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View Full Version : Rookie mistakes... Don't do them. (like I did)



cptschlongenheimer
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 10:14 AM
I crashed Tuesday and wanted to share to hopefully help others avoid my mistake.

So, here's the scenario:

I had just left work to head home for lunch and was making the right from eastbound Church Ranch Blvd. onto Hwy 36 EB. As I approached the light, I saw it was changing and rolled off the throttle to let the left turners from WB Church Ranch head down the on-ramp ahead of me. The Group passed and I started to roll on the throttle. Just as I started to dip the bike into the turn, I caught sight of a straggler coming through the light late. The sight lines were such that the traffic light pole itself had hidden her from view until the last second.

The next few events happened very fast but I never panicked. Just a quick "that's craptacular" went through my head when I realized I couldn't save it. I also feel it necessary to specify that while cold tires may have been a contributing factor, they did not cause this and I hope this thread doesn't devolve into a "Q2's suck @ cold temps morass". I had literally left work 45 seconds before. Even if the air temp was 80 that day, i'd have had cold tires no matter the brand.

So, anyways...
I immediately applied both brakes but hit the back a little too hard (mistake #1) and locked the rear (warmer tire temps MAY have made a diff here). Because I had just started the turn it slid out to the left and was carrying me right towards the curb (and the steep hill that accompanies overpasses). Seeing this coming at me, I released the rear brake before I had scrubbed enough speed off (mistake #2, If i'd waited a half-second more, I think I would've recovered) and the rear immediately came in line. This initiated a wicked tank-slapper wobble and the front just plain washed out on me after about a cycle and a half of that.

The bike went down fairly hard on the right side, breaking the oil pump cover right open, and dumping all of my motor oil on the street. All other damage to her was cosmetic and I should be able to get her roadworthy again easily.

As for me, I slid about ten feet on my right shoulder and the face shield of the Shoei I just bought from Sean. I got up immediately and checked myself for injuries. I realized right away I had bruised my right knee, but it took a couple hours to realize I had also (much more severely) bruised my left big toe. I'm guessing that the shift lever can be thanked. I could hardly walk on it Tues, evening but a couple days later It's almost as if I never hurt it.

The take-away here: WEAR YOUR GEAR! Seriously, I bounced my freaking face on the asphalt and slid on it and my most severe injury will be healed up by Monday. If that isn't an ATGATT testimonial, i don't know what is.

So, there it is. Do what you will with it... I know I learned a lesson or two.

Alex

PS: The chick I had to hit the brakes so hard to avoid, did indeed stop to help, as did three others. I was sure to thank them.

grim
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 10:23 AM
Glad you made it out fairly un damaged mistakes happen just have to learn from them.

TinkerinWstuff
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 10:36 AM
glad you're ok

do you thin cold tires could have had anything to do with it?

cptschlongenheimer
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 10:44 AM
glad you're ok

do you thin cold tires could have had anything to do with it?
\GoddamnitIknewsomeonewouldsayit
:doublefinger:

TinkerinWstuff
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 10:55 AM
seriously, glad to hear you came out ok

cptschlongenheimer
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:06 AM
Thanks.
I'm still a little pissed at myself. Mostly because I'm one of the "practice your quick stops!" assholes found here. But I'll be better once I get my wheels sorted out.

Sean
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:25 AM
Oh man, glad you're okay! And I'm glad your head was very well protected! It sucks, but I think stuff like this happens to all of us at some point. Glad no serious harm came to you. Let me know if there's anything I can do, or even give you a hand with the bike.

Vellos
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:41 AM
:(

TFOGGuys
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:47 AM
It sucks, but I think stuff like this happens to all of us at some point.

Or you're on the receiving end of Surprise Prius Buttsecks...

Mother Goose
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:52 AM
Another reason I rarely use my rear brake. Glad you're ok. I'm always smooth on the brakes and throttle when I just leave somewhere. It's good to be smooth all the time, but I'm especially conscious of it when the tires be cold. :harrrrr:

UglyDogRacing
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:58 AM
If you lock the rear wheel during braking, maintain it until you come to a complete stop. Tank slappers and highsiding suck.

bornwildnfree
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 12:38 PM
Glad you're ok. Gear ftw and I'm glad the bike is fixable.

