How many riders have never been down

[orangeback]

How many riders have never been down?
Did it have much effect?
Slow you down?
Speed you up?
Make you thing ove quiting ?
Change your bike? eg Jappa to harly?
I still believe the saying that there are 2 kinds of riders, those that have been down, and those that will go down eventually. with the people out there that drive without regard to us, it's almost inevitable. Its not if, more when is it my turn.
Ive bean down three times in 20 years , 30km low side in town GSXR1100N, 160-170km high side on ZX9R (hospital job, broke wrist in 6 places both thumbs and fractures spine ), taken out by car once on my Blade , dirt bike spills, ive had many 97 CR500. go figer . fliping it hurts

Ride safe guys

[Madness]

I t-boned an Avenger when I was 16, riding my then mint RG250. Dislocated my Navicular (ankle-bone), it hurt like a bastard, for a looong time. Took me a year to get back on, been on & off bikes ever since. If nothing else, helped me respect pain & led me to be more defensive (sometimes).

Morphine is nasty shit too, really screws with your mind.:doobey:

[gamgee]

been riding for nearly 4 years now, and never crashed, i've always managed to stop, like on tuesday when suv pulls out of intersection without seeing me, would've T boned her if i hadn't been expecting it and slowed down, then breaked hard and gave her a nasty look, i don't use my horn in such situations anymore, as it sounds pathetic

[sprocket]

Funny i have heard from a few friend that ride bikes, that sooner or later you will go down, which in my case makes me nervious to even attempt to learn to ride a bike, but then i see some hoon wip past my on a brand new daytona, and I think to myself, dam that could be me one day :blip:

So i guess its worth it :rockon:

[James Deuce]

I ain't goin' down for no one. It's not ma thang.

[MrMelon]

Ooh I know you've got your price Jim.

[Ixion]

Funny i have heard from a few friend that ride bikes, that sooner or later you will go down, which in my case makes me nervious to even attempt to learn to ride a bike, but then i see some hoon wip past my on a brand new daytona, and I think to myself, dam that could be me one day :blip:

So i guess its worth it :rockon:

Well, later may be 40 years later, so you can have a lot of fun in the meantime

[sprocket]

Well, later may be 40 years later, so you can have a lot of fun in the meantime



lol 40yrs dam ...ill be 65 only thing ill be riding then is a jet powered wheelchair

[Toast]

Been down on the road. Was when I was cruising along being an unattentive moron, as opposed to a hard on the gas, low gear, nut job. So I decided not to keep the gear low and the speed up from then on.

Went down on the track this year. I blame stupidity, and a little bit of poor bike set up (front end bottoming out in the wet, being a factor in me cocking up the downshift). Since then I've been practicing my downshifts a bit :)

Anyone who just slows down by default after an accident is going the wrong way about solving the problem. I've got mates who've done that, and I look at their riding, and it's bloody average...and dangerous to themselves.

[Motu]

Its not if, more when is it my turn.


Negative thinking,keep reinforcing that you are going to crash - and yes,you will crash...which further imprints it upon your brain.You've brainwashed yourself into crashing.

Now,reverse the process - I have.

[James Deuce]

lol 40yrs dam ...ill be 65 only thing ill be riding then is a jet powered wheelchair

65 is middle aged. If you're in a wheelchair at 65 you fucked something up big time. You know, it may be a shock, but you will either be 65 one day or dead.

[u4ea]

Been down on the road. Was when I was cruising along being an unattentive moron, as opposed to a hard on the gas, low gear, nut job. So I decided not to keep the gear low and the speed up from then on.

Went down on the track this year. I blame stupidity, and a little bit of poor bike set up (front end bottoming out in the wet, being a factor in me cocking up the downshift). Since then I've been practicing my downshifts a bit :)

Anyone who just slows down by default after an accident is going the wrong way about solving the problem. I've got mates who've done that, and I look at their riding, and it's bloody average...and dangerous to themselves.
have been down 'broke a post and every bone in my shoulder;ac,am having no choice but to slow down,dammed faken scared myself shitless!!!!!!!aside from having limited mobility in my arm and the possibility of bone extraction looming i will be back in the sadle again,,,,,,,,and i will be going slower than the 209 i was riding at..........not when i crashed thank god..............and am considering a harley cruiser eventually............ going down on a man is easier than hitting solid objects and rolly pollying on the road.................:gob:

[T.W.R]

Had a couple of minor tweedle dee drops walked away laughing types & one major T-bone (impersonate superman incident).
Compounded fracture of left ulna shaft & completely shattered ulna head, had seven seperate ops & 2 sets of metalware (over 10yrs), presently have ROM of 60deg extension & 115 deg contraction and a permanent non-union of ulna head & shaft, next stop fuse in place or wait till technology catches up for an artificial elbow.
Spent 5yrs away from riding but still worked with them etc.
Didn't slow me down any just reinforced 'be aware, be alert' and calculate situations more thoroughly.

