Maybe I need to take a break?

DavidWhite

DavidWhite

Final Approach
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In 1 week I have layed down my bike (got cut off by some lady talking on her cell phone), blown a prop seal in the Mooneh, and as of today hit a bird and blown a brake line (unrelated besides the fact they happened in the same airplane) I think I need to play Xbox for a few weeks and lay low before I actually get hurt. Yikes - lots of grey hair this week.
 
DavidWhite said:
In 1 week I have layed down my bike (got cut off by some lady talking on her cell phone), blown a prop seal in the Mooneh, and as of today hit a bird and blown a brake line (unrelated besides the fact they happened in the same airplane) I think I need to play Xbox for a few weeks and lay low before I actually get hurt. Yikes - lots of grey hair this week.
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The lady did not cut you off, you failed to observe her early enough and anticipate her making the move and act to prevent the collision and/or were riding too fast for the visibility conditions, that is your fault. Any accident you get into with anything that is in the 270° in front of you is your fault. Pay attention.

Glad it was a cheap fix on the Mooney.
 
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DavidWhite said:
In 1 week I have layed down my bike (got cut off by some lady talking on her cell phone), blown a prop seal in the Mooneh, and as of today hit a bird and blown a brake line (unrelated besides the fact they happened in the same airplane) I think I need to play Xbox for a few weeks and lay low before I actually get hurt. Yikes - lots of grey hair this week.
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The XBox route won't work either. You will get eaten by zombies...
 
Almost everyone lays down their first sportbike. Don't worry about it, but watch out better. Take the MSF class.

You can't drive a bike like you drive a car. Your SA has to much, much higher.
 
Front brake is your friend. So is being small enough to pass everywhere, those lines painted on the road are just a barrier in your mind.
 
DavidWhite said:
In 1 week I have layed down my bike (got cut off by some lady talking on her cell phone), blown a prop seal in the Mooneh, and as of today hit a bird and blown a brake line (unrelated besides the fact they happened in the same airplane) I think I need to play Xbox for a few weeks and lay low before I actually get hurt. Yikes - lots of grey hair this week.
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On that basis your Xbox might explode...

There is absolutely nothing that's safe, just keep doing what you were planning.
 
bqmassey said:
Almost everyone lays down their first sportbike. Don't worry about it, but watch out better. Take the MSF class.

You can't drive a bike like you drive a car. Your SA has to much, much higher.
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Took the course, there just wasn't really anything I could do - I saw her stomp on her brakes but figured she was turning right (she was in the right lane on a one way road, I was in the middle) but instead she stomped on her brake and turned left infront of me. There really wasn't anything I could do at that point. She made an illegal turn and violated my right of way - I don't see how that was my fault at all.
 
The good news is besides a cracked clutch lever and mirror the bike is ok - so I'll be back on the road for $75 or so.
 
It's not about fault, or right of way at all on a motorcycle. Its all about being extremely aware and expecting drivers to not see you and be trying to kill you. Always need a way out. Your right wrist sometimes works better than brakes too.

But hell, **** happens, don't beat yourself up over it. Get back on the horse, look at it as character building and learning a thing or two. keep on keeping on.

DavidWhite said:
Took the course, there just wasn't really anything I could do - I saw her stomp on her brakes but figured she was turning right (she was in the right lane on a one way road, I was in the middle) but instead she stomped on her brake and turned left infront of me. There really wasn't anything I could do at that point. She made an illegal turn and violated my right of way - I don't see how that was my fault at all.
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There's two kinds of bikers.. those who've been down and those who are going down. I had my wreck in 2008, and have the road rash to prove it. And of course, not my fault.
 
There used to be a CDL training video that was very interesting... it was a split screen of a camera with the driver's POV and another pointed at the driver, and the entire soundtrack was just the driver's stream of thinking out loud to demonstrate what he was observing / predicting. Something like...

