Crash Poll
 

I keep having friends (riders and non-riders alike) tell me that it's only a matter of time before I crash my bike. They say pretty much everyone lays it down or flat out wrecks their bike sometime. I've been riding for a little over three years now. Am I just testing fate? Is every day riding one day closer to my crash?

How many of you have
1. Crashed
2. Layed it down without crashing into anything.
3. Have been insanely lucky or skilled enough to have done neither?

Can i have some of your luck. Maybe it was just that fact i was younger and then could afford to fix my bike more often.

My hubby's been riding for 20 years with no accidents. We were out one day a couple of years ago and came across a layer of chipseal in a blind, 4 corners turn, he barely made it through but I did not... I think it depends on keeping respect for the bike and growing experience.

No amount of respect, riding skill or luck will save you! If you havn't been down, you're going down, that's the only thing guaranteed about riding bike. Now the severity might differ a bit. Me, last september, the F4 at 65mph vs. whitetail deer at 0mph... all I have to say is is was all bad! 1 Broken collar bone, 1 seperated shoulder, 1 dislocated shoulder, 1 dislocated hip, a whole mess of rash and about 3lbs of deer poop all over me but hey I'm still here, helmets and jackets save lives and (some) skin!

I don't like the phrase laid it down - it implies you meant to do it...


I didn't crash into anything... both of mine have been lowside accidents. The first time I lost the front end coming through a down-hill transition S turn, and the second time I lost the back end under throttle (while on the track)

Yeah, "laid it down" just sounds so whimpy lol.

Laid it down, in no way, can even come close to describing what happened when I wrecked. I never hit anything, except the ground... well, I brushed a guard rail along the way down...

If you want to read more about it check it out here.... https://cbrforum.com/forum/f4i-main-forum-11/wrecked-89384/

Only been riding for a month, no crashes yet. I've crashed about 3 times in my fourwheeler riding career, everytime destroying the quad but coming away unscathed.

I tried to do a stoppie on my second day of riding on the streets back in 1999... It did go as planned, front end wobbles and I went down. I've done it in the dirty a couple times, so I thought it would be the same... Boy was I wrong; luckily I just kind of fell to the side and rolled and the bike just feel over and kept going on it's side for 20 feet or so.

I still have a scar on my elbow and back from it. Since then I have had a couple really close calls with people almost hitting me or running me off the road, but knock on wood, I've been accident free for years.

Yeah, I toyed with using the word "wreck" a bit. I wanted to differentiate between hitting something and not hitting something. Best I came up with was crash and laid down.

This is what I'm talking about! Why does have to come down to fate?

So true. Its not how many years you've been riding but how many miles. If you've only got 3000miles then you haven't ridden very much regardless of timespan.

Not sure, but that is what happened to me this June. Layed it down at 60.

Everyone I talk to says you'll have an accident at least once. I just sold my old kz650 to a friends dad, he wanted to buy it because he wrecked his when he was younger and loved the bike. My dad was also in an accident where a lady pulled out in front of him and then stopped when she saw him. Neither my dad or friends dad have been in an accident since their first ones.

I think it's the same as a car, everybody has an accident, some are fenderbenders while others are worse.


Sorry about the long read :icon_teeth:

Virtually everyone I know has gone down at some point or another. Due to some of the weirdest things ever- one guy dropped his Ducati due to a flip-flop in a parking lot. Some people get lucky/are more skilled/however you want to put it.

If you've been going strong for three years, that's awesome. Don't worry about if you will or not, just realize the odds are pretty high against you and ride carefully/gear up.

Yeah, you are probably right. I've had two accidents in a car. Although....in a car I tend to feel a bit more invincible due to the amount of metal around me. On a bike I'm much more careful and aware of my surroundings.

too many to count on dirt bikes/quads ;)

2 on the street, I laid it down (yes I laid it down) Was dodging a dead possum, then a live possum ran out in front of me and I swerve to miss it. Got into the grass at dusk and let it go. the bike went end over end up a embankment and into a 9' fence. She was totaled. I tumbled along side the road and got purdy rashed n banged up. Only proper gear was a helmet, had jeans, tennis shoes, and a jean jacket (it was cold out). So I can testify JEANS dont work as proper gear!!! And bare hands + pavement = ouch!!!

