Evasive action while cornering - any tips?

[slimjim]

DUDE !! YOU WHAT...... !!!!!!! Sorry You Can't .. you should be thankfull you Lived .... lesson learnt...

[ManDownUnder]

In hindsight - there's a lot you can do - but in the cold light of day everything happens so damned fast there isn't a lot you can "do" as such - experience (or lack of it) will determine the outcome.

So - skills that will minimise the damage...
1) Look at the gap, not the obstacle. Target fixation is your enemy
2) Cornering and braking
3) Street smarts. As Ixion said waaaaay back in about the 4th post... if you saw her - you should be anticipating what she could have done.

Last - ATGATT. God only knows whejn this stuff could happen. Be ready.

ESP isn't something we all have, and I don't know how long you've been driving/riding (forgive me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs)... but when you get "that feeling"... just slow down a little. Sounds like a crock but a lot of long timers will swear by it... and you don't get to be a long timer if you keep hitting thing.

MDU over and under

[Toaster]

look where you WANT to go........

Exactly! The hard bit is avoiding the phenomenon of "target fixation" where people naturally focus on the very object they need to avoid and thereby aim towards it.

[swbarnett]

but when you get "that feeling"... just slow down a little.

Or speed up depending on how close you are at the time. No point hitting someone slowly if a bit more speed would've taken you past before they cross your path.

[ManDownUnder]

Or speed up depending on how close you are at the time. No point hitting someone slowly if a bit more speed would've taken you past before they cross your path.

I see what you're saying but I meant that feeling you sometimes get when you think something could happen sooner - or in the next hour.... everything's normal - yet it's just a bit odd... those that have been there will know.

[FROSTY:Me]

You say you put the bike down and slid into the car.

I'd be keen to know two things.

1. What benefit is there in putting the bike down in such circumstances.

2. How does one do it?

DONT do it as a matter of choice. This a a myth from back in the days when a bike did indeed stop faster on its side than with its brakes.
On a modern bike you will ALWAYS stop faster/get your speed to something reasonable better when the bike is on its two wheels using the brakes to best of their ability to stop you.

If you are in the situation that hitting the side of that cage is inevitable DONT go down.
The idea is to get away from the crash scene.
Id suggest standing up -raise your bum out of the sear--loosen the grip on the bars.
The front of the bike is going to dive then start to crumble downwards.
Momentum is going to throw you forwards. At that point you want to be going slightly up.
This is going to throw you clear of all the bike bits likely to damage your family jewls and up over the car.
Then you starfish and thank gosh you invested in all that great protective gear--as you slide down the road creating story worthy marks in your boots n leathers.

In a nutshell like the old parachuting story--nahh mate taint the fall that fucks ya --its the sudden stop at the end.--avoid the sudden stop

[slimjim]

..Fuck That Gona Hurt................ either way ride to live

[swbarnett]

I see what you're saying but I meant that feeling you sometimes get when you think something could happen sooner - or in the next hour.... everything's normal - yet it's just a bit odd... those that have been there will know.

Of course. I completely misread that. I agree completely.

[GaZBur]

You say you put the bike down and slid into the car.

I'd be keen to know two things.

1. What benefit is there in putting the bike down in such circumstances.

2. How does one do it?

1. Its only of benefit if you are guaranteed to hit something solid in the next 2 seconds or more - it puts the bike between you and what you hit, maybe moving it slightly or reducing your inevitable impact.
2. Release front brake, lock rear brake - steer left to lowside the bike on its left side.
I am not sure of the experts opinion but my gut says stay with the bike while it is between you and aforementioned immovable object otherwise, slide - do not roll to a stop in your wonderfull protective gear.

[Ixion]

You say you put the bike down and slid into the car.

I'd be keen to know two things.

1. What benefit is there in putting the bike down in such circumstances.

2. How does one do it?

What Mr Frosty said. Don't. This is a hangover from the days of gravel roads and case iron hub ornaments. You will have a far far better chance staying upright and braking. And a better chance still by staying upright and dodging.

The only exceptions I would make are if staying with the bike is going to mean going over a cliff (you'll have a better chance sliding over the cliff and being slowed by vegetation, than going over on the bike and being flung off ) ; or if staying with the bike means going into something like a fire (crash ahead of you and they've caught fire). Or, maybe, on a gravel road (not always though)

They myth is still widely prevalent in the USA whence it seems to have been reexported to our shores. As a young rider I heard it mentioned , and met folk who had done it. Then it almost completely disappeared. Now it's back. It's bad. Don't do it

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

I recon next time you think someone has seen you, you may think twice eh! Expect the unexpected and you'll be right.
With only a second to react to this situation you options are limited.....try and pass in front, try and pass behind or try and stop! For the first two options all you can do is look at the escape route and hope you make it, push the bar (the side you want to go) and she'll turn in quick! Trust your tyres to cope with the direction change and the probable lean angle that will happen, (worth practising this sometime). The last option is try and stop, You will be amazed at how fast a modern bike can stop and I'll bet you've got no where near the limit of your bikes braking ability (again worth practicing this) Get the bike upright and apply both brakes progressively to the point of lock up. You can 'hear' as well as feel what the front tyre will be doing, to be honest the rear brake will be acting more for ballance rather than 'stopping power' at this stage.
These are basic skills you should practice in a safe area on a good road surface to gain confidence in you and your bikes ability.
Find someone thats been around bikes for a while and talk to them about survival and incident avoidance skills. Good luck.

[Chad]

You say you put the bike down and slid into the car.

I'd be keen to know two things.

1. What benefit is there in putting the bike down in such circumstances.

2. How does one do it?

1. As has been stated, none. Because it was a nice warm day and I was just pottering home, the jeans I were wearing tore open as soon as my knee hit the ashphalt (wear proper gear!!) and as such I lost a chunk out of my knee and am about to go back to physio again almost a year down the track now. The sleeve of my lovely vinyl jacket (again, WEAR PROPER GEAR!!) also slid straight up and I lost half the skin off my forearm, however no permanant damage there.

The only upside I could possibly see in this situation would be sliding into the side of the car as opposed to goin over the bonnet and risking possible neck/spine injury on landing, but I reakon far too uncertain to gamble on.

2. I did not do this on purpose. Thinking back I'm pretty sure I just slammed on the front break and the bike went down because of the angle I was at, but it could just as easily have gone high side and thrown me into or over the car anyway, and as such I would never do this on purpose anyway. Along with the fact that I HATE sandin down fiberglass all over my nice farings and its not worth the bollucking around.

Have to say though, I still love this lil bit of road when its quiet, the ash is real beaut n smooth round there and quite a nice little "s". Well, was last time I went that way, bikes been garaged up for a few months now *sniff*

[Cr1MiNaL]

Yup I've had the same thing done to me before (several times). Only I took the R6 offroading through the bush on the top of the round about and made it sweet. Didn't even bother stopping as I knew what she was going to say. I just cooly rode on, the traffic was still stagnant when I left.

[skidMark]

If all else fails yell fuck and go superman styles... just put your sidestand down as you bin and itll land on it christian pffeiffer styles.

It'll be choice i swear.

honest.

would i lie to you?

[wbks]

would i lie to you?

*Cough*60 kilometers*cough*2seconds*cough