Immanent Impact - Practice?

The scenario is... YOU are about to collide with a car (something solid), either you hitting it or it hitting you.

What do you do?
Note: this is after all evasive maneuvers have been done it's going to happen in the next; 1 second (5mph - 50+).

I ask this question to a lot of motorcyclist an am suprised the answer takes so long (if you have to think about it for more than 1 second you just had that collision).

What is the Right answer?

My answer is JUMP STRAIGHT UP. Why? Avoid the "Sudden Stop, if you are colliding with something or the Absorbsion of energy from what is about to collide with you".
My jump theory; puts me over the top of all that carnage below to dissipate via (taking my chances) flying through the air & skipping down the pavement until I come to a stop.

I practice this with the mental and get muscle memory by (in the proper conditions) forcibly standing up, butt off the seat.
Sidebar: this is getting harder the older and fatter I'm getting.

Soooo any experiences...comments?

In the interest of being prepared - so that it will never happen, FZ is a magnet for new riders what happens to new riders? That's why I'm commenting/asking.

Thanks.

Sounds pretty Ninja to me.

What if you're about to hit an SUV or good size truck? Are you saying that you'd be able to jump over it? I'm all for accident awareness and preparedness but IMHO I dont see this as plausible.

I think the best way you can be prepared is ATGATT, riding within your limits, always ride like you're invisible, and practice practice practice your quick braking skills.

Again just my .02 cents.

Edit-

Just to note I havent experienced a bike accident for myself *knock on wood* so maybe someone who has can comment on what was going on in their head one second before, besides "Oh $@&#!", which is probably what I'd say.

Big Truck, Buss, yep you are probably toast. SUV/PU tough, I'm looking to get my head clear an if the rest of me follows the more the better.
Then there are always special circumstances for alternate reactions. Look at some of those video's. I think if only...
More so think about it now, Oh Sh*t, just took 1 second!

1. Kung Fu ninja Matrix moves....I would jump out of the Matrix (making bike and me dissappear) and jump back in past the accident all intact. Waddya think of THAT, Mr. Keanu Reeves....

2. Make time stop like Hero on the show Heroes...awesome

all kidding aside:
+1 on "Oh Shizzo" - maybe a jump up if I react fast enough...i've jumped up on bicycles so it seems like it might be a natural reaction?

This is when we wish we had Jumper skills! Practice emergency stops and hope you have enough reaction time to avoid or at least minimize the impending impact. There may come a time when you'll be caught 100% off-guard and simply cannot react at all. Nothing can prepare you for that situation. We just all hope it's not us at that time.

Basic Rider Course - S.E.E. Search Evaluate Execute http://www.msf-usa.org/CurriculumMaterials/BRC_Handbook_Vs71_noprint.pdf

i have had this thought before. I never really thought of putting it into practice, but given the right circumstances i think it could greatly reduce severity of some injuries. but thats all on paper and in hypothetical situations.



i would like to see it tested though. any volunteers? :thumbup:

Its my understanding to brake it all the way in. Its mass x velocity squared. Every little bit of velocity you turn into heat with the brakes increases your chance of survival. Just my thoughts though.

have you thought of the fact that when you jump, the vehicle will then hit your feet flipping you over and landing you on your head? I get the idea but in practice i dont think it would work (hopefully no one will have to find out) crashes are always such random things that sometimes it may be the best thing to do and sometimes it may be the worst. I stick by the old racers motto "when in doubt gas it" (and pray you make it out alive) that is my theory.

The bottom line is that no-one can jump up from their bike in a panic situation where you have a second to react... it`s just not going to happen no matter how much mental training you think you`re doing. This is imho of course.

Your only real option (other than the evasive ones that you discounted for this example) is to practice your hard braking... the more you`ll be able to brake, the more speed you`ll be able to shed, the less pain you will have to deal with.

In my last accident, the time between the car pulling in front of me, and me hitting it was about a second, and I can tell you there is very little you can do in 1 second @ 30+ mph (or even 2s for argument sake) except brake as much as you can.

Edit: btw what saved me from breaking a bunch of bones (if not more) in that accident is that I was endo_ing the bike at the moment of impact... so when i hit the car, the bike threw me in the air over the hood of the car, and helped avoid my body slamming the bike + car. Was I endo_ing on purpose? hell no... that **** happened so fast there's no way you could do anything else but get on the brakes and crap yourself.
All that to say that your idea in itself is not a bad one, but actually making it happen in reality is close to impossible imo.

Mabey "Myth Busters" could reinact the senerio.:rockon:

Just a thought

Probably will be spinning like a top....and who knows the outcome down the road. It's still not the guarented sudden stop!

