Crash Analysis: learning from our mistakes

[DrDesmo]

...

Vin

 

Glad to have you back my friend, and that you're in one piece.  Ride Safe everyone!

Adam

[fromario]

...

As I said on the phone, good to have you back home bro... Ride Safe everyone!

[He Man]

Wow man! Glad you are okay dude! ATGATT! pics?

[digital]

Hi all;

this my first post. I wish it would have been under a different topic :-(

I was reading this thread on Saturday to learn what not to do driving my new bike.

Brief summary of the crash:
Well, I totaled my first bike ever and lovely sweet red new m696!

I still can not comprehend what has happen. Warmed up the bike early Sunday morning to go for a short ride (practice) as I have done on Friday. This time the bike turned off few times. on third or forth try i pressed the ignition button and the bike snapped going at unbelievable speed and in less than half a second I hit the neighbors wall, I flew off straight into the wall, my head banged in the wall and my shoulder, then fell on my back on the ground and the bike fell on my right foot. People in the area rushed to help, push away the bike, took off my helmet and I managed to sit up till ambulance and police arrived, got transported  to ER at close hospital but left later same day with fractured shoulder bones and lots of bruises. The frame at front got broken and the front wheel/steering came off completely from rest of bike.

I am still in a state of shock

What did I do right:
Had the helmet on. otherwise I would have been dead by head impact.
had my backpack on. It sure absorbed the fall on the back.
Attend MSF course.

What did I do wrong:
- basically everything!
- i do not know what happen. My guess is that I started the bike while in gear without pulling the clutch (i feel like an idiot already). I do not think giving bike a little gas could have rushed at such a speed. this is basics in MSF!!!
- could not react at all due to short distance/time. neighbors fence wall is less than 12m
- no jacket. I received the jacket one day earlier but was small size and did not fit. That could have protected the shoulder.

How could it have been avoided:
- not sure when I will ride again if ever. very scary experience indeed.
- if I do ride again, I'll get a 125 engine bike and practice then practice more for long time.
- I am not that physically coordinated guy (brain vs limbs :-)). I never drove a car with stick/manual gear. this clutch thing is too much to master.
- not dream day and night about riding your M696. It was a nice dream but I have rushed  myself into a big bike (for me)
- the more gear the merrier

[Drjones]

Sounds like it lurched forward and jerked your throttle hand straight which rolled the throttle open.  Always keep your wrist down when holding the throttle; wrist lower than fingers.  That and always start the bike when in neutral.  The same thing would have happened on a 125cc bike.  It isn't the bike but the technique.  May want to look into a private MSF session and practice practice practice until you get it.

[somegirl]

Well, I totaled my first bike ever and lovely sweet red new m696!

<snip>

Sorry to hear you had such a painful and scary first lesson.   Did you break your clavicle or your scapula?  Was your bike covered by insurance?

The bike should not have started if you had the clutch out, but I am guessing that you might have had it partway in, and accidentally let it out as it started.  I agree that the lurching may have jerked your throttle hand which would have made it worse.  It would be safer to get in the habit of starting it in neutral, and only putting it in gear when you are ready to go.

Although you could easily make the same mistake on a smaller bike, it would not have jerked forward with such violence, and you might have had time to react properly.  The first thing to do in such a situation would have been to pull in the clutch.

Take your time healing up and taking care of yourself.   If you do decide to ride again, I'd recommend re-taking MSF for review, and as you said, start with a smaller (and used) bike to learn on.

[Howie]

Ouch!  Sorry to hear.  As msincredible said, the bike should not have cranked without the clutch disengaged if the bike is in gear.  You might want to find out why it did this.  It is good practice to make sure the bike is in neutral anyway.  To ride again or not has to be your decision, riding is not for everyone.  There is a reason why they do the whole starting ritual in the MSF course.  Do keep in mind, you aren't the first guy to start a bike in gear and won't be the last.  I remember someone telling me about starting a dirt bike in gear with the choke on while standing next to it.  The bike hit the ground running, and spun itself around in a circle until a hole was worn through the gas tank.  Then came the flames.  The rider is a seasoned racer.

