So I laid down my S4R... What did I do wrong?

[zeoniks]

Hurt my foot and my ankle a little bit, but other than that I am fine. The bike has the Ducati dent, bent handle bar, and broken shifter and peg.

I was making a left turn and I accidentally throttled while I was turning the bars, panicked, jumped on the front brake and fell.  This isn't the first time I was throttling on when I was making a left turn either. What did I do wrong?

[brackstone]

You are probably gripping the throttle entirely too hard. When you turn left if your right hand isn't loose or if your elbow is locked you're going to twist the throttle.

Have you taken any Training Courses? If not I would recommend an MSF course they are great

[stopintime]

.................
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What did I do wrong?

You throttled while turning and then panicked

Sorry, had to, but since you already know about the braking - this is about the throttle mistake.

Sloppy throttle wire?
Stuck throttle wire?
Slippery grips and/or gloves?
Doing something sudden with your body? (it affects your hands)
Not paying attention?

I hope your injuries will be fine

[zeoniks]

I have taken a MSF, but it was ages ago that I did. The switch from a Nighthawk to an S4R is .... daunting .... The riding position is incredibly different. I have this sport bike body position, but my arm position is that of a standard motorcycle's riding position.

[zeoniks]

You throttled while turning and then panicked

Sorry, had to, but since you already know about the braking - this is about the throttle mistake.

Sloppy throttle wire?
Stuck throttle wire?
Slippery grips and/or gloves?
Doing something sudden with your body? (it affects your hands)
Not paying attention?

I hope your injuries will be fine

I guess I knew what I did wrong. My gloves were fine, nothing wrong with the grips, throttle wire is fine. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with my body position. I feel like my arms are barely reaching the grips, but if I move up I feel like I'm sitting on the tank.

[timeforpoptarts]

I have taken a MSF, but it was ages ago that I did. The switch from a Nighthawk to an S4R is .... daunting .... The riding position is incredibly different. I have this sport bike body position, but my arm position is that of a standard motorcycle's riding position.

There are advanced MSF courses that teach you on your own motorcycle.

[stopintime]

I guess I knew what I did wrong. My gloves were fine, nothing wrong with the grips, throttle wire is fine. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with my body position. I feel like my arms are barely reaching the grips, but if I move up I feel like I'm sitting on the tank.

So, your right arm was stretched maybe....

Rizoma bars will be closer to you - that might help (also higher - don't know if that suits you) http://www.monsterparts.com/pc/MA005/Bars-Mirrors/MA005.html

Nothing wrong with sitting "on the tank" if your private parts can take it. In fact, Monsters tend to be happy with a little more weight up front.

[zeoniks]

Is there something inherently wrong with my riding position? I don't want to change anything with the bike to 'mask' my problems. What exactly should it feel like?

[ManaloEA]

Yep, could be your riding position. Sounds like your elbows are up and out too far. This forces your wrists to be up too high at no throttle. Then when you extend your arms out straight, it pulls your wrists down, thus rolling the throttle. Something to remember is that the Monster has a slightly aggressive riding position, your are supposed to be leaned forward a little, and your elbows are supposed to be bent... not quite like a tuck position, but somewhere between a tuck and upright.

see the guy in the first picture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ducati_Monster_S4R_Testastretta.jpg

You will also need to get used to hugging the gas tank with your knees a little in order to loosen your arms up.

[$Lindz$]

Do you "cheat" the throttle with your right hand? By that I mean rotating forward before opening the throttle, so that when you have your wrist level (normal starting position), you're twisting the throttle open a little bit.

It makes it so you're not uncomfortable while on throttle and bending your wrist. A lot of people do this without even thinking about it and it's a HORRIBLE habit. It shouldn't be "comfortable" to be on the gas, that way you a. always know you're cracking the throttle open, and b. if you relax, it should ALWAYS be throttle-off.


Anyways, just a thought other than the normal "you weren't paying attention and gave it some gas" (which is what happened, obviously).

I don't think the Monster ergos will have much to do with it. More likely it's you not being used to them. I also find stock ergos uncomfortable, but I'm 6'2" and put clip-ons on to match the sportiness of everything else and stretch my reach out forward. Everyone is different though.

[zeoniks]

Do you "cheat" the throttle with your right hand? By that I mean rotating forward before opening the throttle, so that when you have your wrist level (normal starting position), you're twisting the throttle open a little bit.

It makes it so you're not uncomfortable while on throttle and bending your wrist. A lot of people do this without even thinking about it and it's a HORRIBLE habit. It shouldn't be "comfortable" to be on the gas, that way you a. always know you're cracking the throttle open, and b. if you relax, it should ALWAYS be throttle-off.


Anyways, just a thought other than the normal "you weren't paying attention and gave it some gas" (which is what happened, obviously).

I don't think the Monster ergos will have much to do with it. More likely it's you not being used to them. I also find stock ergos uncomfortable, but I'm 6'2" and put clip-ons on to match the sportiness of everything else and stretch my reach out forward. Everyone is different though.

I think I might have been doing that as well, I'm not sure. My problem with the ergonomics is that you have a sport bike riding position but the bars are almost essentially flat going outwards.

[bikepilot]

I'm all for rotating forward to be comfortable on the gas when the conditions warrant.  The main thing is to develop careful throttle control and good reactions when things get out of sorts, panicking and grabbing too much brake is bad and could hurt a lot worse if something startles  you at speed. Get some training, do some track days, build those skills 

[R0CKETMAN]

Bottom line is you're OK. Could it have been worse? Sure, but it wasn't. By now I bet you have somewhat of a handle on the cause and solution

Get it fixed, focus more, and keep putting in the miles.  The rest will come.

[zeoniks]

I do. I'm still healing up. I'm still trying to figure out where I went wrong right now.

[OT]

 If I understand what you described.......you panicked and jumped on the brake......which guarantees the bike is going down if in the configuration you described.
 
Grabbing a handful of uber-powerful brakes at slow speed will immediately stop the wheels from turning - but the rest of the bike (with the crossed-up bars) wants to keep going...

If anything, practice two of the basic MSF drills: controlled, straight line stops from speed; and especially, controlled stops in a turn (hint: the bike needs to be straightened up first...).

Becoming comfortable with these drills will reduce the likelihood that you'll panic when something like this happens again, and will help you develop a feel for the power of the brakes and how to used them at low/slow speeds.

I've been in several situations where MSF training has kept the rubber side down; situations that I know would have caused me to crash if I had followed instincts instead of trusting learned techniques.