younger brother laid his bike down last night

Well, as the title implies my little brother laid his bike down last night. As some of you might know from some of my other posts hes 18 (well 19 tomorrow) and he got his first bike back in June, an HD 883 Iron.

Heres how it happened- I came home for the weekend yesterday on my bike with my girlfriend. My brother and I wanted to go on a ride, but he was busy all day so we had to settle on a quick night ride around 9:30 PM. So he met me at my parents house with his girlfriend (or friend im not sure lol) on the back and we take off. We pull up to a stoplight about 2 miles from my house to turn right onto a divided highway. I pull out and make my turn right, then in my mirror I see the taillights of my brothers bike and I knew he bit it. So im thinking F*** this isnt good and turn around about a half mile up the highway (remember its divided). I knew I had to get there quick so I split through traffic at a stoplight, horn blaring and flashing my brights and made an illegal turn to get to where he was. I did it safely but I probably looked insane. I didnt know how serious the situation was and I knew I couldnt waste any time if I had to call for an ambulance.

I get to him thinking it was going to be pretty bad, and it looked like he and his passenger were pinned under his bike, which had done a 180. To my surprise he was completely coherent and he was able to push the bike up with me lifting. It turns out when he was going down he was able to swing himself off the bike and catch it as it was falling, saving it from any real damage. In the process he kicked off his passenger so she wasn't really stuck under the bike. Its kind of hard to explain because to be honest I don't understand exactly how he did it. It was also dark and we were in a rush to get the bike up and out of traffic so I didnt get a good look at how he was holding the bike up. He had a little bit of rash on his shin but his jeans didnt even get torn up. He also melted some of his boot on the pipe. The only damage to the bike were some scrapes on the bottom of his pipes from sliding in the road (this was the worst of the damage), a tiny bit of rash on the passenger peg, a little spot of rash on the edge of the rear brake lever and another tiny spot on the front brake lever. I mean tiny like less then a fingernail. His passenger was uninjured.

This is a pretty easy mistake to avoid. He claimed he hit some gravel when he was turning causing the bike to lowside, but I checked the corner and there wasnt any. What I believe happened is when I turned, it caught him off guard and he wanted to catch up, so he gave it alot more throttle than he should have, loosing traction in the turn causing him to lowside. I talked it over with him and explained that he cant give it that much gas when turning onto a street. In a car when you lose traction you just make the wheels spin and its not a huge deal, but on a bike you will almost instantly lay it down.

He got really, really lucky this time. If there would have been traffic behind him going at speed I doubt a driver would react in time before hitting him and his passenger. Hell I almost got hit moving his bike out of the road and I had the four ways on and was moving the handlebars back and forth trying to get peoples attention. My girlfriend, who was on the back of my bike during this was kind of shook up by the whole incident too but I am trying to build her confidence back up. In the end nobody got hurt and he learned a valuable lesson.

EDIT: Here is a goofy pic my girlfriend took before we left. She took a couple more during the night too after the incident. My brother doesnt want me to post any pictures of the damage on his bike, I think he is pretty embarrassed by the whole thing.

Something I learned from this was sometimes people just dont give a **** about other people. There were cars nearby that witnessed the whole thing happen yet no one stopped to help. When I was moving his bike to the side of the road nobody bothered to stop and ask if we were ok. It was kind of sad, really. I mean how do you just drive by a motorcycle that obviously has someone underneath it or facing the wrong direction and just not do anything. I guess im not too suprised but it sickens me a little that people just think "not my problem". Not to say everyone is like this, I have gotten help from people before on my bike when ive ran out of gas or when ive gotten stuck, but this situation was way more serious and nobody even rolled down their window, or just pull up behind us with their four ways on so we wouldnt get hit. I guess maybe I am asking for too much.

I wonder if the more powerful low-end on the Harley exacurbated (sp?) the problem and made it easier for the tire to break loose. Never ridden one; I wouldn't really know. I've only been riding since February and have put 5000 miles on since then, but I sure as hell don't want to take on any passengers yet.

Main thing is every one is okay. :thumbup:

Man, your family must be pretty comfortable financially. Jealous? Yeah I am.

FloppyRunner said:

I wonder if the more powerful low-end on the Harley exacurbated (sp?) the problem and made it easier for the tire to break loose. Never ridden one; I wouldn't really know. I've only been riding since February and have put 5000 miles on since then, but I sure as hell don't want to take on any passengers yet.

Click to expand...

It definitely has alot of low-end torque, even though it only has 53 HP. Most of the power is down low and comes on very quickly. That is exactly what caused him to go down- he gunned it way too soon before he completed his turn and it turned into a lowside . And I agree with you about not having a passenger, it took me a year of riding before I was comfortable enough to have one but of course my brother will not listen to me. First thing he bought for his bike was a 2 up seat and passenger pegs (it came with neither). I really dont think he is ready for it but there isnt much I can do . At least he listened to me about the MSF BRC and he wears his gear.

