Here's an after the fact crash analysis...came into a sharp corner around 25mph, tried to make an effort to lean into it...i actually said out loud 'lean...lean'...but my focus was on the curb and not thru the turn.....so beforeIknew it I was about to hit the curb, butdove off the bike into a grassy area for fear of what would happen when thefront wheel hit the curb at an angle.Was this the right thing to do?

I realize that if I had been looking thru the turn, I probably would've made it...but then again I think what would've happened if I was looking thru the turn and then hit the curb unexpectedly? I hit the ground like I was diving into 3rd base, rolled over and up onto my feet...bike was laying on left side facing back towards the road.

Overall, I'm glad it wasn't any worse...got a nice scraped up arm/elbow, cracked my left side fairing, along w/ the front fairing where themirror attaches,bentthe left handle bar, and broke my shift pedal. Bike is in the shop now...arm is about 90% healed. I'll be on it again as soon as it's fixed...then i'm going to get revenge on the corner!!!

 

Glad to hear that you are ok from the crash just take a easy next time and follow through withyou're turn.

 

I'm gonna assume you are new at this whole riding thing, it sounds like you just got scared and didn't push the handlebar enough and then got a bad case of target fixation. Glad to hear you are OK. Remember, once your tires are warm, you can't outride the bike, it is better than you will ever be, you gotta trust it. The other thing is, ride slower, you are new. Let us know when you are back on it, again, glad you didn't get too torn up.

 

Good post fish! Excellent advice.[sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Welcome equan...can I just say that all your breaking/slowing down should be done well in advance of the turn. You should actually be applying gas just before the corner to even out the weight distribution of the bike. It sounds like you went too hot into the corner. Glad you didn't get hurt badly. You have a ton of time to get comfy in the turns so take them slow. It is way better to think "I could have gone faster" than "OH ****!" See you out there, bro...

 

what kind of corner were u taking? i can take 25s at 70 so im guessing ur new because if u couldnt make a corner at 25 thats the only excuse. like they say pick yourself up and try again and remember, I would rather low side it and slide off the road than jump off always. Low side will slow u down before you hit the embankment or ditch. If you jump off your gonna take it full force.

 

WOW man you can take 70mph at a 25mph turn? You are the man. I would not do it only because not onlywill you get hurt but you may hurt others as well.

 

While 25 mph is slow, that can be too fast for some turns. I think you need to get to a parking lot ASAP. The MSF would help immensly as well. You dont have to tell yourself to lean, it happens pretty naturally as you are going through the turn. Focus on looking through the turn instead of leaning. I'm very new myself, but some research from some magazines state that if you take a turn too fast, dont panic. More then likely you can just turn more and accelerate more and you will be fine. (Because most do not reach the limits of the bike)

Always look at the solution to a problem, never directly at the problem when riding.

 

There is a lot of good advice in this thread. I know my MSF course gave me the 'head turning' habit that has made me into a much better fish.

 

This isn't the only method, but introducing trail braking to someone not confident with survival reactions in a turn, would not be helpful. Keith Code's twist of the wrist I was more for track riding but the 2nd book was directed at street riding too! These books are excellent.

Understand what your SR's (survival reactions) are and when to implement them. They will get you out of the hairiest situations. Read them, burn them into permanent memory for when you take revenge on that corner.

What I like best about the OP is the tact he used when describing his situation and how he was analyzing what to do better. Alot of posters just tell what they did, did wrong, and don't concentrate on the outcome of it. Nice work. Get back on it and do it again with confidence.