Had a get off on this nice saturday...

[Jared]

I was taking the bike up to NPR to check out a Streetfighter today. I was on my way to my bank to sort funding (just in case)...

I'm taking it very easy down 120 in Marietta, probably about 5 over with over 3 car lengths of space between me and the car in front of me.

I suddenly see smoke and the cars in front of me have *stopped*. Apparently the front car missed his turn :eek:

I hammer my brakes, and the bike instantly locks it's tires, so I'm in a full slide. I literally cannot stop because of this, and I'm quickly approaching the car in front of me, so I just dump the bike and bail out.

bike lowsides on the left, and slides into the car in front of me.

As seen in the first attachment, I left a 35 foot darkie (I couldn't even capture all of it in the frame), then when the bike was down it slid for about 15 more feet.

I was fully geared, but I still broke my thumb because it took the brunt of the impact when I got off the bike.

In the end, I have no idea what I could've done better. I had 3-4 solid seconds of braking, I locked down both brakes... Shit happens.

I got very lucky, could've been much worse.

Pics attached.

[Jared]

The attachment setup on this forum is a joke... Here's a bigger version of the skid mark: http://ridethesnake.org/images/darkie.jpg


6 years and no offs... I'm not really that shaken up by this, but the hindrance of an injury REALLY makes me re-evaluate if I want to ride on the street anymore with traffic!

Thank goodness I have *amazing* health and auto insurance, is all I can really say.

[jkhonea]

Damn, glad it wasn't worse! Any charges on the crash? Any chance of the other car covering your insurance? Or did you get charged with following too closely? (Not saying you were, definitely doesn't sound like it, just know that tends to be a bad catch all.)

[The Lazy Destroyer]

Sorry to hear ...

[Todd]

the attachment set up on this forum is pretty much the same on ALL forums. If you want a larger picture, then host it on an image hosting site and use the IMG tags. You guys have no idea the amount of bandwidth we would eat up if it allowed the huge file size pics youre wanting to upload. Sorry if its an inconvenience for you. I mean, this is how easy it is to use the IMG tags.

http://ridethesnake.org/images/darkie.jpg

As for the crash, doesnt look like there was much more you could have done. Bikes are replaceable, bodies are not. Glad youre ok and that your thumb is the only real injury you sustained.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Glad you're alright, it could always be worse. That thumb looks nasty man. Only you can decide if you'll get back on the street or not. Not having been there, I can't tell you what you did right or wrong, but from reading your post, my thoughts:

1. Don't hammer your brakes. (I'm sure you've thought of this one already haha)
2. 2 rubber tires, on 2 wheels, with 3 calipers and rotors between them, will ALWAYS have more of a slowing effect on your bike than two or three metal points of contact as it goes sliding down the road.

Again, just my thoughts, only you know how appropriate your reactions really were. Good excuse to get that fighter now, no?

[Jared]

Oh yeah, the cop was a VERY good guy. I'm going to call his department and give him a complimentary report. I technically should've had a "failure to stop" (even though I was off the bike when it hit the car) but he said because I was on a bike and got injured, he wouldn't write me - which he NEVER does!

[Jared]

Yeah the pics were huge, and I'm so mellowed out on pain meds I'm literally too lazy to change their size :lol:

[Georgiacbr]

Jarid,

Sorry to read this I decided to stay off the bike today and attend the Auto show in Atlanta which in my opinion was lame due to bmw pulling out from the show. how's the bike repairable? Glad your ok

Eric

[Jared]

It's in rough shape - and ducati oem parts are anything but cheap (a lower left fairing is $400). I'm pretty sure the subframe is tweaked because the pillion seat was popped out even though it didn't touch the ground - and it's a 1-piece load bearing frame, so if that's tweaked, the bike is done for. :(

[Georgiacbr]

It's in rough shape - and ducati oem parts are anything but cheap (a lower left fairing is $400). I'm pretty sure the subframe is tweaked because the pillion seat was popped out even though it didn't touch the ground - and it's a 1-piece load bearing frame, so if that's tweaked, the bike is done for. :(

Well glad your ok sounds like a tuff fall. Bikes can be replaced a human life on the other hand can't. Be safe and good luck on the new Bike.

