Rider Down - And I'll tell you what happened

C

crashedmybike

Member
I'm a newbie. I bought my bike last year. Have about 8000km under my belt. I was travelling towards an intersection, and a left turning car pulled out in front of me. I never saw it coming, like the car appeared out of mid-air. I got lucky. I grabbed the breaks, the bike went sideways, I slid 25 feet - the street was wet from rain. Car drove off. Helmet saved my head. Road rash chewed my leg & arm, a little banged up, but nothing serious. So, what happened? Honestly, I was getting complacent about riding the bike. I was riding in auto-pilot mode - absolutely no fear. As with most routines in life, as I become comfortable with a new experience, I become desensitized to stimuli around me...

Of course, I could point my finger of blame at the left-turner...

But, I know the truth...

And, this truth came cheap...

I got lucky...

Be careful out there...
 
Sounds like a hand full of front brake locked the front wheel up and caused the crash.
 
Good for you realizing the issue was as much with you as with the possible inattentive cager. The lesson you learned may save your life in the future. Glad it didn't end badly for you and you get the chance to be an even more aware rider. You need to be these days!
 
This is exactly why ABS was a priority for me when I bought my bike earlier this year. If you and the bike sliding in the rain didn't impact the car, your rubber would have stopped you both even sooner. I've kicked in my ABS a couple of times already when I have had to grab the brakes quickly. I wish I could be confident in my abilities under extreme duress, but I fear I would react unconsciously in a situation like this and grab way too much.
 
Glad that you're OK. Bike can be fixed, your health and well-being are way more important. It doesn't have much to do with super-duper sensors, ABS, laser beams, but like OP said - it's the RIDER, everything else is secondary.
 
Great post:) Happy there are some honest people out there that take responsibility and learn from their mistakes. Glad you are ok and we are all always learning, no one is perfect and no one here is superman/superwoman.
 
I am always vigilant in both car and bike ever since I started driving. Probably saved me tons of times. Not being a backseat driver either, but I am vigilant when my girlfriend drives (Especially in my car) and look out for those bad drivers (have yanked on the hand brake to prevent an accident too).

I wonder if anyone was caught by a crazy left turner and decided he wasn't gonna make it anyways, might as well rev it and take out the bastard lol.
 
bboySushi said:
I wonder if anyone was caught by a crazy left turner and decided he wasn't gonna make it anyways, might as well rev it and take out the bastard lol.
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Best to stay on the brakes make it or not.

Full of spelling and grammatical errors because it was sent from tapatalk.
 
Let's be clear..it WAS the left-turner's fault..but maybe you could have done more to protect yourself. At least you're not hurt too badly. Take care.
 
The left-turner instigated.... but this could have been avoided. When I was riding street, I approached every intersection with the caution that someone would turn left in front of me..... hence, why I never rode in the left lane unless passing (like how it's supposed to be done).
 
Glad you're safe. I hope that you have also taken this as a lesson to wear protective gear, if you weren't.
 
With practice and time you'll be able to tell when front wheel locks just by feel, and you just have to be able to get the instinct in you to instantly let off the brake when that does happen.

I'm still not the best at it myself, I'm really quick on recovering from the locked front, but too slow at re-applying brake pressure after the recovery.
 
Hope you recover soon and thank you for the reality check, we all need to be more concious of our habits and the things we take for granted.
 
I absolutely HATE reading this forum. Thank you for the post. This makes the forum and the board all the better. Please take a moment to post in the new riders section as a caution to new riders not to get too comfortable out there! Awesome post, and I wish you the speediest of recoveries.
 
Yeah, I went down due to my own fault as well. Van in front of me slammed breaks on, so I did as well, then he took off then I took off then a few seconds later he did it again, I grabbed too much front break and went down then he took off. I started giving plenty of room when I started riding and I don't know why I didn't this time, I mean I had a ~3 second time, but I just panicked and dumped it and myself. Going to go back to giving lots of room, though I hate when people always come in in front of me (when in car or bike) because I am trying to keep a safe distance.
 
Zaneris said:
With practice and time you'll be able to tell when front wheel locks just by feel, and you just have to be able to get the instinct in you to instantly let off the brake when that does happen.

I'm still not the best at it myself, I'm really quick on recovering from the locked front, but too slow at re-applying brake pressure after the recovery.
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sure then you let off the brake and have to reapply more gradually, meanwhile your bike keeps moving toward the crash. And that assumes you aren't in so much of a panic that you have a death grip on the brakes. I've successfully managed lots of emergency stops, but who knows what I would do with my life on the line. I want ABS on my next bike, but there are too few bikes offering it.
 
Got my bike back on the road this weekend. Safetied, but now looks war-torn. My leg and armed have healed. Scarred but fully functional.

I am lucky!

Thanks to everyone who replied here with words of wisdom, and encouragement.

I drove by the accident location a couple times over the weekend. On the day of the accident, aside from flying around on "auto-pilot", the most important observation I can make about the incident is that I was travelling at a high rate of speed along the far left lane (of a 4 lane street) as I approached the intersection. If I had been in the far right lane (or at least closer to the right side of the street), I would have had a greater FOV coming into the intersection, I would have seen the car from a greater distance, I would have had more options regarding emergency maneuvers, more time to think and calculate, and the left turner also would have had all these same benefits. As it was, on the day, I came in fast on the left lane, and when the left turner peaked to see if they could proceed they ended up right in front of me, no warning, no time, just panic and a fistful of front brake. I didn't think I grabbed the front brake *too* hard as I've made my fair share of emergency stops in the past, and with that same front brake pressure the bike has handled very well, never crashing. On the day of the accident, however, it had been raining, and the road was wet, and there just wasn't time to add that factor into my calculations when it was time to hit the brake. I should have factored that into my speed to begin with - driving slower to begin with because it was wet. Having said that, I did panic, and so it is possible i would have put the bike down on a dry road too.

Again, thanks to everyone. I'm physically fine now. Out of pocket for expenses. Wiser for the experience.

Ego bruised <-- but deservedly so. I'm not immortal, contrary to my own very popular opinion. And it appears a reality-check was in order ;)
 
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