"Lady in blue Toyota on my left screaming into her phone... watch out for her... dumb kid in black Charger messing with the radio... old fart in the Oldsmobile in the left lane looks confused... will he change lanes right? Brake lights on mini-van half a mile ahead in the right lane... distracted soccer mom? idiot in red pickup just started drafting me from behind... moron in a sports car just passed me and is now weaving in and out of traffic ahead of me..."

That sort of thing. The point was to exercise hyper-vigilance almost to the point of paranoia. I think it would apply even more so to motorcycles (which, by the way, are among the very few things in the world that still scare me).

If I can find the video on YouTube I'll post a link to it.

-Rich
 
Well, I told you that you'd end up dropping the bike just like the rest of us have. Hopefully you've learned about watching others and assuming everyone else is drunk and out to kill you.

Get back on the saddle.
 
David as someone else mentioned there is no right of way on a motorcycle. It is similar but more severe then the junky car has the right of way rule. Heavier vehicle with less chance of personal injury has the right of way. Sometimes the best defensive riding is being offensively fast(probably don't teach that at msf.)
Don't forget you don't give a @hit about life's little amusements. Carry on.
 
Doggtyred said:
There's two kinds of bikers.. those who've been down and those who are going down. I had my wreck in 2008, and have the road rash to prove it. And of course, not my fault.
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I call BS on the those that have and those that will...
 
we'll be sure to write "He had the Right of Way" on your tombstone
 
VanDy said:
I call BS on the those that have and those that will...
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25,000 miles riding motorcycles in CA & IL in the 70's. Rode Harley's for another 30k miles until 12 years ago when I started flying. Never wrecked or put one down. :dunno:

I never plan to get on a bike again. :no:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Well, I told you that you'd end up dropping the bike just like the rest of us have. Hopefully you've learned about watching others and assuming everyone else is drunk and out to kill you.

Get back on the saddle.
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Fortunately I did all my crashing on motocross bikes. Knock on wood I have never crashed a street bike and never will.

The unfortunate part about learning to ride on the street is that you don't have a controlled environment to train in. Of course I got nailed and run over by other motocross bikes once I started racing, but I had some experience by then and getting run over by a dirt bike is preferable to a suburban. Or even a smart car.


It's not about fault, or right of way at all on a motorcycle. Its all about being extremely aware and expecting drivers to not see you and be trying to kill you. Always need a way out. Your right wrist sometimes works better than brakes too.
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Amen.
 
Young drivers and riders usually learn about intervals and spacing the hard way. Welcome to the club.

DavidWhite said:
Took the course, there just wasn't really anything I could do - I saw her stomp on her brakes but figured she was turning right (she was in the right lane on a one way road, I was in the middle) but instead she stomped on her brake and turned left infront of me. There really wasn't anything I could do at that point. She made an illegal turn and violated my right of way - I don't see how that was my fault at all.
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dell30rb said:
The unfortunate part about learning to ride on the street is that you don't have a controlled environment to train in. Of course I got nailed and run over by other motocross bikes once I started
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exactley! Go to a track day David!!
 
DavidWhite said:
Took the course, there just wasn't really anything I could do - I saw her stomp on her brakes but figured she was turning right (she was in the right lane on a one way road, I was in the middle) but instead she stomped on her brake and turned left infront of me. There really wasn't anything I could do at that point. She made an illegal turn and violated my right of way - I don't see how that was my fault at all.
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According to some you are at least partially at fault just for being there. This is one of the things I like about flying, virtually all the mistakes that cause me serious grief will be mine.
 
1600vw said:
This might explain a little of why we do not see something right in front of our face.

Check this out.

http://www.msf-usa.org/motion.html

Fly Smart
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Unless the motorcycle had a rotating grid spinning up front I doubt that issue would apply. IME the reason most drivers fail to see motorcycles is that they either don't look at all (these folks don't see other cars either) or they are mentally looking for cars and therefore can't see a bike. If there was an elephant or gorilla near them they wouldn't see that either because it doesn't match the pattern in their brain for motor vehicles.
 
