[deepakc]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

2. Following - Never follow. I had a colleague who rides well, has way more experience and skills. We were late for a meeting, she was riding fast and I just wanted to follow not realizing my skills are not enough.

Totally agree on the following bit. Got into a sort of autopilot mode where I was doing whatever a friend's car in front was doing when following him, which led to an accident when I tried to follow his overtaking move, without realising that another car from behind was overtaking me. Luckily both cars escaped with just damages and no injuries.

[amrutmhatre90]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I was extremely lucky to walk out kind of unhurt after hitting the pavement. But it does not happen every day. Hope the above observations will be of help to some new riders.

Ride safe.

Glad to know your safe buddy. I wouldn't comment on how this should have been avoided, but some other day you would have braked and had the situation under control. Mistakes do make people learn a few new things, but shouldn't be an accident.

I am a young novice rider like you too, I straight away upgraded to a 650cc Interceptor from a car. But I did know how to ride a activa.
Roads are filled with idiotic drivers riders or even pedestrians. One should anticipate how things can change very quickly.

Few pointers I use:
1) Don't rush or zig zag your way out. No point of proving your quickest. You might just reach the destination 5-15 min early.
2) Yes, wear the riding gear whenever possible. Mishaps can happen at any point of time. Full face helmets are a must, I know a fellow who broke his chin with the half faced helmet.
3) Keep your mind calm, no matter how many idiots you meet on road. No racing and proving your fastest. I have had many riders on KTM 390's and 220 pulsar trying to race me, I just give a thumbs up and clap to them.

Pray for your speedy recovery on the bruises, don't give up or take this as a negative impact on riding. But be more cautious mate. Take care.

[livetodrive]

Sorry to hear your ordeal Suman. Take care and ride safe.

[tchsvy]

Glad to know you are safe, ride safe.

I have been riding motorcycles for the last 15 years, and I have had 4 major falls in these 15 years.

1. April, 2006: I was riding to Miryalaguda from Hyderabad with my cousin riding as pillion. Started in the evening and some work was going on on the Narketpally-Addanki highway, every tree on the way had signboards indicating the speed limit 40 KMPH. I was doing 80 KMPH, my excuse was that it was getting dark and with nightfall all sorts of insects flying in the air will make it very difficult to ride, but it was what it was just an excuse. So, all it took for my bike to loose control was a little pool of oil on the road, and I remember the next 15 seconds after loosing control of bike to this day! For the first couple of seconds I tried to regain control over the bike, like a matador on the raging bull, and the beast (I used to call my tiny Unicorn a beast!) won. In the process of trying to regain the control, I turned the handle to right and fell down hard, that could have saved our lives as there was a culvert on the left side and if I hadn't turned the handle we would have hit it head on. Long story short; I was dargged along with the bike for what felt like an eternity and had skinned my right elbow, deep bruises on both of my knees and almost all over my body.

The helmet I was wearing(Vega brand if IIRC) was so bad in shape that I threw it away immediately after the accident, I knew if my parents saw that my riding days were over. I was wearing a jeans jacket on top of my shirt, it was better than just wearing a shirt, but not as good as proper riding jacket though. My cousin on the other hand jumped from the bike at the first sign of losing control and landed on his leg, he had few minor bruises and a sprained ankle, thankfully.

When I was getting my bike serviced at Honda ASC at Secunderabad, there was a big poster about good and bad riding habits, one of those instructions was to hug the bike with your knees, I practiced it well and made it my habit, in one way that practice might have saved me from from few broken limbs. Recently one of my cousins lost control over his bike and fell down at half of the speed I was riding at and broke his leg and hand, he tried put his leg down.

Lesson learnt: Respect the speed limits and sign boards, they are there for a reason.

2. Riding from my room to friends' place, wasn't exactly speeding, was under the speed limits, I saw one guy standing on the right side of the road trying to cross the road, he wasn't too sure about it, I slowed down and honked making my intentions clear that I was not going to stop, he wasn't moving, so gave a little gas, as soon as twisted the throttle the guy started running. Tried my best to avoid hitting him and almost succeeded but my clutch lever caught some part of his sleeve, I was thrown out of the bike and had few bruised, the guy on the other hand just fell down where he was standing and thankfully there were no injuries to him. He was a watchman working at the nearby shopping mall, and withing couple of minutes all his fellow watchmen arrived there and started beating me up, demanding money, thankfully all the other people on the scene supported me and they bailed me out of it, the watchmen kept my helmet as a souvenir!

