Allan Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Long story short, I was riding with a new friend for the first time. He has a Duke 690 and was going pretty quick because he was familiar with the area. I wasn't very familiar with the area and I was trying to keep up with him (I know I shouldn't have done that and I should have just rode in my comfort zone. Please save me the lecture.) Anyways, I went around a blind turn after coming off of a bridge and I saw a very sharp turn a head of me. I knew I had to slow down so I began to apply the brakes. I quickly learned I didn't have enough time to brake to the point where I could have safely started to steer, so I kept going straight... Right into someones mailbox... But before I hit the mailbox, my bike went on its side because of the stones and it was the front fender which hit the mailbox. The fender cracked right in half. The side plastics on the wheels are shot, the steering column is mis-aligned (I don't think the forks are bent, but I'm bringing it to my shop and they will tell me for sure.) the left radiator guard is destroyed and my shift lever bent down and my left peg broke off. The left tank plastic also has a very small scuff, it really is hardly noticeable though. I got it home and tore everything that was broke, off the bike. I was wearing my riding jeans, riding jacket and gloves that I literally opened from the Revzilla package that morning (They aren't my first pair, I have 2 others, I just bought these new ones because I needed a summer riding pair.) so I got off with only a brush-burned arm and a swollen knee. It could have been sooo much worse than it was for not just me, but my bike too. So far, to buy replacement parts, I'm at $197. That's a pretty cheap lesson relative to what it could have been. I am very thankful I had the outcome I did. It really opened my eyes and it shows you the respect you need. It was only a matter of time before it happened. Live and learn. Needless to say I am out of commission for a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator mjh937 Posted May 29, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted May 29, 2015 Sorry to hear that but glad you are mostly okay and the bike repair costs are not too bad. Hopefully others will learn from your experience. As they say, learn from the mistakes of others as you will not live long enough to make them all yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member grahamfz07 Posted May 29, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 29, 2015 Hey, glad to hear your ok. Thanks for sharing. Ive got a 2 day ride coming up next weekend with a bunch of guys i have never ridden with, so definatley something i will keep in mind To make sure i dont push it past my comfort zone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I am glad you are ok man bike can fixed/replaced you can't man and ty for the story we all get a lil crazy from time to time but only takes a millisecond to bring you crashing back down to earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member tino206 Posted May 29, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 29, 2015 Glad you are okay and it sucks about the bike, hopefully the repairs don't stack up more than expected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qldnat Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 When my uncle taught me to ride dirt bikes he told me "Never ride fast on a trail you're not familiar with." I believe the same thing applies to roads. Glad your reasonably ok mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batscat Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Pics?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member so1102 Posted May 31, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 31, 2015 Pics?? Dude, it's not necessary to ask for pictures of a crash. Not necessary and not cool either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batscat Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Eh what it's human nature to want to see what damage got done to the bike. By no means was it ment to be rude or insensitive. My mind is blown on how you would see it any different. Common sense is lost on most I see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Pics?? I ripped everything off the bike that was broken right when I got home, so I didn't think to take any pics. Sorry. Just mainly the front fender cracked in half, the left radiator guard cracked and bent sideways, and the shift peddle bent, the left side of my handle bar bent back a tad, my steering is slightly off alignment and my left peg broke off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batscat Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Glad you're ok. Nice the frame is not bent. Thank heavens for good protective gear. Blows my mind people don't gear up. And where I live if you ride a Harley Davidson it's a rarity if they even wear helmets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minner Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Very happy to hear you are OK! Thanks for sharing the story. I need stories like this to stay vigilant about checking speed. Recently I had a similar reaction to coming into a corner too fast and wondered what would have happened if I just decisively counter steered, risking a low side. I actually thought a head-on impact with brakes applied would be less of a disaster and luckily avoided any impact. Hindsight is 20/20, would you make the same decision to go straight and brake, or would you turn in, if it were to happen again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmwpowere36m3 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Very happy to hear you are OK! Thanks for sharing the story. I need stories like this to stay vigilant about checking speed. Recently I had a similar reaction to coming into a corner too fast and wondered what would have happened if I just decisively counter steered, risking a low side. I actually thought a head-on impact with brakes applied would be less of a disaster and luckily avoided any impact. Hindsight is 20/20, would you make the same decision to go straight and brake, or would you turn in, if it were to happen again? Usually you have more lean-angle than you think... likely you could have put more counter-steer in and made the corner. However like other aspects of riding/driving, target-fixation is an issue... where you focus on what your "going" to hit and NOT where you "want" to go. That coupled with people's natural reaction to brake in panic situations (typically while going straight into the "object"). Anyway, stuff-happens... glad your okay, bike can be fixed, hopefully lesson-learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fzpolice Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Glad you're ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member phicurious86 Posted June 1, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 1, 2015 Glad you're ok man. It's all too easy to push beyond one's limits when you're riding with somebody with a bit more experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantheraleo Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Very happy to hear you are OK! Thanks for sharing the story. I need stories like this to stay vigilant about checking speed. Recently I had a similar reaction to coming into a corner too fast and wondered what would have happened if I just decisively counter steered, risking a low side. I actually thought a head-on impact with brakes applied would be less of a disaster and luckily avoided any impact. Hindsight is 20/20, would you make the same decision to go straight and brake, or would you turn in, if it were to happen again? I've seen that video. I believe you could have made the turn, but you got out of it fine...so its hard to second guess your decision. I'm always impressed when riders share their 'embarrassing' (not really) failures to share a lesson learned, so kudos to you and the OP in this thread. OP, we all push it. Glad you were not badly injured. My first lesson learned was a low side at 25 mph. My bike was a GS500 and it required no repair other than a mirror and a turn signal since the farings were off. It woke me up to improving my throttle control! Sounds like you learned an important lesson. Stay safe, get better! O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason. Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause...till it come back to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 I learned a lot from this low side. It teaches you respect and I'm happy it happened. I did try steering, but the stones kicked my ass end out from behind me. That was the real problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member howworkclutch Posted June 1, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 1, 2015 Please save me the lecture you've learned. so this lecture is for others: every state-written motorcycle study guide i've ever read says the slowest rider should be at the front. its excellent advice. it is human (men humans. not-so-much women humans) nature to want to keep up with a faster rider. its hard to not get caught up in the pace. if a friend is leading as a pace you aren't comfortable with then its up to you to slow down. and, if necessary, turn around and go find a friend with a brain. i ride with some fast guys but they'll slow the pace for me. they're human beings. your friends should be human beings too. -HowWorkClutch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodyft Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 you've learned. so this lecture is for others: Read more: http://fz07.org/thread/2787/crashed-today?page=1#ixzz3k2w9cAnJ I ask what did he learn? If he learned not to ride with more aggressive riders, then it will be just a matter of time and circumstance that will put him right back into this situation again. The thing is, there are many reasons that cause us to be in a corner where we don't "feel comfortable" at the speed we are at. What to do then is what He needs to learn. Learn it and practice it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobMoore Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 Something I've learned is that it's almost always better to lean into the turn and risk low siding if you exceed the bike's limits than it is to continue going straight into the ditch/opposing lane/curb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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