Motogiro said:

Main thing is every one is okay. :thumbup:
Did he talk about how or what happened?

Click to expand...

Yea I really cant believe neither of them were injured. I had him stop at a gas station right after it happened so we could take a better look at his bike and his leg. Adrenaline can mask some pretty serious injuries and I wanted to make sure he didnt break his leg or anything. He told me that he was going into the corner and the bike just went out from under him at about 15-20 MPH. He knew when he was going down and his first instinct was to save his bike, so he threw his leg over and basically tried to catch the bike as it was going down. He said he "meant" to kick off his passenger, but I doubt that lol. Hes not sure exactly how he managed to do all this because it happened so fast. Its really hard for me to describe what happened because I didnt really see how he went down, just a quick view about a quarter mile away in my mirror.

I had a talk with him about riding more responsibly and cautiously. The main point I tried to drive home to him was that this was rider error, and could have been avoided. He realizes that it could have ended much worse, and overall I think it will have a pretty positive impact on how he rides. I guess we will see if he really learns from this.

I think this also shows how important it is to wear gear. He would have been injured worse if it wasnt for his boots and his jacket. He grazed the road with his elbow and his boot was pressed up against the exhaust. If he was just wearing a tshirt and shoes he would have tore up his elbow and burned his ankle pretty bad on the exhaust, not to mention scraping it on the road. We were only going for a quick half hour ride downtown and back and I know alot of people might not have seen the need for gear.

Glad your brother is ok. Hope he learnt a lesson with his mistake.

Toast said:

Man, your family must be pretty comfortable financially. Jealous? Yeah I am.

Click to expand...

^^^^

WTH is that statement about?




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Kazza said:

^^^^

WTH is that statement about?

Click to expand...

Personal insecurity? Lol, who knows.


Anyway, @ the OP.....glad your bro's alright and that it was just a learning incident for him.

Everyone's going to take some knocks learning to ride these things.

Sorry to hear about your brothers accident, but all things considered he didn't do much damage to himself or his girlfriend, I'm pleased to hear that he wears his gear :thumbup:

It sounds almost like the drop my son did about 18 mths back. He thought he just turned into the cnr too much w/out enough throttle and sort of just laid it down with just enough speed to slam into the gutter and bend his forks( doesnt take much). Gave him a big fright tho.
Hope your Bro and his friend are ok
best

and +1 on Kazza's comment on the financial stuff---whats with that?????
people ride what they ride, buy what they want/can afford/like? fall inlove with etc etc

I really only care that the guy and his girl are ok..... and the bike in good nick is a bonus

Thanks for the responses everyone! It was my first time seeing someone go down on the road and it just happened to be my brother so it had some significance to me, even if it didnt turn out to be a big deal. I laid my first bike down a couple times but it was always pretty slow speed falls. Hes already at 4,000 miles and im pretty surprised this is the first time hes had a problem. I think he was starting to get a little ****y with his riding and hopefully this will knock him down a peg and realize he is still a beginner.

Glad to see everyone is ok but don't shrug this off like bad piece of luck. Have both of you received some formal training (MSF course or equivalent)? If not I would suggest signing up ASAP. The crash, that's what it is and not a controlled laydown, shows inexperience. You said you have crashed a few times and now your bro has crashed. Contrary to what a lot of people think crashing is not a normal part of learning to ride a m/c, it shows inexperience and every time you crash your confidence is sapped further. Get trained on a closed course and you'll all be better riders.

And I'm not sure of the sanity of going for a night ride, with a passenger no less, where your chances of having problems with animals and cars are magnified, especially for a beginner. I try to avoid night riding, just too much chance for stuff to go wrong.

Evitzee said:

Glad to see everyone is ok but don't shrug this off like bad piece of luck. Have both of you received some formal training (MSF course or equivalent)? If not I would suggest signing up ASAP. The crash, that's what it is and not a controlled laydown, shows inexperience. You said you have crashed a few times and now your bro has crashed. Contrary to what a lot of people think crashing is not a normal part of learning to ride a m/c, it shows inexperience and every time you crash your confidence is sapped further. Get trained on a closed course and you'll all be better riders.

Click to expand...

We both had MSF BRC at Alpha Training Center in Lansing. I should have been a little clearer ive never crashed a bike before, I just dropped my first bike twice in a parking lot, like many other members on here have done. That was almost 5 years and 40,000 miles ago with no incidents since. I was trying to make a point that he is inexperienced and he has been riding beyond his ability. He doesnt listen to me and his careless riding caused him to lay his bike down. I know it was not controlled and thats why I stated it could, and should have been alot worse and he got very lucky. I also stated it was 100% rider error on his part and I talked it over with him about what he did wrong and how it could have been avoided. As for a night ride, honestly I dont feel like it was an insane endeavor to go for a quick ride down the street and back, and it did not contribute to the situation. He rides to work in the middle of the night so I dont think his chances were any worse than usual. That is the risk he and I both assume when riding at night. As previously stated I am hoping this will make him realize he is still a beginner he needs to ride and think like one. I dont feel that I said or implied that crashing was a normal part of riding, but if I did than I apologize. I did state that I am surprised he hasnt had any problems but I did not mean that I am surprised he hasnt crashed, just done something stupid like forgetting to put his foot down at a light. Thanks, but no thanks.