There was an article in a magazine years ago that showed statistics that compared the 1st few years of motorcycling to time in the trenches of WW1 and the difference was F/A in injury frequency & severity.

[Buddha#81]

I dont go down, you just end up with hair in ya teeth.

[poorbastard]

Down 3 times.

Car pulled out and hit the side at 40ish. Wrote off bike.

Low speed 30ish hit mud local road. Just cosmetic damage.

Most recent on the tukas on a wet day cant remember what speed, all cosmetic damage.

Always learn something new from each crash. Not to trust any other bugger on the road or the road itself.

[gixermike]

11 years, Never been down on road, couple of times messing about on dirt. I go by the 'assume you're dead till told otherwise' in event of an accident...kind of concentrates the mind on not dying.

I Don't start to think small spills don't matter (I don't include the learner falling over doing u-turns etc in this as an accident..), you can't predict when small ones become big ones (30kmh spill + small, 30kmh spill+cliff / post / oncoming traffic = huge), you shouldn't let yourself accept that crashing is inevitable...I don't think telling learners it's inevitable is a good idea, puts them in the wrong mindset from the off, and it won't change till they have fallen off. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. I've avoided replying to anything about learners and faired bikes (sorry, it's not to put anyone down, thats why I didn't mention it before).

All groups act like this, it's the nature of peer pressure. it can make you do some stupid things, and some good things. If the group says collectively 'your gonna crash, it's no biggy' guess what, they'll expect to crash, and if they expect it they'll do it.(they get to a corner too hot, and think 'oops, here's the crash I've been wating for')....if the group changes to 'you won't be falling off,theres no need to...and thats not acceptable to the group' then peer pressure will work positively to get them to pay more attention and learn. Beleive me....it doesn't slow you down any....we still crack 140MPH (yep that was miles) every sunday morning on the road.

Tell yourself you are not going to crash each time you get on the bike, make it a habit and commit to it......, so when you go into a corner too hot etc, you just crank over and get on with it....not run off the road coz part of your brain that should be steering is actually still telling you your gonna crash.

Attitude is everything:-
'believe you can, believe you can't either way you're right'
Someone famous, can't remember who though!

I got this approach from the American / uk Cave and technical diving groups.

May sound like bollox...but it works a treat.

Mike

[orangeback]

Tell yourself you are not going to crash each time you get on the bike, make it a habit and commit to it......, so when you go into a corner too hot etc, you just crank over and get on with it....not run off the road coz part of your brain that should be steering is actually still telling you your gonna crash.

Attitude is everything:-
'believe you can, believe you can't either way you're right'
Someone famous, can't remember who though!

I got this approach from the American / uk Cave and technical diving groups.

May sound like bollox...but it works a treat.

Mike
Im not try to scare anybody but make people aware that it happens to anybody at any time , you cant control all suituations
"but look at your profile picture (gixermike) " carnage

[orangeback]

I dont go down, you just end up with hair in ya teeth.
you dont get hair in you teeth when your going down on 9 year olds,
Called in in the weekend, but it must have been your boys b-day so kept going.
do recal you having a date with the tarmack in Timaru not so long ago

[T.I.E]

about 20yrs riding for me. started when i was 10 on the back roads and farms. only had 1 serious bin. and thats all i will have.
my thought is if i have an accident, it's my fault. bascially i should have seen it coming.
i know there are idiot drivers out there and can't trust any of them. even when they are pulled over to the side.
i was riding down a loose metal road helmet t shirt jeans and boots, hot day.
came around a left hand corner, and there was the sheep. freaked locked the front of the bike up at about 60kph and gravel rash on my arms like you would not believe. the sore part was the ride home blood dripping everywhere. what a clean up job. and with the wind blowing into my cuts it stung like hell.

