Crash Analysis: learning from our mistakes

[Cloner]

Luckily, the paint guy sold him the wrong clear coat for his fairings, so when he applied it, it actually stripped the paint! 

If not for that, he would have had freshly painted fairings on the bike and the damage could have been much worse...  Also, there's a fairing stay down near the bottom of the bike that seems to have taken a bit of the force from the fall, and saved the side covers from some serious damage as well.

A quick note:

If that fairing stay (spacer) down near the bottom that screws into the head actually broke, make sure you get the right one.  The lefts and rights are different lengths, but can be put on backward and cause the upper screws to disengage.

[The Bacon Junkie]

Believe it or not, it didn't break!  Just the rubber came off the tip, and it's just a bit scuffed...

Seriously, the only thing we couldn't readily fix was the kickstand spring.  I cut the laces out of the inside of my A*s boot and tied the kickstand the footpeg. 

He was very fortunate.   

[Kool_Aider]

Brief summary of the crash: Was driving along the main road in my city, in a high traffic area. Got cut-off by a Honda Pilot, grabbed the front brake, locking it up. Went over the bars, bailed 'cause I was afraid the bike would fall on my leg and break it. Slid about 30 feet into the back of the pilot (I just slid under and my face stopped me against the tyre), bike slid into my legs, twisted an ankle. Damage to the bike was minimal, scratched the tank cover, bent the bar but bent it back in shape and broke a mirror and a peg.

What you did right: Follow the speed limit and pay attention to my surroundings.

What you did wrong: Panicked and grabbed too much front brake, locking it up. Turns out the front tyre was in an oil slick at the stop lights (lights were green, I was doing about 40km/h).

How could it have been avoided: Take notice more to the condition of the pavement. Ease on the brake in this type of situation, use both brakes.

[SacDuc]

were you in the center of the lane? (that's here the slippery stuff builds up at intersections)

was there the option to use no brakes and to use a evasive maneuver to go around instead?

And covering the front brake as I go through intersections is just habit for me now. I do it without thinking. Just two fingers on the lever as I approach any intersection, whether I see cars or not. Start practicing that so all your brain has to do is to remember to squeeze in a smooth manner. And practicing your panic stops in a clean parking lot will help make that motion natural for your brain as well.

Glad you are okay!   

sac

[Kool_Aider]

were you in the center of the lane? (that's here the slippery stuff builds up at intersections)

was there the option to use no brakes and to use a evasive maneuver to go around instead?

And covering the front brake as I go through intersections is just habit for me now. I do it without thinking. Just two fingers on the lever as I approach any intersection, whether I see cars or not. Start practicing that so all your brain has to do is to remember to squeeze in a smooth manner. And practicing your panic stops in a clean parking lot will help make that motion natural for your brain as well.

Glad you are okay!   

sac

I don't think I could have dodged it. Sidewalk on the right and traffic on the left. Can't remember if I was in the middle but I most likely was. One of the people at the scene of the accident had noticed the oil slick before I did. It was a legitimate slick and not just the usual pool of somewhat dry oil I usually see at the lights. It was faint but I think it helped the tire loose traction.

Once I get the bike out for the season again I'll make sure to hover the brakes when I cross intersections like that. Do it enough and it becomes habit.



This is where I went down. The oil slick was towards the lights and the truck came out that parking lot. She never even looked my way. As you guys can tell it's right in front of the mall, and people tend to hang out there and watch traffic go by. There was about ten to twenty people there when I went down so it was weird to see a bunch of people standing in the street helping me out. There was a guy who was a paramedic and a biker. They checked me out and I was fine. I was so disoriented I couldn't even lift my own bike, so one of them walked my bike to the Mike's parking lot and looked it over. He even helped me switch out the broken foot peg with my passenger one so I could drive home.

[meanmonster]

Hit a patch of gravel in a low speed corner out in the countryside rear end came out and I spun around and slid 10-12 ft.