[Seca]

Glad your thumb is broke and not your neck.

[Chad Dupree]

glad your OK. Heal up quick.

As for anything you could have done. Try and not hammer the brakes hard enough for the tires to lock up, and then maybe try and make a HARD left and go for the Left lane. You might could have missed them.

Just my 2 cents. Also hindsight is 20/20. Really glad it didn't turn out worse.

[SquireSCA]

Damn, that sucks man, I was so bummed for you when you called me this AM. Well, if the frame is tweaked, get it totaled out and put the money towards the Streetfighter. Heal up quick!

[SlimDizzleATL]

Thats rough dude. Reminds me of how I went down, almost the same way. Thank God I didnt break anything (just partial shoulder separation). Heal up quick buddy. Glad nothing else is hurt but your pride.

[Goinfasterthanu]

One thing i could say... You would have stopped much better if you hadent have been in the middle of the road where all the oil is..... Glad your ok if its your first in 6 years your doing a LOT better than most...

[TarzanMan]

I've had to panic stop once or twice... but maybe not as fast or as quickly as you had to. As for what you should have done....? I guess been lighter on the brakes at first to not lock them up. Most stock sportbikes should be fully capable of doing a stoppie.

I have definitely felt the rear wheel come up an inch or so (or at least completely unload the rear suspension) when braking hard. I wasn't there, though.

Even with the next car 3 car lengths away, I try to be cognizant of what all the traffic in front of me is doing.... this is part of the reason I hate riding behind tall trucks or cars with very dark tinted windows. It is very hard to see around them to know what's going on.

In my experience, the best way to avoid sticky situations is to avoid them before they manifest themselves. Sorry about your accident. I would be upset, too.

[wallypiper]

Yeah the pics were huge, and I'm so mellowed out on pain meds I'm literally too lazy to change their size :lol:

If you use a host, like photobucket, they do that for you automatically. You set the size that you want your photos to be in the "more options" link under the upload button. You can also establish an album here at GSB but they are more limited than a photobuck or flickr account in terms of image size, editing capability etc.


One thing i could say... You would have stopped much better if you hadent have been in the middle of the road where all the oil is..... Glad your ok if its your first in 6 years your doing a LOT better than most...

Actually, there's not a lot of oil on the road right now because it's been raining so much. That tends to wash it away. I doubt he would have stopped much better, maybe a little.
The real question, and only Jared knows, is whether or not there was an alternative to trying to stop. Part of riding in traffic is always knowing where you're going to go if you planned path gets blocked. Sometimes, there isn't anywhere to go. But you should always have a plan, if possible, to steer instead of brake. One of the few advantages we have in traffic is how quickly we can change direction and how narrow we are.
Sorry about your get-off Jared. Hope the thumb heals up quick and insurance fixes you up.

[meghan]

So, so sorry to hear about your crash! What a kick in the teeth, since you were on your way to look at a new bike. You understand the dynamics of the crash and you're not an ignorant new rider. You did the best you could, given the circumstances, but I'll put on my MSF hat to give you some feedback/reinforcement on lessons-learned to tuck away for future reference.

1. Situational awareness. Seeing the smoke, cars hitting break lights erratically, etc. just a couple of seconds sooner may have made the difference between an oh-my-stars-I'm-about-to-eat-bumper panic stop and a smooth, controlled swerve to another, unoccupied lane. Sometimes it's not this easy, though, and you may have seen it the very moment it was visible -- in the future, though, I'm sure you'll be even more observant.

2. Stopping isn't always the answer. As above, quick deceleration, a head check, and a flick into the other lane (if possible) would have been a good alternative. MSF teaches swerving as an accident avoidance maneuver, but folks tend to forget about it when faced with a potential collision.

3. Allow weight transfer to occur before really getting on the brakes. In emergency stops, you are still applying smooth, gradual pressure. The "grab" will get you every time, whether it's at 10mph or 50mph. Squeeze the brakes gently until you feel the weight of the motorcycle (and yourself) shift forward, then really get on them. Brakes can take a lot more pressure than we assume, and in car and motorcycle accidents alike, oftentimes people don't use all of the braking power available to them. While they can handle a lot of hand pressure without locking up, the bike MUST HAVE TRACTION to do so. In order to get that traction, you need the weight of the bike mostly up front, giving the front tire more grip.

