Great Learning in GS - How to fall with bike

[syafi]

I was Reading about the technik to avoid injury when you fall down in GS Forum board on 12th August, I thought it was a good reading and maybe i should practice what i learned there sometime.

Wow to my amazement, I got the chance to practice the lesson on 13th August.

I hit the brake - for emergency stop to avoid 3 stupid motorcylist who suddenly entered my lane, from a T junction while they suppose to stay in the right side of the lane after entering thi road....! I cant change lane because there is full of cars in the second lane and my left was just slippery grass because of the rain earlier that day..........I am approaching them fast at 45mph so what to do?????

I hit the emergency Brake, both front & rear !!!!!!!!!!!!

and maybe because of luck? (remember to help me practice) I forgot its not a good idea to use rear brake on 45mph too long, Just as i thought that moment "ahh this time i am going to hit those stupids" my bike skidded sideway,

just about the time i am going to hit the pavement, my left hand automatically tries to avoid me from falling by acting as a sidestand? hehe. then i remember the lesson i read in GS forum, try not to so i pull my hand back, release the bike, and after a very brief skid i started to roll.

while rolling, i remind myself what i read. just keep hand and feet close to the body and roll naturally, Wow it is a Great roll. then suddenly I stopped rolling and i thought to myself Hmm why did it end so fast while i am onjoying the roll??? I stand up and realise i am in a big waterbed , 12 feet from the road! Isk I fall in to the waterbed beside the road.

Now i am quite ancious , what happen to te guys i hit? I thought to my self. So i climb up and see, isk no one else fall or lay dead! it make me real angry a while, Isk they ran away??????????????

but anyway I am real happy I learn about it on GS Forum - how to act when you fall - So I can still stand up and walk like there is nothing happen even after I skidded my bike ( which i just bought 2 week earlier )...... The bike is quite totalled - waaaaaaaaaa -

well just the accesories actually - side lights, excos, 1 rear absorber, and handle and the windshield i just installed 4 days earlier isk isk isk. Total repair cost ~US80 only so its not really big deal.

Everything was cool - Remember always learn how to fall from GS Forum. It may help you save your life. of course with God's Help &support while you are on it. Because I might not be here if not God watch me over I can sure tell, With all the tree & crash guard beside the road, i roll without hitting anything!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Syafi















P.S Just for the info, that same day, I just wear casual slack & shirt and casual shoe........... so you know what happens, I lost my skin on my palm on the very brief contact, and quite 8inch long skin in my leg..........

and 2 hole in the skin when i roll because the skin is no longer there, the rolling just crashed the skin to nothing...... So here I am 2 week after the fall. bragging about it Sadly while still cant walk because the hole in my feet still give to much pain when i walk.............

Number 1 lesson dont ride without protective Gear! even when you are good at rolling - even if you are better then rolling stone you still need the gears.........

[gsBert]

whoa man, you need to learn more stuff, such as:
1) NEVER use the rear brake unless its to keep the bike immobilised or to stabilize it in a low speed turn or to control wheelspin.
2) never slam on the brakes
3) and this is the most important: people will do stupid things, expect it and keep an out or stop riding.

[LW_Icarus]

1) NEVER use the rear brake unless its to keep the bike immobilised or to stabilize it in a low speed turn or to control wheelspin.

I use my rear brake all the time? and have since I began riding many years ago. to be clear I use both brakes, and the front more aggressively, but however fast you can stop with the front brake, you can stop faster with both, and if you don't panic, you'll never lock it up with proper use.

there are times itll get you in trouble, theres times itll save your butt.but saying simply "don't use it" is mis-information, and dangerous.

[RichSPK]

I try to minimize my use of the rear brake, but I do use it. Most of your stopping power is in front, but you'll still almost always be able to stop shorter if you use both brakes. Also, some bikes can get more out of the rear brakes than others. A lightweight, short wheelbase sportbike isn't going to be able to use as much rear brake as a long, heavy cruiser.

[c5homer]

Re: Great Learning in GS - How to fall with bike

glad your ok

I was Reading about the technik to avoid injury when you fall down in GS Forum board on 12th August, I thought it was a good reading and maybe i should practice what i learned there sometime.

Wow to my amazement, I got the chance to practice the lesson on 13th August.

I hit the brake - for emergency stop to avoid 3 stupid motorcylist who suddenly entered my lane, from a T junction while they suppose to stay in the right side of the lane after entering thi road....! I cant change lane because there is full of cars in the second lane and my left was just slippery grass because of the rain earlier that day..........I am approaching them fast at 45mph so what to do?????

I hit the emergency Brake, both front & rear !!!!!!!!!!!!

and maybe because of luck? (remember to help me practice) I forgot its not a good idea to use rear brake on 45mph too long, Just as i thought that moment "ahh this time i am going to hit those stupids" my bike skidded sideway,

just about the time i am going to hit the pavement, my left hand automatically tries to avoid me from falling by acting as a sidestand? hehe. then i remember the lesson i read in GS forum, try not to so i pull my hand back, release the bike, and after a very brief skid i started to roll.

while rolling, i remind myself what i read. just keep hand and feet close to the body and roll naturally, Wow it is a Great roll. then suddenly I stopped rolling and i thought to myself Hmm why did it end so fast while i am onjoying the roll??? I stand up and realise i am in a big waterbed , 12 feet from the road! Isk I fall in to the waterbed beside the road.

