How do you normally slide?

[Ocean1]

Broken collarbone and some impressive burn over the right shoulder. Thank goodness for armour in my jacket - I'd hate to think how it might have turned out if I hadn't been wearing that!

Classic "fending" injury, seems more common with dirt bike offs. Usually caused not by actual impact but from the load caused by an arms/hands out fall reaction. The clavicle is designed to take that from "fall over" loads, but not "fell into tree at 30k" loads.

Can take fookin' aaaaages to heal too.

You don't actually get the luxury of things slowing down enough for you to decide

True, I usually had some small input into my trajectory though, mostly during that split second before one actually parts company with the bike. After that you're choices are severely limited.

[steve_t]

Where and how you're normally injured:

http://www.rideforever.co.nz/gear_up/risk.html

The difference that wearing gear makes:

http://www.rideforever.co.nz/gear_up/protect.html

Cheers Disco! Awesome resource Though I'm surprised it doesn't show back injuries

[Motu]

You don't actually get the luxury of things slowing down enough for you to decide how you will slide,

Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones,but I'm sure there are plenty of other people who get time slowing down in these situations.Sure you don't actually slow down,but the mental process speeds up to give that impression.

The responses are built into our bodies,put into a life threatening situation and they will react,making decisions and using skills you didn't think you possessed.So long as you are fit and agile,things will work out well.I find big bodies,or the short stocky ones do less well in such situations...more weight and length of limb are harder to control....the body of a gymnast rather than a weight lifter.

[beyond]

Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones,but I'm sure there are plenty of other people who get time slowing down in these situations.Sure you don't actually slow down,but the mental process speeds up to give that impression.

The responses are built into our bodies,put into a life threatening situation and they will react,making decisions and using skills you didn't think you possessed.So long as you are fit and agile,things will work out well.I find big bodies,or the short stocky ones do less well in such situations...more weight and length of limb are harder to control....the body of a gymnast rather than a weight lifter.

Ere! You suggesting I'm a big fat lard ball that bounces along the road and then through the local scenery?

I'm 186 x 86, I think that falls into the category of lean, mean and "gymnastic" I hope so anyway (for a 52 year old). LOL

Yeah, I know what you mean about things appearing to slow down in extreme situations but the faster you are going when it turns to custard means things happen pretty darn fast.

I mean, if you knew for sure you were going to have a head on for instance... you might have the time or sense to literally push upwards hard and perchance clear the vehicle and deal with the drop and hard road on the other side with possible less severe injuries... unless of course there's another vehicle following

A lot of it is pure and simple good luck.

[Motu]

''You make your own luck''....sucky comment,but true.

The faster you go,the better you slide.Push bike and dirt bike offs cause more damage because they hit the deck and stop....all the force goes into the limb stuck out to break the fall.More gear makes you more cumbersome....you turn into a short and stocky with restricted movement.

[mouldy]

Lowsides , get on your arse and slide and you can actually steer with your leather clad hands , highsides you don,t have much say in just relax and roll when you hit the ground and if interfacing the side of a car is unavoidable stand up on your pegs it makes clearing the fairing blade easier . Yes time does slow down when you crash and life threatening ones can give you out of body experiences . You don't find the limit till you cross it .

[Gremlin]

You don't actually get the luxury of things slowing down enough for you to decide how you will slide, how far, where you will go, how many bones you intend to break, wether you will go under that truck coming towards you or adorn it's grill for a few seconds, wether you will miss those trees on the side of the road and merely skid your way between a herd of cattle placidly munching grass.
:

I dunno... my last one was a lowside, and I was doing 68kph. Yep, not some insane speed, not being an idiot... in the country, it was raining, and I was taking it easy...

One second I'm tiptoeing around the corner, the next half second I get this real short sensation of flying, thinking, huh? why's this? Next half second I'm sliding. Got up, and the first thought through my mind was WHY. Next was, WTF did I do to deserve that?!?!

Hey Frenchy... how do you normally crash then... you can't be all that far behind Drew

[crash harry]

In my experience (which isn't toooo numerous) I've normally slid down the road...