4. Never, ever, ever "dump a bike" because it's going to hit something. If you'd had traction, in the 10' or 20' between "dumping it" and hitting it, you might have been able to stop. I'd always rather hit something at 10mph than slide into it (or under it!) at 30mph. Your brakes are much better at generating stopping friction than your backside is. Obviously, in your case, you were sliding (no traction, ergo, not stopping) so it was a different matter -- I think I'd have bailed, too. But in the future, so long as there's traction, it ain't over 'til it's over.

One more note on stopping time. There are charts floating around with stopping distances all over the place. We use one in MSF to score a student's ability to stop quickly. According to these charts, a bike traveling 60mph (is covering 88feet/second and) should be able to stop in 134'. Do we see people stop in less-than-standard distance all the time? Yes, we do. The rate of motorcycle deceleration isn't fps (feet/second), it's fpsps (feet/second/second). That means that as you slow, your braking capability increases. Don't be so hasty to assume that you can't stop. I've seen some amazing panic-stops from high speeds, but you have to commit.

Here's a decent article on aggressive braking: http://www.articlesbase.com/motorcycles-articles/best-motorcycle-braking-practices-888254.html
And an article about stopping distance and time: http://www.msgroup.org/forums/mtt/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=219

Long story short, you may have been able to avoid your crash by a) swerving if possible or b) not locking the brakes and executing a good panic stop. Still, if you were worried about being able to stop in time, you must have been terrified about the person behind you not being able to stop in time and making a Jarid sammich out of you!

Sorry again about the incident. Happens to the best of us every now and then.

[SquireSCA]

Great stuff Megan.

And I think that these kinds of situations are why ABS makes sense on streetbikes. Some purists tend to criticize them, but as the technology continues to improve, I think that ABS can really help on the street when these kinds of situations arise. Just as traction control helps with the back end stepping out on a turn, having a good ABS system could make the difference in an accident like this.

We have it on all cars now, and I think that ABS is even more critical on a vehicle with two wheels. When a car slides, it just slides. When a bike slides, most of the time it is sliding out from under you. Big difference.

I know, we don't want the extra 15lbs cutting into our performance, but I think that for the street, the couple extra pounds on your Multistada 1200 or your CBR1000rr might be a worthwhile trade.

[DICKIEDOO]

Sorry to hear. Looks like that street fighter is going to be on order sooner than later.

[Oglaladiver]

Apparently Meghan is channelling me because I was just about to write basically the same thing LOL

[TroyBoy30]

saw the pics on facebook. get better dude

[ga_skyline_rydr]

Sorry to hear about this, glad you are okay though. Let us know the disposition on the bike when you can.

[huskyduck]

Bummer Jared !!

Glad that your ok though.:)

If it doesn't total out, and you need some parts at half price, I have a headlight fairing, complete rt side fairing (glovebox lid and submount) and front fender. All are in excellent condition.

Hope that thumb heals up fast for ya !!

[Teutonics]

Ouch, that sux. Heal up quick.

As has been said, if looking for a "silver lining", the SF may come sooner than you thought.

[Back Marker]

first off, heal up bro...
secondly, that skid mark looks scary... what's the posted speed limit and how fast were you going?
given enough reaction time, your bike should have been able to emergency stop in time.

that must have been a wild ride with both tires locked up.

-a|ex

[Jared]

I was doing a little (~5 mph) above and the 3 or so lengths I had reinforced that, it was my panic reaction of grabbing a big ol' handful of front brake that caused the skid :)

I was in traffic, and am usually aware of cars next to me, but sadly the "oh shit" factor didn't give me a chance to ponder a lane change with how fast everything happened - was just doing my best not to become a rear bumper decoration!

[meghan]

And I think that these kinds of situations are why ABS makes sense on streetbikes. Some purists tend to criticize them, but as the technology continues to improve, I think that ABS can really help on the street when these kinds of situations arise. Just as traction control helps with the back end stepping out on a turn, having a good ABS system could make the difference in an accident like this.