This is a good start, the mental is happening...
for some developing there riding skill, I'll say imagining is a lot easier prevention than learning the hard way.
Who has tried forceably standing up on the pegs; ain't as easy as it sounds. This is a skill the dirt riders have, there are benifits for the street rider also...That's another Thread someday.

ChromeX said:

The scenario is... YOU are about to collide with a car (something solid), either you hitting it or it hitting you.

What do you do?
Note: this is after all evasive maneuvers have been done it's going to happen in the next; 1 second (5mph - 50+).

I ask this question to a lot of motorcyclist an am suprised the answer takes so long (if you have to think about it for more than 1 second you just had that collision).

What is the Right answer?

My answer is JUMP STRAIGHT UP. Why? Avoid the "Sudden Stop, if you are colliding with something or the Absorbsion of energy from what is about to collide with you".
My jump theory; puts me over the top of all that carnage below to dissipate via (taking my chances) flying through the air & skipping down the pavement until I come to a stop.

I practice this with the mental and get muscle memory by (in the proper conditions) forcibly standing up, butt off the seat.
Sidebar: this is getting harder the older and fatter I'm getting.

Soooo any experiences...comments?

In the interest of being prepared - so that it will never happen, FZ is a magnet for new riders what happens to new riders? That's why I'm commenting/asking.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

!!! jump?? to avoid impacting a car... just to impact the ground!! or get hung up on the bike mid jump!!

sounds like a fantasy move rather than a rational choice... besides I don't think you would actually have time to do all of the emergency moves and then still have time to jump off of your bike...

I am intrested to see what the (pros) have to say about it

Talk to any emergency response personel and they will tell you that the most common injury in a motorcycle collision is broken legs above the knees.... your legs get wrapped up in the bars and snap like tooth picks when the bike stops and your body keeps going. On some types of bikes, your leg actually gets pinched between the bars and tank, when the steering gets jerked to one side when the front tire hits the object. I can't see this happening on our bikes tho. Just the same I would jump to save my noodle unless I thought I might be able to slide under the vehicle. Chances are my automatic reaction would kick in and I wouldn't process that much tho.

I think that in order to get enough vertical momentum you'd have to be in more of a compact crouch with strong legs to get enough height, and jumping from the balls of your feet, to use your calf muscles. I'll have to try jumping over the front of my bike while parked and seated on it to see if I have enough power. Perhaps just standing up would get one's head out of harm's way. I like the front wheelstand just before impact idea. That would get those footpegs higher and start a good rotation for rolling.

In summary, I think threashold braking as long as possible would reduce the speed at impact. I think jumping would require a stable bike to jump off of, requiring a second or so of non-braking and setting up for a powerful jump.

Forget jumping... ejector seat!

X

I think in reality I would be "oh shirt!!!!" and grab a hand full of break then BANG.
but for the matrix effect I'd clutch it up and wheelie over the car like crossing a log on a dirtbike, ending with the bark from my rear tire as it contacts the street again and then ride off.

Honda has an idea



http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-news/honda-motorcycle-airbag.htm

ChromeX said:

The scenario is... YOU are about to collide with a car (something solid), either you hitting it or it hitting you.

What do you do?
Note: this is after all evasive maneuvers have been done it's going to happen in the next; 1 second (5mph - 50+).

I ask this question to a lot of motorcyclist an am suprised the answer takes so long (if you have to think about it for more than 1 second you just had that collision).

What is the Right answer?

My answer is JUMP STRAIGHT UP. Why? Avoid the "Sudden Stop, if you are colliding with something or the Absorbsion of energy from what is about to collide with you".
My jump theory; puts me over the top of all that carnage below to dissipate via (taking my chances) flying through the air & skipping down the pavement until I come to a stop.

I practice this with the mental and get muscle memory by (in the proper conditions) forcibly standing up, butt off the seat.
Sidebar: this is getting harder the older and fatter I'm getting.

Soooo any experiences...comments?

In the interest of being prepared - so that it will never happen, FZ is a magnet for new riders what happens to new riders? That's why I'm commenting/asking.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

ummmmmm...........right.
i do hope youre joking

the situation happens so rapidly its all instinct, so thinking before-hand "im gonna jump up" wont make you jump up when the situation is presented to you. maybe if you practiced over a few weeks actually crashing into stuff on your bike and jumping then ya you could build it into muscle memory. short of that i see this as inplausible. if you have plenty of time to actively think though....say you're in hard front braking for like 2-5 seconds then ya maybe.