Second was a lowside on the Dragon. I lmao the whole time I was sliding in my leathers (was fully geared up). Bike slid across the road and stood up against a old sign post. Damage was a broke mirror, brake level, bent rear brake peddle, and bent kick stand. I came out w/o a scratch and road the bike home after a lil rigging on the brake level. frame and barend sliders did their job great!!

My wrecks
 

Well my first time crashed I just got my 98 F3 brand new less then 200 miles on her took a corner to wide and got into some sand and high sided it . The 2nd time I crashed I high sided it into the side of my buddies dodge dakota truck bed,when he took up both lanes to make a right turn.That left a nice imprint of me in the fetal position right behind the right rear tire. 3-broken ribs,1-broken shoulder blade,gash on my right knee,collapsed right lung,pulled groin= 3 days in ICU. The 3rd time it was cold out and I had a GP race compound tire on the back and just started the bike and i took off with the choke still on at a high idle. The bike went completely side ways 3 times "fish tailed" and low sided it and all that took place on a street with cars on both sides I got lucky on this one.
Lucky I was younger back then and I bounced better than i do know.

I´ve crashed into trees and fences but never into a car.

1st one was with a little Vespa in the woods, just having fun doing some jumps and the last one of a series I pushed it and flyed right into a fence leaving me with a small steel wire trough my abs

2nd was with a NC30; wheelie over a bump and she just took of under me. A back pack full of tools saved my back from serious rash. I did broke a rib though.

3rd a Gixxer 750 seized in the twisties the day that I picked her up. Coming out of a pretty wide and fast left sweaper she locked the wheel and throwed me into a tree, my buddies said it was superman worthy, I can´t remember squat. I was pretty banged up and in the hospital for 3months with a crushed foot, obliterated knee and femur, hip, jaw well the works. After a year and half of recuperation I´m back in the game
:icon_headbang:

lowsided into a bicyclist in the canyon roads when going to hard into a right hand turn..it was like he saw me coming and he kept going the way he was going and straight into my lowsiding path.

Im not going to answer or vote to the question above. Don't want to jinx anything..

lol...falling hurts i got some gnarley road rash on my arm...wear gear please

Just had my first fall today in Malibu Canyon...I didn't crash into anything so is that 1 or 2? Bike slide in the dirt. Thank God I had frame sliders. Bike's a bit scratched on the left sadly...

The 2nd day I had my bike and the 2nd day I ever rode a 600 i came in too hot on a turn and stood the bike up halfway into it ran off into the grass. Layed it over in the grass and hit a sign post. Result was cracks and scratches on the bike and a bruised leg.

2 years ago a ford f 150 came out of a side street stopped taking up left lane .. I slowed down until he stopped then I THOUGHT he saw me .... NOPE bang hit me in the rear .broke leg = life lession... I could of avoided the accident if I would of just stopped but I was looking right at him and I thought he was looking at me but he says he never saw me ... I promised myself that the next bike I get ... the first thing I am getting is exhaust ... and I did just that ... rode the bike home 75 miles ..parked it ... until I bought a erion racing exhaust and frame sliders .... spend the money and get a good loud exhaust ... so at least if they dont see you they will hear you also .... if you think there going to do it .... they prob. will this accident happend when I was riding for about 4 years accident free ... So I believe if you havent been down ... well you know the rest ..

I'll date myself here, but in 35 years of riding, I've been down five times. Two at the track, three on the street. Three lowsides, two high sides. No serious injuries, but I was always wearing gear. Two were with my wife aboard.

All of these were my fault, although two involved gravel and oil on the road.

I know riders with years of experience who have never been down. I think that's possible, but I think it's more likely that there are those of us who have and those of us who will. I think it has less to do with pure skill, but a combination of skill and luck.

--Paul

It's not fate it's statistics. Did you know someone that commutes to downtown Houston from around where I live 5 days a week on a bike has a statistical life expectancy of 4 years? You will be hit by a mini van or a cell phone teenager or just run off the overpass in 4 years average.

the longer you ride the better chance you have of going down..


It's the same as saying if you own a car your whole life there is a 90% chance you will be in a wreck your fault or not it doesnt matter in your life time.. I havent ever been in a wreck in my car yet but Im not ruleing it out.

