[Juan Valdez]

I am trying to understand what happened with this brother that went down swerving to avoid a "hose". How can you go down trying to avoid a hose? how big was the hose?
I think it will be great if we can learn more about how people goes down.
I've been riding since I was a teenager-I am 54 now. Went down twice and both times was my fault. There is not a lot I can remember from the first one but I hit a car head on and after some nose plastic surgery and three surgeries on my right knee I was able to walk again (it took me one year to get rid of the cane). BUT, the second time I went down, I can remember very well. I got bruises all over my body but ended up basically in one piece. I was doing 65 miles per hour when an SOB decided to ignore me and cross the road right in front of my path. I panicked and hit the back break and locked the wheel; tried to correct the bike moving my butt to the other side and went down ON TOP of the bike. My head hit the pavement numerous times, so hard that the helmet was cracked. After that frigging accident I started to practice braking all the time. Over the years I learned that two situations probably amount for 90 percent of motorcycle accidents: a) braking b)negotiating curves.
I would like for you guys to share any experience you have that can be of any utility to all of us. I am not talking of "having more lights" or stuff like that. I am talking on what happened to you and what you should have done to avoid the situation.
Like our brother that went down trying to avoid a hose. I would just ride over the hose. I need to know more about that accident.

 

[Juan Valdez]

maybe was a "HORSE" and not a "HOSE"?????

 

[cybrhick]

http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66162

 

[Twodogs]

hose

JD said it was about 4 inch wide large coil stuff kinda like sewer pipeing at 65 t0 70 MPH it might have looked much bigger? Who knows. Maybe its the fault of the person not securing his load.

 

[Cody450]

I was riding down hwy 19/41 a couple of weeks ago and man it was windy, 40mph gusts, shouldn't have been out there but oh well, I was. Saw a box being blown across a gas station parking lot coming right out towards the hwy. At 65 mph+40mph gusts, I'm thinking, this isn't gonna be good. Fortunately I could see that the appx 18" square box was empty and I mean we met dead center of the lane I was in and I flattened it, couldn't do anything else. I was lucky. Needless to say, I don't get out in high winds anymore!

 

[stickyfingers]

I have had a couple of close calls with animals. FORTUNATELY, due to taking an experianced rider course and a street skills course, I did what I was supposed to do. LOOK at where you want to go, and push the bars. It's DANG hard not to fixate on the animal (or pothole, or tire tread, or whatever) but if you can look where you want to go, you will. I see many riders in groups fixated on the bike ahead, or staring down in front of the front fender. Sometimes hard habits to break also, but if you keep your head up, you will often have time to react before it's too late. Beware of riders who will swere to miss ANYTHING, when sometimes it's just better to smack it. Cagers too....will swerve to miss a squirrel, but run into you..........

 

[SOUTHERNRIDER]

close call

On a weekday riding down to the keys I was on Us1 and dont know what kind of birds they were but was big and white. going bout 50mph, see 5 birds flying towards me , i have a semi behind and a cager next to me, kept one hand on throttle other hand waving above head, hit one bird with hand and kicked other bird with left boot, talk bout scary. looked in rear view and semi finishes bird. pulled over and took a 5min break ...

 

[Fiddleman]

wrecks

I had an EX-girlfriend who once wrecked her car trying to avoid a group of small male dogs persuing a female in heat. She drove a big Olds Delta 88 and would have made mince meat out of the dogs. Not the same situation on a bike. Last year, while riding at night, a very larg racoon ran full tilt in my path so fast that I had no time to do anything but just hang on. I hit him square in the side and he pissed all over me but when it was over, I was still upright and heading straight down the road. I went back the next day and he hadn't fared as well. Most times, we have milliseconds in which to make a decision and/or react. It's hard to have the disipline to not overreact to a potentially hazardous situation. BTW, I told the girlfriend it was her fault and not to blame the dogs because I could relate to their "situation." It was one of the last conversations we had. :wink:

 

[stickyfingers]

