Motorcycle crash captured on dashcam
- Thread starter FLSTC
- Start date
Hate to say it, but 110% rider error. At least he was geared up, he didn't look too badly injured but probably shook up as anyone would be.
One thing I was surprised about when I went for the MSC was that they reinforced that if your rear wheel locked up you should KEEP it locked up and ride out the skid in order to avoid the snap that sometimes occurs when you release & the back end starts to roll again and comes back into line. I see the logic, but that was one thing I struggled with personally - I've locked up my rear wheel on bikes on occasion (dirt as a kid, and yes, street a few times) and it seems to me that getting OFF the brake immediately (the split second you realize it's locked) is preferable to this sort of scenario. He tried to steer out of it (although I suspect lack of experience is the reason that didn't work) but in the end, he wrecked.
One thing I was surprised about when I went for the MSC was that they reinforced that if your rear wheel locked up you should KEEP it locked up and ride out the skid in order to avoid the snap that sometimes occurs when you release & the back end starts to roll again and comes back into line. I see the logic, but that was one thing I struggled with personally - I've locked up my rear wheel on bikes on occasion (dirt as a kid, and yes, street a few times) and it seems to me that getting OFF the brake immediately (the split second you realize it's locked) is preferable to this sort of scenario. He tried to steer out of it (although I suspect lack of experience is the reason that didn't work) but in the end, he wrecked.
Boots
Well-known member
I've noticed this too. Locked my rear in the rain, let go of it immediately and I felt the snap but the bike corrected itself.
If you lock the front you've got less time to react, had a couple close calls where I locked the front and immediately released the brakes. Talking milliseconds here.
Locking the rear on a surface with poor traction (dirt or wet) you can let go of the rear brake and the back end will right itself but not as abruptly as on dry pavement. When you are on a dry road and lock up that is when you should keep it locked and ride it out. It is the dry pavement with good grip that causes the issues. If the rear has slightly fishtailed and you let off the rear brake the tire immediately regains traction and whips back in line with the front tire causing a whipping action (a high side) causing you to lose control or worse get whipped off the bike.
Dude wasn't looking nearly far enough ahead nor at traffic in the other lanes to understand things were slowing down quickly. He hadn't thought about escape routes etc. He realized too late he was going waayy too fast coming up on slow-moving cars and panicked.
Hopefully he wasn't hurt badly. Looked like a nasty initial hit with the asphalt.
Hopefully he wasn't hurt badly. Looked like a nasty initial hit with the asphalt.
That's the part I struggle with. I think any well experienced rider can easily recover from a brief rear wheel skid, so automatically riding any rear wheel skid to a stop from any speed seems like it shouldn't necessarily always be the de facto decision.
I'll admit I've locked up the rear on my VTX1300 - got cut off riding around Christmas last year (typical rolling stop right turn cager, didn't even slow down and comprehend I was there), grabbed a handful of front and a footfull of rear and she locked...however, inside a split second I knew it was locked and released immediately. I got barely any snap at all, got the rear wheel rolling again, and then got back into the brake again.
Had the skid progressed longer than a split second I guess it makes sense to avoid release and risking a possible highside, although you risk doing what this guy did...but I also suspect a more experienced rider could easily have rode that to a stop.
I guess ultimately rider skill and the length of the skid factors greatly into the end decision.
Here's a video that shows that one can skid, release, skid again, and release again...and survive.
[video=youtube;rCdllTyo9C4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCdllTyo9C4[/video]
I think it might have something to do with the type of bike one rides. On a normal bike you're sitting closer the centre of the wheelbase where as on the freakishly oblique style cruisers you're sitting freakishly low and have you legs freakishly jutted forward and a lot of times there's some sort of an oddball handle bar arrangement so you're hanging out like a low flying pendulum. As in the video above. If you're like me and tend toward the sane end of the motorcycling spectrum you ride the forks and front wheel with nary a care what the back is doing. I may be over simplifying.
When you are in a panic situation there is so much going on to worry about your rear wheel locked is the last thing to be concentrating on which is why if it locks just forget about it keep it locked and put your attention on squeezing the front brake and stopping. If you focus on the rear locked instead of the important things like actually stopping you are not focused on the task at hand of just avoiding the crash. In the video it is pretty clear all the rider did was lock the rear and never used any front brake or very little at all. This is why riders this time of year especially new ones need to go to a parking lot and practise emergency stops. It needs to become second nature. How many of you have not done one since their basic rider course???
I accidentally did one last year. Same as the latter video. My fault because I was worried about the car that was driving right beside me, sped up noticed light was yellow red and locked her up, started a skid, let go and braked again. Luckily it all turned out okay. Even with my freakishly low seat height.
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Since then, I always keep in mind what another member posted here: when you need to e brake, think "squeeze".
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Since then, I always keep in mind what another member posted here: when you need to e brake, think "squeeze".
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Roadghost
Well-known member
I'm surprised by how many people are focusing on this rider's reaction and not on what got him into the situation. The cause of this accident: the rider failed to get the big picture. He failed to identify hazards and identify countermeasures resulting in him following too closely. There was a 10' hole in the shoulder he could have used, but didn't anticipate using it. He also didn't anticipate the driver in front locking up - something you should always do in any vehicle.
It's great to have all those track skills when you're in an accident. It's a lot better to have the skills to avoid an accident in the first place.
It's great to have all those track skills when you're in an accident. It's a lot better to have the skills to avoid an accident in the first place.
I do when I first take the bike out for the season. Planning on doing an advanced rider course this year or next.
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I'll practice a bit now and again throughout the season, often out in the country. I'll check my surroundings and mirrors, road condition etc and perform a few hard braking exercises from speed.
I find it helps to deglaze the brake pads too as the brakes always feel better after doing this
It was one of the first things I did after I got the first few hundred K on the odometer to get a basic comfort level with the bike.
