Re: change of subject

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Ted,

From: "Ted Porter" <tporter@xxxxxxxxxx>

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <tpcutter@xxxxxxx>
>> <<
>> PS: I agree 100% with Tom Cutter. In a low-sider you may hang on to the
>> bar, but
>> in a high-sider best to get away from the bike. I had both, I experienced
>> the
>> feeling. >>
>>
>> Maybe I didn't make it clear. In a crash, you are going wherever the bike
>> tosses you. There is way more energy than you have any hope of hanging
>> onto. If you are able to "ride out" a lowside, you probably could have
>> avoided it in the fiorst place.
>>
>> NEVER stop turning, baking and riding, until the wheels are higher than
>> your head. Many crashes occur when the rider stops trying to ride the
>> bike.
>>
>> Tom Cutter
>> Yardley, PA
>> www.RubberChickenRacingGarage.com
>
>
> I have to toss in my two cents here because I couldn't agree more with
> Tom's comments. There are several variables at work in a crash obviously
> such as speed, whether other vehicles are involved and so on. I am no
> accident expert, but I do speak from experience after totaling my new '04
> R1150RT in a high speed low side two years ago. It was my first major
> crash in over 30 years of street riding on BMW motorcycles. Aside from
> many hematomas, a partial tear of my left MCL, and compression fractures
> of two vertebrae (anterior cracks at T4 and T5) I survived the accident
> thanks to good riding gear. I'm a musician and mechanic, I count on good
> finger dexterity, thankfully I had recently purchased road race gloves
> with armor. I think a lot of folks overlook quality gloves when buying
> riding gear.
>
> A friend who was riding behind me just happened to be filming the ride
> with a helmet cam, so my entire accident is on video. This gave me a
> chance to analyze the accident and determine what I did wrong. I'm
> thankful for the video because the crash was so violent (~65 MPH lowside
> into a tall dirt embankment) and it was over so fast, I had no idea what
> happened until I viewed the video.  Physics took over and I was tossed,
> rolled and tumbled like a rag doll. To think that I could have had some
> control over my body during the crash is laughable.

I *think* Tom Cutter was talking about something different -- The "moments
of peril" in which the bike is leaning over too far for the rider's comfort.
Note that the specific conditions under which a rider feels he is in peril
are subjective, and different per rider.

I believe Tom was noting that when many riders enter this "moment of peril",
they tend to do the wrong thing, such as:

 o Right the bike, hit the brakes, and hope to stop in time. We've seen a
   recent video of a rider do this (or was it on another list?) and the
   rider was just dumb lucky to come out of it unscathed.

 o Give up, and deliberately drop the bike (AKA "had to lay 'er down"),
   thereby committing to having "an accident" rather than trying to avoid
   one.

I have to side with Tom, in that many riders underestimate the abilities of
their machine. This happens because they don't know the actual limits of
their machine, and they are reacting in accordance to perceived limits. A
rider will avoid leaning over what they believe is "too far" for fear of a
low side, not knowing that the bike can lean still further and not lose its
grip. This is very common amongst riders who are not proficient at
performance riding on a track, which covers most riders.

- -Steve Makohin
 '01 R1100S/ABS
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada

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