Really starting to contemplate selling the bike...


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kvc25

New Member
So I've had the bike for a little over a year now. Everything had been peachy up until Sunday night when I had my first close call. Was exiting off the highway when I hit some loose gravel during the turn. I panicked and braked, which caused me to run the turn a little wider. By the time I regained control of the bike, I was too close to the left side curb to finish completing the turn so I hopped the grassy divider and nearly ran straight into the yield sign. For a split second, I really thought I was going to go right over the handlebars. Luckily, there were no cars approaching on the street I was exiting onto. Made it back safe that night, albeit a little shaken up.

Fast forward to an hour ago: I was going over the bridge from Philly to NJ and there's roadwork being done so there are only two lanes which are divided by cement blockades. I was traveling about 30 mph maybe 3 car lengths behind a behind a white van and I didn't see that cars were suddenly coming to a halt in front of the van. When the van put his flashers on, I went to slow down but again hit some gravel in the road. Back tire started skidding and i was going to slam right into the back of the van. Luckily I was able to get up on the right side of it, clipping his brake light with my arm, but I kind of got sandwiched with the van on my left and the cement blockade on my right. Except for a small scratch on my leg, I am unscathed. The van was fine as well, and my bike only got the frame slider worn down a bit.

These occurrences happening so close together is starting to make me reconsider riding. In both cases, I got really lucky as it could have turn out much much worse. I also don't have health insurance, but I guess I should get some if I end up keeping the bike. I really want to continue riding because I love my bike, but what happens when my luck eventually runs out? Stupid gravel...
 

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Brock Kickass

New Member
First of all: Get health insurance! Good health insurance. I would not consider riding if I didn't live in Canada, where we have free healthcare.
After that, decide if you want to keep riding. But don't even look at your bike until you get insured. I like to pretend I'm indestuctable, but ever now and then I humble myself by thinking carefully about how much damage to my body it could cause having even a minor accident. Skidding down the pavement at 45mph is plain scary, and that's not very fast!
 
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dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
you'll have many close calls in riding... gravel sucks period, the only thing you can do is be more aware when there is a chance of gravel, and extend your following distance.

get insurance... it's one of those things you want to have and not ever need to use.

as to riding... take a break from traffic riding. ride on the weekends on some less traveled back roads
 
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Perdurable

Teeker!!!
Elite Member
wow!!!
you only got 7 lives left lil kitty!!!
serious note:
Get H-Insurance and keep riding bro
i almost get hit by cars every day... its part of the riding fun....ok not really but:rolleyes:
 
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Spunky99

New Member
This is all part of riding a motorcycle and it takes a great amount of situational awareness to stay safe. This is a skill that private pilots develop in order to stay alive and it works very well on the street when riding.

Imagine the amount of tasks that a pilot needs to complete in a very short time. Talking to flight control, flying the aircraft, navigation, looking for other aircraft not communicating with flight control. If you get behind on tasks, you start making mistakes and one mistake leads to another until you are totally screwed and end up in a crash or worse...dead. So you have to be at least 3 steps ahead of what you need to do so that you can manage the tasks.

Riding a bike requires you to be at least 2 steps ahead. Driving a car, you can be 3 steps behind. So if it is too much stress to manage being a couple of steps ahead then maybe you should think about reverting to being a cager.
I find that managing the risk by being a couple of steps ahead gets easier over time but you have to concentrate. Cagers can be almost comatose and still drive but a motorcycle rider cannot.

The MSF teaches you that you are the one taking the risk by driving the motorcycle and you need to always have a plan to avoid a crash and you cannot count on a car to move out of the way for you.

From your post I think you need to leave more room for stopping behind cars, watch the traffic ahead better and watch out for areas of the road that are prone to contain gravel and avoid them.

kvc25 said:
So I've had the bike for a little over a year now. Everything had been peachy up until Sunday night when I had my first close call. Was exiting off the highway when I hit some loose gravel during the turn. I panicked and braked, which caused me to run the turn a little wider. By the time I regained control of the bike, I was too close to the left side curb to finish completing the turn so I hopped the grassy divider and nearly ran straight into the yield sign. For a split second, I really thought I was going to go right over the handlebars. Luckily, there were no cars approaching on the street I was exiting onto. Made it back safe that night, albeit a little shaken up.

