Blink of an eye...

[Grrrly]

For those that don't venture outside of the "General Monster Forum", there is a whole stickied thread on this subject in the "Riding Techniques" section.
Crash Analysis: learning from our mistakes

[Markus]

Crash: I was on a long(ish) solo ride around the Cabot Trail a few years ago and was feeling quite tired. My body was saying "stop and take a break" but my mind said "just keep going for a few minutes longer". This flashed through my mind several times. About 10 minutes later I came around a high-speed sweeper with a hidden lookoff on the right shoulder with a particularly nice view. I made a snap decision to stop and check it out. Grabbed a handful of front brake and locked the front tire when I transitioned from asphalt to loose gravel. The bike went down immediately with me half under it. Fortunately it was a slow-speed crash but it still resulted in some minor damage to the bike. I was fine since I was wearing all my gear. Kicked myself for knowing better and not listening to what my body was saying. I probably would have avoided such a silly accident if my wits had been sharper.

Advice: If you are feeling tired or weary, take a break. Pull over and get off your bike. Stand around for a few minutes. Eat something. Take a drink. Whatever it takes to get your senses sharp again. Listen to what your body tells you.

[zarn02]

advice from my crashes:

1. don't ride way too fast on unfamiliar roads.

2. don't use too much front brake in the wet.

[yotogi]

Consider all city streets as having compromised traction.
Avoid those manhole covers, they are secretly made of ice.

[somegirl]

For those that don't venture outside of the "General Monster Forum", there is a whole stickied thread on this subject in the "Riding Techniques" section.
Crash Analysis: learning from our mistakes

+1, please post your advice in Riding Techniques, best place for it.

[He Man]

Consider all city streets as having compromised traction.
Avoid those manhole covers, they are secretly made of ice.

+11tybillion

[vw151]

Hit a big patch of sand in a low speed corner out in the countryside.  It dropped me before I even knew what happened.  Moral of the story.  Pay attention to the road surface.  I didn't even know what hit me. 

[sfarchie]

Crash: I was on a long(ish) solo ride around the Cabot Trail a few years ago and was feeling quite tired. My body was saying "stop and take a break" but my mind said "just keep going for a few minutes longer". This flashed through my mind several times. About 10 minutes later I came around a high-speed sweeper with a hidden lookoff on the right shoulder with a particularly nice view. I made a snap decision to stop and check it out. Grabbed a handful of front brake and locked the front tire when I transitioned from asphalt to loose gravel. The bike went down immediately with me half under it. Fortunately it was a slow-speed crash but it still resulted in some minor damage to the bike. I was fine since I was wearing all my gear. Kicked myself for knowing better and not listening to what my body was saying. I probably would have avoided such a silly accident if my wits had been sharper.

Advice: If you are feeling tired or weary, take a break. Pull over and get off your bike. Stand around for a few minutes. Eat something. Take a drink. Whatever it takes to get your senses sharp again. Listen to what your body tells you.

That is probably the best advice ever. Sorry about your fall, but glad it wasn't worse. Today, my body just felt funky so I cut my ride short and went home. Luckily I did. As I parked my bike and turned the ignition off, a wave of pain shot right up my healing broken wrist as I sat upright. It's really swollen now and I have little grip strength. Most likely from over doing it. I just took a Motrin and Vicodin to make me happy again.

[Lukey]

It's astonishing how fast the ground comes up to you when you grab the brake too hard. Blink of an eye...

Yes, crazy!  Some people talk about stuff happening in slow motion, but each time for me, I was on my butt almost before I knew what happened.

[Vin]

What happened:

I am just back from what was supposed to be a 10 day ride up through the French Alps starting in Nice then up through the Col de Braus and to Swiz - Instead it was nearly 2 Months of Hell in France.
 
Three of us left from Boston Oct 1st - all amped up on 8 months of planing and fired up to build the legendary tales we would tell on our return. We arrived in Nice, it was a perfect day on the Cote D' Azure. The sun was shining, a fantastic day to start the trip. We headed straight to the bike shop and got kitted up. Went for a fast breakfast and hit the road.
 
The first leg was the Col de Braus, heading up to Sospel. It is a outstanding section of road with hairpin after hairpin and a few nice fast straights between each corner.
 
