[gypsy1989]

Originally Posted by stormsearcher

@gypsy--- i however beg to differ on your earlier post about the use of front brakes. You will never stop a bike on the rear brakes alone, and even when you use both brakes simultaneously, you could skid. The correct way is to straighten the bike and then apply the brakes, front first and back later in an approx ration of 70-30 (f-b). If you slam the brakes on a turn, irrespective of the nature of the tyres, you will go down. So i dont think its the fault of the RX.

Thanks Stormsearcher ! Your reading of how and when to use brakes is pretty useful. I seriously never thought of it the way you have described.

I totally agree on the part that always assume the other rider on the road is a complete jack. You never know how they behave !

Cheers !

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by gypsy1989

Thanks Stormsearcher ! Your reading of how and when to use brakes is pretty useful. I seriously never thought of it the way you have described.

I totally agree on the part that always assume the other rider on the road is a complete jack. You never know how they behave !

Cheers !

True, Stormsearcher is bang on target. You never brake while taking a turn. All hard braking is to be done while traveling in a straight trajectory. If you believe you're taking the turn too fast, tap the brakes but never grab them. And for stopping, Hitting the rear brakes alone will cause a skid. Experience will tell you how much pressure you need to apply on the front brakes before they begin to lock up.

[arrowaby]

It was in the month of December,2005. How can I forget. I purchased my Honda Unicorn in November and it was hardly a month. My first bike and I had just learnt to ride it.. Was riding at a normal 40kmph speed when a guy on some bajaj bike hit me perpendicular when he lost his clutch control on his 1st gear. His bike jumped and hit me precisely when I crossed in front of him and I lost balance, skidded like 15-20 feet away. My bike leg guard was totally damaged. It took the brunt of the fall. The fork was slightly out. I was bleeding from my arms and my jeans tore. My thighs were hit as well.

But most of all, my heart was in my mouth.. My Bike... My Brand New First Bike was down. Hardly a month old...

Lesson learnt: Even a simple 40kmph ride can cause hust if you do not keep your eyes open to whats coming from the sides.

[mac187]

Learnt a lesson the hard way.

Almost a decade ago, I was riding an RX on a single road (the width is good for 1 and half car i.e. the other car has to get down the tarmac) It was an empty stretch and I was enjoying my ride. I saw a bus which had parked to the left to drop/ pick up passangers, he had stopped on the tarmac. I had space on the left and there was no on coming traffic so I didnt slow down and continued. To my horror a lady walked from the front of the bus (my blind spot) and froze in the middle of the road. Before I could react I had hit her and had a bad crash.

Lesson: Always slow down near a bus. You never know from where people will fall out infront of you.

[selfdrive]

2002. I was doing around 45 clicks on my Hero Honda CD100 SS near Khadki rail station on the old NH4. It was around twilight and there was barely any traffic. All of a sudden without any signal a cyclist in the left lane decided to turn right. I ended up swerving to the left which saved the cyclist.
However, due to some loose gravel the bike skidded and I fell to the left in such a way that my left knee was smashed between the crash guard and the ground. Though I was wearing a helmet, I think I passed out when my head hit the road. The next thing I remember is sitting on the side of the road with a few relieved people standing around me.

What I was thankful for:
- wearing a helmet
- not speeding up despite an empty road. I had done that stretch at 65 clicks most of the time. It would have definitely been worse if I was riding faster

What I learnt
- always expect the worst case scenario from other people on the road
- keep your peripheral vision alerts on to include people joining your lane or perhaps stray animals running across

[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by mac187

Always slow down near a bus. You never know from where people will fall out infront of you.

^^ +1.

What my uncle taught me was, have look near the front tyre of the bus while overtaking. You will be able to spot them earlier by seeing their legs.

[JEHU]

This accident dates back to 8th May 2007.Well, it was a hot summer day in Chennai, on the OMR I was and there was a mild summer shower drenching the road and leaving just half the heat behind on the tarmac.Just 3 days earlier my bike insurance had expired and I just couldn't find time to renew it.I was wearing a synthetic cap on my head, coolers with silver shade and on my blue UNICORN doing 110KMPH. That OMR stretch in 2007 was a racing rider's paradise should be an understatement. (These days the road hardly allows you a 60KMPH ride even during holidays)I was overtaking cars weaving through left and right and was just about to overtake an Indicab that suddenly swerved to the left to overtake another car. I had to apply both the brakes simultaneously, trying to keep the bike straight, but then I was at an angle to the road and hence the MRF Nylogrips just couldn't hold me, the bike and the speed together at the same time.The UNI tilted to the right, fell on its crash guard and then shot in front of me leaving be behind twisting and turning on my back which had a rough ADIDAS bag and I rolled over a coupla times until I stopped myself from hitting the divider with my legs.I saw sparks flying off the crach guard and I managed to limp across to the twisted metal debris of my bike. The front disc was twisted-mind you, I hadn't seen anything of a twisted disc, thr front fork smashed, the crash guard's metal pipe had just half of it as the rest were all scraped off from it. The vehicles from behind came to a halt.My right palm had lost some muscle exposing a hollow and the white bone. There were abrasions on my knees, elbows and luckily I could walk.I had watched a similar scene of F1 bike crashes in TV and only now I had seen my own bike in that condition.My spine was protected by that ADIDAS bag and I was so thankful that I was yet alive.It took more than 10K to restore the bike but it had lost its earlier performance.I started riding my friend's bike from that night onwards as there was no major injuries.
Lesson Learnt: Never try showing off your speeds on the road.If there is an urge, try it on racing rings. Never try to overtake from the left side. While baking hard keep the handle bar, the bike and your body straight and perpendicular to the road. If the road is mildly wet, treat it as though its pouring yet.A head gear is always essential.Never weave through tight traffic in high speeds.Be wary of cabs which can swerve eitherways.Renew your insurance on time.Races are for racing tracks and roads are for riding safely