[T.I.E]

"but look at your profile picture (gixermike) " carnage

great picture but i see 3 bikes and only 2 riders.

[Squeak the Rat]

You won't get a reply from [most of] the people who have never crashed a bike because they will be afraid of jinxing themselves....

Personally the "every rider will go down" argument is about as relevant to bikes as cars. Most people who I hear say this are either people who have crashed or who ride close to the edge.

I've crashed one but not the other.... [rests hand inside front of trousers]

[Fishy]

You won't get a reply from [most of] the people who have never crashed a bike because they will be afraid of jinxing themselves....

Personally the "every rider will go down" argument is about as relevant to bikes as cars. Most people who I hear say this are either people who have crashed or who ride close to the edge.

I've crashed one but not the other.... [rests hand inside front of trousers]


Off topic I know....but nice signature mate. Blonde and 2 big lumps?

[Squeak the Rat]

Off topic I know....but nice signature mate. Blonde and 2 big lumps?
Ahaaa, wait and see..... (I put the answer up occassionally but it seems to offend some people :))

[beyond]

Had my share off offs, particularly when I was young. Always had a bit of a fetish for riding faster and harder than one should.

My first was overtaking three cars in a 50kmh zone heading into a 100kmh, when I was 18. Doing about 130kmh around the outside, the lead car turned right without indicating, I tried turning with it but whacked it side on. Wrote the bike off, dislocated my foot and bad bruising all over.

Second, trying to take a roundabout at some ridiculous speed to beat a previous record. Nearly broke the record but when nearly around, peg already down but the bars decided to touch down as well. Multiple 360's, cosmetic damage and major riding gear damage.

Third, 140kmh two up, wet Friday night, 50kmh residential area. Still 18 and invincible. Car pulls out, it's ok, going to miss it but hit the unlit trailer it was towing, still doing 140kmh. Wrote off the bike, the trailer and an Austin A40 waiting to pull out. Broke collar bone, two bones in my foot, lacerations needing stitching, brother in hospital for a year while they save his leg.

Fourth, showing off a year later with my sister on the back, at the seaside.
Power up the bike, take a left turn but hit the large culvert bump in the road, go airborne, clear the rocks on the beach, land in the sand next to a couple of old ladies having a picnic. No damage, damage to pride and quick getaway before we get invited for tea and scones by said to white ghosts.

Fifth, recently on the 14. Riding hard, hit patch of sand on a fast corner, safest move was to straighten immediately as the rear was trying to overtake the front. Bleed off a lot of speed under heavy braking, hit the gravel, then grass, go to lay her down but hit a slight bank. Winded, no damage, back on the road.

Sixth, recently on the 14. My own dum fault. Scanning the scenery for a split second at high speed, come over the rise as I get my eyes back on the road, thinking the road goes straight ahad, but was a hard right hander. Brake hard, bleed off heaps off speed, toss her into the corner hard, ride the edge of the seal nearly all the way around, still too hot, into the gravel, long slide into shallow drain, blackberry bushes, grass. Bike goes down hard on my right knee. No pian (yet) Pick her up, quick check, jump on, fire her up, power out of the drain and back onto the road. Slight cosmetic damage only. A & E monday morning. No breaks, but bruised knee joint and arm.

I've had my share, no more thanks.

[Fishy]

I've never come off or broken a single bone.

:killingme :killingme :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: could be a tui add!.

[beyond]

I've never come off or broken a single bone.

:killingme :killingme :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: could be a tui add!.

YEAH, RIGHT!!!!! :)

[Fishy]

YEAH, RIGHT!!!!! :)

Yeah honest.... I was born covered in scars :yes:

[beyond]

Yeah honest.... I was born covered in scars :yes:

That I can believe, but you don't pop into the world with enough steel inside ya, to get the airport alarms screaming. :)

[Fishy]

That I can believe, but you don't pop into the world with enough steel inside ya, to get the airport alarms screaming. :)

Ah bugger, ya got me :doobey:

[terbang]

Ive had a few over the years with the most recent being 2 up (Mrs T) on the bandit and just overcooked it a bit on a RH corner, but not too bad if nothing were to go wrong and then (murphys law) loose metal saw us in the ditch with a few scrapes and in the market for new bars, levers and a tank.
Tend to think that it is a function of our human nature (to experiment and improve) to have at least one off in our lives.

[Finn]

All the time on the dirt bike. As for on the road I don't wish to talk about it.

