I binned. Lesson of the Day...

**babyblade250rr** · 11th February 2008, 09:27

I've ridden with Nish a few times now and he is a very good rider! so if he went down it must be genuine with very limited options,

Glad to hear your ok brother!

by the way pics of the Kwaka don't look that bad!, just how far is the extent of damage??

**bomma** · 11th February 2008, 11:01

hey guys thanks for all the comments and im not yet sure what will be happenin with the bike!! in any case even if i get it back i wont be puttin her up for sale so

this incident has taught me many very valuable lessons and in a lot of ways i am better off from it (although i wish the lesson hadnt been learnt at such a high price)......

i will be hitting some of you up for your tools, hook-ups and expertise if i look to fix the bike up!! ive got a few plans on what ill be doing if i get the bike back so yea.....

cheers for all those who stayed and helped and the rest of the guys who were on the ride...cudnt have done it without you guys!!

and a SPECIAL thanks to MACSTAR who is the man and is the reason im not still walking back home from whitianga carrying a helmet and wearing a ripped jacket and pants

i owe ya one matey

EDIT: oh and the cop called me on sunday morning to lemme know that he had a look at my record and that he decided to let me off wif a warning....was a lot nicer over the phone than he was on saturday

**Badjelly** · 11th February 2008, 11:29

Originally Posted by Ragingrob

Overall, you weren't there...So you don't know.

You don't have to have been there to know that he was going too fast round the corner.

If you come round a corner on the road and encounter a stationary obstacle and can't avoid it then either: a) you're a really bad rider; or b) you were going too fast. I vote for b.

**skidMark** · 11th February 2008, 11:34

Originally Posted by jrandom

bomma's already admitted that he failed to consider simply steering inside it. One presumes this was because he was riding close enough to his personal performance limit that he simply didn't feel he had the option of tightening his line, and could only hold it or widen it.

I don't think that being sarcastic about it is going to make him a better rider in future. He's not being a twat, he fucked up and admitted it. He doesn't require slapping down.

Let he who is without sin and always rides perfectly cast the first stone. The guy's bruised and has a broken bike; try being nice.

Top post brother.

**jrandom** · 11th February 2008, 11:41

Originally Posted by Badjelly

... either: a) you're a really bad rider; or b) you were going too fast. I vote for b.

You're kinda missing the point that 'too fast' is almost always dependent on the rider.

What feels crazy-fast to one person and goes beyond their ability to ride within an OODA loop could be a lazy cruising pace to someone else, with all upcoming hazards easily identifiable and able to be compensated for.

My best guess is that bomma was riding too quickly for his own cognitive loop to keep up. That doesn't mean that it was beyond the bounds of physics for his motorcycle to go around the corner safely at that pace.

Personally, I find it comforting to know that, on a bike, I'm the weakest link - I know myself and know when I'm not feeling good, so I can slow down. The bike and the road are known factors. If I screw up, I learn where not to go in future in terms of pushing my processing abilities.

**Badjelly** · 11th February 2008, 12:16

Originally Posted by jrandom

You're kinda missing the point that 'too fast' is almost always dependent on the rider.

True.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that for any given rider the skill level and reaction times are hard to change. If you've crashed because you came around a corner and encountered a stationary obstacle, the *first* thing you should think is "Hmmm maybe I was going too fast". Other thoughts like "Bloody thing shouldn't have been there" and "Need to improve my reactions" should be secondary. By all means analyse your reactions and try to improve them, but in the meantime it might be a good idea to take the blind corners a bit slower. Ride as if there's always a rock on the road around the corner.

On another thread somebody suggested that the rule that you should always be able to stop in the clear distance ahead is unrealistic, and that no-one actually rides that way. Well, I *think* I do (though heaven knows I'm not perfect and perhaps I'm just kidding myself). And if you don't, perhaps you should.

**jrandom** · 11th February 2008, 12:20

Originally Posted by Badjelly

By all means analyse your reactions and try to improve them, but in the meantime it might be a good idea to take the blind corners a bit slower. Ride as if there's always a rock on the road around the corner.

Absolutely.

I wasn't implying otherwise; just clarifying that it was indeed a function of rider skill, not absolute physics.

