Is it really true that everybody crashes?

[JimO]

my first "off" 1977 i got of my cb360 and forgot to put the stand down. Only real smash i was heading up Kenmure Rd in Dunedin 1982 speeding on my 79 Z1r doing around 80 ks in a 50 k area and a car pulled out so i went to pass then he turned right without indicating i took out the back guard and did a big superman , result bent forks, scratched fairing blade. havnt had one since.

[Chisanga]

Learn the basic skills well, prepare yourself and machine adequately and don't be fukkin stupid.

This could possibly my new mantra for each time I head out onto the road

[terbang]

Don't cotton wool the man. Tell 'em straight. It is entirely possible, but is inevitable at some point in your riding life. If you're lucky enough to never have had the experience of an accident (regardless of fault) to say you never will, is stupid.

Saying that crashes are inevitable is just stupid chestbeating wank. They are possible and definatly more possible than a car crash. That is the nature of the road. Noone should approach any vehicle with the resignation (or bravado) that they are going out there to crash it. However they should be aware of the possibilities and possible causes of an accidents with the mind to avoid them.

I quote :

In 40 years riding, and maybe a million kilometres, I have never crashed or been injured on the road.

[Mom]

Crashing is not an inevitability, it is a possibility. A lot of it is up to you.

I agree, it is not inevitable that I will crash.....but it is possible for it to happen.........there are some incredable idiots on the road, on 2 wheels and on 4 wheels

[The Stranger:Me]

A tighter definition of what you are after may help too.
I have heard it said that 70% of insurance claims are for stationary or near stationary accidents. I really don't know how accurate this is, however there certainly are a lot of accidents at low or no speed. I have heard of more than a few who have forgotten to put their stand down or even forgotten to put their foot down when stopping at lights (it's true I tell you). I have seen a few where people are on an unusual slope and can't reach the ground, or have had a bad footing etc.

That aside, what do you want from motorcycling?
You can stay comfortably within your limits and enjoy the scenery and comradery etc or maybe you want to experience an adrenaline rush now and then (or constantly)

If it is the former, you can still be screwed up by another, if it is the latter, any time you push yourself you run the risk of exceeding your previous limits by a little too much.

Suffice to say. Odds are on you are going to bin at some stage. Relax and enjoy.

[sunhuntin]

hmm, depends on your outlook....i have fallen off once, learning to ride, freshly mown grass, turned too fast and crunch. ive been hit once...she pulled out from a stop sign. see her bonnet coming my way, decide action and crunch. then a little later a thud.

on the same page...while i know it IS possible to get blown off a bike...it is rare to happen, so i just tell myself it cant happen. and so far...it hasnt.

i dont always wear the right protective gears...in the summer i usually ride with a helmet and jeans, coupled with a tshirt. [which is what i was wearing when hit by the car.]

fact, it is highly likely one day you and the bike will part ways, and you will be in pain. but as said above...wear the gear, ride to your abilities, and open your eyes!!!!

[slowpoke]

Never ride in the wet
Never ride in a city or built up area.
Only ride on open road with no twisties at the speed limit or slower at a safe following distance and you should be fairly safe.
I have bailed 6 times in 29 years...none were my fault

Started road riding in 1977 on a 250.

First off 1980... Kawasaki H2..gravel road heading out to 90 mile beach,to fast,went onto grass,fell off.

1983 Ducati 900... S bend rail overbridge in the wet,lost both front and rear wheels at once...too fast,slick road,off camber.

1994 Ducati 900 ... Hit a small courier truck on the Symonds St motorway onramp... truck was braking (no brake lights ) as i was checking the lanes to pull out,turned to look ahead

1996 Ducati 900 ..Lock to lock tank slapper in the wet...big slide,off the road,went over a 12 foot or so bank landing in a swamp. (bike stayed up on the road)

1998 Ducati 900 ..Engine stalled mid turn, by the time i got it sorted had started to run wide hit armco barrier. (low speed)

2006 Suzuki TL1000.. Wet road,sweeping corner,medium speed,back came around..game over.

First thing noticed,poor Ducati,second all could have been avoided except for maybe No 5 (I had put a stock heavy flywheel back in the bike replacing the super light one) so even that may have been avoidable.

