[graylyon]

I was heading out for a ride with a buddy this late afternoon. Going around 40 mph on a two lane country highway, when a lady decides to slam on her brakes and pull into a Citgo gas station. Needless to say the two cars in front of me slammed on their brakes (damn near three car pile up and a motorcycle). I hit my front and rear brakes, still not enough time, put her on her side. Took a couple of tumbles, some road rash, and I am okay. The bike is going to need some major body work.

The worst part is that the culprit "lady" of course took off while everyone was checking to see if I was okay. The State Trooper let me off with a warning (probably because I only had the bike for 2 weeks).

Of course my old lady freaked out once I told her, and she wants me to quit riding. I have been riding for years and this is the first time I have had to lay a bike down. Feeling so guilty!!!

I should get some better pics tomorrow when I go down to the yard that my Duc is at. Anyone know of a great body/repair shop located in Northeast Arkansas???

 

[jcasella]

Could have been worse, going to be some $$$ for the parts though. Glad your upright!

 

[g1000sport]

Glad you're ok mate and hope your machine is fixed quickly. I dropped my almost brand new 1000 Bip while stationary breaking my left hand in 3 places and have been out of the saddle for 9 weeks now. Amazingly there was no damage to the bike at all (hand took all the weight!)...first bone(s) I've broken in 45 years! Spend my weekends staring at a pristine SC that's ready to go and I still can't pull the clutch in yet....(hope thay cheered you up somewhat )

BTW, who would NOT wear a helmet!!!....saved you from a lot of pain there I reckon.

Cheers

g.

 

[poolagent]

I feel sorry for you… lucky you went with a full face helmet!

Maybe this helps you… i don't know the prices but if a new cowl is around 450$, this seems to be cheap

http://cgi.ebay.de/DUCATI-SEITENVER...88291&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262#ht_500wt_956

 

[Stressfest]

As above man, glad you're ok... 'within reason' and ye gods you're lucky you wear a full face helmet! Hope you're back up and running quickly

 

[Tag]

I can empathize man, I have been off my newly acquired S1000 for a whole month now, since laying her down 4 days after purchasing...

Hope you get it up and running ASAP, I'm still a couple weeks from blast off and I'm starting to get stir-crazy!

BUT, look on the bright side: it's an opportunity to upgrade a few things here and there!

 

[Desmo_Demon]

Glad to hear you aren't any worse off than you are. Hopefully, you'll have a speedy and thorough recovery and the bike will be repaired or replaced without much trouble.

Had to lay her down[/img]
So are you saying that you made a conscious decision to lay the bike down?

 

[graylyon]

Glad you're ok mate and hope your machine is fixed quickly. I dropped my almost brand new 1000 Bip while stationary breaking my left hand in 3 places and have been out of the saddle for 9 weeks now. Amazingly there was no damage to the bike at all (hand took all the weight!)...first bone(s) I've broken in 45 years! Spend my weekends staring at a pristine SC that's ready to go and I still can't pull the clutch in yet....(hope thay cheered you up somewhat )

BTW, who would NOT wear a helmet!!!....saved you from a lot of pain there I reckon.

Cheers

g.

Amazingly, there are some states out here in the US, that do not have helmet laws (Arkansas being one of them). I wish you the best and a speedy recovery. Thanks for the response.

 

[graylyon]

I can empathize man, I have been off my newly acquired S1000 for a whole month now, since laying her down 4 days after purchasing...

Hope you get it up and running ASAP, I'm still a couple weeks from blast off and I'm starting to get stir-crazy!

BUT, look on the bright side: it's an opportunity to upgrade a few things here and there!

Thanks brother. I could barely sleep last night! All I could think about was the fact that I have been riding in Los Angeles for years and had an accident like this out in the middle of the country with a town population of 2k people or so. I wish you the best too.

 

[graylyon]

Glad to hear you aren't any worse off than you are. Hopefully, you'll have a speedy and thorough recovery and the bike will be repaired or replaced without much trouble.

Had to lay her down[/img]
So are you saying that you made a conscious decision to lay the bike down?

