Accident survey?
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 981
Likes: 182
From: Fairfax County, VA
2 noteworthy crashes that make for an interesting contrast. Both at fault.
On a proper motorcycle race track (no barriers - some car courses that double as motorcycle courses have cement or steel retainer walls. dedicated motorcycle courses don't). Went down in full track gear at triple digit speed. Slid and tumbled so far I didn't know where the track was or my bike. Not a scratch. Repaired the bike.
In the twisties on a public road at about 40mph. bike didn't have the ground clearance for the corner at my speed. Bottomed out, went down and slid off the road, down an embankment and landed in a deep ditch full of water 15 feet below tarmac level wearing a tee-shirt jeans and full face helmet. Severe road rash, messed-up and badly bruised hip (no breaks). Bike totaled.
Suffice to say the real danger to riders is stationary objects and other vehicles.
Had a few other spills but just fooling around crap. I did have a car slowly merge into me at a stop light. he couldn't have been doing 5mph but he just didn't stop. I couldn't get away and he simply knocked me to the ground and kept merging into my lane. I yelled and banged on his car during the whole thing. He was completely oblivious.
Pretty good record for 40 yrs of riding.
On a proper motorcycle race track (no barriers - some car courses that double as motorcycle courses have cement or steel retainer walls. dedicated motorcycle courses don't). Went down in full track gear at triple digit speed. Slid and tumbled so far I didn't know where the track was or my bike. Not a scratch. Repaired the bike.
In the twisties on a public road at about 40mph. bike didn't have the ground clearance for the corner at my speed. Bottomed out, went down and slid off the road, down an embankment and landed in a deep ditch full of water 15 feet below tarmac level wearing a tee-shirt jeans and full face helmet. Severe road rash, messed-up and badly bruised hip (no breaks). Bike totaled.
Suffice to say the real danger to riders is stationary objects and other vehicles.
Had a few other spills but just fooling around crap. I did have a car slowly merge into me at a stop light. he couldn't have been doing 5mph but he just didn't stop. I couldn't get away and he simply knocked me to the ground and kept merging into my lane. I yelled and banged on his car during the whole thing. He was completely oblivious.
Pretty good record for 40 yrs of riding.
Last edited by Mr-Mike; May 27, 2017 at 08:39 AM.
Club Member
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 25,202
Likes: 30,162
I always read stories of riders who have gone down and on occasion will see them on YouTube. I do that as a constant reminder of how fragile we are on the road. I love this lifestyle and love my bike.
Knock on wood, or my head, I have never gone down. In my early years on dirt bikes, sure I tumbled a lot. That was always in deep sand or climbing a hill. I've been riding street for 42 years now and am on my 14th bike. I've had so many close calls I can't count them but saved myself from harm due to some evasive maneuver. I have never eased up on watching all vehicles around me. I slow down even if I don't need to, just in case. Other times I speed up to get out of the proximity.
I pray that I never go down and I pray for all of you as well.
Knock on wood, or my head, I have never gone down. In my early years on dirt bikes, sure I tumbled a lot. That was always in deep sand or climbing a hill. I've been riding street for 42 years now and am on my 14th bike. I've had so many close calls I can't count them but saved myself from harm due to some evasive maneuver. I have never eased up on watching all vehicles around me. I slow down even if I don't need to, just in case. Other times I speed up to get out of the proximity.
I pray that I never go down and I pray for all of you as well.
Banned
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 4,510
Likes: 1,545
From: someplace
Worst was on a dirt bike as a teen. My CL175 Honda head-on into my friend's Honda CL110 on a very small trail at about 25 mph. Both had helmets, but we both ended up with lacerations on our knees. He required over 50 stitches...a huge flap of skin and fat was hanging off his leg, both my forks were broken. On the road, hit a cage broadside who turned left out of a gas station in my lane with a parked truck obscuring my view...very slow hit, 'cause I sensed a potential problem. Sprained ankle.
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,157
Likes: 62
From: kingman AZ. We aren't in hell, but you can see it from here!!!
Jan 15,2015, @ 1515 (that is 3:15) This is why I don't like that number any more! 
Just got off work. Normally I'll take my bucket off after I cross back into AZ from NV, but the light was green at the bridge so I just rode on thru. Normally Ill do 5-10 over and try to get out in front of everybody.Today I'm doing about 10 under. Up a head I see a big rig pulling out from an industrial park.
For what ever reason I had a weird feeling and start to slow down. The truck doesn't stop! I lock up both tires. Start to go sideways, let go the brakes and recover, but lock em up again.Got hi sided and supermaned off the bike.
That was my last cognizant memory, until I wake up and see one of co workers looking at me. I "wake up" and said to him, " I fall down and go boom!"
Broke my left knee.
Totaled my bike.
Life flighted to Vegas.
First operation that night was installing a bone stabilizer. Overnight stay, get sent back to home are and in a rehab hospital.
2 weeks later Back to Vegas, take off the stabilizer, put in $45K worth of titanium. Overnight stay got extended because I got a fever and the doc was afraid of an infection and wouldn't let me leave.
3 days later back at rehab, doing PT.
Got sent home on valentine's day.
4 months in a wheelchair, two months of a walker, Crutches and finally a cane.
My leg developed a bad bowing of the knee and back to surgery for a total knee repair and replacement. That was November of 15.