[GR81]

[touch wood]never been down, never crashed a car, never had a ticket for anything... nothing, never, ever. clean as they come[/touch wood]
ive had some quick cars too and i sure as hell aint a nana!

im so in for it now :(
ill miss you all (at first) lol

[Riff Raff]

Yep I've gone down.







And I've come off my bike a few times!

[oldrider]

You never really go down, things just come "up". Damn it! :shutup: Going down is for elevator drivers. :blip: (or lucky muff divers)

[SARGE]

anyone who has never been down isnt a biker..


asphalt is a great teacher

[Flyingpony]

Had a few close calls on the road and managed to recover from them but have never actually been down the road.
Did have a few prangs during my time on off-road dirt bikes before switching to road riding. Never looked back.

[JWALKER]

been down, i agree with sooner or later, you hit the ground, wether on not its your "exceptional" riding. can be grit on the apex of a corner, getting t-boned, i just dont think you can predict every situation, no matter how good of a rider you are, we still human at the end of the day

1. t-boned around 60km, didnt drop the bike.
2. dropped the bike at 110km/h, coming up too fast behind a car coming out of a corner ( that was a fun lesson to learn about, safety gaps in corners. lol)

[**R1**]

Crashed heaps in the 15 years of riding on the road,
never slowed me down
I didnt buy a hardly
I have never thought of giving up riding, but then showing good judgement isnt one of my strong points...

I have to agree with Orangeback, if you are a serious biker who *rides* a bike it will happen sooner or later..

[Motu]

I think by the sound of these replies we should have a Creative Visualisation Session before every KB ride...you guys have a bad attitude.What do you think Rossi is doing when he squats beside his bike before a race? Mental preparation...he's got the strongest mind of anyone out there,that's why he wins races...that's why he can tell Sete to fall off,and to be obeyed.

[Hitcher]

The Earth sucks. And it's hard. If it sucks hard enough it can break stuff. Like ST1300s. And clavicles.

[T.W.R]

I think by the sound of these replies we should have a Creative Visualisation Session before every KB ride...you guys have a bad attitude.What do you think Rossi is doing when he squats beside his bike before a race? Mental preparation...he's got the strongest mind of anyone out there,that's why he wins races...that's why he can tell Sete to fall off,and to be obeyed.

Denying that there's the possibilty that it may happen is a bad attitude. When, where, how, and why no-one has control over; it just happens no-one goes looking for it or willing it to happen.
Just because you haven't had a prang or minor bin doesn't mean it isn't going to happen, maybe your one of the lucky few that haven't had the misfortune to be clipped yet, but on the law of averages one day it might. trotting around thinking that it never will or 'it isn't going to happen to me' is living in a world of delusion.

As for Rossi, he screws up sometimes too (not often but he does) look at last season when he over cooked the final corner in the 2nd meeting of the season; basically holding on for the ride out of control, bounced off the other rider forcing him off the track and taking the win. if the other bloke hadn't been there to bounce off where'd Rossi have been ? in the dirt & arse up.

[DougB]

lol 40yrs dam ...ill be 65 only thing ill be riding then is a jet powered wheelchair

Old at 65 rubbish --- I am 73 have had bikes for 49 years and ride amost every day in summer and when it is fine in winter (my only consession to age). Purchased my eleventh bike last year. Use an Aermacchi 350 bike for open road and an Suzuki SJ125 scooter in town.

Grow old disgracefully

[petesmeats]

I have had 1 1/2 crashes.
1 crash: 70km lowside (involving manhole and paint that someone put in my line...)
1/4 crash: 3km drop taking off (in own driveway. Damn oil and water... that will teach me to do work on my bike in the driveway. (Or will it???))
1/4 crash: 0km drop on gravel in kaikoura on the way to chch (finished ride to christchurch with no front brakes and damn i had a sore clutch arm)... Thanks to unknown tourists who helped me pick it up.

[Squeak the Rat]

Denying that there's the possibilty that it may happen is a bad attitude.
I don't think Motu was advocating that we should deny the possibility of crashing. And you're right to a point - we definitely should be aware of the possibility.

Having said that, we shouldn't expect to crash. I start every ride expecting to come home in the same upright postion I started. I know that there is a chance I'll crash, but I back myself to ride within my limits, avoid hazards and to have a bit of luck on my side if required. This probably means that I take it a bit easier going into a corner, or look extra hard for the oily bits in the rain.