I assume I'm invisible to drivers when I ride. If they can do something abrupt and unexpected I make sure I have a way out. Always. It's kept me alive for the last 30 years.

I can't count how many times I've been cut off or swerved in to. Just be prepared for that crap.
 
Henning said:
The lady did not cut you off, you failed to observe her early enough and anticipate her making the move and act to prevent the collision and/or were riding too fast for the visibility conditions, that is your fault. Any accident you get into with anything that is in the 270° in front of you is your fault. Pay attention.
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+1

after all its your life your saving....

echoing what others have said, learned to drive from my Dad who was a professional driver. knock on wood never been in an accident in my 40 years of life - car or motorcycle or big rig.
 
DavidWhite said:
In 1 week I have layed down my bike (got cut off by some lady talking on her cell phone), blown a prop seal in the Mooneh, and as of today hit a bird and blown a brake line (unrelated besides the fact they happened in the same airplane) I think I need to play Xbox for a few weeks and lay low before I actually get hurt. Yikes - lots of grey hair this week.
Click to expand...

who wants to take bets you get Carpal tunnel syndrome?
 
DavidWhite said:
Took the course, there just wasn't really anything I could do - I saw her stomp on her brakes but figured she was turning right (she was in the right lane on a one way road, I was in the middle) but instead she stomped on her brake and turned left infront of me. There really wasn't anything I could do at that point. She made an illegal turn and violated my right of way - I don't see how that was my fault at all.
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You were too close to her to begin with.
 
DavidWhite said:
Took the course, there just wasn't really anything I could do - I saw her stomp on her brakes but figured she was turning right (she was in the right lane on a one way road, I was in the middle) but instead she stomped on her brake and turned left infront of me. There really wasn't anything I could do at that point. She made an illegal turn and violated my right of way - I don't see how that was my fault at all.
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Your mistake was in not figuring she would get in your way and acting accordingly. You always have to think about your outs, always, just like in an airplane.

Sorry to give you a hard time David. A few years ago I would have to make an emergency escape maneuver perhaps once a week. Now I have to do it just about every time I ride. Drivers are far worse, far more distracted. If you're going to ride you must remember this. You are invisible to all drivers except a very few who will actively try and murder you.

This is only the truth. I am sorry about your rashed bike and glad you are unhurt. I would have advised you not to start out on a sportbike, you have insufficient experience to use what that bike has. Glad the airplane is an easy fix.
 
DavidWhite said:
I was in traffic. I hardly had any room to maneuver (well, none really)
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Then you were riding incorrectly, or don't know what room is. Perhaps Murphy struck, though I doubt it. Odds are you had an out, you just don't recognize it. One of your potential outs was to realize the cager might make the turn, out run her or slow down.

Sorry to give you a hard time, but I cannot tell you how many times such things have happened to me. It will happen again. If you really feel it was unavoidable perhaps a bike isn't your cup of tea. Isn't for everyone, I know plenty of dead people. I would prefer you not to be one of them.
 
I'm sure I did have an out, but as an inexperienced rider I wasn't able to recognize it.

At any rate, my luck this last week has been pretty ****ty when it comes to vehicles.
 
DavidWhite said:
I was in traffic. I hardly had any room to maneuver (well, none really)
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You should not have been that close, I don't care how dense traffic is, you were going too fast to stop before the obstacle in front of you, you counted on the obstacle to move, that is STUPID. You didn't need to do anything but slow down a bit and open the gap to prevent this accident. You may be on a sport bike, but you are not on a race track, no need to draft. There is no excuse or justification for you having this accident, there is nobody else to blame, this is on you and you alone. Look in the mirror and say "I f-ed up" and change your riding habits rather than make excuses.
 
So, I should match the speed of the vehicles slowing down in the lane next to me? Sounds like a really good way to get hit from the back. The speed limit was 45 and I was doing 30 in traffic.

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