Sean
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 12:47 PM
Or you're on the receiving end of Surprise Prius Buttsecks...Good point. It wasn't a Prius, was it? Those little fuckers are sneaky. :blowup:

grim
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 12:52 PM
Good point. It wasn't a Prius, was it? Those little fuckers are sneaky. :blowup:

I do recall reading something you posted about a Prius rear ending a bike on the interstate off ramp.

cptschlongenheimer
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 01:40 PM
Thanks again, Peeps.



If you lock the rear wheel during braking, maintain it until you come to a complete stop. Tank slappers and highsiding suck.
That bears repeating.


Good point. It wasn't a Prius, was it? Those little fuckers are sneaky. :blowup:

Actually a girl of Asian descent in a Ford Escape.

CYCLE_MONKEY
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 02:37 PM
Sorry to hear it man. Although, depending on the temps, it could very well have been a cold tire issue. The road is an infinite heatsink, and regardless of ambient air temp, it will suck heat out of anything touching it if there's a big temp delta.

Glad you're ok!

cptschlongenheimer
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 02:54 PM
^true.
I'm sure it would've been harder to break the rear free if I'd had warmed-up rubber back there. But the underlying cause of the wreck was me not taking it into account when I applied too much back brake and subsequently, believing I had slowed enough to recover from the slide. If i placed all the blame on cold tires I'd be doing myself a disservice.

brennahm
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 03:03 PM
Refreshing to see someone on CSC take credit. Good on you. Sounds like you're learning from the experience!

gsxridiot
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 04:45 PM
you sure there wasnt some gravel nearby?
i thought gravel is what always causes it
glad you are ok

cptschlongenheimer
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 05:02 PM
you sure there wasnt some gravel nearby?
i thought gravel is what always causes it
glad you are ok
:lol:
It's funny... that's the first thing out of my cager colleagues mouths when I tell them that I crashed.

Bueller
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 05:32 PM
It was the previous owner.

norcolmille
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:20 PM
Thank you for having the courage to speak out about a mistake
we all make them ....

There are two types of riders - those that have been down and those that are going down....

And as I recall the intersection and that ramp - traffic, cold tires with gravel and speed all conspired to make for a low side / tank slapper

traffic and cages can make any ride - very interesting

and the advice to always wear your gear .....may save others here ....


:puke::zap:

Nick_Ninja
Fri Nov 4th, 2011, 11:48 PM
I'd toss the helmet if I were you.

Clovis
Sat Nov 5th, 2011, 12:41 AM
I'd keep the helmet as a momento but def replace it.

I'm glad you're okay man!! I hope you at least got a date from the girl of asian decent :)

cptschlongenheimer
Sat Nov 5th, 2011, 09:18 AM
I'd toss the helmet if I were you.


I'd keep the helmet as a momento but def replace it.

I'm glad you're okay man!! I hope you at least got a date from the girl of asian decent :)

Agreed with regards to the helmet... I'm a little miffed that my first shoei lasted two weeks but my melon matters too much to not replace it. It did it's job. At least I didn't pay full price for a helmet I had so breifly.

BTW, The girl was nice but I'm extremely married.

duelist13
Sat Nov 5th, 2011, 12:08 PM
Glad you're okay, hope you get the bike sorted. Don't be one bit discouraged, it really does happen to everyone!

Ghost
Sat Nov 5th, 2011, 12:13 PM
Glad you're okay, hope you get the bike sorted. Don't be one bit discouraged, it really does happen to everyone!

+1 Sorry man, good luck with the repairs. The helmet did it's job, sucks it didn't last, but so it goes. Still, since it is a Shoei you can send it in to them and they'll inspect it and tell you if it's good or not. All it costs you is shipping both ways.

cptschlongenheimer
Sat Nov 5th, 2011, 06:46 PM
^
I did not know that. Thanks, Ghost!

AOK303
Sat Nov 5th, 2011, 08:27 PM
any pics Glad your ok

cptschlongenheimer
Sun Nov 6th, 2011, 08:54 AM
Oh yeah. I got pics.

cbrjohnny
Sun Nov 6th, 2011, 09:06 AM
glad your ok! hope u can stuff that big toe in your skiboot!

CYCLE_MONKEY
Wed Nov 9th, 2011, 05:47 PM
^true.
I'm sure it would've been harder to break the rear free if I'd had warmed-up rubber back there. But the underlying cause of the wreck was me not taking it into account when I applied too much back brake and subsequently, believing I had slowed enough to recover from the slide. If i placed all the blame on cold tires I'd be doing myself a disservice.
Great attitude! Personal accountability. Nice!

