Crashes avoided - Thought processes and techniques

[R650R]

With all the talk about crashes, rider training, enforcement etc I thought how about people share stories of real near misses where a major impact was imminent and what YOU did that changed it from a crash to a near miss.
Please try not to rant but just hopefully pass on ideas about your defensive riding moves or thought processes that might turn a light on for someone else in a similar situation. As these things happen so fast its instinct so having some options floating peoples subconscious might help.
My closest moment to buying a farm (literally nearly):
Over ten years ago back when the speed enforcement was more relaxed was cruising back from a day at Manfield doing about 118km/h on 750.
Nearly back into Hastings when a ute pulls out of rural side road ahead, very dirty and taillights/indicators covered in mud etc.
Cruise up behind, pull out to overtake and suddenly he brakes and right turns into driveway.
Suddenly I'm pointed at the front right quarter panel of ute, brake violently and realise a collision seems unavoidable.
I'm too far to the right of the lane to tray and go behind him, my brain screams at me you have an option to the right, fence and paddock slightly better than hitting solid vehicle.
Let go of brakes and swerved hard to right, by some miracle (don't know if he saw me and stopped or not maybe) I pass in front and do a little jump at about 70-80k across the crown of the driveway.
OMFG I'm still alive but moto crossing on a sportsbike across a bumpy rural roadside verge then a post looms in the head light beam, some farmer has decided to use a half round post for his letter box at next driveway.
Somehow I miss that too and make it back onto the road. The next few hundred metres I ride in a daze trying to believe what just happened. Think of going back to confront him but in isolated area not sure if perhaps it was some county redneck doing it on purpose maybe or accidental and carry on...
There's been other stuff like campervan on wrong side of road near Queenstown where I had my foot off the peg and on the back seat so as not to lose it if we did hit but that ute one sticks in my mind as it was a close as you get without hitting something at open road speed.

Right post away

[SMOKEU]

My scary experiences have mainly been with gravel or other slippery surfaces on the roads. Once I was so sure I was going to drop the GSXR when I lost the front end riding around a corner that I put my foot down, and that bounced the bike back upright. Fuck that.

Another time I had to change my line at the last second when I saw a fuckload of bricks all over SH75 around a blind corner (I stopped and threw them all off a cliff). I narrowly avoided hitting them, but hitting bricks of that size while leaned over would almost certainly have lead to a bin.

I guess the main thing is not to panic, and to keep a cool head. It's very easily said in theory, but once it happens IRL it's much harder to do so, especially when every millisecond means you're deeper and deeper in the shit.

[russd7]

two incidents when younger and riding trailies, first in town, woman came out of side road saw me cruising up the road and panicked and stopped dead in my path, only option i had was hit the picks real hard, stopped with my front wheel touching her back door, stupid thing was if she had kept going i could have ridden around her quite easily.
second time was on open road, following a car down the road, he indicated and started to pull left so i started to move right and he decided to turn in to a drive on the right, i was already committed and breaking wasn't going to help so layed on the gas and stopped in a ditch, upright mind you, prick didn't even get out of his f**ken car to help me drag my bike out of the ditch.

a couple of year ago on the ZZR heading home from a rally, it was wet as hell, came up behind a stock truck, as soon as we got on to a straight and i could see the way was clear i pulled out to cruise past, a car came around the bend up further so i layed on the gas a little and the back of the bike lit up and started dancing to a tune i wasn't keen on, i just stayed relaxed backed off just a little and kept the nose going straight until i had traction again then layed on the gas a little more gently to get past the truck, this wasn't a close call as i remember it at the time but had the potential for disaster if i had of panicked.

think the answer is just keep a cool head and maybe a change of jocks under ya seat

[russd7]

not a close call but potential for serious hurt.
last year on one of the thursday night rides, coming around a bend and spotted a tractor heading across a paddock to an open gateway, drivers body language told me he was not going to stop so i threw the anchor out and sure enough he came straight out on to the road without looking, i had almost come to a standstill before he even saw me. Did think about stopping him and dragging him from the tractor but at the end of the day all that would have got me was a criminal conviction.
moral of the story, be aware of what other people are going to do even when they don't know.

im sure many other riders have similar stories but don't really think about them as they don't always end in close calls because they have been avoided well before it got to the point of being a close call

[unstuck]

not a close call but potential for serious hurt.
last year on one of the thursday night rides, coming around a bend and spotted a tractor heading across a paddock to an open gateway, drivers body language told me he was not going to stop so i threw the anchor out and sure enough he came straight out on to the road without looking, i had almost come to a standstill before he even saw me. Did think about stopping him and dragging him from the tractor but at the end of the day all that would have got me was a criminal conviction.
moral of the story, be aware of what other people are going to do even when they don't know.

im sure many other riders have similar stories but don't really think about them as they don't always end in close calls because they have been avoided well before it got to the point of being a close call

That pulling out with the tractor thing seems to be quite common down here for some reason. Had it happen to me heaps, unfortunately Im not as zen about it as you russ, and have gotten myself in a little shit in the past for my tantrums.