Lesson learnt: When dealing with 4 or 2 legged animals, target their behind, in this case shouldn't have honked and should have let him cross the road before twisting the throttle.

3&4: On a rainy day had two falls withing couple of hours, I guess my bike's tyres were telling me something! First one was really scary as I slipped on the road and went parallel to a bus could have easily ended up underneath the bus. Within couple of hours a rider in front or me lost control in the rain and fell down he was just couple of meters ahead of me, to avoid running over him I braked hard and lost traction. We both were sliding on the road one behind the other in sync!

Lesson learnt: Take care of your bike, inspect your tyres every monsoon.

2 wheelers teach you the lessons in the hard way!

[DrCar]

There are two things that should be kept in mind when driving any vehicle:
1. Limitations of once ability : Let us accept the fact that we are driving in unpredictable conditions where ones reaction time and sharp reflexes saves us almost daily from accidents. But we should always give ourselves a better chance by keeping things slow and safe. Unnecessary lane changes, sudden acceleration, etc. puts us more in danger and things will not remain under our control in case of eventualities.
2. Know your vehicle: No two vehicles are same. I fell twice with my Avenger within first 500 kilometres of driving it, because the handling abilities of bike and braking capacity was completely different then my previous Unicorn and Hunk which I had driven for almost a lakh kilometres. I have seen people chasing or racing a KTM rider with their puny Activas on the highways. Those morons don't understand that KTM rider will easily manoeuvre themselves out of any impending danger but they themselves directly will be the target of that danger next.

Even Valentino Rossi would have practiced 1000 times before venturing into a track. Even then too he would ride safe maintaining the racing line. He even backs off in wet conditions knowing that nor he, nor his vehicle can push beyond a certain limit.

Follow the following rules while driving -
1. Maintain safe cruising speed. Look at the road ahead instead of your speedometer to know what is the safe speed. Driving even at 60s can be termed dangerous when other vehicles are moving at speed of 40s.
2. Try to give way as much as possible: Your drive will be much more relaxing because others won't bother to cut your lane and try to overtake you.
3. Educate ourselves : The thing that I absolutely hate is people driving and keeping mobile phones on their steering. Yesterday, a BMW driver came suddenly in front of me. Next thing I saw was him looking at his phone. He didn't even realize that his car was about to brush me. If an educated person can do this, then we should not blame only autowalas for rash driving. Lets educate ourselves and our kids first to know about the road rules.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

Today I had an accident. I was trying to overtake a tempo traveller who did not give space, and opposite another vehicle was coming, I overtook the TT, swerved left to avoid the oncoming car, and there was gravel, and I fell down. I was immediately taken to hospital. Luckily it was all deep bruises in my knee, both hands and lip and chin. They did X Ray but everything seemed to be fine. I was discharged with bandages.

Sorry to hear about your accident, and glad to hear that you were mostly unhurt!

I am writing this experience thinking it would help fellow members who are in the same state as I am.

Thank you very much for sharing your lessons. This is one of the most useful posts on the forum, and will surely help others avoid accidents. Most of your points are equally valid for cars as well, and not just the bikes. Thank you.

2. Following - Never follow. I had a colleague who rides well, has way more experience and skills. We were late for a meeting, she was riding fast and I just wanted to follow not realizing my skills are not enough.

This is a great point, and I can totally relate to this. I don't ride bikes, but I drive cars and this rule is equally applicable to driving cars. I have done many convoy drives and group drives, and I have seen this one common mistake occurring many times in such drives. I have seen even the most experienced drivers doing this mistake in a convoy drive. I will make sure to explicitly remind all drivers of this point in every convoy drive in future!

[delix]

You are lucky to have escaped the fall with just bruises and cuts. Thank your lucky star. Riding two wheelers in India is really a dwanting task given the number of idiot drivers on the roads. Most of the bike accidents close calls are generally due to other people's mistakes. My first and only bike accident was due to sudden disc braking to avoid an idiot auto taking u-turn without even signalling. Though i have been riding bike for 13 yrs now, i make it a point to slow down well in advance. Friends sometimes call me a slow rider but i am happy with the title than spending time at a hospital. Take care and get well soon!

