So I bought an 01 F4i in June 06, and rode it until late October. In October I was out riding, it was a beautiful day in the afternoon, I was riding on a local road where there are some nice curves and usually light traffic. I pulled up to a light and there was 1 car in front of me, I thought about passing it slowly and pulling up to the light, but for some reason decided not to. As soon as the light turned green the car took off and so did I, we sped up to about 40mph then all of a sudden the dushbag decides to slam on his brakes and brake check me.I was not riding his *** at all, so I slammed on my brakes because he had come to almost a complete dead stop. As soon as I touched my front brake it locked up, so I let go, then grabbed again hoping for traction this time, but still no luck cause the front tire locked up again, so I let go again, and grabbed the brakes again hoping for traction and a stop, but this time it was too late and the bike threw me off (high side). I got right up and as soon as I did the car took off, I went to go grab my bike, while cursing at the stupid assin front of me. When I went to go pick up the bike I had no stength in my right arm and knew that I broke my collar bone. A guy was nice enought to pull over and help me get the bike off the road and I went to the ER. Sure enough broken collar bone and the ER people said it would heal on its own as with most fractured clavicles. I wentfor a follow up visit a week from then and the doc said it needs to be operated on because my shoulder is so shortened, went to a couple other docs to get second and third opinions and all said the same thing. So I had the surgery. Basically what I am trying to get at here is that now my parents are dead set on me getting rid of the bike, and do not want to hear anything I say about it unless it is me selling it. A part of me kinda wants to sell it but at the same time I dont because I got a lot of fun and enjoyment out of it, but is the enjoyment really worth the risk of getting seriously hurt? I know I didnt get seriously hurt and it could have been much much much worse, which is why I am undecided of what to do. What do you guys think? Can I get some opinions from parents as well as everyone else? Thanks guys!

 

I guess it really depends on a person to person basis. Is riding something you like to do or something you Have to do? I have seen people with some pretty nasty injuries get back on the horse because its part of their lives and they couldnt handle not not riding. To alot of people "riding" isnt thought of as picking times to drive around instead its just apart of how they live.

 

Joe, is this your first bike? I'm sorry to hear about your accident but have some questions to ask you. When the car braked what stopped you just passing him? What sort of road surface were you on, it takes something to lock up your front end three times in one incident.
Having said that ( rather disapprovingly, i am a dad after all!) I've been riding 32 years and i still **** it up occasionally. The question is, did you learn anything from it? and was it atypical of your riding behaviour? The tough rub is in the UK it nearly always is the guy who runs in the back of the vehicle in front who gets the blame, "you haveto be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear" which we all know is not always practical.

If you answer yes to both questions get back on it and ride for many safe years to come. If it's no to both then give up while you can.

Lecture over.

 

how much u want for it and how bad is it damaged and where u at?

 

You say you weren't following too closely, but you had to have been. A car can't stop on a dime, even at 40mph and slamming on the brakes. You were following too closely if you felt you had to squeeze the brake lever hard enough to lock it up (which you did THREE times!!).
Sorry to risk sounding condescending here, but I think you should stick with it and just adjust your riding style a bit. That doesn't mean slow down; just means make sure you ALWAYS leave yourself an out, and leave yourself plenty of time to stop the bike safely. good luck

 

Sell it and move out the house then buy another one when u can be responsible enough to realize you were following too close and riding beyond your limits.
Always...ALWAYS ... maintain a safe following distance at all times...ALL THE TIME NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!!
Im really sorry to hear thay you had to learn the hard way but it appears you werent ready for the inherent dangers that are involved with motorcycling and there are many.The leading cause in all accidents is speed and drving too fast for conditions.The next...yep u guessed it..following too close.

SO your parents want u to sell you bike not as punishment but because they care.They want u around for many years to come.So sell it and take some time to reflect or get back on and ride but dont ever get back on that bike and ride scared. Its the worst thing to do..

Your call....but lesson learned Get Well

 

Relax, the kid cant help it that his front brakes locked up. Hell, if had time enough to lock em up 3 times im sure he wasnt folling the car that close. Besides, whats the min safe following distance anyways when it comes to cars really? There is none. Ive had the same thing happen to me but i was fortunate enough to swerve and lane split or cut off somebody else cause my front brake locked up a couple times on me when some blue-haired ******* cut me off or slamed on his brakes cause he missed his turn and wants to just cut over the median to get where he is going. Give the kid a break.

Now, if u wanna sell it, its up to u really. I looped mine ontop of me and it dragged my *** down the street and I said i was gonna sell it just like u. Hell, my parents thanked god i was allright but thanked him even more that i was gonna sell it. Then after bout 12hrs i changed my mind and it took me 2 months to put it back together. Best thing i ever did honestly. But, if u wanna sell it then let me know first lol. Im in need of another bike so i can learn some more stunting cause im not really wanting to streetfighter out my nice minty 1krr lol.

 

3 seconds is safe follwing distance and if any one has ever taken a defensive drivng course or even the MSF they tell u to always maintain a safe following distance and leave an out..

 

There is the whole 2 or 4 second rule, I forget which, but it does sound like you forgot certain procedures or got onto a somewhat slick road. Some roads just get greasy and slick.

I don't think you should sell your bike, just practice, practice, practice.

 

Thanks for all your posts im 25, so I pretty much knew how dangerous motorcycles could be and can be. I know I wasnt following him too closely, because I slammed on the brakes three times. I knew that if I was in my car I would have been able to stop in time without hitting him. The problem I think was that I was shocked at how hard he was braking, so although I may not have needed to brake as hard as I did, it was just like a reaction, and I swearved a little to the left, so that I would not make contact with him if I wasnt able to stop in time, after the whole accident and I got up and pushed my bike to the side of the road I noticed that there was scattered sand. Not a lot to notice while riding or driving, but I guess enough to make a tire lock up if you brake. As for lesson, I defintely learned a lesson, to allow more than enough room because people cant drive. As I said before I got the bike in June of 06 and that is my first motorcycle. I took the MSF course before even getting on the bike, than after passing the course and getting my license I practiced riding around in my development and around local back roads to get the hang of the bike and stopping and manuevering. I thought by October I was pretty comfortable on the bike, but I was never cocky on it. I think that my accident was just that an accident and like all accidents it could have been avoided if I was farther away, or if I had passed the guy at the light. One more thing, I know my parents love me and care about me very much and I know they are not punishing me by having me sell the bike. I guess my main concern is no matter how much I practice, and how good I get at riding, there is always a chance that some ******* is gonna hit me, and I most likely will get seriously hurt, where as in a car, I will just have dents that are fixable. This is my hesitation.