Did right: had decent gear on, kavlar jeans, knee armor, armored leather jacket, gantlet gloves, 2/3 boots.

Did wrong: Had on kavlar jeans - cheap brand (Tecnik) tore open like butter, good thing I had knee armor on (good thing saved my joint from the impact). Let off the throttle when it started, might have made it though otherwise. Should have slowed more and seen the road, spring time in WA is bad as we use gravel for snow/ice and back-roads are often the last to get swept by the state/county.

Walked away with a sprain, some rash (though jacket) on shoulder. Bike had a cracked rear fairing, side tank fairing cracked to hell, bent rearset and pass pegs (rezoma), trashed mirror (hindsight), Speedymoto side slider was burnt up a bit, front axle slider was a little rubbed, brake master (front) was stripped out, AVS shorty F5 lever was gorged to hell and front fairing was toast.


Total cost for me to fix (drove home and didn't turn into insurance) was about 800 bucks (new pegs, helli Coil kit for master, shipped lever back for repair, used fairing kit (bought full kit in Matte black), new side slider, touch up clear on a small CF scratch on termis, new hindsight mirror).

Sliders saved te bike worse, bike looks like new now just need to double check front end for strightness.

[dgm]

I had a relatively low-speed, low slide slide out yesterday on the bike's left side and I cannot stop thinking about it.  I even dreamed about it all night long!  It happened at the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic and admittedly I went there with the expressed goal of getting my knee down.  So, I know I was pushing a bit past my previous comfort level and not entirely surprised I went down, but am struggling to figure out what I did wrong. 

I realize it's very difficult to analyze a crash you can't see, but any thoughts/input would be appreciated.  I was working on repositioning my butt, hips, shoulders, head, feet into the cornering position and felt like I was in a pretty good position.  I was about 1/4 of the way through the turn and I'm pretty sure I relaxed a bit, the bike leaned a bit more (less than 1/4" left untouched on rubber) and I believe my knee touched briefly and then BAM... the bike was gone and I was sliding on my left side.  I don't know what I did wrong or what to focus on doing differently next time.  The pavement was wet. 

thanks!

[CDawg]

I don't know what I did wrong or what to focus on doing differently next time.  The pavement was wet. 

Did you chop the throttle, touch the brakes, shift your weight, or ride across a painted line?  All these could have reduced the amount of traction available at the moment.

[dgm]

Did you chop the throttle, touch the brakes, shift your weight, or ride across a painted line?  All these could have reduced the amount of traction available at the moment.

I'm honestly not sure and the instructors really couldn't tell me either, which I found pretty disappointing.  I know there was no painted lines, I figured out afterwards that I believe I had too much tire pressure (36F/38R) and I'm guessing my tires weren't warm enough on the edges, I didn't touch the brakes for sure, but it's possible I slightly shifted my weight as I know I was making an effort to relax my inside arm. 

[dropstharockalot]

I had a low-speed drop in the twisties this weekend.  A driver pulled into the travel lane from his driveway at a high speed, without stopping, and without checking traffic (he was turned facing his passenger). My choices were the oncoming lane, his tailgate, and the shoulder/ditch.  I managed to scrub most of my speed before leaving the blacktop and bumping through the gravel and dirt, then eventually lost the front end on bumpy grass and slid several feet.  I came to a stop with my helmet against a telephone pole, so things could have been much worse.

Things I did right:
Spotted the guy coming b/c I was scanning ahead.  I could have done a better job of this, but this probably kept things from being much uglier.
I didn't panic and lock it up right there – I used the available road to scrub speed until I had no other place to go.

Things I did wrong / could have done better:
I was running 15-20mph over the limit in the name of "fun"... I wouldn't have had to get off the road if I hadn't had to drop the extra MPH.
I was riding aggressively in an area with poor sight distances and very few “emergency exits.”  I was very lucky to not be in one of the densely forested areas, and this driver actually came out of one of the few visible driveways on this particular stretch.
It was late in my ride (+4hrs) and hot (97, 98), so I was tired mentally and physically.
I let my mind get about 6 or 7 miles ahead of me to the gas station…. Some A/C, some lemonade… I wasn’t as focused as I could have been.