[KiloAlpha]

Among my various crashes, this one stands out.

It was way back when, in 1994. I was riding with a few friends from Mysore to MM Hills. My ride was a Rajdoot 175 of 1970's vintage. Front tyre was of ribbed design. My pillion was a very thin and short classmate.
We started climbing up the hills just as the sun was setting. In the half light. I was bringing up the rear of the convoy.
On a hairpin, which I was taking at very close to the limit of the bike's handling (which was not very fast, maybe 20 clicks), I hit a patch of diesel. Lost the front instantly and hit the tarmac.
My right foot twisted, and the bike landed on me, with the crash guard pinning my foot down in its twisted condition. I leaned over and flipped the engine kill switch. All the while, screaming at my pillion to lift the bike. The great man stands there, looking at me like a typical B-grade Hindi movie helpless heroine, shakes his head sadly and tells me he cannot lift the bike!!
Another friend in the convoy ahead of me saw this in his mirror, stopped, and ran down to help. Then, I passed out in pain.
When I came to, I was sitting on a stone wall by the side of the road. I rode pillion for the rest of the trip, and did not see a doctor about my ankle until I came back to Bangalore a week later. By then, the damage had been done. Since then, I have been unable to sit cross-legged for more than 5 minutes.

Lessons learned:
1. Pick your riding mates wisely
2. Dusk is very bad for visibility - not enough sunlight, headlights don't illuminate anything. Avoid riding at dusk.
3. Diesel on tarmac is slippery. Watch out for it. In fact, watch out for anything on top of the tarmac and treat it with suspicion.

[mac187]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Lessons learned:
1. Pick your riding mates wisely
2. Dusk is very bad for visibility - not enough sunlight, headlights don't illuminate anything. Avoid riding at dusk.
3. Diesel on tarmac is slippery. Watch out for it. In fact, watch out for anything on top of the tarmac and treat it with suspicion.

4. Visit a doctor for a checkup after any accident.

[roy_libran]

I had three memorable crashes, amongst numerous other falls, skids etc.
The first two I remember due to the embarrassment they caused and third because of the pain. :-)

First - Kanpur 1994 - Riding my brand new Motorcycle to the opening day of Class 11 in school. On the way, I spot a very lovely lady on the Rear Left Window Seat of a Convent School Bus, and I start following the bus (Chalaa jaataa hoon, kisee kee dhun mein....) and forgot about the road and everything else. Just keeping my gaze fixed on the lady, even met her gaze once, and I never realized when the Bus braked. I crashed into the bus, broke my headlamp assembly and rear view mirrors, but that was not all that broke. The lady smiled, and the bus moved on. I arrived @ school with a brand new accident-ed bike!

Second - Kanpur 1995 - Lady Trouble again! I am at a popular youth hang out spot one Saturday evening with a few friends. We are pulling some stunts, doing Wheelies and basically fooling around. Lots of pretty young things around too! So, here I am, just started accelerating for a Wheelie, and a Dog darts out from in front of a parked car. BANG! I somersault through the air, and land on my Butt. I am up again like a Spring, and then the Pain hits me, and I fall back down. Nothings broken, the bike's okay, but huge huge embarrassment. Next day I'm the objective of jokes at school, since it turns out a few of my lady classmates were around when it happened.

