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.

 

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".

 

If this thread helps just one rider from getting hurt,then it's all great

 

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.

 

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.

 

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????

 

A group of us (6 students) went thru the two week Police Motorcycle Cert course last spring. We started at 20 MPH, braking to a stop as quickly as possible, and worked up to 45. NOBODY went down, and one of the guys had never ridden a motorcycle prior to the school (although he locked that back wheel up every time). You will know when the front locks.....when it does, IMMEDIATELY release it, and re-apply. An easy way to avoid locking the rear brake, is to only have your toes on the rear brake. It helps to prevent you from mashing the pedal down.

 

I had thesame situation last summer. I broke hard but not skidding..trying to slow the biketo a halt to no avail.Ialmost made it butwas about ready to slam into her rearquarter...I felt comfortable enough with my speed at that timeto lay the bike down avoiding the collision....just instinct..but my instinct proved right. Thecrash bar and left sideof the under frame took somegouges but luckily no real damage. If I did choose to "ride it out" the whole way I would of collided and been catapulted over the vehicle.It's a combination of training and instinct when it happens. It's amazing the amount of thought processes one has in that split second situation.Earlier in the year I was on atwo lane country road when a chow jumped outta the brush right in front of me. I had no time to break and decided to absorb the impact and try to keep the bike "up" . No small feat at45 mph head on. I knew the front tire wouldbeforced left or right with impact. It was forced left and as the bike dove down I put my left legto the road to brace the fall...pushed off the road with my leg and cracked the throttle and pulled it up straight.The look on the ladies facein the cage coming in the opposite direction was priceless.Survived unscathed less a littledog poop on my front brake calipers

 

I was wondering, if the police bikes all have antilock brakes, why isn't it an option for us ?

 

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.