Lay down your bike

[Elysium]

With all this talk of biker crashes happening lately I wondered about this technique I sometimes hear where bikers would deliberatly slide or crash their bike onto the ground to avoid a potentially fatal crash.

Has anyone had to perform this technique to avoid a cras or is it all just myth? I myself woluldn't know how to properly cras a bike so I just concentrate on good braking and looking for danger.

[Pixie]

"I saw I couldn't avoid hitting it,so I laid the bike down"

Translation: "I fell off"

[AllanB]

I think it's a bit of a myth. If you have the time to consider laying down the bike in a controlled manner than chances are you possibly have the time to avoid the incident.

Insurance companies would love the lay down.

Describe the Accident:
I saw this car cut in front of me, I applied the rear brake, sliding the bike and laying it down on it's side to avoid hitting the car. It now has extensive grazing and I am pretty sure the font forks are bent after it flipped.
May I have a new one please?

And Mr/Mrs ACC assessor:
So you came off the bike on purpose?

All that aside, in theory given the right circumstances, and if you have the time it may well be a good idea.


Have you heard about the 'stand-up technique'?

This says if you are having a head-on on a bike and there is NO way out of it, just before impact stand up on the pegs. The theory is that on impact you will be thrown clear of the bike (over it). This is designed to avoid a nasty case of 'tank-nuts' or groin into/through instrument/fairing injury.

Apparently on sports bikes, due to the clip-ons, in a head on it is common to snap both wrists as you cartwheel over.


Then theres the 'open drag-pipes add 2 inches to your dick theory....'


And of course the Hondas are gay MYTH.

[Jantar]

In order to lay a bike down you have to initiate a lowside crash. That takes more time than braking to a stop. With modern bikes, its a myth.

The idea started back in the days when speedway racing was still in its infancy (that's even before I was born), and those bikes didn't have brakes or gears (they still don't). In the event of a major pile up, the tail end riders would lay their bikes down on the cinder track rather than hit a tangled mess of other bikes and riders at high speed.

[1 Free Man]

With all this talk of biker crashes happening lately I wondered about this technique I sometimes hear where bikers would deliberatly slide or crash their bike onto the ground to avoid a potentially fatal crash.

Has anyone had to perform this technique to avoid a cras or is it all just myth? I myself woluldn't know how to properly cras a bike so I just concentrate on good braking and looking for danger.

Had a dude tell me at one part of it that if I had to lay the bike down I should jump on top of it to avoid injury from the road suface. Yeah Right.
When I asked him how do you perfect your technique for such a maneuver he said to me I should "Go out and practice".
Stupid Fuck.!!! Of course I was going to go out and throw my new bike on the road a few times to practice jumping on top of it!!!!

[Squiggles]

You lay the bike down and it'll be up to fate what happens... stay on and you'll have a say in your destiny (you can attempt to avoid, stop, or at least not hit the wheel arch if it was a car)

[Usarka]

The brakes and tyres on todays bikes are shit. You get much better stopping power from fairings, engine covers and the like.


(p/t)

[Coyote]

Doesn't matter what I do, my bikes will get fucked up.

That's why I'm a refinisher now

[slofox]

I once saw a dude do just that - lay the bike down to "avoid" a crash...well he perceived a crash coming but he was a total tit and had no need to do what he did. Fact of the matter was he was way over speed and saw a car nosing out of a driveway on the other side of the road from himself...a) he had miles of room to get through anyway and b) the car driver was barely moving and just getting to a position to see what was on the road. By the time titface had slid to a halt in a shower of sparks car was well stopped. Then rider asked me to perjure myself to get his insurance...fat chance. He shoulda just used the brakes...

[ital916]

rule of thumb, you will always stop quicker if you have two wheels on the ground with all the brakes applied. rubber on road = quick stop.

This laying down thing is a myth, if your mate says he "laid it down", it just means that he crashed the bike. "oh I needed to lay it down mate", ahaha no you didnt, you just fucked up.

[hospitalfood]

years back i did lay a bike down. cars pulls out from left in front of me crossing my lane to go the direction im coming from, i try to cut behind the car but it see's me and stops in middle of my lane, by this time its getting real close and im yelling NO inside my hat, so at the very last second i drop the bike, but im still on it when we hit the car and with the aid of the weight of the bike my knee takes out the right rear light assembly.
result was ambulance case.

my next crash i jumped clean off the bike just before impact with a car and i was fine, couple of scratches but no serious damage to me.

my crash advice is look for a clear flight path and jump at it if you are going to collide with anything. a local guy came off at 220 km/h recently and was ok because he did not hit anything solid ( luck ). people have died at 50 km/h when hitting solid objects

[pritch]

The idea started back in the days when speedway racing was still in its infancy (that's even before I was born),

Me too

When I learned to ride (fifty years ago this year, God where did it go?) "laying it down" was talked of as a valid option.

Difficult to conceive of a situation where you might need to do this today but it wouldn't be silly to file it away in the back of the mind. Just in case...

[prettybillie]

if your mate says he "laid it down", it just means that he crashed the bike. "oh I needed to lay it down mate", ahaha no you didnt, you just fucked up.

Hahahahahahahaha - man will never admit that though!!!!!

[fishb8nz]

I was on the major road approaching a crossing where the others had to give way to me. A car pulled out, (r to l) very close to me and I moved right to avoid the contact. Next thing another can followed the first and I was going to hit this car so I swerved and dropped the bike which skidded and hit the car on the passenger side. I was fine and the bike lost it's pegs and levers on the road side.
I know if I'd hit the car full on, I'd have been in way worse condition. All of it happened instinctively and never had the time to plan my options.

[Mystic13]

I go for staying with the bike. Unless the bikes is going to go somewhere you don't want to go (like down a bank).

Some people on here talk about not having the time to react. For many riders time slows down dramatically and you are consciously thinking at the speed you are now even thought everything has slowed down dramaticaly.

I've lost my bike where you know it's gone pass the point of no return and you know you're in for a low side. I've had the time to drop my foot down, kick it up, and then as the bike is rising I'm thinking "oh shit - high side time". I've then looked around and seen where I think I'm launching to and getting ready for the event. In this case the bike just gave a violent shake and carried on it's merry way.

Time distortion is pretty common. Most people notice it when they come off fast riding (say open road to 50k zone) and you think you are going too slow and yet you look down and you're going faster than you think.

There is a good arcade game on here that you can play to develop the skill. "Snake". When you play it get the snake to slow down and then get it to speed up. The problem I have with the game at the moment is that it keeps slowing down and I can't control my turn timing.

When we ride fast we usually do a small amount of time distortion where we slow down time.

All good fun.

I can conceive that there may be a time when you need to lay a bike down but that is to get away from the bike not to stop fast. I'd never practise it or hope to have to need to do it.