Lost my job because they would not hold it for more than 5 months.
Over $700K in medical bills. Thankfully my insurance covered it.
Just got off work. Normally I'll take my bucket off after I cross back into AZ from NV, but the light was green at the bridge so I just rode on thru. Normally Ill do 5-10 over and try to get out in front of everybody.Today I'm doing about 10 under. Up a head I see a big rig pulling out from an industrial park.
For what ever reason I had a weird feeling and start to slow down. The truck doesn't stop! I lock up both tires. Start to go sideways, let go the brakes and recover, but lock em up again.Got hi sided and supermaned off the bike.
That was my last cognizant memory, until I wake up and see one of co workers looking at me. I "wake up" and said to him, " I fall down and go boom!"
Broke my left knee.
Totaled my bike.
Life flighted to Vegas.
First operation that night was installing a bone stabilizer. Overnight stay, get sent back to home are and in a rehab hospital.
2 weeks later Back to Vegas, take off the stabilizer, put in $45K worth of titanium. Overnight stay got extended because I got a fever and the doc was afraid of an infection and wouldn't let me leave.
3 days later back at rehab, doing PT.
Got sent home on valentine's day.
4 months in a wheelchair, two months of a walker, Crutches and finally a cane.
My leg developed a bad bowing of the knee and back to surgery for a total knee repair and replacement. That was November of 15.
Lost my job because they would not hold it for more than 5 months.
Over $700K in medical bills. Thankfully my insurance covered it.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 106
Likes: 15
From: Apollo Beach, Florida
2010 Just outside of Poughkeepsie NY. on Rt. 44 near Rt.55. I left with the local HOG in Allentown, PA. early in the morning in rain so hard you could barely see to ride. I thought boy this is dumb, but had reservations and was sharing a room with another rider. The rain had eased up to a drizzle but I still had on my raingear. We were heading up a pretty good hill and I thought boy we're going pretty fast for these conditions. I looked ahead to see how far ahead the lead rider was. When I looked back at the road we were just entering a sharp lefthand turn. I focused on the guard rail that was coming up. I could tell I was going to hit it but kept looking at it and kind of wishing it away. I hit it in a glancing blow then proceeded to slide about 50 ft. down the road with my right leg under the bike. Lucky for me the road was wet and the raingear saved my skin. Just ended up with a large bump on my shin and a cut knuckle. I had just had the bike custom painted a few months before and I was more pissed than anything else. They took the bike to Woodstock HD where they did the repairs. It was just over $10,000 which included repainting the custom paint. At the time I had Rider Insurance and they never even raised my renewal rate. Insurance also paid for new rain gear and a new helmet.
So the big what could I have done to avoid it is not to have focused on the guard rail. Also I should have ridding at my on pace and not worried about keeping up if I was not comfortable.
So the big what could I have done to avoid it is not to have focused on the guard rail. Also I should have ridding at my on pace and not worried about keeping up if I was not comfortable.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 981
Likes: 182
From: Fairfax County, VA
Yo Big Red. Target fixation. Very common, huge threat and difficult to overcome. Takes diligence to get over it. Hard to overcome the instinct and not give in to the tendency to observe/focus on the threat. Defeating it will become natural but initially it takes deliberate intervention on the riders part (recognize it and adjust the behavior).
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Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 626
Likes: 79
many years ago. Once at 90mph and twice at 60. No broken bones but good road rash (especially the 90mph one). All my fault due to stupidity. They didn't have motorcycle safety courses back then. I learned the hard way. After the 90mph accident I was singing Kawasaki lets the good times roll in the emergency room. The nurse asked if I had hit my head. My friend smiled and said NO, that's just Mark! There was a time I thought I was invincible, I'm not!
I actually get hurt worse at work? Going in for right shoulder surgery from an industrial accident on 5/31 for 2 tears and the left one in another 4 months give or take for 1 bad tear.
I won't be riding for a year.
I actually get hurt worse at work? Going in for right shoulder surgery from an industrial accident on 5/31 for 2 tears and the left one in another 4 months give or take for 1 bad tear.
I won't be riding for a year.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 964
Likes: 9
From: Savannah, TN
First wreck after years and years of riding last month. While taking left (no stop sign), a car coming down road I was turning into (with stop sign) moved into left lane to take their own left. I had to adjust hard to right to avoid car, hard to left to try and stay on road, rear slid back and forth in gravel and I ended up falling and sliding on right side. Car took left and never stopped.
Their fault for not paying attention but my fault for not using better judgement - could have not been so stubborn and driven straight into field without attempting left.
Bent bars, scraped derby and tank, sheared off peg, broke front and rear signals off and mirror. Leg was bruised a with some rash, sprained wrist and helmet saved head from slamming pavement. Not so bad, could have been worse.
Ordered all parts for reset and waiting on tank to be painted.
Limped scooter back home with no shifter footpeg.
Their fault for not paying attention but my fault for not using better judgement - could have not been so stubborn and driven straight into field without attempting left.
Bent bars, scraped derby and tank, sheared off peg, broke front and rear signals off and mirror. Leg was bruised a with some rash, sprained wrist and helmet saved head from slamming pavement. Not so bad, could have been worse.
Ordered all parts for reset and waiting on tank to be painted.
Limped scooter back home with no shifter footpeg.