I'd have to learn more about it, but ABS scares me. A little slide is alright, it's a full loss of traction that you want to avoid. I don't know if I want an electronic brain regulating my braking. I'd like to crash on my own power, thank you. :lol:


Apparently Meghan is channelling me because I was just about to write basically the same thing LOL

Awww you always inspire me. :p

[Ga-Bandit]

6 years and no offs... I'm not really that shaken up by this, but the hindrance of an injury REALLY makes me re-evaluate if I want to ride on the street anymore with traffic!

Thank goodness I have *amazing* health and auto insurance, is all I can really say.

Good to hear you're relatively okay. Some peeps complain about ABS but I KNOW first hand that it has saved me in critical situations a few times. You don't know it's there until the tire tries to lock up.

[ramm]

Sorry to hear this Jarid, glad you're alright man.

[Calimus]

Wow man, sucks. Glad you are alright. Heal up quick.

[meghan]

Good to hear you're relatively okay. Some peeps complain about ABS but I KNOW first hand that it has saved me in critical situations a few times. You don't know it's there until the tire tries to lock up.

You mean until YOU try to lock the tire up. :lol:

[KTM Rider]

the attachment set up on this forum is pretty much the same on ALL forums. If you want a larger picture, then host it on an image hosting site and use the IMG tags. You guys have no idea the amount of bandwidth we would eat up if it allowed the huge file size pics youre wanting to upload. Sorry if its an inconvenience for you. I mean, this is how easy it is to use the IMG tags.

My thoughts exactly:up:

[Jared]

http://imgur.com/UXQBS.jpg

[Jared]

Nasty break, even though it's just a stupid little finger. I have surgery Thursday.

[KTM Rider]

ooohhhh.....gross

[BlueLghtning]

I'd have to learn more about it, but ABS scares me. A little slide is alright, it's a full loss of traction that you want to avoid. I don't know if I want an electronic brain regulating my braking. I'd like to crash on my own power, thank you. :lol:


I'm loving the the ABS on Sarah's new BMW F650GS. Man, you can just pound on those brakes and it keeps them from locking up. I think a lot more bikes should have been coming with ABS a long time ago. In true panic situations where most people just aren't comfortable keeping cool head and modulating the brakes to keep them from locking up or dumping themselves, I think ABS would really help a lot of people keep the rubber side down.

[SlowMotion]

I love the ABS on the VFR. I have only had it engage a couple times in the 2 yrs I have had it but in both those instances it may have provided the extra stopping power that I needed.

[wallypiper]

Good job with the photo link!:up:

[Lazarus]

Sorry to hear about your get off.

Not going to go into should have done this or should have done that but personally I always leave an out and granted even though I ride like an ass and do stuff illegally sometimes you have to because its the only way you'll get home in one piece. Last summer I almost rearended a car that suddenly stopped in an intersection. Instead of grabbing brakes hard I slowed down and pulled along side him. Sometime its luck but luck favors the prepared.

[Jared]

Bike's totaled. Forks were badly tweaked ($2700 alone on those), steering stops on front of the frame were bent, on top of lots of messed up bodywork. Did some serious damage to her :(

I'm going in for surgery Thursday on my thumb, turned out to be a really bad break.

Thanks for the well wishes.

[Lazarus]

Dude that sucks. Insurance going to take care of it?

[Jared]

Oh yeah. I have full coverage on everything I own :)

[Lazarus]

Oh yeah. I have full coverage on everything I own :)

Excellent. Same here. So what are you going to do? Get the same bike you had or a new one?

[SlowMotion]

Just buy my VFR as a replacement. It even comes with ABS.:up:

http://www.georgiasportbike.com/showthread.php?395-2003-VFR800A-Interceptor

[ramm]

Just buy my VFR as a replacement. It even comes with ABS.:up:

http://www.georgiasportbike.com/showthread.php?395-2003-VFR800A-Interceptor

:crackup:

[SquireSCA]

Well, the Streetfighter and the new Multistrada can be had with both ABS and traction control. :-)

[TroyBoy30]

ducati should really be paying you!