Confessions of a novice rider part three: Droppage

[grahamfitter]

So I've been commuting to work on my DR200 for a couple of months, ridden over a thousand miles, spent little on gas, stayed dry in the rain, mastered the security gate at work, life is good. Of course it was going to happen sooner or later and today, on my way home from work, I dropped the bike.

Before I go on, I would reassure those who worry about such things: No injuries were sustained by the bike. Or myself.

Running parallel to the road I commute on is an old railroad track that is being converted to a bike path. The rails have been lifted and there's just dirt, tree roots and the odd fence signifying the end of the path. The dirt is mostly dry and where its not, its rutted, wet, deep and smelly. Nothing I'd be worried about on a mountain bike but all new for the moto. The big soft ruts were a challenge and I successfully avoided the deep puddles with the odd foot down. I've definitely got a lot to learn about this but what fun it is! Of course the bike and clothes are suitably muddy now.

At the fence at the end of the track I was quite happily slowly turning round with both feet on the pegs, feathering the clutch. Then all of a sudden the bike was on the ground and I was standing there looking at it, all tied up in the messenger bag that had slipped off my shoulder and wrapped itself around my waist. I think it happened because the clutch lever that occasionally catches on the bark busters installed by the previous owner picked precisely that moment to do so. I guess that's worth fixing, then.

After looking around to make sure there weren't any witnesses, I untangled myself from my luggage. That was the hard bit. Picking the small bike up was a complete doddle!

Same again tomorrow? Even if it means dropping the bike again? Most definitely! :bike_rider:

Cheers,
Graham

[boblynch]

Glad you stuck the landing and kept your perspective. I don't know what I would do if I didn't get to blow off steam on my ride home. Enjoy the bike.

[TACODOC]

Ride on! :shakin:

[Cabrito]

messenger bags - hate them for that very reason. - They look cool but that is about it. I will admit that I do own a few.

Good job getting off the bike. My biggest fear has always been that I would go down with the bike and it would pin me and burn or brake something as has happened to friends.

I have been down on street bikes at least five times and always made an effort to get off the bike before it goes down. Others that I know have tried to bring it back up just to get pinned under it and get hurt.

glad you were okay....

-

[BogusBlake]

Nice.

I took my first spill about 50 feet into the very first trail I ever pointed the bike up, the day after I bought it! You get used to it though (I've eaten dirt 6 or 8 times in the last two months). It's how you define the limit of your ability.

That's the thing about dirt bikes- Crashing is pretty much what you expect to happen when you get on the thing.

At least they're easy to pick up, and if you do get pinned, you can usually extract yourself. Also, dirt bike parts are cheap to replace if they do break, not like expensive sport bike fairings.

:bike_rider:

[ntsqd]

A hunert years ago, my HS senior year summer I was working next door to the local tune-up and electrical guru (deservedly so). One Friday evening he was asked about his weekend plans. "I'm headed up to Ballinger (OHV area). Going to practice falling off my motorcycle."

I've looked at that way ever since.

I've fallen many times, but only been ejected once. I was told that my GPz moved the Blazer's rear axle sideways about a foot relative to the rest of the K5. EMT said "I sure must bounce good."

The more that you fall, the better you will get at falling. I'm quite sure that I'm still here after that one because of all of the falls I've taken. Instinctively I knew what to do. Must have been that because my memory of the event from ~50 feet before impact to ~10 feet after is blank.

[LaOutbackTrail]

This one was fun...
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u311/kilbyr/100_0095.jpg

First one that has knocked the breath out of me... Was going down a road like this.... well, it was this road... http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u311/kilbyr/100_0092.jpg
...... anyways, where i found myself in that position, the road had about 10 different ruts..... back tire went one direction and and the tire was pointed towards the ditch and suddenly I hit a nice sandy (DRY) section that shot me over.... I was side ways and then in the ditch in about "oh sh*te!" My shoulder went through my windshield and my feet hit the pine tree behind my left shoulder. In front of the front fender was a fence post (metal barbed wire fence type) sticking out of the ground about 10 inches.

Going to fast for the conditions of course... Oh and I'm not a fan of the TKC80s in mud, or sand, or deep gravel. (Just came from pirelli dirt tires)

And yes, the red vstrom in the second shot did go down. He struggled with the mud that day, being only his second dual sport ride, but he gave it hell and smiled the whole time... the whole time he was white knuckled though.

[Juntura]

Funny this thread just started. I had been away from bikes since I was a kid. I did have a couple in college but always needed to sell them after I got them running (I bought basket cases because thats all I could afford). Fast forward 10+ years. I decide I NEED a dual sport. Decided to buy used just incase I had a learning curve.
Anyway, finally get a bike last week, first thing I do is point towards the hills behind the house. Long story short, I laid the bike down 4 times in two rides. I guess I forgot how to hillclimb. I am getting back into the swing of things, but it is taking time.

I road to work today with a messenger bag- not again. It swung down twice on my 3 mile ride. From now on everything goes on the rack or in a backpack.

[LaOutbackTrail]

I road to work today with a messenger bag- not again. It swung down twice on my 3 mile ride. From now on everything goes on the rack or in a backpack.

Careful now guys...

I've read that on many cases that backpacks (and camelbacks) have broken collar bones. And this is with mountain bikers. Their wrecks involved sliding on their backs or simply going over the bars landing on their back with a nice brake (the backpack/camelback) to stop them.... giving them a quick crunch.

I try not to do a backpack unless im trying to go light weight.

Strap it to the bike.

[grahamfitter]

Thanks folks, I'm glad its not just me! :sombrero:

As for messenger bags, mine (Aerostich) has a second strap that keeps it securely in place when my body is mostly vertical and not doing some kind of acrobatic dismount. For the most part it works very well for a bulky laptop and the other junk I bring to work. Point taken about being hurt by luggage. I've been thinking about soft saddlebags for a while but until I find a simple solution that will work for lightweight touring and commuting I'm going to stick with the messenger bag.