Third - Nagpur Wardha Road 1998 - Returning to Wardha with a friend at around 1 a.m., after spending a long day shopping at Nagpur, watching movies etc. I was not DUI at all, but was definitely exhausted. Around 16 kms before Wardha, there was a long straight with a gentle upwards slope that led to a 70 degree right turn on a downward slope. As is usual for India, there were no road edge markings, center line markings, or street lighting. I was not excessively speeding (around 80 kmph), but was not at my attentive best. I completely missed the turn at the top of the slope and kept going straight. Went off the road, and down the embankment. There was one cut-down tree in my straight line path and I hit that @ 80 kmph head on. Both rider and pillion flew off the bike, and landed on Thorn bushes. Hit my chest on another cut tree stump during the fall. Bike was severely damaged, and there were thorns all over our bodies and butts! Thankfully, a scooterist (drunk) who was behind us, witnessed the crash, and stopped to help (Godsend!). We Tripled back to Wardha, and got first aid. The best part was the lady doctor who picked out the thorns from our bodies one by one. ;-) The bike spent 1 month or so in the garage. I was saved by my wonderful leather jacket, else that tree stump would have caused a lot more injury.
I still remember this third incident because the thorns caused us both a lot pain, on our way back to Wardha on the scooter, and the fact that my Pillion, who went on into CDS, eventually perished at Siachen ( RIP :-( ).

[mempheS.D]

December 2003: Kasargod to Mercara bike trip with college buddies on rented bikes with no brakes, no papers, no helmet, no license.

My bike T-BONED an Ambassador sending the pillion rider onto the roof of the Amby.

Lessons:
1. Brakes are very important. So check them. In case of a brake-failure, and if you still have control on your presence of mind, use ENGINE-BRAKING to reduce impact.
2. Vehicle papers and DL must always be checked for validity and carried along during long trips. They save you too!
3. The pillion rider who was busy smokin in the back seat realized how important it is to wear a helmet than simply enjoy a fag. He now rides safe in Bangalore and NEVER gets on the bike without a helmet. We often crack up on this incident during the weekend beer hangouts.

June 2006: Eager to drop a friend home late in the night although it's just a 10 minute walk away. Reason? My first bike, A Pulsar 150, was just 2 days new and I was eagerly looking for reasons to get it out on the road. I asked for trouble.

T-BONED into a garage door. Culprits were the street dogs. I tried to escape from them not realizing there's a hump right ahead. Humped over the hump at about 60, disc-braked on hitting the road after the 3-second flight in air, and ops!

Lessons:
1. Do not try to speed away uncontrolled from a street dog while on a bike.
2. Do not apply disc-brakes on tarmac with gravel.
3. Never insist on dropping a friend home late after he suggests that he'd walk home.

[pganapathy]

I have had a few crashes but the one that taught me the most was one that happened to a friend in college. He was riding at 20 kph and just hit a patch of sand and the bike skidded and he fell sideways, literally in slow motion according to eye witnesses. Hit his head on the ground and nothing else. He did not have a single other scar or wound on his body. Unfortunately the location and force of his fall gave him a brain haemorraghe and he died a day later.

Lesson learned: Wear your helmet at all times on a bike. Even a slow fall at 20 kph can kill you if you hit the wrong spot of your body.

My worst accident was when I was riding at night after dropping off a friend at home and on my back to my place. Some joker came out the wrong way from a one way and I think T-boned me. I remember waking up a few minutes later and went home in shock I think. Realised the following day that my face was cut above my eye. Had bought a cheap helmet and for some stupid reason was wearing it that day. Think cos it was lighter than my good bieffe helmet. The visor smashed and cut me. 1 inch lower and I would have been blinded in my right eye.

Lessons learned: Never assume people will do sane things so always be aware of what is going on around you and even check a one way road which someone should not come out of, otherwise you are in for a big surprise.
Always wear the best gear you can afford, even if it is heavy and hot. Someone's signature on this forum says it all. Sweat wipes off, road rash doesn't. Wear your gear. My lesson is that if I was wearing my Bieffe helmet I would not even have been cut above my eye.

Finally I once was riding with not very good front brakes on the highway and wound up too close to a car in front of me and when he braked for a speed breaker in the road, I wound up rear ending him and fell down. Luckily the car behind me stopped in time. People around there helped me up and got my bike to the side of the road.

Lesson learned: Do not ride if your bike is not in good condition. The one thing you are ignoring can lead to you having an accident. Spend the money to get it fixed before you ride, not after.

[tejus.s]

Well, during a short ride to Nandi Hills last Saturday, I slid off my bike and had a pretty serious fall. My right knee took a beating with lot of abrasions and contusions. Some essential riding gear like an LS-2 helmet, Cramster gloves saved ,y head and palms. For some odd reason, I chose to wear cotton trousers rather than my regular jeans and I had not knee guards. Also, I gave my thick jacket (not riding jacket) a skip and opted for a thin windcheater only. I normally team this with a fleece inside, but did not do so this time.

Lesson learnt, never brake in the middle of a bend and ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time)!

[Bazinga]

The only time my bike crashed was when I lent it out to a Friend It was my month old pulsar at that.

What I learned from this incident : Do not give your bike to friends who claim they know riding... LOL

[mb_jg]

I remember the first time I rode pillion on my elder brothers RD350. He took off, I stayed in the same place, although on the ground.
The acceleration had pushed me off the seat onto the tarmac as I was not holding on tight enough.
Missed crashing into a buffalo on one of our rides to Kolhapur on the RD350. That bike was a PANVATI for me :o) but the ride was always awesome.