Fast forward to an hour ago: I was going over the bridge from Philly to NJ and there's roadwork being done so there are only two lanes which are divided by cement blockades. I was traveling about 30 mph maybe 3 car lengths behind a behind a white van and I didn't see that cars were suddenly coming to a halt in front of the van. When the van put his flashers on, I went to slow down but again hit some gravel in the road. Back tire started skidding and i was going to slam right into the back of the van. Luckily I was able to get up on the right side of it, clipping his brake light with my arm, but I kind of got sandwiched with the van on my left and the cement blockade on my right. Except for a small scratch on my leg, I am unscathed. The van was fine as well, and my bike only got the frame slider worn down a bit.

These occurrences happening so close together is starting to make me reconsider riding. In both cases, I got really lucky as it could have turn out much much worse. I also don't have health insurance, but I guess I should get some if I end up keeping the bike. I really want to continue riding because I love my bike, but what happens when my luck eventually runs out? Stupid gravel...
Click to expand...
 
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Skidro

New Member
My first wreck was in 1982, was running 75mph & hit a car in the side.
My second wreck was around 1996, car pulled out in front of me & i had to lay her down. I've lost several friends to motorcycle wrecks.

I ride on average about 12,000 miles a year & have close calls on a weekly basis from cars, animals, wet pavement, gravels, etc, but mostly from idiot cagers.

Riding is in my blood and i can't stop, but riding isn't for everybody. No shame in choosing not to ride, have friends that will never get on a motorcycle in their life, and that's cool with me. It isn't for everybody.
 
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solinary

New Member
I can certainly understand the frustration and trepidation that you are describing. Riding a motorcycle is inherently dangerous from the moment we shift into first until we hit the kill switch in the garage and dismount. As if being in a state of heightened alertness isn't enough, we also must worry about environmental issues ranging from loose gravel to grooved roads with tall walls as they repave. It even seems to me that at times riding can be more work than pleasure, particularly on days like you have described, and cause me to also question why I ride.

All of that though just cannot compare to the awesome riding days which simply outnumber those bad riding days. We all know that there are two types of riders, and I currently am a member of the "those that will have a get off" category. The thing is, in my opinion, you cannot let that dictate if you ride or hang up the helmet. Certainly, for me, that is a reminder if nothing else to ride smart and remain defensively vigilant while on two wheels. It is also a reason to ATGATT other than, for me, common sense; and I get it, even ATGATT is not 100%, but then again neither is a seat belt, but if either improve my chances at coming out of something unscathed I am all for it.

I apologize in advance if you have already done so, but perhaps taking an intermediate MSF course would be something to look into. I have taken that class as well as the advanced, and while neither covered control while in gravel specifically it did offer considerably more emergency maneuvering techniques than I recall covering in the BRC.

We cannot control the world around us, but that is no reason to let it change the activities we love to engage in.
 
linkgt

linkgt

Member
A few things:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760314039/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2/187-2437125-6403504?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=04PCSH1EXR1R085RWHJN&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=0446604844]Amazon.com: Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques (9780760314036): Lee Parks: Books[/ame]

Second, if the back tire is skidding, you may be pressing on the rear tire too much... Our bikes are notorious for having a... sensitive rear brake. My rear tire would skid when I first started learning how to ride because I would press on it too much. Use the front brake a lot more, just rear less. (may also want to get front steel brake lines, better braking)

Third, you may consider buying better tires. Stock tires suck.

There's not much else you can do when you hit gravel/sand... just slow down before u hit that patch, dont pull throttle. Hope this helps.
 
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Perdurable

Teeker!!!
Elite Member
Skidro said:
Riding is in my blood and i can't stop, but riding isn't for everybody. No shame in choosing not to ride, have friends that will never get on a motorcycle in their life, and that's cool with me. It isn't for everybody.
Click to expand...
I wish I could double thank this man!!!
I’m the same way, I LOVE riding even though I have close calls 3/4th of my rides and I also have a few friends who think it’s stupid and boring who won’t even try one..... they don’t know what they are missing imo!!!
:thumbup:
 
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Blue-Sun

Elite Member
With risk comes reward...

There are a lot of rewards that come with riding, for some of us, it is enjoyable, for others it is a sense of freedom, and for others there is the adenaline factor.

Personally, I like the ability to use the HOV lane during commuting, the great gas mileage, the ease of navigating a congested urban environment, finding a place to park is easier and I do like the "adenaline factor" when I twist the throttle. I also realize there are risks involved with my list of rewards.