Now i am quite ancious , what happen to te guys i hit? I thought to my self. So i climb up and see, isk no one else fall or lay dead! it make me real angry a while, Isk they ran away??????????????

but anyway I am real happy I learn about it on GS Forum - how to act when you fall - So I can still stand up and walk like there is nothing happen even after I skidded my bike ( which i just bought 2 week earlier )...... The bike is quite totalled - waaaaaaaaaa -

well just the accesories actually - side lights, excos, 1 rear absorber, and handle and the windshield i just installed 4 days earlier isk isk isk. Total repair cost ~US80 only so its not really big deal.

Everything was cool - Remember always learn how to fall from GS Forum. It may help you save your life. of course with God's Help &support while you are on it. Because I might not be here if not God watch me over I can sure tell, With all the tree & crash guard beside the road, i roll without hitting anything!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Syafi















P.S Just for the info, that same day, I just wear casual slack & shirt and casual shoe........... so you know what happens, I lost my skin on my palm on the very brief contact, and quite 8inch long skin in my leg..........

and 2 hole in the skin when i roll because the skin is no longer there, the rolling just crashed the skin to nothing...... So here I am 2 week after the fall. bragging about it Sadly while still cant walk because the hole in my feet still give to much pain when i walk.............

Number 1 lesson dont ride without protective Gear! even when you are good at rolling - even if you are better then rolling stone you still need the gears.........

[c5homer]

Re: Great Learning in GS - How to fall with bike

big dooh

glad your ok

I was Reading about the technik to avoid injury when you fall down in GS Forum board on 12th August, I thought it was a good reading and maybe i should practice what i learned there sometime.

Wow to my amazement, I got the chance to practice the lesson on 13th August.

I hit the brake - for emergency stop to avoid 3 stupid motorcylist who suddenly entered my lane, from a T junction while they suppose to stay in the right side of the lane after entering thi road....! I cant change lane because there is full of cars in the second lane and my left was just slippery grass because of the rain earlier that day..........I am approaching them fast at 45mph so what to do?????

I hit the emergency Brake, both front & rear !!!!!!!!!!!!

and maybe because of luck? (remember to help me practice) I forgot its not a good idea to use rear brake on 45mph too long, Just as i thought that moment "ahh this time i am going to hit those stupids" my bike skidded sideway,

just about the time i am going to hit the pavement, my left hand automatically tries to avoid me from falling by acting as a sidestand? hehe. then i remember the lesson i read in GS forum, try not to so i pull my hand back, release the bike, and after a very brief skid i started to roll.

while rolling, i remind myself what i read. just keep hand and feet close to the body and roll naturally, Wow it is a Great roll. then suddenly I stopped rolling and i thought to myself Hmm why did it end so fast while i am onjoying the roll??? I stand up and realise i am in a big waterbed , 12 feet from the road! Isk I fall in to the waterbed beside the road.

Now i am quite ancious , what happen to te guys i hit? I thought to my self. So i climb up and see, isk no one else fall or lay dead! it make me real angry a while, Isk they ran away??????????????

but anyway I am real happy I learn about it on GS Forum - how to act when you fall - So I can still stand up and walk like there is nothing happen even after I skidded my bike ( which i just bought 2 week earlier )...... The bike is quite totalled - waaaaaaaaaa -

well just the accesories actually - side lights, excos, 1 rear absorber, and handle and the windshield i just installed 4 days earlier isk isk isk. Total repair cost ~US80 only so its not really big deal.

Everything was cool - Remember always learn how to fall from GS Forum. It may help you save your life. of course with God's Help &support while you are on it. Because I might not be here if not God watch me over I can sure tell, With all the tree & crash guard beside the road, i roll without hitting anything!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Syafi















P.S Just for the info, that same day, I just wear casual slack & shirt and casual shoe........... so you know what happens, I lost my skin on my palm on the very brief contact, and quite 8inch long skin in my leg..........

and 2 hole in the skin when i roll because the skin is no longer there, the rolling just crashed the skin to nothing...... So here I am 2 week after the fall. bragging about it Sadly while still cant walk because the hole in my feet still give to much pain when i walk.............

Number 1 lesson dont ride without protective Gear! even when you are good at rolling - even if you are better then rolling stone you still need the gears.........

[Poot]

I've been down twice now , and although I have no recollection of the 2nd one (just last week) , I've been pretty lucky.


what I did for the 1st time, was , to hold on for dear life, and try and keep the bike upright!

I was going a bout 75km and fell on the right side of the bike, skidded off the road, got teh bike back up and straight in to the ditch, where I fell over.

I was wearing boots+Jacket+full face, but no gloves. jacket got torn from stretching, but only a scratch on my hands luckily.





this last accident, i dont remember anyhting and haven't seen my bike yet, so no info for ya!



be glad your still breathing!



