i crashed.

[JIBTEXHNKA]

i got caught in the rain in downtown tacoma; i knew i had to go down some epic hills to get home and i tried my best to avoid them but didn't think it was really going to be a problem. so i'm going super slow down a hill with a red light at the bottom, braking just barely hard enough to stop before hitting the car in front of me when my back wheel locks up and the next thing i know i'm at a 45 degree angle facing the cars on my left. in a panic i jerked hard to the right trying to straighten out... i don't know if it was even possible at that point but somehow i ended up facing the OTHER direction while sliding practically sideways. how i stayed upright is a mystery. i regained some kind of control and ended up on the sidewalk (there was an extremely conveniently-placed ramp right there so i didn't hit the curb), still sliding, and slid right into a similiarly conveniently-placed pile of dirt. i lifted the bike off my leg and jumped up to survey the damage - there was none, to me or the bike. quite a bit to my ego, but that's easily repaired. i picked the bike up, wiped the bark/dirt/mud off of the important parts, fixed my right mirror, and rode off into the sunset (after i stopped shaking uncontrollably, that is).

if that wasn't a miracle, i don't know what is.



on the way home, an old black guy pulled up next to me at a red light in his cadillac and looked over and said "heeeey, how'd you get all that dirt up on your bike? that's just the oddest thing!" i said i didn't want to talk about it.

[Sarris]

Yo dude, glad you and your bike OK, but I bet you "crapped your pants" eh?? Sometimes good luck and good conditions out weigh superior skills! It does take a little while to overcome the shakes though. Just really glad all is OK. Another very valuable life lesson.

:oops:

[LilNinja77]

Not sure specifically about these bikes, but I'd say the lesson here is to use less rear brake.........especially in the rain. Glad you made it out safely and with no damage done to either of you.
Ride safe

[Magnar Infectus]

Wow. Glad you made it out ok.

I'm also glad we Floridians don't have these "hills" you speak of. They sound dangerous

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by JIBTEXHNKA

so i'm going super slow down a hill with a red light at the bottom, braking just barely hard enough to stop before hitting the car in front of me when my back wheel locks up and the next thing i know i'm at a 45 degree angle facing the cars on my left.

Glad you and the bike are OK.

With that said, this is probably a good thing.

What did you learn from that experience?
(Hopefully a different perspective on how fast is TOO fast on a rain slicked road?)

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by LilNinja77

but I'd say the lesson here is to use less rear brake.........especially in the rain.

Maybe. Any time you fish-tail the bike from one side to the other and then run up on the curb..........you were going too fast.
An asphalt road surface can be slick as ICE under some conditions when it rains. Sounds like he found one of those times.

[Comike14]

Miraculous, yes. I'm glad there was no damage to you or the bike. You most importantly.

Make sure you walk away with something learned that you won't repeat.

[music man]

Hey JIBTEXHNKA glad to hear that you and your GZ made it out unscathed for the most part, are you sure you weren't text messenging someone and just left that part out. LOL! No seriously glad to hear you are alright.



Later

[alanmcorcoran]

...you unconsciously applied superior bike handling skills to avoid a collision. Maybe. In any event, have a beer, or whatever your preferred libation, and toast your good fortune. You got away with one and there's nothing wrong with that.

The whole wetness, slippery thing is a strange beast. Sometimes you can go 80% regular speed with really decent traction. Other times, you can't corner at ten without the front slipping out. A lot of it is road conditions (in addition to the water.) Dirt, slime, paint, leaves, camber, oil, you name it, all can affect traction. I mostly try to avoid riding in the stuff, but I know that's not practical outside of California.

[5th_bike]

Originally Posted by JIBTEXHNKA

how i stayed upright is a mystery

Adrenalin. Very good for your balance.

Great that you and your bike came out OK.

One question, what part of the lane were you in? In the middle, or in the right or left "car wheel track"? (Not the middle, I hope, that's the slippiest when wet...)