In my view, one should always ride on the road as you describe. The racetrack is the place to push skill levels so that you can go back out on the road and ride faster while maintaining the same safety envelope.

**Badjelly** · 11th February 2008, 12:30

Originally Posted by jrandom

In my view, one should always ride on the road as you describe. The racetrack is the place to push skill levels so that you can go back out on the road and ride faster while maintaining the same safety envelope.

Bugger, we agree, how can we argue? (Mind you, that doesn't stop the people on the countersteering threads.)

**SPman** · 11th February 2008, 12:47

Hit a small rock going up from Kopu on the SP, whilst leant over (had just passed a car). Hit it with both wheels and got the bike airborne whilst performing a lock to lock motion with the bars and , wonder of wonders, plonked down upright just in time for some hard braking for the approaching corner. Definately a brown trouser moment! Fucked both the wheel rims though, so a sedate ride back to Auckland, followed........
Gotta watch those rocks.......

**Macstar** · 11th February 2008, 20:48

That cop needs to be mentioned for a second as I was pretty annoyed at his whole approach and attitude (hope you don't mind bomma). But before I bag him, I guess as a local Coro cop he must see a lot of bikers ripping through his neck of the woods and the 'more than occasional bin'.

Anyway: After collecting the rider's details and bike info and asking "what happened?", cop proceeded to threaten with a careless driving charge i.e. "I may send you a careless driving charge in the mail". When I questioned this threat i.e. "hold on, you didn't witness what occured, how can you charge him for careless driving?", Cop replied, "bikers go through this corner all the time and don't crash, therefore it must have been careless driving". My second challenge to the cop was met with, "keep talking if you want me to book him for something else". At that point I did shut up and proceeded to walk away...

Point is - big difference to the professional and courteous cops you see on Highway Patrol and other filmed NZ cop shows on TV, to that which can be encountered for real.

I guess it all came out in the wash in the end as Bomma said, no charges laid. RANT OVER.

Glad your safe bomma and no worries for the lift home!!

**Ragingrob** · 11th February 2008, 20:55

Still... what a cock! My Dad reckons whatever a cop is saying about anything just ask his badge number and write it down and it'll make them think twice about being little girls wanting to taddle-tale.

**HungusMaximist** · 11th February 2008, 22:09

Originally Posted by Macstar

Anyway: After collecting the rider's details and bike info and asking "what happened?", cop proceeded to threaten with a careless driving charge i.e. "I may send you a careless driving charge in the mail". When I questioned this threat i.e. "hold on, you didn't witness what occured, how can you charge him for careless driving?", Cop replied, "bikers go through this corner all the time and don't crash, therefore it must have been careless driving". My second challenge to the cop was met with, "keep talking if you want me to book him for something else". At that point I did shut up and proceeded to walk away...

Point is - big difference to the professional and courteous cops you see on Highway Patrol and other filmed NZ cop shows on TV, to that which can be encountered for real.

I guess it all came out in the wash in the end as Bomma said, no charges laid. RANT OVER.

Glad your safe bomma and no worries for the lift home!!

Before I start bagging the cop, what I don't understand is on what grounds was Bomma in anyway careless?

I mean ok, he had low sided around a corner involving himself and is that enough to justify a careless driving charge?

It's the logic of the cop that I don't understand. Did he hurt anybody else or was it because the accident held up the traffic or maybe he just pissed off to see another biker crash?

Whatever it was it sounded like cop just wanted to have a go at yah.

People fuck up all the time around corners and being a biker, we shouldn't be singled out for any special treatment. Sure, he might be the head honcho cop of the coro loop and see biker crash here and there, but I don't give a shit, he has no right to go around giving people this sort of crap.

But I am glad you did keep your mouth shut during that time.

**Ragingrob** · 11th February 2008, 22:24

Coro cops are just sad... One summer I got constantly hassled by the one Pauanui cop fat guy in long socks about not wearing a helmet when riding around the roads, footpaths, and even the damn grass... And yes I'm talking pushbike. He threatened to come and tell my parents and I was like um ok then I live thisaway, but all of a sudden he was busy. More like time for an icecream and perve at the bikinis!