Cheers,
Graham

[LaOutbackTrail]

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n188/glowingeenklr650/Louisiana%20Outback%20Trail/Exploring%20By%20Bike/Scotts_Wreck_1-1.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n188/glowingeenklr650/Louisiana%20Outback%20Trail/Exploring%20By%20Bike/Scotts_Wreck_2.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n188/glowingeenklr650/Louisiana%20Outback%20Trail/Exploring%20By%20Bike/Scotts_Wreck_1.jpg

Here's a nother few pics of a slightly more painful wreck..... I was going to fast for the trail with bald tires.... well, i was aiming for a tree and tried to use back brake to re direct and then gas it to follow through in that direction.... well as soon as I put my brake on it hit a stone which locked the brake up and then hit a bunch of slick pine straw. Went down and hit a very well placed, very solid, very hard stone on the very tip of my heel.... split the back of my boot open. Thankfully I was wearing those boots.

I had a hard time getting my boots back on and we decided to stop joy riding and get some lunch. :sombrero:

[LaOutbackTrail]

Oh. My point. I must make it.:ylsmoke:

The downings I have had allowed me to walk away mostly unhurt. I wear helmet, a jacket, boots, and some sort of heavy pant. Every time I ride. Period. I know no amount of gear could save my life in all circumstances, and in no way has my life been ultimately threatened by an accident, but injury itself has been avoided by wearing the right gear. I feel super uncomfortable just riding to the store with jeans, hiking boots, jacket and helmet. It only takes a stupid person to not look to ruin your day.

The biggest pucker i've ever had was a near T-Bone... where a car wanted to pull out in front of me.... horn blaring with both brakes locking up. The car stopped halfway in my lane. I couldnt help myself but to stop right in front of the car, slap the hood and give them the finger. Then I saw the driver who was about a 250lb black fella that definately looked like he would put some whoop *** on me just for my actions.... but he was saying "Sorry man! sorry!"

By the way that was a block from my home.

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

Yesterday was one of the best days riding for me all year! Nobody else out, just me and a buddy. Dirt was great, just a little bit moist, and super easy to hook-up on. I also had one of the most spectacular over-the-bars carashes that I have ever had or heard of! I stuck the front wheel in a hole on the way down a slow descent in a steep clearcut (no trail), and knew I was going over a split second before it happened. What followed was a complete forward rotation over the bars (holding on at first, then letting go), and stuck the landing on my feet and ran out of it, never actually going down. I was shocked, and you should have heard the recap from my buddy who was watching... wish I had it on film!

[LaOutbackTrail]

Yesterday was one of the best days riding for me all year! Nobody else out, just me and a buddy. Dirt was great, just a little bit moist, and super easy to hook-up on. I also had one of the most spectacular over-the-bars carashes that I have ever had or heard of! I stuck the front wheel in a hole on the way down a slow descent in a steep clearcut (no trail), and knew I was going over a split second before it happened. What followed was a complete forward rotation over the bars (holding on at first, then letting go), and stuck the landing on my feet and ran out of it, never actually going down. I was shocked, and you should have heard the recap from my buddy who was watching... wish I had it on film!

Thats awesome.... go try it again!

I dd something similar on a mountain bike.... I hit a decent root on a downhill and sort of went over the handlebars, but I had the clip in pedals which kept me attatched to the bike. I basically landed on my back but with momentum keeping me going I ended up back on the tires, but crashed immediately there after... :D

[R_Lefebvre]

Careful now guys...

I've read that on many cases that backpacks (and camelbacks) have broken collar bones. And this is with mountain bikers. Their wrecks involved sliding on their backs or simply going over the bars landing on their back with a nice brake (the backpack/camelback) to stop them.... giving them a quick crunch.

I try not to do a backpack unless im trying to go light weight.

Strap it to the bike.

Hasn't been my experience. I ride enduros and hare scrambles, and I always have a camel back. Everybody does, you have to. I've fallen and landed flat on my back on rocks, and twice I've barrel rolled off the bike, never had an issue. I've also never heard of anybody having an issue.

I ride with a Fox "pressure suit", which is basically full armor. The most important aspect is the spine protection. Regular "roost protectors" are practically worthless for falls. They don't stay in place and have no energy absorbtion.

[LaOutbackTrail]

I now ride with the Acerbis Koerta pressure suit and I still wear a camel back. The wrecks that I've heard about where the camel back has snapped collar bones has been head first slides on the back. Not very common I would imagine.

I smacked another tree yesterday. I decided to see how difficult it would be to handle the bike on an ATV trail with all my luggage that im bringing to Mexico. This one was caused by a wash that I had to basically bump up over... slick clay and these 'crappy for this terrain' TKC80s sent me sliding and aiming for a tree with the bike falling downhill...... basically the tree held me up but it all happened in about 2 seconds.... so im not sure what happened. The guy riding with me decided to take the side route on his BMW 650 Dakar.

[Sleeping Dog]

Graham, one thing to remember, there are only two types of motorcycles, those that have laid on there sides, and those that will.

Its like skiing, the falling down is part of the learning process.

[Speaker]

Its like skiing, the falling down is part of the learning process.

And, on a dirt bike, it's a regular occurrence.

[grahamfitter]

And, on a dirt bike, it's a regular occurrence.

So far its only happened the once so I'm probably not trying hard enough! I am getting better at standing on the pegs but its not as natural as on a mountain bike yet. Braking and shifting definitely isn't as easy as when sitting down. Anyway, its great when I get home wearing muddy jeans and boots and a Cheshire Cat grin. :)

Cheers,
Graham