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Cruiser
Posts: 129
Leander,Texas | This morning while riding to my bike shop to buy some more stuff for "Vicky" my 2008 Midnight Cherry Victory Vision that ive only owned for about 2 months . The guy infront has a another car decide he is going to a U turn in front of him.and then pull off the road but decide he doesnt want to and pulls in front of the guy Im following.
Needless to say they collide .Im doing about 60 mph but smart enough to have distance between me and the car im following. Everything now starts moving in slow motion.  Im thinking ok here it goes this is what all that training and panic stops and swerving practice that you did in the high school parking lot is for heres your final exam.....I swerve left then right to not fly into oncoming traffic doing 60 also.......and bammmmmmmmmm ...just kidding  I made it...BUt the moral of this story. if you havnt done it yet your parking lot is calling you to go train on your new bike. SHE or HE deserves to live and so do you. IM was so glad i practice that so when it came time ....1 month later I was able to control a very deadly situation. NO matter how good you are go practice and god bless..PS...Wear Protective Gear no matter how hot it gets! 
Edited by TexasVision 2008-08-11 9:07 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| TV, glad you skated bye, good on you. I spend at least 2 hours a week in parkinglots doing bike drills and I take an advanced riders course every 3 years. If nothing else it acts as a reminder of all the little things we tend to forget after having ridden for decades. I'd encourage everyone to do both.
Also a good read is "twist of the wrist" and in my opinion is well worth the money to own a copy. There are also several very good video's but I really recommend "ride like a pro" for the type of bike we ride, good tips in there. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 102
Madison, AL | Thanks for the info on riding tips. I'm committed to learning what I can to make me a better rider. I remember when I took my MSF riding course and there was a diehard Harley Rider that owned an Electra Glide. He had to take the course in order to ride on the military installation. He complained from the very start about not needing the course and how many miles he had rode on his bike. Well, needless to say he complained about all the maneuvers he had to do and he wasn't showing his expertise in motorcycle handling, even with so many miles under his belt. On the third day he started coming around and realizing maybe he didn't know as much as he thought or was as skilled as he dreamed. As the instructor told him "Riding a million miles in a straight line is easy, it is all the crap that happens in between that can be a bitch."
I wear my safety gear because you never know when you will need it. I don't but it on thinking "Yep, I'm going to plow into the pavement today and will need all this stuff." I have several different jackets and even got armor sewed into my chaps.
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | There are four people I look for every time I get on the bike: 1) The one who's going to try to turn left in front of me at an intersection, 2) The idiot on the cellphone who drifts into my lane from the right, 3) The one who is merging from an onramp and passes everybody in front of him on the ramp and blows into my lane, 4) The guy slamming on his brakes behind me when I'm stopped at an intersection (See "Made a Biker Cry" thread). I don't let my guard down until I spot all four. I've never seen all four on one ride. Still looking. Ask any motorcylce cop where you can best hone your handling skills and they will always say in a parking lot. Great advice TexVis. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | Wow TexVis. . .great to hear your training paid off. Now let's not hear of you having to test it again for a very long time. 
+1 on parking lot training. I hit them about once a week, sometimes with the co-pilot and sometimes solo. Slow speed maneuvers, panic stops, swerving - all those basic skills that we need each and everyday can get rusty very quickly. Better a half-hour in a parking lot than a month in the hospital.
I had a guy flag me down the other day in his car, (while I was practicing on the Vision), and asked me what the $$&% I was doing weaving all over the place like that. When I explained that I was brushing up on my technique, and why it was important he got this funny look on his face and said, "You know, it would probably be a good idea for me to get some practice-time in on my scoot."
I heartily agreed.
Then we spent another 20 minutes talking about the Vis. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 68
LONDONDERRY NH | Here is a good read on street smarts
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/28january07_streetsafety.htm |
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Cruiser
Posts: 129
Leander,Texas | Thanks for the link be safe! |
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Tourer
Posts: 506
Woodland Hills, CA | Good tips. I keep thinking about practicing, but never seem to get around to it. I am one of those that have been riding for more years than I sometimes care to admit, and if there is one thing I have learned is that I will never know everything there is to know, and always have room to improve. I never considered regular practice, but in reading some of your comments, I am now thinking that a few minutes weekly in a parking lot would go a long way to hone my skills, and hopefully put me in a better position to handle what TexasVision did if, and when, my time comes. Thanks for helping me see that its time to get off my a__ and get to the parking lot (not to mention another MSF course).
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Swerved and missed...woo hoooooo