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Proof that the Mullholland guardrail has an appetite for shoes:


 
Did you not see that huge fucking semi on the wrong side of the road? If I had to choose semi or forrest, I'd choose forrest.
does it matter? would having respect for the bike have made him handle the situation any better?

Did he even have any room? maybe he did? Maybe he just target fixated on the trees instead of looking where he wanted to go.
 
does it matter? would having respect for the bike have made him handle the situation any better?

Did he even have any room? maybe he did? Maybe he just target fixated on the trees instead of looking where he wanted to go.
TBH the quality of the vid was too low for me to discern much more than the semi :). Now would respect for a bike cause you to avoid running off into the woods? No...

Not arguing the point, just saying if I had to pick semi or forrest I'd pick forrest :).
 
Those are all situations that we as motorcycle riders need to be aware of on the street, every single one of them scenarios are possible every single second that we are on our bikes, and that is the kind of stuff we need to be prepared for.


Answer me these 2 questions.
What could the guy on the ZX6 have done differently to avoid that crash?
What could the guy that rear ended the noob have done differently to avoid the crash?

If the forest also has a 30 foot drop off the side of a mountain do you still chose forest? Again, decisions that need to be made within milliseconds. They could make a huge difference between ouch and waking up 3 days later not knowing wtf happened.
 
Those are all situations that we as motorcycle riders need to be aware of on the street, every single one of them scenarios are possible every single second that we are on our bikes, and that is the kind of stuff we need to be prepared for.
Yep, I've had a few myself and it was react or be dead. Thankfully I'm still here :).

What could the guy on the ZX6 have done differently to avoid that crash?
Which one is that? I've never been on a ZX6 and I have a terrible time staying familiar with something I don't own/ride/use.

What could the guy that rear ended the noob have done differently to avoid the crash?
To be honest, it just looked like he was riding above his skill level and got in over his head and didn't know what to do.

Would I know what to do in that situation, honestly? Probably not - which is why I wouldn't put myself in that situation intentionally. Now if I did somehow unintentionally end up in that situation - then I should have made sure I was paying attention to what I was doing.

If the forest also has a 30 foot drop off the side of a mountain do you still chose forest? Again, decisions that need to be made within milliseconds. They could make a huge difference between ouch and waking up 3 days later not knowing wtf happened.
Or not waking up at all. To be honest, I'm not sure what I would do exactly without being in the situation. It's nice to be an armchair hero and claim I would be able to save it but without being faced with the situation - it's hard to know.

I suppose if I was going to run that hot on that road - I would only do it if I were intimately familiar with that road. Could he have seen the semi coming up before he got into the turn? Maybe. Could he have gone around the semi if he didn't panic? I don't know :). All of it's speculation and guessing until I'm in the situation - and I hope that my experience at that point will bring me through.
 
Yep, I've had a few myself and it was react or be dead. Thankfully I'm still here :).
That means you are learning, but still have a lot to learn, and you rrealize that. Thats good.

Which one is that? I've never been on a ZX6 and I have a terrible time staying familiar with something I don't own/ride/use.
The green bike with the cop.
To be honest, it just looked like he was riding above his skill level and got in over his head and didn't know what to do.
Look through the corner and lean the bike.

Would I know what to do in that situation, honestly? Probably not - which is why I wouldn't put myself in that situation intentionally. Now if I did somehow unintentionally end up in that situation - then I should have made sure I was paying attention to what I was doing.

Or not waking up at all. To be honest, I'm not sure what I would do exactly without being in the situation. It's nice to be an armchair hero and claim I would be able to save it but without being faced with the situation - it's hard to know.

I suppose if I was going to run that hot on that road - I would only do it if I were intimately familiar with that road. Could he have seen the semi coming up before he got into the turn? Maybe. Could he have gone around the semi if he didn't panic? I don't know :). All of it's speculation and guessing until I'm in the situation - and I hope that my experience at that point will bring me through.
This is where having experience, especially track experience, would make you a better street rider. If you know what the limits of your mind and your bike are, then you know what you can do in any given situation. The guy on the ZX6 could have just taken the ticket, or maybe if he was smooth enough and if his BP was good enough he could have scrubbed off a little speed without dumping the bike. If he would just take it to the track instead of public roads he would never had that problem.

The last guy that ass packed his buddy could have probably just looked where he wanted to go, looked through the corner and leaned over and the bike would have probably made it through that turn with no problem.
 
That means you are learning, but still have a lot to learn, and you rrealize that. Thats good.
Indeed, I don't know everything and it's good to be humble - especially when your life is at stake.

The green bike with the cop.
I wouldn't have hit my brakes or chopped the throttle (not sure which, but one of the two) when I saw the cop and taken the ticket instead of laid it down. It *looks* to me like he applied some front brake and the front tire came out from under the bike but I'm saying that without re-watching it.

