My point exactly. Well said.

 

ill agree with that. the only thing i would suggest for new riders in that case is practice stopping with cones and have some kind of real obstacle to overcome and get comfy with.. and or go to a track day near you and follow riders and take advice. i take alot of trips to mountain roads here in az and ive never learned more than following someones apex and you will understand your bikes ways but start slow and work your way.

and another tip, not trying to scare from riding. but..... you WILL lay a bike down if you have not already.

my father always told me that ill lay down the first bike i own but it was my second because i got alittle gitty up and started stunting.

 

I've never downed my CBR, but on my scooter's I always chose the option which would cause least damage to my ride.

 

If you are thinking laying the bike down or bailing is an option, then one is most likely riding above your skill level, regardless of how long one has been riding.

A rider should be looking far enough ahead to see "potential" problems. Will you see everything? Maybe not, but should something be about to happen, you have abetter chance of seeing it. The MSF Basic Rider coarse teaches the following: 2, 4, and 12 second distances. 2 second following distance is for "perfect" conditions meaning your are fully rested, bike is in perfect working order, weather is awesome. 4 second immediate path, look 4 seconds ahead for any potential danger such as a car pulling out from a side street or driveway, animals or people about to step into your path of travel, and 12 second anticipated path provides time to prepare for a situation before it becomes immediate. In combination, a rider should be SEEing. SEE is Search, Evaluate, and Execute. Search - scan aggressively for potential hazards and factors. Evaluate - Evaluate potential problems and figure out how to deal with potential hazards. Execute - put your plan into action.

If you have not taken a BRC, I suggest doing so. I have seen riders with many years of experience come away and say they learned something new or recognized a bad habit they had gotten in to. I learn something every time I coach a class.

So, back to the question.......grounding the bike or bailing are not options, they are oh S**t moments when one realizes that they do not have the skill to avoid the situation. Again, sometimes it is not possible to avoid an accident, but the situation can be minimized.

One last bit, a fellow rider coach, who has been riding forever (over 30 years), was involved in an accident. No serious injury was had. However, he saw that the person who hit him was trying to go as soon as the light turned green. He tried to avoid the driver, but the driver jumped the gun (still had the red light) and entered the intersection, hitting my friend. If not for his seeing this potential hazard, his injuries would have been more than scrapes and scuffs.

Sorry for the long post.

 

I agree with looking far enough ahead to see potential problems. But I've been caught in a few tight spots due to people not paying attention.
Luckily i spent several years of my life racing dirtbikes and quads, and played some football. So i also have to agree that in a given circumstance your instinct will take over.
i remember getting stuck beside a truck and trailer that wanted my lane, as he came over i was getting trapped between the trailer and truck bed. For some reason i hammered it and hugged the curb and got clear of him before he came all the way over.
Other people might have freaked out there, but in quad and bike racing there's often times where you would get pinched and have to count on the throttle to get you clear.

But in a case of a car pulling out in front of you use both brakes and downshift and if the gap is closing too fast its your choice.
I would most likely lay the bike down and put it between me and the car, but if the car was headed toward me i would swerve even if the spot i was aiming for was too narrow. And hope between me racking gears down and cussing them the whole time they would year or see me and try to avoid the collision.

 

If my bikes going down, so am I.