[russd7]

That pulling out with the tractor thing seems to be quite common down here for some reason. Had it happen to me heaps, unfortunately Im not as zen about it as you russ, and have gotten myself in a little shit in the past for my tantrums.

must be an age thing cause its getting harder and harder to resist the temptation

[ducatilover]

I've had a few, but one of the nicer ones to share was at the lights in Palmy about 8 years ago, had a female come hooning up behind me (yes, I watch my mirrors) whilst I was on a red, when I figured she wasn't stopping in time I dropped the clutch and moved right.
My theory being, most people in RHD cars swerve left.
It worked and she looked a tiny bit sheepish and carried on with her life.

With vehicles pulling out etc, you can rain yourself not to fixate on it. Helps a hell of a lot with staying alive, have looked past a few vehicles/at an escape route and made it around.

Problem is, I still can't ride for shit

[slofox]

"Preventative awareness" is better than any amount of bullet dodging. Which is basically asking yourself what could go wrong at any point in any journey and taking measures to avoid the situation before it happens. Not after.

[unstuck]

On a trail ride last weekend I got asked how I managed to go so quickly on some of the rougher sections of the track. In reply, I said that the other guys were looking at the ruts and rocks on the trail, while I was looking at the way around them. Its about noticing the obstacle then letting that go and looking for the way around instead. If you keep looking at the big rut up the middle of the trail, your gonna end up in it. I usually take the same approach to road riding, notice the obstacle then look for the way around, dont keep looking at the thing you dont want to hit.

[pritch]

With all the talk about crashes, rider training, enforcement etc I thought how about people share stories of real near misses where a major impact was imminent and what YOU did that changed it from a crash to a near miss.

I have described near misses in the past but it's not very rewarding. You get a bunch of people who weren't there, and apparently have limited reading ability, and possibly likewise limited riding skills, telling you what you were doing wrong.

[R650R]

I have described near misses in the past but it's not very rewarding. You get a bunch of people who weren't there, and apparently have limited reading ability, and possibly likewise limited riding skills, telling you what you were doing wrong.

That's to be expected on KB And why I asked people to just talk about something they think worked in case X. Some interesting stories coming through though.

[george formby]

Over the years I have had a few but never the same one twice.
My only off was due to a truck & trailer trying to turn into a very narrow lane one night. Riding home from work about 11pm I noticed some small orange lights up ahead, everything else was in darkness. I rolled off slightly, puzzled, & then my 3 1/2 candle power head light lit up the trailer unit in front of me, completely blocking the road. I went underneath it still hanging onto the bike. Made a mess of my gear but meself & the bike were remarkably unscathed. The lights were the wee ones on the trailer & the trailer was black or dark blue.

I must have made the decision to lay the bike down instantly, no recollection of anything other than my eyes hitting my visor when I realised what it was.

What I've learned from this & every other close shave is find your gap, look where you want to go & ride the bike! He who hesitates is lost.

Something else I've learned, modern tires are amazing!

[Tazz]

I try and think of the dumbest thing a vehicle/hazard/asshat in front of me could do.....and just wait for it to happen.

Rocks and unmarked gravel on the road have given me a few decent pucker moments though (and one lump in the road south of Kaikoura I always seem to hit at night). Have only had to make the call once of binning or crossing to the wrong side where there was no gravel once. Just a split second scan if anything was coming and decided to cross. Luckily there was a bit of a straight ahead and not another blind corner =)

[george formby]

Gravel is a given oop here. As long as it's the back that steps out she'll be right. Been heading towards the centre line a couple of times since they started using brown scoria for road repairs. You can't see it. On a straight your first indication is the sound of it pinging off the bike. K'in hate it!

[bogan]

Avoidance "what's that guy doing, how about that other joker, has he seen me, what's hiding behind that hedge...etc etc"
Evasion "that's where I'm going" not "that's what I have to evade"