Dude, we all have those "noob" moments. I crashed a several times in my youth. A couple times screwing around, once when I got forced off the road and braked too hard then hit a white line and went down. Had a couple close saves when the front or rear washed out on me because of....cold tires, and a couple when the road surface was just slippery. Heal up, best of luck, and get back on 'er! Ahhh, I mean the bike, not the "extremely married" chick. Although...... :)

cptschlongenheimer
Sat Dec 3rd, 2011, 11:07 AM
Got the repair qoute back from Coyote yesterday.
$4600, only $600 of that being labor.
I guess I was expecting something more like $3K... sigh.
I'm crossing my fingers I don't have to fight with allstate to keep them from totaling it out.

CYCLE_MONKEY
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 01:02 PM
Got the repair qoute back from Coyote yesterday.
$4600, only $600 of that being labor.
I guess I was expecting something more like $3K... sigh.
I'm crossing my fingers I don't have to fight with allstate to keep them from totaling it out.
Hoping you get the "Good Hands" instead of the "Middle Finger"....... :)

RajunCajun
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 02:24 PM
Hoping you get the "Good Hands" instead of the "Middle Finger"....... :)
lol

cptschlongenheimer
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 03:10 PM
Hoping you get the "Good Hands" instead of the "Middle Finger"....... :)

:bigeyes:

:lol:

FZjake719
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 03:32 PM
BTW, The girl was nice but I'm extremely married.

Rather than "slightly married" or "mostly married"?? lol

Glad youre alright, could have been a LOT worse, definitely.

Just to clear it up, how fast would you say you were going at the time of impact, is your neck sore at all from the impact, and what was the certification on the Helmet?

Just curious, because I remember reading an article in MC about the differences in helmet certifications between SNELL and DOT, and in some cases SNELL not being the safest bet for street riding(something to do with the construction and how it copes with high speed crashes, makes them bouncy at lower speeds which can lead to injuries).

Im sure Im not the only one on here who's read that, or heard about it....right? :bigeyes:

cptschlongenheimer
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 04:33 PM
Rather than "slightly married" or "mostly married"?? lol
Seems to be a sliding scale for some people so I thought I'd clarify.



Just to clear it up, how fast would you say you were going at the time of impact, is your neck sore at all from the impact, and what was the certification on the Helmet?

Just curious, because I remember reading an article in MC about the differences in helmet certifications between SNELL and DOT, and in some cases SNELL not being the safest bet for street riding(something to do with the construction and how it copes with high speed crashes, makes them bouncy at lower speeds which can lead to injuries).

Im sure Im not the only one on here who's read that, or heard about it....right? :bigeyes:


I'm not sure about SNELL vs. DOT...

I was wearing a Shoei RF1100 (SNELL 2010) and I'd say my impact happened at about 15-20 mph. I slid about 8 feet on my face and right shoulder the bike slid about ten feet farther. I had no pain whatsoever from any body part aside from my right knee and left foot. The knee was better by the next day and the toe by the monday after.

I do distinctly remember the helmet "bouncing" off the asphalt before hitting again and sliding but my body position was such that it didn't cause excessive force/torque on my neck and back.

FZjake719
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 04:53 PM
Well thats good. From what ive read, Snell updated the helmets for the 2010 certifications to cut back on the bouncing that was causing low speed injuries. Good thing. I'll try to find the article on the web if i can, but regardless it sounds like yours wasnt part of that era helmet anyway. Good thing!

CraigB
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 04:58 PM
...

Just curious, because I remember reading an article in MC about the differences in helmet certifications between SNELL and DOT, and in some cases SNELL not being the safest bet for street riding(something to do with the construction and how it copes with high speed crashes, makes them bouncy at lower speeds which can lead to injuries).

Im sure Im not the only one on here who's read that, or heard about it....right? :bigeyes:

I'm not familiar with the article you're referring to but I think it's the other way around: http://smf.org/docs/articles/dot

That was written by the SNELL organization so it may be biased. But, I think that's how they're explained in MSF courses as well.

GixxerCarrie
Tue Dec 6th, 2011, 08:44 PM
Your insurance company should replace your helmet too...Mine replaced my Arai, and gave me 60% on my pipe, levers, and other add ons. I had State Farm. That was 3 years ago though...

cptschlongenheimer
Wed Dec 7th, 2011, 11:31 AM
Your insurance company should replace your helmet too...Mine replaced my Arai, and gave me 60% on my pipe, levers, and other add ons. I had State Farm. That was 3 years ago though...