[longhorn]

Never ever touch the brake pedals when you are riding over sand, gravel or oil on the road. This is a sure shot recipe for disaster. Never mind even if your speed is a bit high. Just close the throttle and let the vehicle slow down on its own, or better still slow down before you hit this patch. If its too late, just keep the handle bar as steady as possible, i.e. with minimal to no directional changes.

If you touch the brake, it is very difficult to recover, even for the most experienced of riders. Anyway good to hear that you got out of it without much damage. Wishing you a speedy recovery and safe riding.

[alphadog]

Glad to hear that you are ok and have only some bruises and minor injuries to show for it. Things could have been much worse.
Motorcycling is an inherently dangerous process and more so in our country. Not only do we have to contend with bad roads, but also other road users who do not have much idea or sense about safe driving or riding. The only good thing going for riding in India is that pretty much everyone on the roads is used to seeing two wheelers around them on the roads, which is not the case in countries such as the US of A or indeed, many European countries.

I commute to work on my bike, the Z900, 4 days a week. There are certain things I keep in mind when starting to ride every day, both up to and down from work. After my silent prayer and breath awareness, I test my brakes quickly, I tell myself not to twist the throttle with my ego, not to get provoked by any other road users, let squids pass and absoutely no racing. I make it a point not to tail-gate behind vehicles where I cannot see whats ahead of that vehicle, for example, behind a bus or a truck. When considering over taking vehicles from left or right, if I cannot see what lies ahead, both on the side on which I am overtaking and the other side, I abandon the process. I rip the throttle open only on certain stretches wherein I can see things far and wherein I am fairly certain that no pedestrians or animals will jump out from the sides. It is also important not to go to the other end of the spectrum and pussy foot around and ride real careful and slow all the time. Afterall what is the pleasure and enjoyment of riding a motorcycle, unless one can atleast experience its power and aural pleasure atleast some of the time.

Of course, at the bare minimum, I always have my full face helmet, part leather/ mesh armoured riding jacket, city motorcycling boots and gloves.

At the end of the day, theres only so much precautions one can take, beyond this, one has to accept the risks and deal with it, for enjoyment of the ride.

I am sure you have taken away learning points from your experience and those of others who have posted here. I certainly have. Hope you get back into riding at the earliest and have fun while doing so.

Cheerio!

[Axe77]

Lots of useful inputs here that I don't want to reiterate to avoid repetition.

My one small point. I know ATGATT is easier said than done but at the very least, even when I am visiting the local ATM / barber which is 1 - 2 km away, I at least wear my riding gloves (and always proper shoes, NEVER slippers etc). if you have a fall, instinctively you are very likely to use your hands to break the fall, protect a more sensitive part of your body, or in some form cushion the impact. The gloves will at least prevent some abrasion from you using your hands. And they are easiest to take with you on the smallest of rides. So I have 100% compliance on gloves and helmet. The riding pants and jacket come on for longer rides of course.

[deemash]

Glad to read that you were not much hurt after the incident.

I have close to 20 years of bike riding experience. I had 2 falls in the 20 years span out of which 1 was major.

1. I just started riding bike and once on my way to college, a dog thought of crossing the road. I was over confident of my riding skill, I honked and decided to hit the dog thinking that it would die. (Poor animal, thought of hitting when my blood was young. I will not do that now.) But I fell down from the bike and had some bruises and major damage to my bike.

Cause: Over confidence
Lessons learnt: I learnt that dogs are so powerful and swift to make you fall and they don't really die unless it is a run over. Indian highways and roads are so prone to stray dogs. I am very careful and keep a check for them.

2. I was 18 years experienced person in riding during this incident. This was a major fall. At a minor corner, there is a small tea shop. I was doing 40 kmph on my bike and this guy after drinking tea talking to the tea shop friend crossed the road. In 2 seconds I hit him hard. My reflexes were so poor that I could not brake hard to avoid hitting him. I hit him and fell down. My right hand elbow was the first to hit the road. After the hit, few locals took that person inside tea shop. Few college going students helped me get up from road. There was huge fire-like feeling on my shoulder bone and I was unable to move my shoulder. Sensed a fracture. Went to doc, he did a x-ray and confirmed the fracture. I was advised to wear band and rest for one month. It was very painful for 2 weeks and the first fracture of my life.