Poot

[IanFrancisco]

whoa man, you need to learn more stuff, such as:
1) NEVER use the rear brake unless its to keep the bike immobilised or to stabilize it in a low speed turn or to control wheelspin.

The drum brake on the back of my bike is great, not too powerful and easy to control. I use it all the time. I will use both front and rear to stop for a light and let go the front when I'm slow enough for the back brake to get me stopped. It comes to a halt very smoothly while the front will sound/feel kind of crunchy under 5 mph despite having new pads. Guess it's time for a new rotor, think I'll get a drilled one this time. The rear brake is also great for those mid-corner adjustments and trail-braking into a corner. When I'm up in the canyons I'll use both brakes going into a corner, let go of the front once the lean angle gets to a certain degree and ease off the rear as I apply throttle. Makes for a smooth transition between deceleration and acceleration. I hardly get any chain snatch that way. I would really miss my drum brake if I didn't have one. I've read how rear disc brakes can be grabby and lock easily, especially in the rain. Never owned one so it's second-hand info.

It's funny how some days I can be so smooth in my riding style and nothing I do upsets the bike's balance or traction. Then there are those days when I'm a ham-fisted squid and miss shifts and lurch about like a student driver in their first stick shift car.

[RichSPK]

The drum brake on the back of my bike is great, not too powerful and easy to control.

If someone thinks their rear brake *is* too powerful, one thing they can try is to adjust the brake pedal downward a bit.

[gspaul]

I use the rear brake about half the time ,in an emegency braking situation the proportion would be 85-90% front, 15-10% rear, cant be exact it's a matter of feel.
But useing the back brake with the main brake (front) really help's.
Do not disccount it.

[andyjohnson]

syafi, I'm glad your mostly ok, and glad that you can turn your wreck into a good lesson.

on the subject of brakes, I cannot speak from vast experience. All I can do is recite the MSF training, which states that it's a good idea to always use both brakes. my instructors said that the main reason for this is that if you use both all the time, muscle memory will automatically go into action in an emergency brake situation, giving you full braking power without having to think about it. What do you veteran riders think about this idea?

Also, I am looking to get my '87 450L to stop faster, so yesterday I installed a Goodrich steel braided brake line on the front caliper, which made a large difference in the responsiveness of the front brake. now I am wondering whether it is possible/worthwhile to try to upgrade the rear drum, with so little of the actual braking taking place back there.

[aRs3N1c42]

My goal is to always use both brakes. Several weeks ago, I locked the rear brake up and proceeded to skid off the road into some gravel which simply exacerbated the skid and ended with me and Leela flat on the ground. I broke my shoulder and Leela needs a replacement instrument cluster. I was wearing a nice thick cow hide leather jacket, gloves and a full face helmet. I got a little road rash on my knee and hip where I went down, but the leather on my upper body managed to keep all my skin attached there. My right arm is in a sling for the next 4 weeks and Leela, having been on her left side for 20 minutes is now oozing oil over my garage floor.

Question: What is the benefit of having body armor in a jacket? Would body armor have reduced the impact on my shoulder enough to prevent the bone fracture?

I probably didn't fall correctly. It was a low speed wreck caused by lousy road conditions and poor visibility. I was only going around 25-35 mph. The bike and I didn't slide far on the ground at all, only a few feet. I didn't catch myself with my arms. Somehow, the bike fell on it's left side, but I hit the ground on my right side. I guess I twisted around as I fell.

Anywho, I'm looking to get a better jacket, with armor and such as well as leather or kevlar in the pants to prevent abrasion.

Road Rash Hurts!!!! 8O

[IanFrancisco]

I think once we get to a certain age we're not as elastic and pliable as we once were and what used to cause sprains and bruises causes torn ligaments and fractures instead. I doubt if any armor could prevent that. The only thing that might help is martial arts classes that teach us how to fall and get us back into shape but who wants to do that when there's riding weather outside? However we can keep our minds sharp and drive defensively and let those years of experience work in our favor instead of against us. If you've never done any dirt riding it might be worth it to get out there on a little dirt bike and slide around on something loose and hopefully soft to develop some instinctive reactions for when the wheels of your 500lb GS decide to lose their grip. Not that there's much you can do if the front wheel slides more than a foot or so. If it doesn't hook back up the bike's going down and it becomes the time to fall correctly if possible.

[aRs3N1c42]

Good suggestion, Ian!

I had actually thought of that. I won't be doing any riding until my shoulder heals up and I go through some physical therapy. It's amazing how fast muscles atrophy from disuse. Only 3 weeks in a sling and my arm is already mostly useless. :?

I don't have any close friends with dirt bikes, though I'm always open to new friends.

I'll probably be riding Mabel after the arm heals, if there is still acceptable weather in which to ride. I'll spend the winter in my Father's heated garage, putting Leela back together and doing some other long needed work on her (Fuel Petcock rebuild, Complete Gasket and seal replacement, change of color, and other misc cleaning up and replacing as long as funds last).

[pntrdave]

I'm not sure where I heard this but heres what I heard. Leather will catch the pavement and cause you to roll, where a textile jacket will let you slide across the ground. Supposedly causing less injury.