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.