Thank you for the kind words. After replaying it a few 100 times while sleeping, I figure I had two options: (1) braking and then laying her down to get away or (2) braking, keeping her upright and gambling on the stopping distance in front of me. Since it was two lane hwy, I could not swerve left as there were cars coming in the opposite direction, to the right and I would have went down a really steep embankment. To be honest only having the bike for two weeks, I never took her out in an empty parking to test my braking distance.

There was a very slight downhill grade, and considering when I bailed the bike slid underneath the truck in front of me (no damage to the truck of course, but it did bust my headlight and nose), I figure I made the best decision I could, during that split second you have to decide.

 

[graylyon]

I will keep you all posted on the total amount of damage and the costs $$$. I will be heading down to the yard to take more pics today.

Ride safe!!!

 

[Blacked Out]

I never cared for Citgo gas. Now I know why.

 

[Tag]

Thanks brother. I could barely sleep last night! All I could think about was the fact that I have been riding in Los Angeles for years and had an accident like this out in the middle of the country with a town population of 2k people or so. I wish you the best too.

Ha! I know just what you mean...

I bought my S1000 and spent 4 days riding around Seattle's crazy one-way streets on a new and unfamiliar bike, darting around crazy cab drivers and all the other city-cagers without incident, only to lay down the bike on a lousy highway onramp out in the middle of nowhere Oregon on the way home. I guess it always does happen when you least expect it!

Btw, just tell your gal that this minor spill just lowered your statistical chance of being in ANOTHER accident substantially! Women love probability!

 

[graylyon]

Ha! I know just what you mean...

I bought my S1000 and spent 4 days riding around Seattle's crazy one-way streets on a new and unfamiliar bike, darting around crazy cab drivers and all the other city-cagers without incident, only to lay down the bike on a lousy highway onramp out in the middle of nowhere Oregon on the way home. I guess it always does happen when you least expect it!

Btw, just tell your gal that this minor spill just lowered your statistical chance of being in ANOTHER accident substantially! Women love probability!

My gal almost failed statistics in college, but I think she will understand! Thanks.

 

[YellowDuck]

I'm always the one to bring this up...which makes me look like such an ass....

1. So, did you learn your lesson about following too closely? Even more important on a bike than in a car. Whether the lady made an idiot move or not is irrelevant. It's your job to protect yourself from exactly that kid of manouver, and you failed in that, completely. (And from the tone of your post I suspect you agree with that already. Just laying it out there because it has not been explicitly stated by you or anyone else yet).

2. Did you also learn your lesson about practicing threshold braking? I'm actually interested to know more details, in order to estimate if it might actually have been possible for you to stop in time, if you had the panic management skills and braking skills in place. The fact that the bike slid under the truck in front doesn't mean much, because a bike will always stop harder on its tires than it will sliding on its side. Did *you* end up under or past the truck? If you didn't, then you probably had room to stop, because bikes on their tires also stop faster than sliding people.

I know I sound like a sanctimonious prick, so at least let me point out that I am *not* saying I would necessarily have done better than you did. Just making the point that this was avoidable, if you had left yourself more room for safety, and/or had even better training and skills than what you currently have. Don't miss the chance to learn from it. It wasn't bad luck.

Also, you mentioned that this happened on a downhill grade. Good reminder to all of us that emergency braking on a downhill is actually somewhat of a different skill from emergency braking on a flat. We should all practice it specifically, from whatever speed is our normal maximum. I have actually personally crashed once trying to brake hard on a downhill curve to avoid a concrete truck parked clear across the road. Made a total hash of it, got the rear wheel hopping all over the place, went off the road and lowsided in the gravel. The bike and I stopped....wait for it....a good 10 feet short of the truck.

Cause of crash? Lack of skill. Period.

 

[BrianG]

I have always wondered about the "had to lay her down" thing as well. I have the feeling that modern brakes linked to modern tire rubber will slow down much faster than steel and plastic sliding over asphalt, or even faster than my fat butt covered in leather will.

Perhaps old Harleys with single-shoe brakes traveling on dirt roads will stop faster horizontally than upright, but I am not convinced of the more modern scenario.

Can anyone provide me with some enlightenment before I have to make this decision myself??

 

[graylyon]

I'm always the one to bring this up...which makes me look like such an ass....