Some time back I read an article about a study that was done about bike accidents. It seemed then that the contention was that most riders, lacking training and experiance, actually do NOTHING when faced with a panic situation. The majority will fixate on what they are going to hit, and hit it, with no application of brakes or anything. The study also showed that "putting her down" is NOT the best way to survive. Why create another accident to avoid the first one? They also found that a large section of riders did NOT have a motorcycle endorsement on their drivers lic. Learning how hard you can break before tire sliding, or remembering to stay upright and NOT release the sliding rear tire (high side fly) until you are nearly stopped, are all skills you have to hone yourself. If you constantly practice HOW to avoid road hazards, chances are that's the way you will react. I always try to brake with both brakes, front and rear....always. No cheating when I'm a little tired or stiff from riding. The times I have REALLY had to brake, I found that I had used both brakes correctly. (I hope) A rider who can keep in contact with the surrounding situation will have a better chance of survival. The fact that you KNEW there was a car and semi in your space, changed the way your brain crunched the data. You knew you could not brake hard or swerve. Of course, all these decisions are usually done in a millisecond or so. If it's possible, take the experienced rider course in your area. You will learn some great skills, meet some new folks, and find out all the little nasty habits you have picked up. The hardest one for me to overcome, and I STILL have to work at it, was using my WHOLE hand on the front brakes, and not just a few fingers. I've noticed that when I get tired, like after a full day of riding, I tend to get "lazy" and not stay alert as I should. This is when the REAL danger sets in I believe..........BTW...some areas will allow a "group" to take the riders course if you make prior arrangements. It's a hoot to go with a few friends. Don't worry about being embarrassed, cuz after a very short while, you will find EVERYBODY is in the same boat, whether you have ridden for a short time or for years...............

 

[wayne]

Last July I was doing about 40 mph on a four lane in town, I was in the fast lane, and the car in the right lane was going to turn rt. and all of a sudden in front of me was a car that was pulling out, I skidded 15 ft.
cursing as I was skidding, thru the bike sidways as much as I could,and jumped in the air, bike hit car, I went over the top and hit the pavement,
bruies, and right now I am in a sling for 4 more weeks, because I just had surgery on my shoulder, rotator cuff.
This all hapened right in front of a mc shop, one of the salesman said he heard the tires and looked around, the forks were collapesed, and at the time of impact my feet were up by the seat.
I am 53 Im to old for this shit.

 

[pepsX]

Re: close call

On a weekday riding down to the keys I was on Us1 and dont know what kind of birds they were but was big and white. going bout 50mph, see 5 birds flying towards me , i have a semi behind and a cager next to me, kept one hand on throttle other hand waving above head, hit one bird with hand and kicked other bird with left boot, talk bout scary. looked in rear view and semi finishes bird. pulled over and took a 5min break ...

so let me get this straight, you flipped the semi the bird?

 

[Clayton Root]

Re: hose

JD said it was about 4 inch wide large coil stuff kinda like sewer pipeing at 65 t0 70 MPH it might have looked much bigger? Who knows. Maybe its the fault of the person not securing his load.

Or maybe it's the fault of the rider for following too close to an unsecured load leaving no time to react.

I don't mean to sound cruel but my observation when reading about motorcycle accidents is that we're always looking for someone else to blame. We have to realize that WE are the vulnerable ones and ride like everyone else is out to kill us. Some of them probably are.

Having said all that, I'll probably crash tomorrow when I go riding with my son. Shouldn't have tempted fate.

Ride safe everyone.

 

[RobT]

I have had a couple of close calls with animals. FORTUNATELY, due to taking an experianced rider course and a street skills course, I did what I was supposed to do. LOOK at where you want to go, and push the bars. It's DANG hard not to fixate on the animal (or pothole, or tire tread, or whatever) but if you can look where you want to go, you will. I see many riders in groups fixated on the bike ahead, or staring down in front of the front fender. Sometimes hard habits to break also, but if you keep your head up, you will often have time to react before it's too late. Beware of riders who will swere to miss ANYTHING, when sometimes it's just better to smack it. Cagers too....will swerve to miss a squirrel, but run into you..........

sticky Dude. Man ain't that the truth. Last year I was at the end of a line of cars on the freeway here and up pops a brake drum layin' dead center in the road . I had maybe 2 seconds to act, I just kept my course and that 1300 ran right over the top of that drum( this at 65 mph) and never served or anything. I didn't even stop to check the bike over, just kept on goin'..... it did make a he** of a noise though when it went over the drum.
As Always Peaceful Cruisin'
BLACK POWER

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