To repeat what was posted earlier but I heard it from a MSF instructor

"There are only 2 types of motorcyclist out there. Those that have been down and those that are going down. When the time comes it is better to be protected than "cool" and not protected."

1. First wreck I was riding my buddies '88 GSXR 750 (talk about a beast to handle) back roads in upstate New York about 7 years ago on a two lane serpentine road with no shoulders. I had just started to lean into the left curve and then in one of those "I will never forget this moments" a black '90 model ford taurus came around the corner more than half way into my lane, I can still hear the sound of his tires with a slight squeal, I had a choice the car or the trees. I chose the trees, the were not moving at me as well. End over end and a broken leg later, I found myself landing on back and head (thank God I was wearing a helmut and jacket). The ass never stopped. Speed at time of wreck 35 mph.

2. Post waring sign of 15 mph hairpin curve I was the last of three, again upstate NY, first part of spring right after the snow melts and the &^%#$# salt is still on the road. I saw my buddies tire in front of me wobble felt thr pebbles/salt crap hit me then my rear tire just slipped out from underneath. Classic loosing of traction in a turn, so I rode it out and lowsided. speed at time of wreck 30 mph


Point of the story - you may not be the contributing factor when the time comes. Gear up. Both times my helmut save my noggin, and jackets, gloves and pants saved my skin.

I've set my bike down in the driveway and thats only because my pants caught the passenger bolt. The closests I've come to a crash was a van that cut me off just before an intersection. Luckily I was turning at that intersection and was already preparing to brake. But, I live in Illinois, most of my riding is with a friend on country roads. Granted we dont follow the speed limits on those roads but there's nothing around to really get in our way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MartiniRossy View Post
>> If you havn't been down, you're going down, that's the only thing guaranteed about riding bike.

This is what I'm talking about! Why does have to come down to fate?<<

It isn't fate. It's probability because the risk is so high. But no probability is guaranteed so it's ridiculous to say everyone is going to crash eventually. I ran into an older guy at the mall last month who had retired from riding. He was about 75, maybe. Lifelong Harley rider. Never crashed in hundreds of thousands of miles of riding. I know others like him, but not very many.

I have been riding for 35 years and many thousands of miles. I have crashed six times, all single bike accidents. Two were at the track. One was a street highside. Two were two up with my wife. All but one were entirely avoidable.

So no matter how skilled or careful I've been, the unavoidable one confirmed the probability. For the record, it was at night in a busy street intersection. There had been an accident that left coolant on the road, which the road crews had tossed a little sand on. It was at the point of the turn just as the lean started. Unfortunately, the mess was right on top on a wide paint stripe and was insanely slippery. Only way to avoid it would not to be there.

--Paul

15 years of riding and thousands of miles and haven't gone down yet. Don't plan to any time soon either. (** knocking on wood **)

I'm not God's gift to riding by any means, but I think it's foolish to say that everyone who rides will eventually go down. It's just not true. Sure the more you ride, the greater the chance of something bad happening, but it's no different than driving your car or crossing the street. I'll admit that riding a motorcycle is a combination of skill (avoiding stupid mistakes), risk management (knowing your own personal limits and staying within them), and yes ...luck (trusting others to see and avoid you). The third one is only one you don't have complete control over and you can do things to improve your luck like riding with your high beam on during the day, using the entire lane intelligently to maximize visibility, etc.

I'm not saying I'll never go down. There's just too many variables and it could happen the very next time I ride. But if fate says that everyone goes down eventually, why would we continue to ride?

I guess "laid it down" for me means dropping it. Haha

1) Forgot to put the kickstand down, it was very early
2) Was very very slowly trying to turn, it started tipping and I slowly let it to the ground

Dropped her twice in 10 mins just to prove I was a n00b. But truly lowsided on some trolley tracks one morning. I've given it a lot of thought and the causes were:

1. wet road (definite)
2. trolley track while angling in to park (definite)
3. cold tire (probable)
4. low air pressure (dunno, it's low now a month+ later from sitting and cold weather)

All of the above were completely preventable on my part. Is it inevitable? Probably. Regardless of how you ride, even the most timid rider has increasing chances of an incident. Odds work both ways. It's why eventually someone HAS to win the lottery, why eventually a number combination HAS to come out.

