i'm really lucky...

**n1cK** · 09-17-2009, 02:49 PM

so, i just get done with the sportbike rider course for military personnel (the MSRC). confident with my "new skills," i ride up the 76 east bound (from the 15N) toward pala and mt. palomar. i started out really well using what i was taught in the course.

i decide then, to go up a road i have never traveled before, which of course is a bad idea. i was by myself throughout this venture. i get about a mile up to mt. palomar (on south grade road) where there is a decreasing radius turn toward the left up ahead. i adjusted my speed accordingly and leaned in and forward. admitedly, i swung a little wide which wouldn't have been that big of a deal, unless there was some gravel on the road.

now, it isn't hard to figure out what happened next, but i feel that i was actually VERY luck in the crash. i low-sided the bike about 3 feet from a guard rail and i ended up in soft dirt. the rear tire hit a rock and it blew out (the rim was bent). the subframe was also bent.

luckily, i had all my gear on so i didn't have a single scratch on me. the biggest hit was to my left knee, but again, with my knee pads on, no damage to myself whatsoever.

all-in-all, i had to replace the subframe and the rear wheel. i found replacements on craigslist for $200 total (with a pilot race tire on it).

there were a couple of things that i definitely could have done better, like not coming in too hot which caused me to swing a little wide, i could have scanned through the corner better, and a multitude of other things. i target fixated at the last moment, but i felt i had to in order to find a "good place" to crash.

it's definitely a humbling experience, and i am glad i had all my gear on. for anyone who may be too lazy to put on your gear, DON'T BE! the gear and the training definitely saved my ass.

**rick07r6** · 09-17-2009, 03:29 PM

First off, I applaud you for wearing all your gear. It seems a lot more people are not willing to so so and in this case it saved your ass. That being said it definitely sounds like you target fixated but i would not say you "needed" to do so. In most cases the bike is well able to make the turn but the rider is not.

What i think was the main mistake was not riding on a road you hadnt been on before, but riding over your head on that road. You were definitely lucky to have not gotten hurt and will learn a lot from that experience.

I strongly suggest taking your bike to a trackday. It will help you in your street riding and will let you get your "speeding itch" out on a safe area. After doing a few trackdays i wasnt even all that into doing canyon riding and when i do now, i just take it easy so i can make it to my next trackday.

In the end im glad you had your gear on and werent riding like a moron, but accidents happen to almost everyone (myself included, on the streets cost $3k to fix-not worth it!).

Oh, and where are the pics?

**n1cK** · 09-17-2009, 07:44 PM

if i think about it hard, i'm sure that the majority of you experienced riders out here would think that i didn't need to fixate on anything. although i would like to agree with you, my split second, "flight or fight" reaction was to find the "softest place" to crash. i guess if i had more confidence and just leaned more and thought to myself that crashing was not an option, i may have looked all the way through the corner to make it.

i've been interested in doing a track day ever since i got the bike. the thing is, i already have a track car and have devoted so much time and effort into that. i just don't know if i can financially support both of these "habits." i have heard that track days for motorcycles are significantly cheaper than they are for cars (for whatever reason). i might just bite the bullet and do it!

pics to come!

**dzuyd** · 09-17-2009, 07:47 PM

bite the bullet and do it. (trackday)

not a good idea to hit the canyons on your own, esp when you're a noob. sounds like you need to humble yourself just a tad bit more and ride a little slower. just remember, you didn't leave that training course with any "skills"... just with the knowledge of how to attain it through practice.

**rick07r6** · 09-17-2009, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by dzuyd

just remember, you didn't leave that training course with any "skills"... just with the knowledge of how to attain it through practice.

This.

**n1cK** · 09-17-2009, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by dzuyd

bite the bullet and do it. (trackday)

not a good idea to hit the canyons on your own, esp when you're a noob. sounds like you need to humble yourself just a tad bit more and ride a little slower. just remember, you didn't leave that training course with any "skills"... just with the knowledge of how to attain it through practice.

i couldn't agree with you more...it was definitely a humbling experience. when i get back from deployment, i'll most likely do a track day (or several)...