Lay it down, or ride it out?
#41
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
This is a great thread for a new (or any) rider.
I've been going over these situations in my mind and I'm glad to read all of this. My high school buddy bought a Honda 550four back in the early '80's andtotalled it the first day he had it by locking up the rear and sliding under a car. I knew then that he f-ed up.
I've driven/ridden everything but a Harley and I'll be doing that next week I hope. The first thing I always do is try to get used to the vehicle/equipment in a panic situation and it always helps.
Riding it out always gives you an option, putting it down does not. Hope I don't have to find out the hard way.
I've been going over these situations in my mind and I'm glad to read all of this. My high school buddy bought a Honda 550four back in the early '80's andtotalled it the first day he had it by locking up the rear and sliding under a car. I knew then that he f-ed up.
I've driven/ridden everything but a Harley and I'll be doing that next week I hope. The first thing I always do is try to get used to the vehicle/equipment in a panic situation and it always helps.
Riding it out always gives you an option, putting it down does not. Hope I don't have to find out the hard way.
#42
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
There is alot more coefficient of friction between your TIRES and road, than there is between metal and the road....meaning, if you are skilled at emergency braking (yes, it is something you should practice), you can scrub off more speed prior to impact by braking, than you can by "laying it down".
#44
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
I have had two collisions with cars that pulled out in front of me, with no time to manuever. Braking quickly and correctly kept the first collision to a slightly bent front fender. The second one happened so fast I had no time to react (night time, onramp/offramp, idiot crossed over), hit him in the right front fender of his car. I went flying over his car flipping over on my back. Helmet saved my head. I was only badly bruised. Either time, laying it down never occured to me, my instinct is to ride it out. Do everything possible when a collision is inevitable to scrub off all the speed so as to minimize the impact.
#45
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
I'll respond once more relating to NASCAR. They have tried to stop having so much grass on the infields because the cars wouldnot slow down when the tires hit the grass. Those areas are now inasphalt so the tires skidding will slow the carsand it has worked. Watch when a car flips and slides, it doesn't slow. See how much it does slow when sliding around upright on the rubber.
#46
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
How do you practice panic stops with a 700+lbs Harley without risking locking the front brake and doing a high side or locking the rear brake and doing a low side? Just because you are alone in a parking lot does not mean it won't be a bad accident if you miscalculate trying to find that perfect point where the brakes are on the most they can be without locking it up. In fact I don't see how you could find out where that is without locking them up????
#47
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
ORIGINAL: PlanoRider
How do you practice panic stops with a 700+lbs Harley without risking locking the front brake and doing a high side or locking the rear brake and doing a low side? Just because you are alone in a parking lot does not mean it won't be a bad accident if you miscalculate trying to find that perfect point where the brakes are on the most they can be without locking it up. In fact I don't see how you could find out where that is without locking them up????
How do you practice panic stops with a 700+lbs Harley without risking locking the front brake and doing a high side or locking the rear brake and doing a low side? Just because you are alone in a parking lot does not mean it won't be a bad accident if you miscalculate trying to find that perfect point where the brakes are on the most they can be without locking it up. In fact I don't see how you could find out where that is without locking them up????
#48
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
ORIGINAL: glideridemike
That reminds me of last summer, going through an intersection on a green and because I was watching traffice closely instead of daydreaming I noticed one coming at full speed running the red on my right. We were right on track to hit and I tapped the brakes and slowed up enough to slide right through the intersection just after he went through the red. I was so close to his rearend I could have touched it with my leg. Before I could even react any more the olblue light started a going and Johnny law had this guy dead to rights. The wife was on back and boy was she shook. These days you can almost never relax, gotta always be on the alert for idiots....
That reminds me of last summer, going through an intersection on a green and because I was watching traffice closely instead of daydreaming I noticed one coming at full speed running the red on my right. We were right on track to hit and I tapped the brakes and slowed up enough to slide right through the intersection just after he went through the red. I was so close to his rearend I could have touched it with my leg. Before I could even react any more the olblue light started a going and Johnny law had this guy dead to rights. The wife was on back and boy was she shook. These days you can almost never relax, gotta always be on the alert for idiots....
#50
RE: Lay it down, or ride it out?
I recently read a report ijn a bike magazine ( I don't remember which one, but it was in the last month) that most laydowns were caused simply by Panic, and could and SHOULD have been avoided. The statistics they used were the actual police reports and measurments from the scenes. 80% of the accidents where the rider "layed her down" had more than enough room to stop, if the brakes were applied correctly.
This is why Practice is so very important. Myself, and my wife, go to the school parking lot about once a month, just to practice things for an hour. We practice emergency braking, and I can watch what she does, and vise versa, we are very critical of one another during this time, because our abilities, and reactions are what will save our lives in a sudden situation.
Use BOTH brakes each and every time, NO EXCEPTIONS!! Applied correctly, you will stop and stay straight. If you feel her lock up on either end, release and reapply, but do not panic. Panic Kills. Practice untill you do things correctly by Instinct, and then Practice some more.
Our Pratice technique is simply. I stand in the parking lot, and she rides past me. Sometimes I yell out STOP! and sometimes I don't. I watch for her to anicapate ( don't want that) then critique her ion what she did wrong. We then switch places and do the same with me riding.
We also practice tight turns, slow speed turns, small figure eights, and anything else we an think of, or that we notice having a problem with in the recent past.
"Layed her down", is NOT an option. Your Brakes will stop you, or slow you to a safe manuvering speed faster and better than your chrome, or body will, and its alot less painful.
This is why Practice is so very important. Myself, and my wife, go to the school parking lot about once a month, just to practice things for an hour. We practice emergency braking, and I can watch what she does, and vise versa, we are very critical of one another during this time, because our abilities, and reactions are what will save our lives in a sudden situation.
Use BOTH brakes each and every time, NO EXCEPTIONS!! Applied correctly, you will stop and stay straight. If you feel her lock up on either end, release and reapply, but do not panic. Panic Kills. Practice untill you do things correctly by Instinct, and then Practice some more.
Our Pratice technique is simply. I stand in the parking lot, and she rides past me. Sometimes I yell out STOP! and sometimes I don't. I watch for her to anicapate ( don't want that) then critique her ion what she did wrong. We then switch places and do the same with me riding.
We also practice tight turns, slow speed turns, small figure eights, and anything else we an think of, or that we notice having a problem with in the recent past.
"Layed her down", is NOT an option. Your Brakes will stop you, or slow you to a safe manuvering speed faster and better than your chrome, or body will, and its alot less painful.