Look through the corner and lean the bike.
Indeed, that's something I sorted out last season for the most part... For a week or so I was having issues with onramps/offramps as I found myself drifting higher and higher but I always rode within my skill set until I got more comfortable and learned how to handle the bike. I started on a 94 GSX-R 750 - not an amazing starter bike but definitely better than jumping on the 07 I have now from the get-go.

Leaning the bike is like second nature now, I can't say I actively think about it - I just do it.

This is where having experience, especially track experience, would make you a better street rider. If you know what the limits of your mind and your bike are, then you know what you can do in any given situation.
Indeed - I am actually looking for a track bike right now (i.e. something I won't be too upset about if I lay it down on the track, and to which I can do what I need to do to prep it for a track).

I don't expect to become some superstar racer or anything like that but I do want to get a feel for the limits in a safe environment (relatively speaking).

The guy on the ZX6 could have just taken the ticket
Which is what I would have done, most likely.

or maybe if he was smooth enough and if his BP was good enough he could have scrubbed off a little speed without dumping the bike. If he would just take it to the track instead of public roads he would never had that problem.
"BP"? What is "BP"? Sorry - I am *terrible* with acronyms.

The last guy that ass packed his buddy could have probably just looked where he wanted to go, looked through the corner and leaned over and the bike would have probably made it through that turn with no problem.
Probably - but that goes along with what I said about him riding above his skill level. He didn't seem to know what to do in the situation and wrecked because of it.

Edit: Also, I have to say - I appreciate the questioning/information. I'm always looking to acquire information/technique/advice from those more experienced. Some people tend to get butthurt - but I know it's actually in my best interests.
 
Body Position.

Learn it. Live it. Love it.
Ahhh, ok.

I just wasn't familiar with the acronym. I've mostly used body position when traction was less than I'd like (such as wet) when I needed lean to get around a turn but didn't want to lean too much due to traction. I've leaned my body off to get me through the turn without having to lean the cycle as much.

I can't say that I actively think about it, but I'm 99% sure I do move around as needed. Guess that'll be a good thing to see at the track because either I'll be doing it, or I won't.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up2UvuRLdTE

By far the funniest of any video in his collection. Only because the guy ended up not getting hurt, but I can watch that thing in slow motion for hours and end up in tears every time.
Man...hugging the inside coming up to the turn? Slamming all brakes when it goes pear shaped? :wait


I love this one, look at the way he fucks up the corner before. Looks like hes trying to use bodyweight to steer the bike, judging by the way hes waggling everywhere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hur1MS_Y3E&feature=plcp&
Looks like this guy respects his bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBTGgT_V5F8
Respecting his bike sure saved this guy,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvrcqeIPYOg

from what I don't know.
Proof that the Mullholland guardrail has an appetite for shoes:


Every one of the vids i quoted wouldve happened on a ninja 250 with the same rider... every one was rider error.. white truck after he went by needed to look back through the corner and lean

i believe that it doesnt matter the bike.. its the rider.. I DO believe that if you start on a smaller bike you can become a better rider... but for people to think that this WILL happen if you get a ss bike is just not true..
 
Every one of the vids i quoted wouldve happened on a ninja 250 with the same rider... every one was rider error.. white truck after he went by needed to look back through the corner and lean

i believe that it doesnt matter the bike.. its the rider.. I DO believe that if you start on a smaller bike you can become a better rider... but for people to think that this WILL happen if you get a ss bike is just not true..
The point that everybody is making, I think, is that everybody will face these issues - so why throw the added difficulty of a SS on top of it?

The touchy throttle + braking on top of a situation where new riders are likely to over-react as-is is just a recipe for disaster.

Is this to say the situations wouldn't have happened on a Ninja 250? No... But maybe they would have been able to handle it a *little* better... Hard to know :).

I'm not preaching either way, just calling it as I see it.
 
It's scary how many people get on a motorcycle and do nothing but use the back brake... Most of the harley riders that I know (personally) feel that the front brake is dangerous and that the back brake is the way to go...
While the front brakes on a Harley are far from useless. Unlike a sportbike, the rear brake is quite functional. Reason being, the motors on the two bikes are positioned differently. A motor on a sportbike is positioned more toward the front. While a motor on a cruiser is centered toward it's weight. Riding location, riding position and weight of both bikes plays a big factor on back brakes being effective compared to one another.
 
While the front brakes on a Harley are far from useless. Unlike a sportbike, the rear brake is quite functional. Reason being, the motors on the two bikes are positioned differently. A motor on a sportbike is positioned more toward the front. While a motor on a cruiser is centered toward it's weight. Riding location, position and weight of both bikes plays a big factor on back brakes being effective compared to one another.
I understand the dynamics of the load distribution, center of gravity, and weight transfer. I'm just saying - that most Harley riders I know believe that the front brake is flat-out dangerous. :)

Not arguing the point either way.
 
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