...and your long suffering Duke has a personalised plate: "Lucky"

[Maha]

Don't cotton wool the man. Tell 'em straight.

And dont put the shits up him either Patch, there is no way in hell i gear up and think ''fuck is this the day''?....i wouldn't enjoy the ride as much thats for sure, i am however, very am alerted to the fact that ''IT'' could happen anytime, but it does not control my riding. I dont think Chisanga rides with his head in the sand, or the clouds for that matter and being in his 30's i would add that he knows the score when it comes to road skills....
Not having a go at ya Patch, just adding my 2c worth....or should that be 5c? now

[terbang]

Place the responsibility for your survival where it belongs.......with yourself.

Bling Bling..

[Chisanga]

just adding my 2c worth....or should that be 5c? now

I think you might find it costs 10c now to have an opinion

[Maha]

I think you might find it costs 10c now to have an opinion

i have Eftpos..............

[Shadows]

Never ride in the wet

First off 1980... Kawasaki H2..gravel road heading out to 90 mile beach,to fast,went onto grass,fell off.

1983 Ducati 900... S bend rail overbridge in the wet,lost both front and rear wheels at once...too fast,slick road,off camber.

1994 Ducati 900 ... Hit a small courier truck on the Symonds St motorway onramp... truck was braking (no brake lights ) as i was checking the lanes to pull out,turned to look ahead

1996 Ducati 900 ..Lock to lock tank slapper in the wet...big slide,off the road,went over a 12 foot or so bank landing in a swamp. (bike stayed up on the road)

1998 Ducati 900 ..Engine stalled mid turn, by the time i got it sorted had started to run wide hit armco barrier. (low speed)

2006 Suzuki TL1000.. Wet road,sweeping corner,medium speed,back came around..game over.

First thing noticed,poor Ducati,second all could have been avoided except for maybe No 5 (I had put a stock heavy flywheel back in the bike replacing the super light one) so even that may have been avoidable.

Damn those Ducatis must be dangerous things!

[Patch]

Sometimes people need the shits put up them, makes them think twice before they do something stupid.

Read the statistics, talk to those who have been riding for years 50 or more. You are more likely to have an accident now than you were ten years ago. Fact. 5 times more vehicles on the roads etc.

Who in there right fukkin mind goes out there to have an accident. I sure as hell don't. Reality is, it can (no pun intended) does and will happen at some point. We're human, we make mistakes, we ain't perfect.





Ps. Don't put words or meaning in my post that ain't there. I mean what I say - why, 'cause I'm stupid enough to care. Been there, it ain't nice. If I can say or do something, that may help someone . . . great.

[jumma]

Knowing there is a possibility you may crash, and doing all you can to avoid it is the best you can do. As we share the road with so many others, we can't eliminate every cause of an accident. And then there is the fact that on bikes, things like diesel spills and gravel can have far more severe consequences if we don't have time to avoid them. So yes, it's more of a possibility, but not inevitable.

I went for four months before having a spill. Took a right hander at a reasonable pace with the bike leaned over a fair bit, when bang, the exhaust bottomed out on a bump in the middle of the corner and spat the bike out from under me. Would love to blame the road (the bump shouldn't have been there) but I failed to read the road properly and adjust my speed accordingly. I would say I was going a bit quick for a road I had never ridden before as well.

I ended up unscathed, and I owe it all to wearing the right gear. Why do we wear this gear? Because we all know there is the possibility we may come off - our fault, or something beyond our control.

It never worried me before my off, but has taught me to become a bit more aware of the roads I'm riding on now.

So, as much as I didn't want it to happen I have learned something from it. Luckily for me the repair bill was minimal and I was unhurt.

[terbang]

Think I'll go to work from now on with the mental frame of "hey its inevitable that I'm gonna put myself and 150 others into a smoking hole". Anyone keen to come along..?