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First Crash

9K views 40 replies 21 participants last post by  ChrisH35 
#1 ·
I rode 100 miles yesterday on my bike (Honda Rebel 250) with my husband riding his. I only took the BRC and touched a bike for the first time on February 1, 2014. So 2 weeks. I was having a lot of trouble stalling at intersections so I decided to practice working on stop and go clutch work going around the block since there's a couple of stop sign corners and rarely any traffic. I was doing pretty good. No stalls, although I have to go slow and steady. Need more practice to enter traffic.

Managed to work on it for an hour before I was too hot and wanted to come in for a break. Last lap around the block and here comes my husband in his van. Cool, let me ride around the block once more and I'll meet you at home. I start to turn into my drive way to pull into the garage, it's a fairly steep incline which causes some cars to bottom out. Normally I just walk it up, figured I'd been doing great will ride it up most of the way. A little too much throttle, uh oh way too close to my car, try to swerve went into the grass, lost control and down I go. Fortunately I am okay, my husband ran over to help me. I missed my car by about an inch and the only damage to my bike is some scratches on the windshield, which is brand new and the only part of the used bike that didn't have scratches. Most of the bike landed in grass and dirt, a little of the top side on the drive way. I landed on the driveway. And of course I figured I wouldn't need my jacket and gloves. I did have my helmet and jeans, but didn't hit my head. So now I have bruised elbow, shin and a little sore palm. I've actually hurt myself worse while walking around the block and tripping and falling.

So now I know how to pick up my bike, and check it out. And I know that I really should wear full gear every time I go out on my bike. And I will go back to walking my bike up the drive way and into the garage for the foreseeable future. :wink:
 
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#40 ·
Yep, your attitude tells me you'll do fine. Don't "over do it" (riding while "tired" will, of course, increase your chances of crashing).

Swayde;1009402 This whole concept of riding around just for the sake of riding around is something I need to get used to. I've only ever driven with a purpose before lol[/QUOTE said:
Always stay focused. Don't let your mind wonder. Do everything in a deliberate manner. Be aware of everything "a half mile ahead" and a "quarter mile behind" while engaged in low-speed (under 45mph) driving. Increase this "ahead and behind" distance as you increase speed. Practice "clearing your mirrors" in a split second glance without weaving.
 
#41 ·
I was new to riding. I still am fairly new, I guess. I'd been cruising around town a few times, taken the girlfriend for a couple of rides, and I thought I was catching on fast.

Then I went out of town for three weeks and didn't practice once.

Very next ride I go on, I ride over to the girlfriend's house. Her family is in town visiting, and her little sister wants to ride on the back. "Ok, just don't crash with my sister on the back." Guess what happens next?

It was on my last lap around the neighborhood, I went over a speed bump and just didn't make the sharp turn. A friend of mine looked ya the bike layer and said it was a problem with my brakes, but I put the blame on myself for not having enough control of the bike. I almost made the turn, but kissed the curb and went down. Slid on the left side, bike went 10 yards past me.

I was only wearing a leather bomber jacket, gloves, jeans, and helmet. So my left arm and leg lost a lot of skin but nothing serious. My passenger was miraculously unscathed. My bike is ok after a day's work in the university's engineering building correcting a few bent parts. But I learned a lesson and got in some hot water with her family after that little incident.
 
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