[digital]

I am insured.

everyone is saying the bike couldn't have started while the clutch is out. Probably I did not pull the clutch all the way or I let go quickly!

Thanks for the advice and support.

[maillotpois]

I know this scene well unfortunately :
+ 13 other riders in 2007 in the same 100 feet of road in Marin. Exact road same elements. No "turn ahead" sign. We put up a sign.

Which 100 feet of road in Marin, pray tell?     If it's Lucas Valley Rd just down from Big Rock, then add one more.  Me. 


Brief summary:

Entered decreasing radius turn with the WORST line ever.  New bike, too fast, wet corner, braked in turn.  Low sided into the ditch.  Bike is very messed up, but will be ok.  I'm basically fine - bruised.  Strained my foot lifting the bike out of the ditch.   

What I did right:

Let go of the bike when I hit the ground.  Rolled.  WORE GOOD GEAR.

What I did wrong:

Should have realized I was getting tired and hungry and taken a break for a snack up the road in Nicasio.  Should have remembered this corner.  I'm a road bicyclist and this corner eats bikes of all kinds.  I've seen several bike crashes in this corner.

How it could have been avoided:

Take a break when my body told me it needed one instead of just pushing through to home while tired and hungry.  Remember bad corner.  Slow BEFORE the turn - especially if the corner is bad or you don't know the road.

[Dirty Duc]

Brief summary of the crash:  Approaching a traffic light at or very near the speed limit (on my daily commute home) This is in one of those annoying sweepers that aren't a real turn at anything approaching a reasonable speed.  Light turned yellow while I was too near for my comfort to stop the bike  (I am a new rider on an S2R800).  The guy waiting to turn left (in my town, the left turn lights come after the straight green) moved as if to turn in front of me, and I grabbed too much front brake.  Shallow sweeper or no, the instant I decided to slow down I was on the ground and sliding across the intersection after my bike.  I didn't hit anything, the bike didn't hit anything, and I walked away.  Luckily some people who witnessed came and spoke reasonably at me to distract me from beating the guy in the car to a bloody pulp.

What you did right:  Jacket, helmet, gloves, really expensive boots, MSF course.

What you did wrong:  I forgot that at anything over 25 MPH, you are better at swerving than stopping.  I didn't practice braking on MY bike, just the silly little thing in the MSF basic course.  I didn't attempt to signal (flashing headlight, honking horn) the driver of the car.  Was wearing slacks.  cell phone saved me from horrible road rash, but isn't a replacement for actual armor

How could it have been avoided:  Not tried to run the yellow, practiced braking (which I did as soon as I had new bars and shifter) prior to riding in traffic.

The bike got fancy Rizoma handlebars and grips, a bunch of sliders, and new mirrors, but still has a couple of scars.  I got a new jacket, new boots, new helmet, and a pair of pants that I can shimmy into over my work slacks.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Brief summary of the crash:  Approaching a traffic light at or very near the speed limit (on my daily commute home) This is in one of those annoying sweepers that aren't a real turn at anything approaching a reasonable speed.  Light turned yellow while I was too near for my comfort to stop the bike  (I am a new rider on an S2R800).  The guy waiting to turn left (in my town, the left turn lights come after the straight green) moved as if to turn in front of me, and I grabbed too much front brake.  Shallow sweeper or no, the instant I decided to slow down I was on the ground and sliding across the intersection after my bike.  I didn't hit anything, the bike didn't hit anything, and I walked away.  Luckily some people who witnessed came and spoke reasonably at me to distract me from beating the guy in the car to a bloody pulp.

What you did right:  Jacket, helmet, gloves, really expensive boots, MSF course.

