Girls/Ladies... have you ever wrecked?

I had a minor incident and it made me ask, I wonder if the other ladies on there FZs have had any incident. Mine was minor, but I do need (defined want) a new front cowling the boys all say, it is a battle scar

I hit a parked truck taking a turn too quickly (fatigued) and fixated on the trucks mirror.. well I have a bruised leg and elbow (my armor missed?) My ankles and below my upper shin were all fine as I have great boots.

Anyway.. anyone else wanna share?

Dropped it about 2 weeks ago, in a parking lot. I took a corner too sharp and down I went. I thought about having the parts replaced, but since I am still pretty new, I thought why bother just yet!
I've been told that there are 2 kinds of motorcycle riders: those who have dropped their bikes & those who are going to!
I have a question: are you a little timid about getting back on it now? I ask because I was (but I have since twised my ankle & can't ride yet anyway)

Nope, can't wait to get back on. Infact thought we were taking another trip to northern NH this weekend.. was disappointed we weren't going to be riding.. but ends up we can't go anyway. I have dropped my other bikes at intersections, my husband picks the bike up and says get up, go. There is no not getting back on, that is the best way. I just get all sensitive that my bike isn't pretty anymore.. I am not too afraid of getting hurt. I wear my gear (just jeans though) My boots really helped me from damaging my ankle so I am glad I had them. My hubby is really a great confidence builder. I am lucky to have him as a riding partner.

Deb

Wrecking and dropping are two different things. Dropping is no problem, just hurts your pride mainly. Wrecking is bad - the main thing you have to avoid is target fixation. They drill it into you in the motorcycle safety course, "Look where you want to go!" I've dropped mine a couple of times, slipped on a stick backing up, stalled out trying to move it around the garage. No big deal at all. Just remember the basics, look where you want to go, and the back brake is your friend in slow situations.

amy said:

Wrecking and dropping are two different things. Dropping is no problem, just hurts your pride mainly. Wrecking is bad - the main thing you have to avoid is target fixation. They drill it into you in the motorcycle safety course, "Look where you want to go!" I've dropped mine a couple of times, slipped on a stick backing up, stalled out trying to move it around the garage. No big deal at all. Just remember the basics, look where you want to go, and the back brake is your friend in slow situations.

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I agree, it is just that I had just ridden for 6 hours through torrential rain, lightning, and Boston Rush Hour. The last 2.5 hours my husband decided rather than stop we were just gonna push for home. I was really fatigued and this was the longest ride I had even done, and I rarely ride in the rain. He agreed that next time he would stop so we can stretch and rehydrate.

i have dropped my bike a couple times...not recently thank goodness. I have a bit of rash on one side from gravel and stuff, but it is hardly noticeable and nothing is actually broken, so no need to replace. It gives the bike character.

I'm on my nice new FZ-6 now, but in 2005 I was riding a 20-year-old Honda 450. I got in the classic motorcycle accident (see the Hurt report at "The Hurt Report" ) where an oncoming car perceived my space as empty space and turned left in front of me, giving me nowhere to go but into their front quarter-panel.

My body (thank the gods for leathers) smashed my acrylic fairing into 3 pieces, and the bike was a write-off.

It's sure taught me to scrutinize oncoming traffic for people signalling (or just "telegraphing" -- they don't always know how to use signals, or are too busy with their texting cell phones) for left turns. That new habit of watching for oncoming left-turners has saved my ass at least twice since then: I honk ("You might think I'm an *******; just don't drive like you don't see me there"), turn my highbeams on (or off, then on), or move around in the lane to get their attention.

I had waking nightmares for months after that accident. And for all practical purposes, I was lucky: I more or less walked away from it.

The only time I've ever wrecked on the street was when a car ran a red and T-boned me. Totalled the bike; I was wearing full gear and walked away. That was when I first started riding; I quickly learned to predict at any moment what the stupidest thing every person in a car might do at every given moment, and react accordingly. Since then, I've been wreck-free.

lytehouse said:

I have a question: are you a little timid about getting back on it now? I ask because I was (but I have since twised my ankle & can't ride yet anyway)

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I fell during a race several months ago while trying to make a pass and broke my ankle. The first time I was able to get back on my bike, I was a little nervous, but it went away very quicky.

boo68 said:

I have dropped my other bikes at intersections, my husband picks the bike up and says get up, go.