Allstate told me they provide $4k for "other equipment" which includes aftermarket mods and safety gear.

The problem I'm having with that is my helmet was bought used (barely) and they only want to pay me what I paid for it, not what it was actually worth. Also, my leather jacket was a gift so I can't produce a receipt showing purchase price for that.

I've watched enough peoples' court to know that I'm entitled to the value of the item at the time of loss. I'm just unsure how to prove the items' values. :dunno:

CraigB
Wed Dec 7th, 2011, 12:01 PM
Allstate told me they provide $4k for "other equipment" which includes aftermarket mods and safety gear.

The problem I'm having with that is my helmet was bought used (barely) and they only want to pay me what I paid for it, not what it was actually worth. Also, my leather jacket was a gift so I can't produce a receipt showing purchase price for that.

I've watched enough peoples' court to know that I'm entitled to the value of the item at the time of loss. I'm just unsure how to prove the items' values. :dunno:

Can you provide examples of comparable items being sold online to demonstrate value?

cptschlongenheimer
Mon Jan 23rd, 2012, 09:48 AM
Update:
When all was said and done Allstate gave me $5K for the bike plus $400 for my gear. After searching craigslist extensively the last few weeks and looking at nearly a dozen R6's this weekend, I found this beauty:
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u415/cptschlongenheimer/2012-01-22122700.jpg
2003
4267 miles
Aside from a couple minor scratches, it's flawless.
:D

Sean
Mon Jan 23rd, 2012, 09:52 AM
Sweet! :up:

grim
Mon Jan 23rd, 2012, 09:55 AM
Congrats on the bike that is new to you!

cptschlongenheimer
Mon Jan 23rd, 2012, 11:27 AM
Thanks.
Might be 9 years old but it's barely broken in... hell, I'd still call it "minty fresh"
:)

Word of caution to anybody still looking at the craigslist R6's:
If the ad says "never been down" that bike has probably been down more than a 2-dollar whore.

One dude told me his 2005 had never been dropped while i was staring at rash all over the left side of it. I said "...someone sure lowsided the shit out of it..."
his reply: "The guy I got it from said it was never down..."

I test rode a blue 05 out in commerce city that I really hope no one buys...
The body was beat up but nothing too bad, however...
I took it around the block and noticed right away that the steering was way unsettling. Every time you rolled on the throttle, just as the load shifted towards the rear, the front felt like it was floating-ish. like for a moment you had no control... very scary feeling for a bike. I suspect something has been really knocked out of whack on that one.

I looked at an 08 R6S that had obviously had the tank replaced and still had cracks all over the plastics... supposedly "never down"

I know it's buyer beware out there but wow...

Crazykk
Mon Jan 23rd, 2012, 03:36 PM
Yay, can't wait to ride on the back of it!

AOK303
Wed Jan 25th, 2012, 08:38 PM
Where were the pics of the old bike

jgixxer1
Sat Jan 28th, 2012, 01:32 PM
With $5400 why not look for an R6-R? There's an '06 on craigs with 50th anniversay plastic and Akrapovic slip on for 4k OBO. Has 13k miles but looks clean.

Ghosty
Tue Jan 31st, 2012, 03:26 PM
First of all, glad you came out relatively unscathed. Great thread, and good advice within. But makes me second guess my (cheap) iCon helmet. I've always had Shoei's (and one Arai) in the past, this is my first iCon (hate to admit, I just liked the graphics). Hmmm..

Also, thanks for the heads up on CL ads and "never been down", heh. Shady people for sure. I'll be shopping for another bike as soon as either my R6 or truck sells.

Zach929rr
Tue Jan 31st, 2012, 05:21 PM
Nearly 3 months and no pics of the busted ass bike after your crashed?

Shenanigans.

mdub
Tue Jan 31st, 2012, 05:24 PM
Nearly 3 months and no pics of the busted ass bike after your crashed?


It will be a surprise. Unveiling at the parade.

SaShWhO
Fri Feb 3rd, 2012, 08:15 AM
http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425467_340396892659989_100000690447299_1097618_469 515358_n.jpg

cptschlongenheimer
Mon Feb 6th, 2012, 09:49 AM
Nearly 3 months and no pics of the busted ass bike after your crashed?

Shenanigans.

I wasn't willing to bother with signing up for photo bucket just to post broke bike pics...
Was finally almost worth the hassle when I got a new ride.
I'm just back from vacation. If I have time this week, I'll post some.