When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
How exactly does one "lay it down"? I need to practice in case I ever really need to do it. I find it rather humorous when somebody says, "I had to lay it down." To me that just means they crashed somehow but say, "I had to lay it down" just to save face.
Winner winner chicken dinner! Couldn't have said it better myself. That's always on the tip of my tongue when I hear "I had to lay it down "
luckily compassion has always kicked in and I just say "Awww"
While I would never recommended an intentional crash by laying it down, this example may stop faster by laying it over, made easier by flopping it over with the rake.
One brake bikes are casual stoppers at best.
While I would never recommended an intentional crash by laying it down, this example may stop faster by laying it over, made easier by flopping it over with the rake.
One brake bikes are casual stoppers at best.
This is one type of bike that MAY benefit from laying it over to improve stopping distance. If you've never ridden one of these old hardtail choppers without a front brake you may have a hard time understanding how poorly these things stop. When you brake you experience weight transfer to the front which increases front tire traction and diminishes rear tire traction. Then to make things worse, a solid rear suspension decreases traction as the suspension system's primary job is to maintain tire contact with the road and a hardtail tire will hop when you lay hard on the rear brake. Pitching the bike sideways shifts some of the weight off the front and back onto the rear, improving traction. And sliding a bike sideways does not in itself constitute an "out of control slide" -- if you believe that you likely have little dirt bike experience. Also, most of you here seem to think that all emergency stops only happen on asphalt with good traction. They may start that way but many situations you may find yourself off the roadway as you try to avoid a crash. Your braking technique you were taught in that rider safety class may not work so well in the marbles and if you have ABS, may not work at all. Not trying to argue that hard braking with an upright bike on good pavement isn't the fastest way to stop. Just saying there is more than just straight line upright emergency braking to deal with. If that's all you know then that's what you will do.
I have never made the conscious decision to "lay it down". That decision has always been made for me by physics and the scenario as it played out. In the nano second of decision making time, the closest I get is "Oh Sh..." I don't even have time to finish the second word before the decision has been rendered by the universe. When an accident does happen, it seems to happen in slow motion in my mind, but reality is that it occurs at light speed.
Avoiding blunt force trauma to the head is the target. Even with a helmet on, your brain can't take much of a hit before you become a vegetable for life. Ask me how I know this.
I understand careless behavior from one party, or perhaps both... reduces ones reaction time.
I've yet to have anyone show me (with evidence) that hard braking does not lower the impact speed, and sliding out of control somehow does.
And yes.... I've heard of Motor Officers, and Military training, where riders are taught to "lay the bike down"...
It is MY understanding, such action, is less "safely stopping" a motorcycle, and more about using the motorcycle as a shield.... not that I'd feel particularly safe, using the fuel tank to stop incoming rounds
I'm not quibbling the semantics of either side of it I'm just pointing out a truth most seem to have forgotten from those days. Between the brakes and tires of the day stopping was sometimes an adventure in normal conditions much less a "this is going to hurt a lot" one. Modern tech and materials have come a long way to alleviating those conditions.
I'm not quibbling the semantics of either side of it I'm just pointing out a truth most seem to have forgotten from those days. Between the brakes and tires of the day stopping was sometimes an adventure in normal conditions much less a "this is going to hurt a lot" one. Modern tech and materials have come a long way to alleviating those conditions.
That deer that appeared in front of me did not let me have the "opportunity to lay it down". It all depends on the situation. I will lock both brakes up and slide until contact if I have that chance. No define answer. ALL HYPOTHETICAL. Like Mike Tyson said. We all have a plan until we get hit in the face.
I was taught general rule to avoid hit in any object on the road at all cost. I know it is hard to intentionally lay down your joy and pride but one should keep in mind that steel is hard, human body is soft. Look at motorcycle racings, racers who lay down bike, even at high speed, almost always get up. For those who hit something is game over.
Racers lay down their bikes when they lose control, and some of them high-side with severe consequences. They also aren’t typically faced with the possibility of getting run over by multi-ton vehicles traveling in opposing directions or perpendicular to their direction.
This entire discussion is interesting in one sense (how guys view the lay-it-down scenario) but mostly academic in my mind. I truly believe most ‘I laid it down’ cases can be dissected down to a response which happened at an unthinking level. I DON’T mean that term as anything other than there wasn’t time to think and make considered decisions. The rider reacted according to the rapid sensory input being received, and their own inclinations based on experience and the situations at hand. A lot of bike riding involves very quick reactions, and much of those reactions are happening at an automatic level.
It’s easy enough to see how a rider facing an impending impact is hard on the brakes and trying to steer/navigate away from the threat. The more unavoidable the impact, the greater the likelihood the rider is going to brake/steer into a slide and put the bike down. And I have no firsthand knowledge, but I wonder if ABS wouldn’t basically eliminate the classic ‘lock it up and put it down’ slide.
Racers lay down their bikes when they lose control, and some of them high-side with severe consequences. They also arent typically faced with the possibility of getting run over by multi-ton vehicles traveling in opposing directions or perpendicular to their direction.
This entire discussion is interesting in one sense (how guys view the lay-it-down scenario) but mostly academic in my mind. I truly believe most I laid it down cases can be dissected down to a response which happened at an unthinking level. I DONT mean that term as anything other than there wasnt time to think and make considered decisions. The rider reacted according to the rapid sensory input being received, and their own inclinations based on experience and the situations at hand. A lot of bike riding involves very quick reactions, and much of those reactions are happening at an automatic level.
Its easy enough to see how a rider facing an impending impact is hard on the brakes and trying to steer/navigate away from the threat. The more unavoidable the impact, the greater the likelihood the rider is going to brake/steer into a slide and put the bike down. And I have no firsthand knowledge, but I wonder if ABS wouldnt basically eliminate the classic lock it up and put it down slide.
Not only ABS, but how many riders actually practice emergency stopping and swerving. Of the hundreds of riders I've known, I'm the only one who practices these skills every spring. In other posts I have told the story of my saves, so I'm not going o repeat them here. You either instinctively emergency brake correctly or you lay it down. If you have to think about it, it's too late.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