Maybe it causes me to ride a bit nana-ish at times, but if I left home each day expecting that a crash was inevitable then I'd be crashing a lot more.

Now, I expect to meet the national swedish bisexual-nymphomaniac ladies jelly wrestling team at the pub tonight..... :bleh:

[Fishy]

Now, I expect to meet the national swedish bisexual-nymphomaniac ladies jelly wrestling team at the pub tonight..... :bleh:

Dude count me in!. What time?:banana:

[The Pastor]

I crashed but I didnt fall off, does that going as being down?

[Ixion]

I agree with Mr Motu (as usual - it's a conspiracy).

If you think "Oh , yah , guess I'm gonna crash before long". You will.

Doesn't mean you stick your head in the sand either (like quite a few on this site ). Actually I think that the "crashing is inevitable" is a sort of denial. People don't want to take responsibility for their own safety, so they retreat into a "it's inevitable, we're doomed anyway, nothing can be done about it" response.

I analyse riding and the road to a high degree. Always thinking (well, not always, sometimes I get slack - that'll be the day I crash), "what should I do here if.... "; "one day a USV may come barreling through there , so I'll ... " , "hm . wonder if there might be something bad round that corner" .

And before a ride, or a section of a ride, I spend 90 seconds or so , psyching myself up, getting my head into the groove that NO MATTER what happens I CAN HANDLE IT. THE BASTARDS ARE *NOT* GOING TO GET ME.

If you think they are - they will. If you do the preparation, and TELL YOURSELF that you can handle whatever fate throws at you - you'll be ready for it when it comes.

It doesn't guarantee you won't crash - sometimes the Biker Gods are just in a REAL shitty mood. But it certainly cuts back the odds.

Complacency and doomsaying are the enemies.

[Badcat]

i've been riding 24 years.
down 3 times.
all were painful - and totally avoidable.
biggest problem is the older i get - the longer it takes to recover.
i dress to crash (always full face, boots, armoured jacket, gloves and draggins a minimum), yeah, it's negative - and it's saved my arse.

[The_Dover]

and it's saved my arse.

I'd love to say my leathers saved my arse but I've got a nice purple patch that says otherwise!!

[Motu]

There's an old saying - ''You make your own luck''

[The_Dover]

If that's the case can I borrow some other bastards recipe?

Mine is shite.

[Finn]

I'd love to say my leathers saved my arse but I've got a nice purple patch that says otherwise!!

But that was the spanking I gave you on Sunday bitch.

[onearmedbandit]

Been off on the road 3 times.

1/ Came around a mild corner at about 130km/h, wet road and a herd of cows in the corner. Too fast for the conditions. Never seen cows move so fast, might've had something to do with the GSXR on its side sliding towards them! Age 20yrs

2/ Too fast into a hairpin left hander, footpeg on another GSXR750 dug into the road and low sided me. I stopped in 2 metres, the bike slid uphill for about 23 metres until it got stopped by the cliff face. One very sore ankle. Age about 20yrs.

3/ Too fast (Notice a pattern? I was too young to notice anything other than girls and bikes) into a decreasing radius downhill corner. Back of the bike left the ground and as I dropped it into the corner the rear came around on me. Highsided at about 80ish off the bike, landed on the armco and ripped 5 of the main nerves out of my spine. That one gave me two things. One being a lesson that the road is not a racetrack, too many things to hit. The second thing it gave me was my cool user name. Oh yeah, I had reached the wise old age of 22 when this one happened in 1997.

Did I slow down? Did I buy a Harley? No, I bought a GSXR1000 and moddified it to ride onearmed. Haven't had an accident since. Still ride just as fast, if not a bit faster, but I pick my time and places better.

Reading this might make you think I'm a nutter. No, I'm a motorcyclist. One who is constantly learning and adjusting.

[The_Dover]

But that was the spanking I gave you on Sunday bitch.

You gotta pay for the MV somehow I guess..........

[NC]

This one time, at band camp....

[oldrider]

Old at 65 rubbish --- I am 73 have had bikes for 49 years and ride amost every day in summer and when it is fine in winter (my only consession to age). Purchased my eleventh bike last year. Use an Aermacchi 350 bike for open road and an Suzuki SJ125 scooter in town.

