Don't talk about crashing

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Ever. It alerts the bad mojo. If you have to talk about what happened in turn 6 or Route 3 or at age 17..,say I had a dismount, incident, or some such.
There's a reason bikers always say 'had to lay it down'.
Don't say crash. We do not want to wake the Gods.

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Also, "I had to lay it down" typically refers to crashes/wrecks/accidents that someone had no control over and they want you to think they did.
Lowsiding is rarely option for folks voluntarily.

Come to think of it - how do you lay it down on your own? I honestly dont know. Tens of thousands of miles, never really thought about trying to crash.
 
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When I was about 17 (which was a long time ago), I borrowed my older brother's Honda 500 1981 model - went around a curve way too fast and I really didn't know how to handle it (young, dumb, and indestructible mindset). Went straight and hit a front yard and laid it down; slid across the yard for 40 yards or more before coming to a stop.

Got up, brushed myself off, looked around and got back on the bike and rode off. The handlebars were a little bent; but we got them fixed. I always wondered when those folks came home they wondered why there was a long gash across their front yard. I should have went back and fixed it.

I always said in many ways it was the best thing that happened to me. I was lucky and didn't get hurt or hurt anyone else; but it sure calmed me down. I never had any more issues with running too fast on a bike, car, or anything else after that. Woke me up.
 
I know people who lost limbs in bike wrecks, ran into vans broadside and now walk around with a cane, people on this forum who have had to have recent surgeries. I hit a car in ’74, and walked away.

I do love @Lager ’s post, which he’ll get tired of me repeating early and often,
but “Doc, have you seen the inside of a nursing home lately??"
 
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Alot of the "had to lay her down brother" convos in reality should be a I can't ride other than at speed in a straight line stories. I mostly listen and smile while nodding my head...about like someone that doesn't speak the same language but is trying not to start a fight.

I had my bad day riding as most here know. I don't go around to everyone I see on a bike and try to make myself sound tough /scare them.

To each his/her own.
 
Speaking of crashing, $5.00 Bloody Mary’s at Carolina Brewery at 10AM tomorrow. They swear they put a jigger in every glass, but I think they just wave the bottle over the drink.
 
I had a "never saw it coming" two dirt bike collision back when I was young (17) dumb, and as it turns out, NOT indestructible. This resulted in

* the triple clamp on the forks being snapped off ripping the whole front fork ass'y from my dirt bike.*
* A fire that burned up the engine/frame/rear wheel remains of my bike
* A ride to the base hospital for the large hole in my leg
* The rider of the other bike having a broken leg
* A lawsuit
* Me becoming an "emancipated adult" at 17


It happens, but such is life.

(* = anyone remember Bultaco dirt bikes?)
 
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I’ve had many deep discussions about crashing, getting inured, or dying.
We all know it’s possible to be the best and do everything right and still crash, maybe fatally. We’ve heard all the stories, and many of us have witnessed it happen to riders better and worse than us.

The only things we can do to alleviate risk: educate and train and dress ourselves like our life and the life of our passenger depends on it.

Just my opinion: the danger and difficulty of riding is precisely what makes it so awesome and fun. If it were safe and easy I wouldn’t be interested.
 
Kinda thread jack. It's definitely different between street and track riders, lol. We talk about crashing quite a bit, but that goes with the territory. Also, I think we should think about how to crash. That was one of the things we talked about in my racing school. How to try and not put your hands out to catch yourself (broken hands/wrist/collar bones) are the most broken bones during racing. Also how to try and roll over and slide on your back to slow down the fastest. I know these are all subjective, and always don't apply to all crashes. The biggest reasons I see people crash on track and street, is target fixation, and over riding the limits of their talent/skill set. I see people panic and freeze and boom, there they go. Here are a few things I've learned along the way, and these were in a road racing school. Now, the braking bit doesn't work so well on a 600+ pound bike, but you'll get the idea.

Braking) If the back tire isn't off the ground, you can brake harder.
Corner speed) If you're not sliding the tires, or dragging hard parts, you can go faster.
No matter what you do, when you get to the turn, turn. Don't stand the bike up and ride straight. Usually nothing good comes of this.
We all have built in limits on how fast we think we can go. Ever get to a corner and think, oh crap, I'm going too fast to make it? Unless you have crashed before at that speed, how do you know you're going too fast. I'm always advocating for people to take riding classes of some sort, be it defensive riding, road racing school, or even entry level classes.

Shameless plug, but my friends that teach the Girls Grom Wild classes, have a very good curriculum and structure that they teach, and they have info in there that you simply don't learn on your own. Things like braking percentage to lean angle, tire run off, how body and head movement/placement help with steering/leaning the bike, covering your levers, etc. Some of this stuff you don't get in most entry level classes, but both Katie and Brittany are track riders, and have taken the Yamaha Champ School multiple times. Just throwing some things out there. If it makes you think about it, or try and apply any of it, then I've accomplished what I was trying to relay, lol.
 
