Whenever I meet someone who has crashed a bike, I ask them what they would have done differently to avoid the crash if they could rewind the incident and go back in time. I got the idea from playing Forza on Xbox with my son and avoiding my crashes by rewinding for the do-overs.

For example, one rider explained that his front end slipped out from him when turning left because of a gravel patch on a back road. He said after a rewind he would have entered the turn slower, looked ahead at the roadway closer, and hit the gravel upright instead of leaning into the turn. Lesson: Check the road surface before leaning hard into a turn.

Another rider told me that he low-sided because his rear wheel hit a carriage bolt on a two-lane turn that he couldn't avoid because there was a car next to him. After his rewind he would have slowed into the turn, allowed the car to go ahead, and then he would have had room to swerve and miss the bolt. Lesson: Avoid turning at the same time as vehicles in adjacent lanes to allow space for emergency maneuvers.

Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I find these invaluable lessons to help us learn from other's mistakes and ride safer.

So what's your rewind lesson?

 

I believe most riders that have been at it for a long time, over 30 years, do this all the time. Riding farming roads 95% of the time I take all blind corners and hills a little slower. Ridding along and smelled diesel, slowed down to crawl and sure enough it was all over the road right around a curve I was able to stop and ride around on the gravel to the side of the road.

 

Yep. Dont ride like a young peckerwood whose late for work. Time and pain will teach you that one.

 

I think the only option I had was to get up on the sidewalk. I was moving at 30 mph, saw the guy in the left turn lane, no signal at small intersection and motorist using signal. Now this was a residential area, light traffic, I prepared myself for the unthinkable. My mistake was I figured the guy saw me because he hadn't made a move till I got up to him and he made the fastest u-turn, but not quite fast enuff.

 

Always leave yourself an out

 

Same goes for relationships...

 

When passing that mini-van driven by the middle aged woman with the load of kids on a 4-lane because it made your red flag alert go up and you know you need to get away from it, move as far to the left as possible. No chance of escape in the middle of the lane when she decides she wants over....quickly.

 

Never assume someone will come to a halt behind you- always be ready to power forward in case the cager is busy eating a sandwich and reading a book. (true story)

I got shoved by a mini van into a pickup truck in front of me- no riding for 7 months.

 

Good point. I've gotten used to watching the cage behind me and trying to leave myself a possible out if the cage decides not to notice me right in front of him/her.

 

Good lessons so far...submitting this reply to get it back on the radar for more replies.