how to fall?!?

[Pwalo]

Don't even think about falling off. I know that sometimes it can/will happen, but I don't think you should ever be consciously thinking about falling off.

The only times I've fallen off have been low sides on black ice (twice), wet painted manhole cover (didn't see it as it was obscured by the car in front of me), and a high side when I was nudged by a car.

I honestly don't think I could have saved any of these, but I sure as hell tried, and didn't think about falling. Actually I can't remember anything about the high side, and it ws the only time that I've visited hospital in the back of an ambulance.

Sorry a bit long winded, but my point is that you can't/shouldn't prepare for a crash. I've saved front and rear end slides (just managed to avoid having to change my underwear) and scared myself silly, but I never think about crashing, only how I'm going to save things.

Sh%t that sounds so bloody sanctimonious. Sorry chaps.

[XP@]

Yeh... not falling is the best way to save yourself!
when the sh1t hits the fan your planned response will kick in.

if you have practiced your emergency responses then you will do what you have planned.
By allmeans plan to relax when you fall, but you should train this response to kick in when you are in the air.
Your first plan should be to do the appropriate remidy for the situation, alter direction, max effort break (NOT PANIC BREAK), tighten grip, look where you want to go...

"practice makes permanent" if you practice falling off, even in your head, fall off is what you will do!

[Waylander]

Yea if you just relax Things usually turn out ok. Launching before you hit a car is a good idea but you should make sure that you dont have any other choice other than to hit it. As for what goes through you mind when crashing, not sure about others but for me it's nothing. Mutter an oh f*ck just before it happens and then just nothing. Still concious and all but I know that whatever happens I can't do anything to change it at that point so I think nothing.

[Wenier]

Not falling off is always the best, but always push away from the bike like Motu said, even if your sliding after the bike at a distance that can be good. Reason it can be good is if theres a fence which ya'd slide into and your following the bike, if ya lucky your bike will remove the fence meaning you dont have to nail into it. Thats only good if your not going off a cliff or into a bank of course.

[loosebruce]

How the hell do you all relax in a crash, I'm sort of worried that I am going to die in most of them, so relaxing isnt nearly as important as trying avoid dangers while rolling/flying.

When you crash as often as say i do, it kinda becomes oh well here we go again, you're kinda wondering what parts are being broken on your bike and yourself for that matter, how much it'll cost you this time. But in all my cases i've been the cause of my mis haps, never been involved with anyone else, although me and the TL tried to catch up to death in my latest effort.

Advice dont cheap out on your gear, not a Cordura fan at all, each to there own but you can't get better than leather. Try not to crash is always a good start, but when it does and it probably will, yeah relax, push away etc all things covered already, but i guess its a hard thing to do when you hitting the road for the firts time at speed. maybe buy a shitter and jump off it a few times, i dunno, it's an experiance thing i guess.

[Ixion]

I gotta disagree with Bob here,at least for me anyhow.I go into a slow mo thing (well,I used to,haven't tested the theory for a few years) and have plenty of time to watch what's happening and make decisions...

Ditto on the slow motion thing. Part of the brain seems to start processing data far faster than it can be put into words.

Doesn' t work for too many people though, and I've not met a psychologist yet that will admit it exists

[Drew]

When you crash as often as say i do, it kinda becomes oh well here we go again, you're kinda wondering what parts are being broken on your bike and yourself for that matter, how much it'll cost you this time. But in all my cases i've been the cause of my mis haps, never been involved with anyone else, although me and the TL tried to catch up to death in my latest effort.

Advice dont cheap out on your gear, not a Cordura fan at all, each to there own but you can't get better than leather. Try not to crash is always a good start, but when it does and it probably will, yeah relax, push away etc all things covered already, but i guess its a hard thing to do when you hitting the road for the firts time at speed. maybe buy a shitter and jump off it a few times, i dunno, it's an experiance thing i guess.

I gotta agree with bruce. He does crash a hell of a lot

[LED]

no this might seem a bit stupid, but realy much like attraction to the opposite sex, fall from a bike is very likely to happen.
Now what is the best way to go... i know theres a lot of different ways you can come off, and i know that you might not be able to fall like you want, but can i have some advice on what to do and what not to do.
For instance i herd that if im going to land on the front i should tuck my arms in, and resist the natural reaction to put them out.
any other advice out there?

Dude if you have the capacity in a crash to work out how you are going to fall I advise that you put that capacity into avoiding binning it in the first place. Believe me that sort of advice is gold - stay safe.

[k14]

Yeah agree with motu and tonyb about the slowing down. I can remember spinning past teh front wheel of my bike and seeing a puff of smoke from it sliding along the tarmac. I also did the try to get up when you're still doing 20kph, not advisable. Don't put your palms down on the road to slow you down cause unless you have the $300 ones then they are going to be ripped to shreds (my $200 alpinestars got shot to bits on my lowside at the track, was going pretty slow aswell).

Best advice is lye on your back and admire the view. Well for a track crash anyway, haven't really had one on the road which has been a slow mo.

[Bob]

Slow motion in crashes? I've had it happen both ways.

When Mr Nissan Sunny pulled out on me, I went totally slow-mo. I seemingly had ages to realise it was too late to avoid impact, knew instinctively to relax every muscle and prepared myself to go flying over the bonnet.

That said, I don't actually remember going over the bonnet, forward rolling on the floor, flipping to my feet and picking up the bike!

Another time, when I was going downhill in the wet and braked too hard too fast (own fault, mind wandered for a moment and suddenly I needed to brake), all I knew was one moment I had a bike underneath me, the next I was sliding along the floor on my front.

But to be honest - and getting back to the original point - the best advice has to be don't crash in the first place! If you're a newish rider, then the experience base that kicks off that "Bikers Sixth Sense" isn't there yet - so why not go on some advanced training if you're concerned? Every little piece of skill learned through experience or training is going to make your life easier - and hopefully will mean you do not get into a situation where you are risking hitting the ground in the first place.

Just an idea.

[John]

When you crash as often as say i do, it kinda becomes oh well here we go again, you're kinda wondering what parts are being broken on your bike and yourself for that matter, how much it'll cost you this time. But in all my cases i've been the cause of my mis haps, never been involved with anyone else, although me and the TL tried to catch up to death in my latest effort.

Advice dont cheap out on your gear, not a Cordura fan at all, each to there own but you can't get better than leather. Try not to crash is always a good start, but when it does and it probably will, yeah relax, push away etc all things covered already, but i guess its a hard thing to do when you hitting the road for the firts time at speed. maybe buy a shitter and jump off it a few times, i dunno, it's an experiance thing i guess.

I think I might be a mini bruce in the making - when I know I'm going to crash, I think quickly how bad its going to be, then try avoid it the best I can i.e if guarenteed death - I've avoided death 2 times this year by just using my head while still attached to the bike, then I just hold on for the ride, I've had about 8 crashes this year, I wont even try count offroad crashes they arent so bad, becuase the bike just about always is sweet.

[250learna]

well im a lifeguard (@a pool mite do surf next summer tho ), its not the most dangerous job, but you get your share of adrenaline when theres lots of lil ones. Everytime theres someone in serious trouble i get a shot
thats exactly what you boys are describing, time slows down, many thoughts and decesions in a split second, you notice things in more detail etc

now the best thing is when i dont have to go trough with the rescue...for that split second of inside panic , the warmth spreads trough the body and it feels sooooooooooo good then for next few moments you enjoy one of the best sensations your body can offer.

ofcourse it happens to you for many different reasons, but this is the most common one for me

thanks for all the advice ride on!

[justsomeguy]

maybe buy a shitter and jump off it a few times, i dunno, it's an experiance thing i guess.

yerrrrrrightttt

well im a lifeguard (@a pool mite do surf next summer tho ), its not the most dangerous job, but you get your share of adrenaline when theres lots of lil ones. Everytime theres someone in serious trouble i get a shot
thats exactly what you boys are describing, time slows down, many thoughts and decesions in a split second, you notice things in more detail etc

now the best thing is when i dont have to go trough with the rescue...for that split second of inside panic , the warmth spreads trough the body and it feels sooooooooooo good then for next few moments you enjoy one of the best sensations your body can offer.

ofcourse it happens to you for many different reasons, but this is the most common one for me

thanks for all the advice ride on!

Great thing that adrenaline... innit????????

[Wenier]

I've had about 8 crashes this year, I wont even try count offroad crashes

If you've had 8 crashes already this year, i would be questioning why your still riding. 8 seems way to many for one person in half a year, what are ya doing to do that.

[John]

If you've had 8 crashes already this year, i would be questioning why your still riding. 8 seems way to many for one person in half a year, what are ya doing to do that.

Most on the ZZR trying to get used to not riding a dirt bike - and a few low speed drops, I kept trying to explore the wrong backroads.

On the ZXR had no problems until the dog incident, had done about 4000km on it.