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Two thoughts...

A rider should be able to pick up her or his bike alone. It's good practice to gently set it down on grass and figure out how to pick it up. It's a matter of leverage, not bulk; I'm 5'1" and small and can pick up my bikes. You never know when you might need to do it yourself.

If you're dropping your bike regularly at intersections, you might want to look at why. That's certainly something that can happen when you start, but if it's chronic, it's something to work on.

Roadstergal said:

Two thoughts...

A rider should be able to pick up her or his bike alone. It's good practice to gently set it down on grass and figure out how to pick it up. It's a matter of leverage, not bulk; I'm 5'1" and small and can pick up my bikes. You never know when you might need to do it yourself.

If you're dropping your bike regularly at intersections, you might want to look at why. That's certainly something that can happen when you start, but if it's chronic, it's something to work on.

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I am glad you didn't get hurt at that t-bone.. you could have been seriously hurt. Glad your ankle healed up okay. Are you racing again?


The reason I said that my husband was quick to pick up the bike is to point out that I did not have time to be too timid to get back on, he never gave me that option,after he checked if I was okay, he said get on now!


That was when I was starting out. I have since practiced picking up my bike. Also, one time I put my foot in a pothole.. another time I was brand new riding my first bike and stopped short, thus losing balance. and the last time I was riding up a hill into a parking place and I was told to stop, so I did.. only it was on a horizontal incline, and over I went. They are all lessons learned in my opinion..

******* the main thing you have to avoid is target fixation.************

Back when I was learning to hang glide, I ended up having to fly between two trees. I kept looking at the tree I wanted to miss untill I almost flew right in to it. You tend to fly where you look so don't look where you don't want to go.

amy said:

Wrecking and dropping are two different things. Dropping is no problem, just hurts your pride mainly. Wrecking is bad - the main thing you have to avoid is target fixation. They drill it into you in the motorcycle safety course, "Look where you want to go!" I've dropped mine a couple of times, slipped on a stick backing up, stalled out trying to move it around the garage. No big deal at all. Just remember the basics, look where you want to go, and the back brake is your friend in slow situations.

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I laid mine down taking a left turn to fast. I was a fairly new rider, fatigued and thought I was all that and a slice of bread. Hindsight, being 20/20, I should have known to bite the bullet and take the corner tight. I broke my arm but picked the bike up, QUICKLY, as I was about to die of embarrassement and rode the 40 miles home broken arm and all. I had ridden 60 miles, ridden in a charity ride and was on my way back home. I was too new to do that long of a ride in one day but you couldn't have told me that then! Lesson learned!

most of us drop our bikes at one time or another and usually when we are almost stopped, getting off,stopped and holding the bike. Those are the times we want to drop it and not going down the road at 70mph or worse still, in a car park full of bikers. Or even worse still in a car park full of bikers while being filmed by a TV crew for the local news. He forgot to take his disc brake off. It was a member of a club I used to ride with.

Get sliders on your bike. Get back on the bike and forget the spills behind you.

After 2 broken arms and broken leg in the same accident thats what I did. Unluckily I was not standing still in a carpark.

Steve

boo68 said:

That was when I was starting out. I have since practiced picking up my bike.

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:thumbup:

boo68 said:

Are you racing again?

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Ja, I finished out the season, and the new season starts next weekend. I use the first-gen Alpinestars Supertechs for roadrace (the second-gen aren't nearly as stiff and don't come in my size anyway), and the Sidi Stingers for dirt and SM (I would use the Crossfires, but - they don't come in my size). Both of them are much more resistant to the side-to-side flex that can really mess up your ankle than most road and dirt boots (I was wearing what I thought were sturdy MX boots at the time I broke mine).