How to achieve "I've been riding for XX (lots!) years - w/no crashes" bragging status
- Thread starter Gary J
- Start date
does a racoon and a cracked lower fairing count, even if i didnt go down? If not then i have not crashed on the street. I dont think you can count dirt biking cause half the fun is crashing.
Four bikes over 15 years and not a scratch on any of them. Numerous drag race days, track days and plenty of spirited riding and not a scratch. No pegs, toes, and knee pucks dont count.
Four bikes over 15 years and not a scratch on any of them. Numerous drag race days, track days and plenty of spirited riding and not a scratch. No pegs, toes, and knee pucks dont count.
littlebeast
get it while it's easy
i guess the thought of achieving X years w/o crashing has never occurred to me before i read this thread. funny thing - crashes. i've only had one really serious one. never think about it when i'm on my bike, only when i'm not. my biggest fear is riding without thinking. that's where i try to keep my head when i'm on my bike. make the smartest decisions i can. the rest will happen as it may.
Carlo
Kickstart Enthusiast
I've always differentiated between "on the road" crashes, where you crash while riding at road speed on a public road, and crashes while riding on dirt, crashes on a racetrack, and "parking lot drops".
The dirt and track riding assumes that you might crash, and everyone drops their bike at least once while doing very low speed maneuvers.
Crashing in traffic, on public roads at normal road speeds is what causes the most injuries and deaths, and is the type of crash that is most necessary to avoid.
I've had four such crashes, all of them during the period from 1969 and 1977 while I was learning to ride (yeh, I still believe that it can take as much as 10 years to achieve real competence at "street riding", which involves a lot more than knowing how to "get a knee down")
Since that time, I've fallen in the dirt twice, and dropped bikes in my garage or driveway about 4 times, but never had a crash while riding on public roads.
I have also said before, I do know a number of guys who have ridden as many years as me, some with more miles than me who have never crashed.
Most of them ride a lot, in all kinds of weather, road conditions, traffic conditions, and none of them ever took breaks from riding for more than a few months at a time.
The dirt and track riding assumes that you might crash, and everyone drops their bike at least once while doing very low speed maneuvers.
Crashing in traffic, on public roads at normal road speeds is what causes the most injuries and deaths, and is the type of crash that is most necessary to avoid.
I've had four such crashes, all of them during the period from 1969 and 1977 while I was learning to ride (yeh, I still believe that it can take as much as 10 years to achieve real competence at "street riding", which involves a lot more than knowing how to "get a knee down")
Since that time, I've fallen in the dirt twice, and dropped bikes in my garage or driveway about 4 times, but never had a crash while riding on public roads.
I have also said before, I do know a number of guys who have ridden as many years as me, some with more miles than me who have never crashed.
Most of them ride a lot, in all kinds of weather, road conditions, traffic conditions, and none of them ever took breaks from riding for more than a few months at a time.
Melissa
Peace,Love and Harmony
Thanks for the resurrection and continued dialogue.
Since my previous posts I have crashed in the street and crashed in the dirt.
Street-broke my left hand and was w/o mc for almost 2 years.
Dirt-either fractured or sprained my left ankle after a very unspectacular git off and inexperience about how to go down in the dirt.
Lessons learned? never too old to learn new riding techniques and limits, continue to enjoy the joys of riding, git back on when ready to do the above!
Since my previous posts I have crashed in the street and crashed in the dirt.
Street-broke my left hand and was w/o mc for almost 2 years.
Dirt-either fractured or sprained my left ankle after a very unspectacular git off and inexperience about how to go down in the dirt.
Lessons learned? never too old to learn new riding techniques and limits, continue to enjoy the joys of riding, git back on when ready to do the above!
flying_hun
Adverse Selection
I have not had many crashes on the street, though I've fallen off in the dirt my fair share. My most recent crash on the street involved encountering a diesel spill in the rain coming down a mountain pass in 2006. Looking back, I think if I had worked more on dirt riding skills, that I might have ridden that out. Also, had I not been tired, I may have been more present and aware.
Lessons from decades of street riding:
Those seem like the key factors that contribute to a long, incident-free, riding career. There are probably others, but these are a good start.
Lessons from decades of street riding:
- Situational awareness - being aware of threats and modifying riding to accommodate
- Leaving a bit of margin - in room and in pace to give some time to react to threats and recover
- Skills development at the margin - parking lot practice, dirt riding, advanced riding schools, etc.
- Good fortune
Those seem like the key factors that contribute to a long, incident-free, riding career. There are probably others, but these are a good start.
kxmike
Well-known member
I've had 2 crashes on the streetin 36 years of riding.... first one in 1973 when I was 15 (car pulled out in front of me and I lacked the skills to avoid it). I went 34 years without another street crash till I lowsided (minor) my new 675 (riding too fast finally got me:rolleyes). Done about 15 trackdays without any crashes but I've broken almost every bone in my body (some multiple times) while racing motocross and downhill mountain bikes over the years:laughing.
EastBayDave
- Kawasaki Fanatic -
crashed so many times I can't recall 75% of them. I only recall the 10 or so worst bails! (I.E.- the bails that hurt!)90% of my bails were dirt maniac type riding. I think multipile concussions are partly to blame for the lack of memory? :cry :confused
guess the above makes me a bad rider? Or maybe it's "selective" memory? :laughing
guess the above makes me a bad rider? Or maybe it's "selective" memory? :laughing
H.D.30-06
Well-known member
I don't think about how long I haven't crashed. I don't like talking about it, because I don't want to sound like bragging. Because I want to stay humble and keep remember that every time I go out, there's always a good possibility that I would go down.
I take it a day at a time. I've survived another day, so far so good.
_1 there :thumbup. Thats exactly what my philosophy is. Why worry about what might happen tomorrow until tomorrow becomes today ? I use the same approach when driving too. I do what I have to do to keep myself and others around me safe one day at a time. Simpler that way.
Audacious Nick
Predictably unpredictable
You can't brag about not crashing.
cbrf3
The slowest one
I would never brag about not crashing, or crashing.. but my way of trying to stay crash free is to ride at the speed the road can handle, meaning around the speed limit, which I know most on here don't and thats fine.. but it seems like a lot of crashes can be prevented, and IMO flying around blind (or limited visibility) corners at 20+ the limit or much faster than you can react to something unknown around the corner will only increase your risks, and this is what I see most people doing up in the mountains. We all choose our own risks, I try to keep it pretty slow to give myself a cushion to react, though its all unknowns and anything can happen I hope that I can survive out there as well as everyone else, and I feel slowing it down will greatly increase my chances, as well as of course being 110% aware of everything and watching out for inattentive drivers and leaving the rest up to fate.. Ride safe!!
Shaggs2Dope
HondaWhore
definite bad juju on a bike