1. So, did you learn your lesson about following too closely? Even more important on a bike than in a car. Whether the lady made an idiot move or not is irrelevant. It's your job to protect yourself from exactly that kid of manouver, and you failed in that, completely. (And from the tone of your post I suspect you agree with that already. Just laying it out there because it has not been explicitly stated by you or anyone else yet).

Yes I learned my lesson. I think most posters have not stated the obvious because they actually read my thread title (specifically..."please cheer me up"). In creating this thread I was looking for fellow riders who may have shared an experience close to the one that I experienced yesterday. Kind of a way to take the sting out of wound. I trashed a $10 to $11k bike (that I had for 2 weeks), I was on it, I take responsibility. I do feel emotionally entitled to being frustrated with any person who jeopardizes the lives of others in order to make a last minute turn to pick up a carton on ciggs or whatever.

2. Did you also learn your lesson about practicing threshold braking? I'm actually interested to know more details, in order to estimate if it might actually have been possible for you to stop in time, if you had the panic management skills and braking skills in place. The fact that the bike slid under the truck in front doesn't mean much, because a bike will always stop harder on its tires than it will sliding on its side. Did *you* end up under or past the truck? If you didn't, then you probably had room to stop, because bikes on their tires also stop faster than sliding people.

I rolled into the on coming traffic, so I did not slide straight, more tumbled. By the time I was able to gain my balance, the truck had pulled forward and off to the right, as I was more concerned about getting up then being ran over. So I honestly could not tell you if I had tumbled straight if I would have been underneath the truck. Frankly, I am not interested in thinking about what if this would have happened.

I know I sound like a sanctimonious prick, so at least let me point out that I am *not* saying I would necessarily have done better than you did. Just making the point that this was avoidable, if you had left yourself more room for safety, and/or had even better training and skills than what you currently have. Don't miss the chance to learn from it. It wasn't bad luck.

Also, you mentioned that this happened on a downhill grade. Good reminder to all of us that emergency braking on a downhill is actually somewhat of a different skill from emergency braking on a flat. We should all practice it specifically, from whatever speed is our normal maximum. I have actually personally crashed once trying to brake hard on a downhill curve to avoid a concrete truck parked clear across the road. Made a total hash of it, got the rear wheel hopping all over the place, went off the road and lowsided in the gravel. The bike and I stopped....wait for it....a good 10 feet short of the truck.

I catch what you are saying. However, I was not asking for advice.

Cause of crash? Lack of skill. Period.

 

[brooksie]

Sorry to hear about it. The only thing worse than laying over a Smart is................ehhhh......hmmm, can't think of it. Glad you're OK. Unless we were inside your helmet when it happened, there is no way to know how we would have reacted any differently. Shit happens so fast when you go that survival instinct kicks in. Looks like you did alright. Try and keep positive about your own input on the incident and get back on the bike ASAP. Remember to list what you need here and your borthers will help you track it down.

 

[Desmo_Demon]

I have always wondered about the "had to lay her down" thing as well. I have the feeling that modern brakes linked to modern tire rubber will slow down much faster than steel and plastic sliding over asphalt, or even faster than my fat butt covered in leather will.

Everytime I hear "I had to lay her down" I think of my physics classes where we discussed sliding friction vs. rolling friction and the labs where we proved that in some situations, an object that is sliding can ACCELERATE before it starts to slow down (if it slows down). I mean, this is why they have anti-locking brake systems on cars. You can still slow down on a downward slope covered with ice with antilock brakes and still have steering control, but locking your brakes can cause you to increase in speed and take away all signs of control......plus, I always figure I'm better off hitting a car and going over it than to slam into a car's bumper and come to a very fast and very damaging stop in a nanosecond.

 

[graylyon]

Sorry to hear about it. The only thing worse than laying over a Smart is................ehhhh......hmmm, can't think of it. Glad you're OK. Unless we were inside your helmet when it happened, there is no way to know how we would have reacted any differently. Shit happens so fast when you go that survival instinct kicks in. Looks like you did alright. Try and keep positive about your own input on the incident and get back on the bike ASAP. Remember to list what you need here and your borthers will help you track it down.

Thanks Brooksie. I know that I am new to the forum and of course the subject is sensitive.