Most have involved the superman combined with the thoughts of f**k me, where'd the bike go, followed very shortly with *thump* and FUCK THAT HURT!

This echos my experiences (quite a few now). All have been lowsides on sportbikes, the pattern might not fit if you crash another way, but generally I go:
1) Oh shit, this isn't good
2) "I'm flying!"
3) Bang, crunch (usually shoulder first into the ground, wrench shoulder)
4) Slide
5) Get up, swear a lot, kick bike, hurt foot
6) Swear about sore foot and wrenched shoulder

Most have been fairly low speed so there's not a lot of sliding involved, but as I say, I generally fly head first, so land on my shoulder (lots of Judo training as a kid teaches dive-rolls, now it seems to come naturally in these situations). One exception is my only racetrack get-off to date, slid on my arse. I have no recollection of it, but I arrived at the wall feet first, and the bulk of the damage to the leathers is on my arse, so I guess that's how it happened.

As for Draggins, I wear them on the street every day (commute to work). Crashed in them about 5 or 6 times with no problems. They do what it says on the box, and they're pretty strong jeans on top of the kevlar bits. Bonus is that they keep your knees warm too because the kevlar wool inside is much thicker than normal jeans.

[Mikkel]

If you are on the track where there's hardly any solid upright objects around to mangle you, you are best off spreading out your limbs to prevent you from starting to roll. (Rolling at lower speeds isn't too much of an issue - I did it once from around 80 km/h, didn't touch helmet down, landed on my feet and was hardly sore, but at 100+ km/h it is a different story.)

On the road you're in greater jeopardy depending upon the number of solid upright features in your immediate vincity. There really isn't much you can do - conservation of momentum is non-negotiable, but if it seems like you are enroute to hit something solid it will pay off to brace for the impact. It's better to crush an arm or a leg than to break your neck or suffer internal injuries.

As said, things happens so quickly and you most certainly won't have time to think about how you will hit the road. It may appear surprising - but a lot of injuries are sustained as people try to "blend" with the road (i.e. the vertical impact due to falling off your bike). However, unless you do either martial arts or gymnastics and have good break-fall technique as a routine you will most likely hit the ground like a sack of potatoes and possibly sustain injuries before you even start sliding.

Anything you can walk away from is good!

[beyond]

If you are on the track where there's hardly any solid upright objects around to mangle you, you are best off spreading out your limbs to prevent you from starting to roll. (Rolling at lower speeds isn't too much of an issue - I did it once from around 80 km/h, didn't touch helmet down, landed on my feet and was hardly sore, but at 100+ km/h it is a different story.)

On the road you're in greater jeopardy depending upon the number of solid upright features in your immediate vincity. There really isn't much you can do - conservation of momentum is non-negotiable, but if it seems like you are enroute to hit something solid it will pay off to brace for the impact. It's better to crush an arm or a leg than to break your neck or suffer internal injuries.

As said, things happens so quickly and you most certainly won't have time to think about how you will hit the road. It may appear surprising - but a lot of injuries are sustained as people try to "blend" with the road (i.e. the vertical impact due to falling off your bike). However, unless you do either martial arts or gymnastics and have good break-fall technique as a routine you will most likely hit the ground like a sack of potatoes and possibly sustain injuries before you even start sliding.

Anything you can walk away from is good!

Exactly...well put.

[Leyton]

When I came off around a round about I fell streight down with force, bouced off my chest and rolled twise hehe (With a bag on my back!)

Fractured 1 rib, brused the rest, one ouchy shoulder that is still sore.

I did not really have time to think about how I was going to hit the deck, it just happend too quickly, I do not remember in great detail how it went.

Camber + Fresh un scrubbed outsides of tyre + cold + smooth road surface = FAIL.

On the minibike, everytime I have come off, Or just about everytime I am sliding on my side taking the preasure with my feet and elbows and a bit on my hip. There are no obsticles to do much harm , another rider ?. Not had that problem yet.

[1wheel riot]

low side on your back feet first. high side you have no choice