Only you can decide if your list of rewards outweighs the risk.
 
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kvc25

New Member
Thanks everybody for the advice. I'll look into the IRC as I would love to continue riding. Also, new tires will be coming soon as I agree the stock ones are garbage.
 
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Spunky99

New Member
I have a pair of stock tires I pulled off after 500 miles for sale...Like new...
 
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Perdurable

Teeker!!!
Elite Member
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RooKie

RooKie

New Member
It's all about Risk Mitigation. If the benefits outweigh the risk, then keep on rocking the bike.

I've had many close calls (cars pulling out in front of me, me pulling out in front of speeding cars, slammed my bike on its side in busy intersections :zombie:, fish tailed at high speeds while trying to avoid cars in freeway... etc, etc, etc), and every time something like this happens I just shake it off, try and learn from it, and keep on riding.

I guess it also depends on your situation. I ride not only because I love riding, but because I can't afford a car, haha. For you it may be a different story.

Good luck making up your mind!
 
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Nastybutler

Cynical Member
Elite Member
First off, get some health insurance. I don't wanna have to pay your medical bills.

Secondly, get some better riding gear. If you're at all worried about going down, you should "armor up." Riding boots that cover your shin and calf might have prevented your boo boo. Get some knee/shin guards too. They're not that expensive. Gloves, jacket and helmet are a given.

Thirdly, you should take a defensive driving class. My company puts all its employees through a Smith Driving class. One of the major things they focus on is looking 15 seconds ahead. Also, leaving yourself an out is a main point. You managed to find a small out, but if you had been consiously looking for one before you needed it, you might have either kept more distance from the van, or found a safer alternative path.

It sounds like everything you've gone through was preventable. It's up to you whether you want to invest the time and money to help mitigate the risks inherant in riding a motorcycle.

Or you could be a pussy and sell your bike. :justkidding: Sort of.
 
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Skidro

New Member
A pic from 30 years ago, luckily I hit the guy's front wheel & went across the car when he turned in front of me. My helmet hit the pavement on the other side of the car & I rolled from there. And that was at 75mph.
 

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buzzbomb

Senior Member
Elite Member
Wow. That's some scary stuff. Lots of advice here, too. I've driven everything from two wheels to eighteen. I've been driving something since the mid eighties, often in stupid, but sometimes necessary ways.

My personal experience? I have just as many close calls in my cage as I do on my bike. The close calls in the cage are not as scary, but they're just as numerous. I actually prefer the bike, since I've got more maneuvering options. The downside is that there's so much more that can hurt you. You've got be seriously aware. Personally, I like that.

It really comes down to how badly do you want to ride a sport bike. I know people who ride cruisers who just don't get why I gear up. I could preach safety to them all day long, they're not going to get it.

More importantly, to this thread, they don't understand the shorter wheel base means I'm going to lean more. They just can't understand the fact that I'm riding a sport bike means I ride differently than they do.

Gravel's gonna happen. On a given turn, I'm way more leaned over, because I'm going faster and have a shorter wheel base.

I'm not saying you should get a cruiser. My personal life experience is to overcome a fear and be stronger because of it. But if you're actually considering giving up riding, then I suggest trying a different style bike before you do.

You'll still get all the benefits that riding gives us, and I, personally can't imagine giving that up.
 

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StarZero81

Member
Elite Member
I'm in the same boat as you are. I will post my thoughts and reasoning in a new thread. To stay on topic I will just jump straight to my advice on the matter, independent of what decision I make for myself.

That advice is..... Don't do anything rash. Close calls, accidents, etc. happen. The more severe the incident, the more impulsive you are going to be about giving it up. But think long and hard before you make your move. Give whatever happened enough time to run its course through your mind until you have reached the closest you can be to your "pre-close call" state. THEN analyze the risks versus the rewards of riding. You obviously enjoy riding, but given what's happened and what could happen, is the joy worth it? If so(which it is for many), then keep the bike.

Main reason I post this particular advice is because riding is a pretty expensive hobby/passion, and the riding bug is not to be underestimated(just ask CC or Rook about the HP bug, :D). If you act impulsively and sell it, then you decide a couple months down the road you want to buy another one, your decision to give it up in the first place becomes a pricey one, and it could take time and effort to obtain the "right" bike again. I have personal experience in this matter, so I am taking my own advice as well.
 
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