What's unlikely to occur at the start becomes more unlikely NOT to occur as time goes on, given the number of times it has the chance to occur

Odds work both ways. It's why eventually someone HAS to win the lottery, why eventually a number combination HAS to come out.

What's unlikely to occur at the start becomes more unlikely NOT to occur as time goes on, given the number of times it has the chance to occur[/QUOTE]



exactly what i was thinking, although i have never went down, i did get run off the road on the outside edge of a corner, missed a power line pole by mere inches.

there is a big S bend in the road, i was goin about 40 in first corner cause there tends to be loose rock on this corner, and i was paying attention(really i was looking), and then this white car comes flying around the first corner and i thought, "ok, this could get bad", so i get over in the gravel (which is about 6 inches from the HUGE ditch that is beside it), and slow down a lil more, then the guy switches lanes and is on the wrong side of the road coming right at ME!!! so i decided hitting the ditch was better than hitting a car going about 70 or 80, i jumped the ditch got airborne for a second landed and went past this power line pole towards a ****** wire fence of all things! since i was only going about 35 or so when i hit the ditch i got stopped before i hit the fence, but if i would have stuck my arm out when i went by the pole it would have hit me about a 1/4 way up my arm PAST my elbow! so now i don't go home that way anymore from school, i take the long way.

I've had 7 cars in the past 6 years of driving and wrecked them all, one way or another. Not all my fault... I just think it's funny, because I feel safer on my bike...because wrecks in cars HURT with all that metal and glass. I feel like it's a cage, and you're going to just get crushed when you wreck /shrug

But I've only been riding a little bit, so my opinion doesn't matter :)

went down 1 time and it was because of, 1 me being a noob, and 2, gravel. Basically it was a sharp left hand turn from a stop that I didnt turn sharp enought for, broke my mirror and turn signal but that was it.

ive only gone down once.... i took my motorcycle license test on my bike.... (im the only person among my friends whos been able to pass it on a sportbike this size) anyway i had just gotten done doing something in the test and had to turn my bike around for another part.... my foot slipped (i was just pushing the bike) and me and the bike went down... but since it was after i had completed a task the lady said it didnt go against my test... i was stoked... finished the rest without a hitch...

Tossed mine down at the 6 year mark. bad pavement + unloaded front suspension from such = Tankslapper and all kinds of bad. Walked away from it, which was due to a great helmet, boots, heavy jeans, etc. Well that and a whole lot of luck.

Reinforces the necessity of good gear.

I don't think it's an "it's not if, it's when" situation and I don't think it's inevitable. I think people that tell you otherwise are just trying to make themselves feel better about crashing. That's a poor attitude to have. And if they really feel that way, they probably shouldn't ride.

You just keep on keeping on. Yes, it's dangerous, but that's why we love it. Just keep your eyes peeled.

But they say that because it doesn't always have to be your fault. A car could cut you off not seeing you, you could hit a patch of oil, you throttle too much, brake too much... a million situations, which make it pretty close to inevitable that it'll happen eventually.

It's not quite like that. Actually Keith Code explains it better in his 1st Twist of the Wrist book:
If someone stares at that guardrail long enough, don't worry. They're going to hit it. If someone accepts that they're gonna come off their bike at some time, it helps free them from fixating on falling. They can think about more important things, like what to do when they fall (one that never occured to me before reading the book: wait a few seconds before standing up because you might still be moving). They can ride harder, improve faster, concentrate more about hitting the line right. And less about what'll happen if they hit it wrong, holding them back and making them more likely to screw themselves up.

The absolute best riders have gone down. Prolly every single one of them before they took up stunting or racing or anything professionally. I know I'm not better than they are

What do they call it? Constructive destruction? Anyways, you have to fall to learn how to get back up. I've fallen twice in a couple of the most embarassing situations possible and felt like a complete idiot both times, but we live and we learn. Otherwise you can just consider that you will never know where the edge is unless you come up right against it and many of us just tend to "lose our balance" (sorry for the pun) and fall over the edge.

Let's just say it feels like riding has cured my ADD. Oh, and **** fate. Don't tell me about inevitability. You either **** up or you don't.