Cause: Poor reflex
Lessons Learnt: There are many black spots on Indian roads and there are many unpredictable scenarios like the above. You hit someone or someone hits you, you will have to suffer. I don't have confidence now to ride my bike. I use it only for very minor errands. Otherwise, always use 4 wheels.

[sumannandy]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I am also little confused on the right things to do while riding a motorcycle. I have gone through hundreds of youtube videos and articles, but I guess we never have anything like the MSF course in India, and I think it will be really helpful if proper techniques are explained somewhere by experienced bikers.

So here is what I learnt from my research and the posts. Please correct me where I am wrong or something really stupid.

1. Slow speed riding - clutch in the friction zone, gentle throttle, foot on the rear brake.
2. Slow Speed U Turn - All of the above and counter balance
3. Emergency braking - First apply rear brakes then front brake, then shift to first gear and stop (My bike has got ABS).
4. Cornering - Slow, Look, Press, Throttle. Sometimes trail braking with front brakes? or rear brakes?
5. Emergency Handling - You are overtaking a vehicle, then you need to get back to your track but on the way there is a small patch of gravel. What to do? (As happened in my case)
6. Braking while swerving - What is the correct technique? Front brake or rear brake?

Thanks in advance. I think the responses by experienced riders will not only help me but will also help many new riders.

I would also like to ask, what is the best tyre for the bike that would provide maximum road grip. The bike came with Zapper (100/80 R17) in the front and RevZ Y (140/60 R17) radial at the back. I would like to continue exploring the world of riding two wheelers, and if changing tires makes it safer and better, I could certainly do so.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

I would also like to ask, what is the best tyre for the bike that would provide maximum road grip. The bike came with Zapper (100/80 R17) in the front and RevZ Y (140/60 R17) radial at the back. I would like to continue exploring the world of riding two wheelers, and if changing tires makes it safer and better, I could certainly do so.

Michelin pilot street radials are my favorite. They provide excellent grip and feedback, all the while being economical.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

1. Slow speed riding - clutch in the friction zone, gentle throttle, foot on the rear brake.
2. Slow Speed U Turn - All of the above and counter balance
3. Emergency braking - First apply rear brakes then front brake, then shift to first gear and stop (My bike has got ABS).
4. Cornering - Slow, Look, Press, Throttle. Sometimes trail braking with front brakes? or rear brakes?
5. Emergency Handling - You are overtaking a vehicle, then you need to get back to your track but on the way there is a small patch of gravel. What to do? (As happened in my case)
6. Braking while swerving - What is the correct technique? Front brake or rear brake?.

Running short on time, but, do not trail brake etc now. Leave that for later. For now, finish all your braking before a corner comes, do all your braking and then set your bike and your body position to corner.

Second and most important - has saved me I don't know how many times and is mostly specific to 2 wheels.

LOOK WHERE YOU HAVE TO GO. I can't specify how important it is. I have avoided so many crashes, be it in corners when I ran too hot or avoiding hitting an obstacle. Look through [the corners specially and the line you intend to take] and not at just one object.

Sharing a couple of videos.

Old but gold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frgDcJFKHD0

Another very good video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewDS5ROrLcE

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by sumannandy

Emergency Handling - You are overtaking a vehicle, then you need to get back to your track but on the way there is a small patch of gravel. What to do? (As happened in my case)
6. Braking while swerving - What is the correct technique? Front brake or rear brake?

I simply wouldn't overtake when I cant see the road. If you are taken by surprise, and approach gravel, straighten up the bike and enter it in an orthogonal direction. If you have any lean angle you certainly risk losing traction.

To swerve and brake in an emergency, you would push on the handlebars in the direction of the turn, then as you straighten the bike use both brakes with increasing pressure. You cannot grab the front brakes alone, if you are not straight up, you risk high sliding, or jack knifing.

Another important skill is to try these scenarios to a point where you tell yourself " I can handle it when I crash", and get that thought out of your system. If you are always thinking of not crashing, you will crash very soon. It is sort of psychological target fixation.