Grow old disgracefully

Great to see you on here Doug, you are the same age as my oldest brother and he's seven years older than me.
I am now just one of the young fellas, thanks to you.
So that I am not thread stealing, my last affair with the hard stuff below was a couple of months ago, "in a flat green grass paddock" with my son and grandson.
That was my third bike bending body bruising off in 52yrs of riding and it fu**ing well hurt and my right leg is still hurting ! Damn it. :yes: John.

[mini_me]

Morphine is nasty shit too, really screws with your mind.:doobey:
:Oi: :Oi:

'morphine' and 'nasty' should never EVER be used in the same sentence!

[Edbear]

Gonna be a bit hard to find anyone who hasn't had an "off"! Mine are pretty tame compared to most on here. Two offs, both below 5 mp/h. Fell off going up my then girlfriend's slippery clay driveway in the wet on the T500 back in '76. Handlebar in the ribs left a bruise. Grabbed the front brake as was taking off from lights in Auck cause a car came around too fast, didn't think he'd stop. Still had both feet down so only dropped the bike breaking the indicator lens. So nothing in the last 31 years... Great to see some "senior" riders on here!:rockon:

[Skyryder]

Never been down. Well not while's I was moving. Droped the Drake with the wife on the back. Thought I show her the 'joys' of biking.

Hit the side of a concrete bridge as a teenager. I supose that could be a 'down,' like a downside:yes:

Skyryder

[Ham]

:woohoo:
I dont go down, you just end up with hair in ya teeth.

You need to buy your Mrs a razor!

-I got rear ended on my CB250 by another CB250... write off

-Some silly mole pulled out in front of me and I wrote off my mint as '87 250 Hurricane (cool bike back then)

-Low sided my AX100 back in the day, doing about 40k

-Countless bails on dirtbikes

If you don't crash your not going hard enough

[Skyryder]

If you don't crash your not going hard enough

Yea right. Try saying that to a 'downed biker' in his wheel chair. One day lady luck is going to close her legs on you ol' son.

Skyryder

[onearmedbandit]

Morphine is nasty shit. Spent over 3yrs of my life on the shit, gave all 35 pills of pain relief etc a day away about 5 yrs ago. Pain is intense, but at least I can think.

[imdying]

Pfft, you gave them up when I started giving you a good price for them :P

[James Deuce]

Ain;t that the truth OAB. Spent a year on pethidine and SSRIs. No one home.

Ham - on the race track I agree that to win you need to be pushing really hard and that has a higher level of risk. If you're racing for fun though and never go over 9/10ths you can have a pretty accident free run, barring getting caught up in OPS (Other People's Shit).

BUt on the road? I'm erring more and more toward Ixion and Motu's attitude about crashing. It isn't inevitable. Incidentally, did you pick a red hammer in the quiz Bugjuice posted Ham?

[onearmedbandit]

Call that a good price. Shit I would've done better flogging them off down Manchester St!

[Deviant Esq]

I'll add myself to the list of guys that haven't had a crash yet. But then, I've only been riding since the beginning of the year. I'm not gonna say "it'll happen one day" for sure, because it might not. Law of averages says there's a damn good chance it will happen one day though, and the amount of close calls I've had already confirms that pretty well.

I'm not a nana and don't really wanna be, but like OAB said, time and place. If the conditions are anything but lovely, you've gotta keep a weather eye out enough just riding at comfortable speeds.

Take care this winter guys.

[Roger Raide]

The AG100 on the farm doesn't count for going down, she was used and abused well outside it's design range, and the falls were countless. My first real roadies were in the armed forces when I started earning enough in the 80's.

XL250, coal truck left a load of coal on the corner entering base, front wheel washout in front of a bunch of fellow recruits, embarassment.

XL500 with a mate on the back, wet intersection into Nelson, deisel dropped on road, slow motion drop with both of us sitting on top sliding down road...watched two cars spin out while picking up bike!!

CB750FA off to the Manfield six hour, back of Hastings, lots of one way bridges, inattention with a car on the bridge we were about to enter, locked the rear, tapped mates bike, both down...only bone ever broken in a bike crash, finger, when I looked up to see my broken bike on the road and smashed my fist on the tarmac!

CB750FA, two weeks after bike fixed from above smash woman did u-turn in front of me in Christchurch, front flip over the back of her car, backpack took the brunt of it in the slide.