I was leading the pace. Feeling tired but confident. The Yamaha Fazer 600 wasn't nearly as torquey as my S2R 1000 but it managed. Some of the grades were so steep and turns so tight we had crawl around in 1st gear and then hammer up the grade.
 
After a good 40 minutes of climbing, we stopped for a photo opp and the chance to just take it all in. The backdrop was outstanding: Sheer cliffs, Caves carved into the rock, turn after turn after turn. This was just day 1! I blazed on. The road started to level off a bit, the climbing wasn't as sheer and there were some nice up and down sweepers followed by a few short straights.
 
I came off one of those straights and set up for what appeared to be a tight but smooth left hand turn that banked slightly down hill. I went into the turn an thought sh*t I over shot this....I got on the front brake hard but felt nothing. It didn't seem to grab - Or if it did it wasn't giving me what I needed. I grabbed hard on it again - Nothing. I tapped the rear and the bike started to stand up. Instinctively my brain went NO!!! I got off the rear fast and just set into the turn as hard as I could and working what front break I had. I dropped the bike and just slid. The front tire hit the guard rail hard (phone pole on it side) and just popped the bike up. I was still in the saddle so my leg was pinned between bike and
rail, it snapped immediately. The force of the impact sent me into the rail, the right side of my chest taking the hit almost at 90 degrees. In a flash, the recoil it snapped me straight back into the swing arm and the tire. The bike bounce off the rail and landed on its right side, throwing me onto my back. The whole time I kept thinking "keep you head up keep your head up". I did and ever lost consciousness. I lay there in the road trying to catch my breath thinking "this is day one". My right leg was numb, but I could move my left. I felt beat up but lucid. I took my helmet off (which in hindsight i know you are not supposed to do) and went for my cell phone. I called my Wife.
 
I read an article a long time ago about tank bags, how they all have a pocket for you cell phone, the reality is when you crash are not near your bike. It was in the pocket of my jacket. She was devastated but got on line right away and found the number for French roadside assistance. I couldn't believe we didn't have it.. I called for help and then bizarrely called my Boss .... No clue why. Maybe afraid I was going to be late for work. At that point both of my friends arrived and did sort of an under the arm dead mans carry - hefting me out of the middle of the road (again - what you are not supposed to do. But as we waited for medics at least 3 or 4 cars screamed around the turn... Nobody stopped) Help arrived and the work on me began. They loaded me into a helicopter and flew me to the trauma center in Nice. I had broken my 5th vertebrae, my right leg (snapping a titanium plate which was in there from a similar wreck 12 years earlier not 50 miles away in Monaco), 4 ribs (1 lower on the back and 3 upper on the chest), and crushed my right lung rupturing capillaries in the chest causing massive internal bleeding which required thoracic surgery....

I know my Ducati's Brembos would have grabbed and I could have adjusted, pretty sure I could have corrected or at least softened the impact. My gear, I'd like to think a bit of experience or quick thinking and the way the dice landed saved me. I was wearing mostly heavy armoured textile (Alpinestar ST-5 Dry Star pants, Vanson jacket, Sidi B2 boots, and Dainese "duel" gloves) with a full Dainese spine protector ("Back Shield 8 Air"). Should I have been wearing chest protection? Had I had it, it might have saved me from the surgery. I can say with 100% certainty the back protection is why I am walking today and why my liver didn't rupture. My lower right side was black and deep purple bruised. Looked like somebody had worked me over with a base ball bat. Ugly.

Hindsight is 20/20 - I got zero sleep on plan- we hit the road asap - new bike - new road - all pumped with adrenaline = Disaster. I spent 30 day in the hospital in Nice and another 20 cooped up in a hotel recovering. Only after they determined the lung was free of fluid, was I risk free to fly home.
 
An epic it was, though not what I had anticipated. The only person at fault was me. I think its safe to say I know where the mistake was made and getting some solid rest before setting out would have decreased the risk. My equipment was right, less having a chest plate. I am thankfull the dice landed as they did.

Lesson Learned:

I should have spent night 1 in Nice and just eased into the roads and the bike. Additionally, to not have had the emergency numbers on hand was a crucial error. I am incredibly lucky I had cell reception and my Wife was quick to find the number. I should have been wearing chest protection.....


Ride Safe.

Vin