CBRF3RIDER said:

Hes already at 4,000 miles and im pretty surprised this is the first time hes had a problem. I think he was starting to get a little ****y with his riding and hopefully this will knock him down a peg and realize he is still a beginner.

Click to expand...

Until you can ride your bike in any scenario with complete natural responses that are executed brilliantly, you're still a learner IMO.

I've gotten a decent handle on riding in the past 4/5 years and trackdays help tons especially performance riding schools. But I still approach my riding the same way I did when I started. I know I'm still learning to really integrate myself with the machine.

For example, a bit of rain on a cold morning with knobby tires and all of a sudden I'm back to primary school haha.

In the end you will get more comfortable and hitting a small patch of sand in a corner and ending up a bit sideways at speed is just something you'll ride through. But you're always a noob/learner and it's good to embrace that. That attitude will take you much further.

I'm amazed that all three are OK! Falling from standing straight up can hurt us, falling under a bike with hot pipes and all that - WOW, Very lucky!

So is it the bike in the picture?
My first thought was that he turned sharp, drug the pipes and low sided. With the passenger on the back you'd think it'd have so much traction they'd high side if too much throttle and a good bite (traction/not sliding). But if its a pipe dragger - it'll spin around if the angles too sharp.

Glad all is well. . .

FinalImpact said:

I'm amazed that all three are OK! Falling from standing straight up can hurt us, falling under a bike with hot pipes and all that - WOW, Very lucky!

So is it the bike in the picture?
My first thought was that he turned sharp, drug the pipes and low sided. With the passenger on the back you'd think it'd have so much traction they'd high side if too much throttle and a good bite (traction/not sliding). But if its a pipe dragger - it'll spin around if the angles too sharp.

Glad all is well. . .

Click to expand...

Yes, thats his bike in the picture, about 5 minutes before his accident. I am kind of wondering now if he possibly took his turn a little too sharp and dragged his pipes like you said. I had just assumed he had gotten a little zealous with his throttle , but it would really make sense if he hit his pipe in the turn seeing that the bike didnt highside. The accident really wasnt violent at all. Well, either way he needs to be a little bit more careful, but I wonder if he is even aware of this. I have very limited cruiser experience so it didnt occur to me that dragging the pipes could cause this to happen. Ill give him a call tomorrow and talk to him about it again, I have to give him my speech about cold weather riding and letting his tires warm up. Thanks!:thumbup:

You may consider upgrading the amount of gear you guys are wearing. Your brother definately got lucky with very minimal injuries. For those who think riding in sneakers is fine, read the post again.

I suggest to the both of you and try to add more reflective material if you are planning to ride at night. In addition, please consider getting proper riding pants with armour. I do not believe jeans, kevlar or heavy duty provides sufficient protection.

This is not only a lesson learned for your brother, it's a lesson for all.

Thanks for posting.

Glad you brother is OK and hope it doesn't cost to much to get things repaired. I would however be more concerned with you bike .... seems you have a headlight out.

Seriously though... glad all is well. Got the bad over with, should be smooth sailing from here on out.

VEGASRIDER said:

You may consider upgrading the amount of gear you guys are wearing. Your brother definately got lucky with very minimal injuries. For those who think riding in sneakers is fine, read the post again.

I suggest to the both of you and try to add more reflective material if you are planning to ride at night. In addition, please consider getting proper riding pants with armour. I do not believe jeans, kevlar or heavy duty provides sufficient protection.

This is not only a lesson learned for your brother, it's a lesson for all.

Thanks for posting.

Click to expand...

Here is where we were both being stupid, and I will freely admit that. I have a pair of Alpinestars A-10 Airflows and did not wear them. He has a pair of Scorpion pants (Deuce I think?) and wasnt wearing them as well. I was waiting for someone to point it out and I agree with you. Sometimes we think its ok to not wear all the gear if were just going out for a quick ride, and it comes back to bite us. This is a good example, was supposed to be a really quick ride and he ended up going down.

Glad your brother is OK. Usually learn something every time I ride which is most every day.

Agree with comments about people not stopping, several years ago I ran across a rider down in the middle of the road on a 4 lane highway, people were just driving around the guy who had a broken ankle or leg and could not move. His buddy was waving people away. Stopped my car before him with the flashers on so he would not get run over. Could not do much for him but let him know someone cared.