Raising a family slowed me down to commuting on little Suzi and Honda 100/125's to work, but my latest (last) crash 2 years ago was on a GSX400F on the Waipu straights. Old fella hesitated then pulled out in front of me, slowed down enough not to hurt my self except for a few grazes, but the bike was a gonna. He drove me home back to Auckland, the slowest trip in my life, but we had a good natter about Lancaster Bombers...he flew them in the second world war!!

Lets hope the XJ900 fairs better, but hey, shit happens...

[orangeback]

How many riders have never been down?
Did it have much effect?
Slow you down?
Speed you up?
Make you thing ove quiting ?
Change your bike? eg Jappa to harly?
I still believe the saying that there are 2 kinds of riders, those that have been down, and those that will go down eventually. with the people out there that drive without regard to us, it's almost inevitable. Its not if, more when is it my turn.
Ive bean down three times in 20 years , 30km low side in town GSXR1100N, 160-170km high side on ZX9R (hospital job, broke wrist in 6 places both thumbs and fractures spine ), taken out by car once on my Blade , dirt bike spills, ive had many 97 CR500. go figer . fliping it hurts

Ride safe guys
might have to up mine to five as there is another two
Had just rode the lenght ove NZ/ Auck to Invercargill 2 hours after ariving went to the Gassi to get fule ,saw an old mate talked it up how good i could wheely it (ZX9R), so off i went on the back wheel ,when i put it down in some there was some minor roadworks , couldnt brake for corner due to loose gravel wrode up curb across front lawn, lost the front wheel, down it went off through there fence.
Last year was crash starting a bike and it got a way from me ,draged me 3 -4 houses side sadel. when i got it under control , i tried to through my leg over grabed a big handfull ove gas and whent through someones fence again and hit a tree on front lawn (broke 2 ribs)

[Insanity_rules]

Add me to the crash list. I downed in 1992 under the petone flyover, leaned into the corner doing about 90ish and whoa oil or diesel on the corner. Landed on my palm and broke my wrist (scaphiod) plus a few patches of road rash, slight concussion but it could have been worse. It happend on a Sunday with bugger all traffic around.

Oh yeah and wrote off my extremely mint VF400, loved that bike too.

[JimO]

many years ago i was riding my Z1R up a reasonably steep street in Dunedin when a car did a u turn ahead of me i opened it up to zip past and he turned in front of me down a side street i jumped on the stoppers and had slowed from about 80 to 40 ks when i hit the back guard and did the flying thing totally munting the back of the car pushed the front wheel back into the pipes the bike slid up the road and i landed on my back and roled over and landed on my feet before i knew it i had picked the bike up and had it on the full stand (and it was a heavy old girl) taught me a lesson though fuck off before the cops arrive!!! hehe

[VasalineWarrior]

Had countless ones fu$#k ups offroad (flips, highsides, lowsides and everysides really), but only one on the road. As a learner on the old rg 150 giong over the tuckas down in welly trying to keep up with an experienced group. Overcooked it into a corner and lowsided. Slid across to the other lane and into the fence, but if id been 0.14797 seconds later I would have been a made into a bannna smoothie by the oncoming Nissan Pajero. Shit happens, dusted myself off and kept going. Slowed me down a bit, made me wary of the hill and more cautious so I dont attack some of the upside corners out of Featherston quite as aggresively as I should, but thats probably a good thing. Ive already been called a temporary new zealander by Jim2 but hey, im having fun. :rockon:

[James Deuce]

Ive already been called a temporary new zealander by Jim2 but hey, im having fun. :rockon:

Eeep, when did I say that? Are you sure it wasn't a death threat for calling me fat and bald?

[VasalineWarrior]

Whoops, I mean Fatjim. Few staff drinks after work, sorry man

[Motu]

Ham - on the race track I agree that to win you need to be pushing really hard and that has a higher level of risk. If you're racing for fun though and never go over 9/10ths you can have a pretty accident free run, barring getting caught up in OPS (Other People's Shit).

BUt on the road? I'm erring more and more toward Ixion and Motu's attitude about crashing. It isn't inevitable.

When I was riding on the dirt track,on a practice day I would ride to crash - faster and faster and faster until I went down,then I'd get back on and push until I crashed again.At least 3 crashes a session,more often at least half a doz,I reckoned if I didn't dump it I wasn't pushing hard enough.Race day I seldom crashed,more often winning with half a lap handicap.I know how to push past the limit.