Stick Man said:
Kinda thread jack. It's definitely different between street and track riders, lol. We talk about crashing quite a bit, but that goes with the territory. Also, I think we should think about how to crash. That was one of the things we talked about in my racing school. How to try and not put your hands out to catch yourself (broken hands/wrist/collar bones) are the most broken bones during racing. Also how to try and roll over and slide on your back to slow down the fastest. I know these are all subjective, and always don't apply to all crashes. The biggest reasons I see people crash on track and street, is target fixation, and over riding the limits of their talent/skill set. I see people panic and freeze and boom, there they go. Here are a few things I've learned along the way, and these were in a road racing school. Now, the braking bit doesn't work so well on a 600+ pound bike, but you'll get the idea.

Braking) If the back tire isn't off the ground, you can brake harder.
Corner speed) If you're not sliding the tires, or dragging hard parts, you can go faster.
No matter what you do, when you get to the turn, turn. Don't stand the bike up and ride straight. Usually nothing good comes of this.
We all have built in limits on how fast we think we can go. Ever get to a corner and think, oh crap, I'm going too fast to make it? Unless you have crashed before at that speed, how do you know you're going too fast. I'm always advocating for people to take riding classes of some sort, be it defensive riding, road racing school, or even entry level classes.

Shameless plug, but my friends that teach the Girls Grom Wild classes, have a very good curriculum and structure that they teach, and they have info in there that you simply don't learn on your own. Things like braking percentage to lean angle, tire run off, how body and head movement/placement help with steering/leaning the bike, covering your levers, etc. Some of this stuff you don't get in most entry level classes, but both Katie and Brittany are track riders, and have taken the Yamaha Champ School multiple times. Just throwing some things out there. If it makes you think about it, or try and apply any of it, then I've accomplished what I was trying to relay, lol.
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We do thread jacks all the time and every time its at the least interesting or in this case, Informative. Thank you for your imput and advise, this was worth reading.
 
Stick Man said:
Kinda thread jack. It's definitely different between street and track riders, lol. We talk about crashing quite a bit, but that goes with the territory. Also, I think we should think about how to crash. That was one of the things we talked about in my racing school. How to try and not put your hands out to catch yourself (broken hands/wrist/collar bones) are the most broken bones during racing. Also how to try and roll over and slide on your back to slow down the fastest. I know these are all subjective, and always don't apply to all crashes. The biggest reasons I see people crash on track and street, is target fixation, and over riding the limits of their talent/skill set. I see people panic and freeze and boom, there they go. Here are a few things I've learned along the way, and these were in a road racing school. Now, the braking bit doesn't work so well on a 600+ pound bike, but you'll get the idea.

Braking) If the back tire isn't off the ground, you can brake harder.
Corner speed) If you're not sliding the tires, or dragging hard parts, you can go faster.
No matter what you do, when you get to the turn, turn. Don't stand the bike up and ride straight. Usually nothing good comes of this.
We all have built in limits on how fast we think we can go. Ever get to a corner and think, oh crap, I'm going too fast to make it? Unless you have crashed before at that speed, how do you know you're going too fast. I'm always advocating for people to take riding classes of some sort, be it defensive riding, road racing school, or even entry level classes.

Shameless plug, but my friends that teach the Girls Grom Wild classes, have a very good curriculum and structure that they teach, and they have info in there that you simply don't learn on your own. Things like braking percentage to lean angle, tire run off, how body and head movement/placement help with steering/leaning the bike, covering your levers, etc. Some of this stuff you don't get in most entry level classes, but both Katie and Brittany are track riders, and have taken the Yamaha Champ School multiple times. Just throwing some things out there. If it makes you think about it, or try and apply any of it, then I've accomplished what I was trying to relay, lol.
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Im always thinking to myself "look where you want to go stupid"
 
RetiredUSNChief said:
By the way. .. what do they call that cart full of emergency medical equipment, supplies, and medications they use due medical emergencies in hospitals?
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The code cart?

NKD said:
I’ve had many deep discussions about crashing, getting inured, or dying.
We all know it’s possible to be the best and do everything right and still crash, maybe fatally. We’ve heard all the stories, and many of us have witnessed it happen to riders better and worse than us.

The only things we can do to alleviate risk: educate and train and dress ourselves like our life and the life of our passenger depends on it.

Just my opinion: the danger and difficulty of riding is precisely what makes it so awesome and fun. If it were safe and easy I wouldn’t be interested.
Click to expand...

My fear isn't the dying, my fear is become so neurologically impaired that my family has to feed me through a tube while I lean toward the sunlight.

I have a friend who was (now retired) a naval aviator and has ridden bikes his whole life, he says "riding a bike and being a pilot is easy. It's just a skill, and an easy one to learn. But it takes a lifetime to get good and know your limitations. It's up to you how long that lifetime is." I would believe it. I learned how to ride at an early age, but it just wasn't for me. No judgment for those who do it and love it (except the a-holes who make it unsafe for others. Those, I do judge).
 
Chuckman said:
My fear isn't the dying, my fear is become so neurologically impaired that my family has to feed me through a tube while I lean toward the sunlight.