All this particular lesson cost me was a bent shifter lever and a mashed blinker.  Standing up and finding out that big “thump” you felt on your helmet was a telephone pole is pretty sobering.  It’ll be a little while before I get after it in the hills again.

[Monster750ie]

Brief summary of the crash:
First day on the bike.. I took out my 02' 750 to meet up with a friend for a little road trip. On my way to meet my buddy 20 miles into the ride I was behind a large box truck keeping my distance and going approx 30 mph. Suddenly someone pulled out of a parking lot in front of him causing him to lock his brakes and slide to a start. By the time I realized what was happening I was approx 30-50 feet from him and I panicked. Grabbed the front brake and then suddenly I was going down on my left side. I managed to get on my back and as the bike's sliding away from me I think $hit, I hope the car behind me is paying attention, I completely loosened my body and prepared for a deadly impact.  

What you did right:
Didn't let go of the bike until I was close the floor, I immediately got on my back, bent my knees and put my heels down. Wore a textile riding jacket. Wore a helmet. Kept my head off the pavement. Kept body loose in case of any impact.

What you did wrong:
I snowboard and am used to falling, when i fall I dig my board broadside into the snow with my knees bent to slow down/ stop. I also put my palms down, I wasn't wearing gloves and didn't feel the road eating my hands. I was also not wearing any impact protection or riding pants. This accident could have killed me. I was wearing an open face helmet.

I walked away with road rash on my palms which took 2 weeks to heal. Minor rash on my left leg and elbow.

How could it have been avoided:
I should have been paying more attention to the traffic ahead, I should have not grabbed the brakes and came to a gradual stop, I had plenty of room to stop.

I now have a full leather jacket, riding gloves, knee/shin protecters, riding denim w/ kevlar, riding shorts.

Bikes damage:
Bars bent into tank, Tank rash and huge dent, Left rearset shattered, Shifter bent, Clutch lever and master cylinder with severe rash, rear cowl rash, Headlight rash, engine cover rash.. In total $3,300 worth of damage according to the adjuster.

[EvilSteve]

Glad you came out of that relatively well, makes me wonder if ABS would have helped you. For the record, I've got ABS on my bike and don't intend to by another bike without it.

[AdmiralKit]

Had a minor accident today, not sure what the hell happened. 

The setup: driving down a crowded thoroughfare in a popular section of town.  Speed limit is 25, lots of congestion, so it's not like speed was an issue.  I'm looking for a parking space and decide to go up a block and head back down the start of the street again.  I slow down to a crawl to take a slow right corner (90 degrees at a green light), and am maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through the turn when all of a sudden I'm eating pavement.  Nobody around me, no gravel/sand/debris, the only thing of note I saw was the iron water meter cover, which was probably somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2" below the level of the pavement.  I wasn't far enough through the turn to roll on throttle, I didn't apply the brakes, and the turn felt fine right up until it wasn't - nothing I haven't done a thousand times or more before.  I thought I heard a tire bark when I went down, but I'm not completely sure.

What I did wrong: besides leaving the jacket at home, I'm really not sure.  Had the helmet, gloves, pants, and boots on, but just didn't feel like dealing with the jacket today.  I've got two very small scratches on my elbow for that.  Beyond that, I really don't know.

What I did right: Picked myself up, picked the bike up, and got out of the intersection.  Inspected damage (see below) and determined that I was fine to ride off.  Wore most of my gear (helmet, gloves, pants, boots)

Damage to the bike: bent the rear brake lever.  Decent rash on the bar-end mirror, minor rash on the front brake lever, frame slider puck, and right muffler.

Thoughts on what might have happened?  As best I can figure I lost traction when the wheel moved from pavement to the meter cover, but that's about it.  I

[dtarsky]

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?

[DonJuanDucati]

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.