But on the road....once I grew up enough to realise that all the things I blamed for my crashes (car drivers,road conditions etc) were false,there was only one fault that caused the accidents,I set about a different approach to riding.Trials has given me the insight on how much the mind has to do with our skill - if you have a single doubt as to whether you can do it,sure as hell you can't,the power of the mind is vital to survival.In a trial we walk the section,knowing every inch of the terrain,we mentaly ride our bike,mapping out how we are going to do it,mentaly eliminating difficult parts,projecting ourselves through them.Pick a favorite piece of road and ride it in your mind,over and over...then go and ride it.

[Morepower]

Dirt Bikes ... heaps

Road bikes nothing bad ,, will show my age here .

Dropped the GT380 near Coromandel in the shingle years ago . High sided my GT750 Suzi in Waipukurau in the 80's. That hurt me more than the bike. Dam were those old machines tough.
Hurt myself bucket racing my RD 50 a year or so back . Nothing major though

touch wood....

Dave

[Ham]

Yea right. Try saying that to a 'downed biker' in his wheel chair. One day lady luck is going to close her legs on you ol' son.

Skyryder

was talking about the dirtbike bit... coming off on the road is nowhere near as fun

[Ixion]

I don't think you can count dirtbike or track. The dynamic is different. Crashing goes with the territiry. And I wouldn't count the under 5kph "slipped while putting it on the stand" stuff

[beyond]

Old fella hesitated then pulled out in front of me, slowed down enough not to hurt my self except for a few grazes, but the bike was a gonna. He drove me home back to Auckland, the slowest trip in my life, but we had a good natter about Lancaster Bombers...he flew them in the second world war!!

Lets hope the XJ900 fairs better, but hey, shit happens...

Hey, the old geezer wasn't Ian Burgess by any chance?
Old fella used to be at my work and felw Lancasters. Done heaps of sorties and survived to tell. Used to call him Wing co.

[Jantar]

When I was riding on the dirt track,on a practice day I would ride to crash - faster and faster and faster until I went down,then I'd get back on and push until I crashed again.At least 3 crashes a session,more often at least half a doz,I reckoned if I didn't dump it I wasn't pushing hard enough.Race day I seldom crashed,more often winning with half a lap handicap.I know how to push past the limit..

That's the way I was taught to ride MX as well. I can't say it never hurt, but only once was there any injury requiring treatment. Bloody Gary Goodfellow T-boned me and I ended up with two broken ribs.

[Skyryder]

I don't think you can count dirtbike or track. The dynamic is different. Crashing goes with the territiry. And I wouldn't count the under 5kph "slipped while putting it on the stand" stuff

I'm with you on this one Ix. Dirt and track riders just come off. A 'down' is roadside.

Skyryder

[Rashika]

never...


well, never actually *fallen* *off* *a* *bike* in motion

Did hit a car once tho, at least my knee and the bike did, at about 50kms AT least, managed to just grab everything and hold on, bike stayed upright as did I, and rode across the road. I wasn't letting that baby go... believe me! Guess thats what happens when cars pull out from side street eh? At least he stopped and helped me pull the gear lever out...it was now U shaped rather than L...and he DID have to climb out his pillion door cos he couldn't open the drivers door...HA that'll learn him eh?


...meanwhile after having written that first bit (about not falling off) I am now hanging into the wooden door for security sake, and I shall have a piece of wood permanently attached to my hands when i ride for the forseeable future...just in case :yes:

[jafa]

Not exactly a 'down' but definitely a lesson learned:

The day after I passed my test in the UK on a Honda CG125 (many years ago - before any 'graduated licencing' crap) I hired a GPZ500 and took my mate to Wales. I was sitting on the bike while he was taking photos of some fucken sheep or something. I looked behind me and leaned a little further than I should. I'm a big chap and naively thought a 170kg motorbike was a Mickey Mouse toy... shit, I was wrong! The bastard thing pulled me down to the ground in SLOW MOTION! All I could think of while laying the bike on its side was losing my 700 quid (NZ$2,000+) insurance excess. I stuck my leg under the fairing to avoid scratching it and *happily* endured the pain. I shouted to my mate to help me lift the fucker up again (I honestly thought I wouldn't need any help!). What a plonker! Speed: 0km/h. Embarassment factor: 100%. Lesson learned: give the bike the RESPECT it deserves.

I have never dropped one since. And long may it stay that way! :)