I have a friend who was (now retired) a naval aviator and has ridden bikes his whole life, he says "riding a bike and being a pilot is easy. It's just a skill, and an easy one to learn. But it takes a lifetime to get good and know your limitations. It's up to you how long that lifetime is." I would believe it. I learned how to ride at an early age, but it just wasn't for me. No judgment for those who do it and love it (except the a-holes who make it unsafe for others. Those, I do judge).
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Boy, I never thought about crashing and becoming a useless vegetable before. Thanks for that. I'll give it serious thoughts now. Maybe I'll go ahead and quit?
Thank goodness you avoided it. Imagine what could have happened? Thankfully, you were safely diving and humping a rifle and training and doing other safe things for the Navy instead.



Riding was for me since my very earliest memories. My mom claims "motorcycle" was the first word I spoke. I'd yell it out and excitedly point at every one I saw. If I was close enough to the rider, I screamed out "WHEELIE WHEELIE" while angrily twisting my hand.
 
NKD said:
Boy, I never thought about crashing and becoming a useless vegetable before. Thanks for that. I'll give it serious thoughts now. Maybe I'll go ahead and quit?
Thank goodness you avoided it. Imagine what could have happened? Thankfully, you were safely diving and humping a rifle and training and doing other safe things for the Navy instead.



Riding was for me since my very earliest memories. My mom claims "motorcycle" was the first word I spoke. I'd yell it out and excitedly point at every one I saw. If I was close enough to the rider, I screamed out "WHEELIE WHEELIE" while angrily twisting my hand.
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Not sure what I did to elicit that response. Merely pointing out that a lot of people, and for the record not saying you or anyone who is here, believe it to be binary, either live, or die. And that is also assumption with many other things to which risk is ascribed.. diving, rock climbing, whatever. For me I wish it was binary, I'd much rather die than be one of the undead.
 
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I had the discussion with my dad back in the day when I was racing, and Kelly for current track stuff . If I can't do for myself, paralyzed from the neck down, etc, please do whatever you can to end it, as that's no way for me to live.
 
Chuckman said:
Not sure what I did to elicit that response. Merely pointing out that a lot of people, and for the record not saying you or anyone who is here, believe it to be binary, either live, or die. And that is also assumption with many other things to which risk is ascribed.. diving, rock climbing, whatever. For me I wish it was binary, I'd much rather die than be one of the undead.
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Just joking a bit. No offense meant.
People that don't ride always tell you why they don't ride. And it always seems like they feel as if we riders hadn't considered all the horrible possibilities of riding motorcycles.
 
Heard a man say once, "theys two kinds of riders, thems thats been down and them that will go down"

Bottom line, life is all about choices...
 
I used to be a "They are so dangerous, you are crazy" kinda guy. And then I realized that literally everything in this world can get you killed, and one way or the other, eventually will. Now I see then as awesome, would love to ride one day, but just dont have the time/money to get into it.
 
Chuckman said:
Merely pointing out that a lot of people, and for the record not saying you or anyone who is here, believe it to be binary, either live, or die. And that is also assumption with many other things to which risk is ascribed.. diving, rock climbing, whatever. For me I wish it was binary, I'd much rather die than be one of the undead.
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This is a good point.

My wife, for want of a better description, is what I call "anti-authoritarian". She does not like to be told what she can OR cannot do. (Apparently, there's a psychological term for this which my youngest daughter told me but darned if I can remember it.)

Her wearing a seat belt used to be a &%$&*^*(^& hill she would go to war over. Kids have to be in car seats...check. Hubby wears a seatbelt all the time...check.

But tell HER she's got to put her seatbelt on and the full fury of the redhead would come out! Driving on base or into base housing was painful with her.

I couldn't stand in the frickin' doorway and watch a thunderstorm "because it's not safe", and certainly wasn't going to ride a motorcycle because they're do dangerous, but f*** all if she would wear her seatbelt.

And her logic? She'd "rather be thrown to safety from the vehicle".


I finally broke her of that one day during one of her tirades about having to put her seatbelt on when she drove into base housing.

"See that telephone pole at the end of the driveway?"

"Yes."

"I want you to tuck your head down and run down the driveway just as fast as you can and slam your head into that pole."

"NO!"

"Why not?"

"Because I'll get hurt!"

"EXACTLY! And you can run MAYBE 6 to 7 mph TOPS! When you're driving a vehicle we're talking about 25, 50, 70 mph or more. You get in an accident, you don't "get thrown to safety". You get thrown INTO THE WINDSHIELD at that speed, AFTER crushing your chest on the steering wheel, and possibly through the windshield and into something very much like that pole. If you keep insisting on not wearing your seatbelt, then AT LEAST HAVE THE COMMON DECENCY TO DIE IN THE ACCIDENT SO I DON'T HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO PULL THE PLUG ON OUR CHILDREN'S MOTHER."

That was the day she stopped with her redheaded anti-authoritarian BS over the seatbelt.


Yes, there is more to "live or die". We can't ever be 100% safe, but we CAN do better by avoiding stupid stuff.
 
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