What you did wrong:  I forgot that at anything over 25 MPH, you are better at swerving than stopping.  I didn't practice braking on MY bike, just the silly little thing in the MSF basic course.  I didn't attempt to signal (flashing headlight, honking horn) the driver of the car.  Was wearing slacks.  cell phone saved me from horrible road rash, but isn't a replacement for actual armor

How could it have been avoided:  Not tried to run the yellow, practiced braking (which I did as soon as I had new bars and shifter) prior to riding in traffic.

The bike got fancy Rizoma handlebars and grips, a bunch of sliders, and new mirrors, but still has a couple of scars.  I got a new jacket, new boots, new helmet, and a pair of pants that I can shimmy into over my work slacks.

Remember you are invisible to cars. I wouldn't count on the horn being noticed, and they may interpret a flashing headlight as a signal to go, not stop.

Keep practicing-it's the first step 

[Raux]

Was riding sunday with a friend of mine. He was on his Honda VTX and I was on the 696.

We had been out about 2 hrs and riding through a small local village when my friend went down and slid into the back of a small car. I was able to stop as I was following at a safe distant.

My analysis: He was riding on a sore backside, he had fallen a couple of weeks ago on the stairs and hurt his tail bone. He was shifting around alot trying to get comfortable and at the time was riding with legs back to get him off his tailbone. the car in front had come to a quick halt waiting to pass a parked van on a narrow street with cars coming towards us. my friend had just barely looked away to check mirrors i think. when he turned his attention forward, panicked and GRABBED the front brake locking it up. he starting sliding and decided to lay it down cause he didnt think he could stop before slamming into the car.

post crash: he was not wearing a leather or fabric jacket, just a sweat shirt cause his jacket zipper broke the day before. but he did have full face helmet, gloves (though not armored), high boots and jeans. his arm got some roadrash and his right hand got banged hard. his bike was rideable and i followed him home.

it was weird cause we were talking about full face vs half helmets which he normally wears. after looking at his helmet he decided no more halfhelmets. his shield was marked up.

how the day could have been different... he could have decided not to ride since he was hurt, but to his defense he didn't know it was as bad as it was. he locked up the front, not sure why, but had he not he had plenty of room to stop or swerve to the right to avoid oncoming traffic and the car (there was about 4 ft space to the right and about 30 ft extra. we were only doing about 30 mph so it could have worked)

what i learned. swerving techniques are important. paying attention at ALL times even when poking in town. careful application of front brakes. and riding is 100% commitment, riding hurt or distracted can bite you.

my friend has time to heal properly while the bike gets fixed. he's mad at himself, but alright.

UPDATE: bike was totalled by insurance. $9000 in damage. he's gonna buy it back and take the balance to fix it since it was a goal to always have one.

[Takster]

Brief summary of the crash :

Slowing down to pull into my driveway, neighbor's kid thought that it'd be funny to throw a frisbee at a motorcyclist.  I swear this kid should be in the olympics.  The frisbee managed to get between my braking front tire and the pavement.  The wheel slid left, I went right.  Face-planted right in front of my house.

What you did right

Wore all the gear.  My right knee pad took the brunt of the impact, followed by my right wrist and helmet face-shield.  Once I was on the ground, I had the presence of mind to look for oncoming traffic, shut off the bike, move it off of the roadway, and even cleaned up frisbee remanence so that future accidents could be avoided.

What you did wrong

I was almost home, and I dropped my guard for a microsecond.  I was looking at the debris in front of my driveway instead of the kids in my neighbor's yard.

How could it have been avoided

Good parenting?  ...seriously, I wish I hadn't assumed that a child knows better than to throw an object at a motorcyclist.  I've always dropped my speed coming into my neighborhood because I know there are kids around, but I didn't think they'd be stupid enough to throw something at me.  UGH.

I'm really glad I walked away, and that the frame and barend sliders did their job

~T

[EvilSteve]

...and that the parents have offered to repair the damage to my bike and gear...

[swampduc]

Damn, Takster, that sounds pretty much unavoidable, except that you now need to ensure that every child in the neighborhood fears you 
What's the result? Are the parents covering the damage?