Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in mind.
 

There are several obscure accident scenarios which stay at the forefront of my mind, they have happened to people I know, or a friend of a friend. I'll share them:

1) Checking blind-spot when merging onto a highway. Do it fast! My friend was merging, checked blind-spot, and when he turned to face forward the car in front of him, he found it had slowed right down! He reacted in surprise by slamming his front brakes and went flying over the handlebars, but he was fine, thanks to his guardian angel.

2) Passing on an On-Ramp. My guru friend was actually told at a rest-stop to stop drafting, so, in a fit of manliness he sped up and passed the cager on an On-Ramp, only to find it wasn't a gentle curve, but he was fast-approaching a T-intersection with the highway! He turned fast and tight in, but bounced off the inside curb and went tumbling. He was fine, but extra careful when taking his helmet off, as his head inside the helmet could have been quite damaged.

3) Getting nudged from behind at a stop-light. Friend of a friend was stopped behind a cage, he got hit from behind at a VERY slow speed, but going over the handle-bars, he hit the trunk of the car in front, landing his neck on it. He died.

Hope this helps widen your sense of possible crashes, friends.

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

Yup, 3 easy ways to die or get permanetly injured. Riding is good for the soul but a lot of common sense and skill is involved. Even when you do everything right you can have a mishap and be laid up for quite some time. BurkesBuild was doing everything right until he fought that stupid dog and lost. More proof that even a low speed get off can leave you bent and broken.
Acting manly on a bike can have dire results. I don't ride with those kinds of riders. They are not thinking far enough down the road and thinking "What If ?????"
Thinking of worst case scenarios can make you more aware of what to look for when riding. We can't avoid dealing with other riders, cars and wild life but we can make it safer.
Just yesterday on my nice Sunday ride I made a point of changing to the left lane(inside lane) before passing by a view point. As luck would have it a cager barreled out of the view point into my previous lane position. Another What If just possibly saved me some bloodshed and pain.

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

Wow, that is serious food for thought. I have definitely noticed the blind-spot checking problem, but usually ignore the cars behind me at a stoplight. Thanks for the heads up on these and on safety in general.

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

Recent numbers from the B.C. government. Bikes are 3% of registered vehicles on the road.

Bike riders are 10% of the fatalities on the road.

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

being a newbie I always check the cars behind me on a stop light,specially around here were i live they don't pay attention, but what I don't get is when you leave enough space infront you on a stop then you noticed that the car behind is a little too close so I move forward a bit then the SOB will do the same thing!!I'm like "hey I'm trying to keep my distance from you dumbmy!!"

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

You shouldn't move ahead. You will use up your escape route area and manuverability if needed. Keep your foot on the rear brake in case you get bumped by some one. Do not use the front brake while stopped as that will likely bring you down if bumped.
Most cagers have no idea how frightening a car can be when it is an arm length off your tail light. What I do the odd time at a stop is just roll back and forth 6 inches while waiting for the green. Keep in mind the Vstrom is a lot bigger and they are afraid to move ahead in case I roll back into them.
You can usually tell a rider in a cage because they do not tailgate and leave you some space moving or stopped. It makes for a less stress filled ride.

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

I always try to quarter off the vehicle in front of me and keep my distance. If he driver behind screws up I might get knocked down but I won't be sandwiched between him and the car in front of me.

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

Didn't know this. I always use the front brake (don't remember this coming up in the training courses). :shocked:

Re: Slightly obscure motorcycle crash scenarios to keep in m
 

Your training course is designed to help to pass the test, not survive every bad situation that will happen. Did you read Proficient Motorcycling?? Most training courses are patterned after the author's writings but can't be totally included in 2 or 3 days of training.
Being bumped from behind with the rear brake on will allow the bike to be pushed forward with the rear wheel skidding. If the front brake has been applied and the bars are slightly turned then you are in a position to fall due to the geometry of the front end. David Hough goes into great detail in his writing about front end geometry and how it affects a bike whether in motion or stationary. Read the book. It far exceeds most if not all training courses. I am not knocking your training, you took the training which many riders will never do. The book will expand your knowledge and your training will be re-enforced with wonderful results. You will be a better rider, a safer rider and a happier rider. I took the course after decades of riding and came out with knowledge that I never dreamed existed. Suddenly my top heavy Vstrom with a mind of it's own became very user friendly and much more relaxing to ride. Lynda took the course as a newbie rider and did extremely well. Time for her road test followed by an examiner and guess what he said. Congratulations, you are the best I've tested in years. Yup, training and reading helps more than you will ever know ........so go do it all and you can't help but be a better rider.

Rear brake at red light is a great tip.

I've only been riding for, oh, about 10 minutes or so. But I found the rear brake fairly difficult to find quickly for the position my right leg/foot was in. Will definitely need to work on that!

For some reason, the brake pedal comes set up way out of spec, from the factory.!!!! You'll need to set it so that it's just under your foot, when you're riding comfortably. A lot of riders don't bother resetting it, because they don't realise that it's necessary.

To adjust it, you'll find a bolt under the pedal. Loosen the lock nut and adjust the bolt until the pedal is where you want it, then tighten the lock nut. After you've done this, look under the exhaust side of the bike for the adjuster for the brake light. It's half way along the wire/spring set up. Twist the adjuster to tighten/slacken it until the brake light comes on after ½" or so of pedal movement. You may also need to adjust the screwed connector to the brake operating lever, on the rear brake, so that it operates with the correct amount of pedal movement.

It's a really simple job, and should take you ten minutes or so. :ride: :tup: