Why???

[Jackrat]

Why do some of you folks fall off so often.
The last time I came off a road bike was in 1988,I spoke to a mate over xmas
an the last time he came off was in 92' and that was on a gravel road.
So whats the go folks,I keep reading these I came off,I ran up the bum of a car type threads. :confused2

[DEATH_INC.]

Try riding in auckland traffic!Most of my accidents have been going to and from work,usually cars pulling out in front of me.....

[wkid_one]

Honestly:

First one: Cold tyre, change in road surface, incorrectly using rear brake
Second: Cocked up corner - lost concentration - riding outside comfort zone
Third: Diesel on the road, lost rear - game over...

My next accidents if I continued would just be from pushing the envelope too far in pursuit of more speed and thrills. Was just going quicker and quicker before the third.....at the end of the day, I was most likely to outride my capability or confidence or both.......that's why I leave it to the track if I continue on a sports bike......not because I won't fall off, but because when I do, it will be in a more controlled situation. Why do I know I will?? Because I will keep pushing my limits

[Motu]

I hope you don't jinx me here Jack - I'll just have to be even more on my toes eh

Last time I came off on the road was about 89 or so - first and last time on a gravel road,I was so annoyed to break my perfect gravel road record!! Blamed it on the bike of course...TM 400s are not a forgiving bike.

As young guys in my mates shed we had our names written on the wall,underneath we put strokes for the times we had crashed,y'know,4 lines with the 5th to cross them out like a prisoner in jail in the comics.Most had 2 or 3,some had even finished the first row - but I was nearly finished my 4th row....hey,I was easy on them an wasn't counting my off road prangs!

Why? young and very stupid - I'm not young anymore,and just stupid...not very now.I am still falling off off road,trials is a bit slower paced.When I was racing at the dirt track if I didn't crash at least half a dozen times at practice I reckoned I wasn't pushing hard enough - race day was a different story...you don't win if you crash,an I nearly always won!

I don't want to crash on the road anymore - it hurts and makes a mess of the bike,I ride within my limits,120kph is fast enough for me,the roads I ride I can push myself on well below that speed,and still be ready for surprises...and I like surprises!

[Jackrat]

Jinxed,Errr yeah I could of worded this one a bit better.
What I'm really trying to do here is work out a few things about myself more than anything else.
See after not coming off for so long I reckon I must be long over due.
Auckland traffic don't faze me much,After all they are ALL out to get me,I worked that out years ago although it seems to have got worse in resent times.Dirt bikes I think don,t really count because I tend to come off the XR quite regular.I used to come off about once every two years,always my own fault and then I had the big one 88,my own fault,Since then nothing.
Iv'e never had much drama with other road users,probably because I expect them to do the stupid thing anyway.
Now that I sit here tapping out this dribble I just realised every time I have come off it has been my own fault,The one time I did have a problem with a car was when a woman pulled out on me in Papakura,I saw it was going to happen and didn't reacte in time,then when I did I locked it up an washed out the front,Guess you will get that riding a trail bike in the rain with knobs on the road,Like I said my own dumb fault.
Oh well if we don't ask we don't learn huh.
Cheers.

[Motu]

A long time ago I remember how pissed off I was when some riding instructor said how every motorcycle accident was the fault of the motorcycle rider,that there was always something that could be done to avoid the accident - What a fucking wanker! shit,the car driver was always at fault,they are just stupid,and how are we supposed to know when some truck drops half it load,what an idiot.

After a few days to calm down,I realised that he was right - in every case there was something I could of been done to avoid the accident - being much more aware of whats going on - there is NO reason for a car to turn on you,slip on oil or diesel....it's your life,you are in total control of it,don't blame anyone else for your fuck ups.

Random events can still happen,and these are what worry me - that load slipping off a truck,a trailer coming loose and taking me out,an out of control driver involving me in their own accident,I am thinking of these things as I ride,I want to be prepared for random events...it's a dangerous world out these,you ride as if it is.

[boris]

I have fallen of three times on the road. 1st time(rz250) to fast on new tyres or desel on the road, slid the front wheel out from under me.2nd time (GB500)going to fast over Piecock hill road. 3rd (gb500) in the wet on the HUtt motorway at 30KM/h,first rain for weeks so it was very slippie,and a truck just ran over rear wheel of my bike as it lay on the road.

[Hoon]

I had 4 crashes in 2003!!

But 3 of them were on the track so I guess they don't count

[Jackrat]

Other than Motu,You all seemed to have missed a point.
Don,t you think that coming off due to cold tyres or a wet road or any of the other weak excuses is pretty bloody stupid.A case of natural selection at work even.I am constantly reading on this site that one should always wear the correct gear and then hearing of the guys that make these statements
hiting the deck or some car ect,ect,ect.
I ride with an open face,Don,t use my head light during the day yet I don,t have the same incidents as a few on this site are often whinging about.
So lets forget the wet road,cold tyres ect, What's really going on?
And maybe go back and read Motu's last post before replying.
Just maybe it will keep you alive a bit longer.

PS.Wicked seems to be on to it.

[James Deuce]

Other than Motu,You all seemed to have missed a point.
Don,t you think that coming off due to cold tyres or a wet road or any of the other weak excuses is pretty bloody stupid.

So stupid in fact that I don't have the testicular fortitude to say that sort of thing in public.

I've been run over by a truck, but if I'd seen him sooner (and hadn't been riding after an argument with the wife and thinking about that instead of riding) it wouldn't have happened. I've been hit by a Mum dropping kids off and one school and racing to get to another. Again if I'd thought harder about where I was and maintained a better watch I would have stopped instead of locking up and dropping the bike. I fell off on diesel but again it was right next to a bus stop. Pretty easy to avoid if my brain had been turned on. I was on a bike club poker run and was thinking about the next clue instead of riding the bike. My "big one" was going to happen no matter what. And the TO report did find in my favour and that I took appropiate evasive action, but the other participant in the MVA did EVERYTHING wrong that he possibly could. Still if I'd left Christchurch a couple of hours earlier and arrived in Picton in daylight it wouldn't have happened.

Minimise the risk ALL the time.

Jim2

[k14]

I've had 1 accident in my 1 year of riding.

Entirely rider error. Went round a corner at about 30 kph over a man hole cover and low sided. Not a bad crash. Just a bit of gravel rash and some burns from my jacket. Nearly broke my ankle where the gear lever landed on it and jammed it against the road. Kind of hurt a little, but nothing major.

Also, i crashed my mates dads scooter into a tree when i was about 7 i was trying to turn around and drove straight ahead into a tree!! haha

[Motu]

Thanks Jim,you're onto it - hard to admit you could've done better.

I always held one accident close to my heart as one that couldn't be avoided - like Jim I was run down from behind (on my 18th birthday) by a drunk,the bike was pushed in front of the van for 1/4 mile and I was there for 1/2 mile before I jumped off,the van sped off and the driver holed up at home with a pistol,so he wasn't even drunk when they got him.

He was so blind drunk he just followed my tail light as I pulled over to the side of the road - what could I have done better? it was an old bike(1950) and I was 18 in 1971,so it had a small tail light,no brake light,no indicators and no mirror...none were required.But if I hadn't been so into an ''image'' and rode a bike with more modern equipment for the day,I might of been able to monitor his erratic behaviour behind me and more clearly indicate my intentions to him - the ball was in my court to evade this guy,that I didn't have to equipment to do so was still my fault.Tough,but true.

[KATWYN]

Why do some of you folks fall off so often.
The last time I came off a road bike was in 1988,I spoke to a mate over xmas
an the last time he came off was in 92' and that was on a gravel road.
So whats the go folks,I keep reading these I came off,I ran up the bum of a car type threads. :confused2

Urghh I don't know if I should answer this cos of "walking under ladders" "touch wood" and all that. I have been off roading 5-6 years and road riding about 4 years.

I have not had a crash road riding. (only had the bike fall on top of me while
I was stationary at the time)....

I read somewhere that it is usually the first 5 years riding a motorcycle when most crashes on a motorbike will happen. dont quote me on that. has anyone heard that one? it makes sense since thats the start of learning how to ride.

[Coldkiwi]

I'm tending to agree with the line of thought that there's always something the biker can do to minimise the risk but if we don't it doesn't actually mean we caused the accident if it involves another car.
having said that, my accident record is
1) GPX 250, rear ended car in traffic. Too close, not enough sleep. All my fault
2) GPX 250 again. ridden too fast round a corner trying to overtake, panicked (I was tired) and dropped it. All my fault
3) ZZR250 test riding, lady pulled across in front of me without indicating. Fully her fault but if I hadn't been so preoccupied with the way the bike felt I might've spotted her pulling towards the centre and slowing. clipped the bike (I swerved) and I went for a bit of 'get knees down' action.
4) GSXR600, cold tyres (knew they were crap too) too keen to pull out. tyre spun, I spun. Hit the deck. All my fault and nearly made me cry cause it was only 3 weeks old.

But at least I'm learning from my mistakes and not repeating them. Never crashed a car either (only parking dings).

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to find a very large, very wooden tree to hug!

[wkid_one]

If you want to get down to brass tacks - 99.99% of all MB accidents could be avoided - however riding would SUCK big time.

Even the best bike riders crash in the most controlled situations - refer to GP and SBK.....supposedly the best yet they still have 'learner' accidents - locking the rear, locking the front, overshooting corners etc - and this is on tracks they ride every year and practise on etc.

Mine were my own fault - no one elses - didn't involve other cars..
First one was inexperience - first bike no real training, shouldn't have been using the rear brake. Second was the fact I was normally at the back of the group - but this time I was second and trying to stay ahead of the guy behind me - stupidly. Miss a corner going in too hot. Third one was complacency, had been over the same road three times that day - assumed it would be the same - wasn't pushing so was slightly inattentive.

I was rapt tho - I went from NEVER riding a bike in Jul 2000 to being able to ride (reasonably) quick, knee down and all, 24 months later. Falling off was part of the learning.......I improved IMMENSELY after each off....funny really as crashing is quick often the ONLY catalyst people respond to to improve their skills. Many think - I am a good/gr8 rider because I don't crash - therefore I don't need training/upskilling. However, quite often they are either painfully unaware of their failiings as a MB'er or an accident waiting to happen and are just plain lucky.

My riding style is such that that is a big risk I took......I knew I would crash because I how I rode - risk v reward.