Here are his EXACT words;

"I hate it when I hear some say they had to lay it down. BS!"

Pretty obvious to me what he meant, nothing implied here.

Look,

All I am implying is that in an accident situation Zhit happens. I do not feel that it is correct in this series of posts to state that either occurrance is BS.

 

Most of the times I hear it, it's not refered to as a $hit Happens situration rather a "they had something to do with it, on purpose kind of thing" and that is what I think he meant, and if it is, I'd throw the BS flag, although not in his thread, I'd throw it in my brain and hope that some where along the way they would realize it was a wreck, not a manuover.

 

I'll accept that,

The way I see it, if I were answering the post topicquestion, andhad an accidentthat, for whatever reason, I "layed it down", I would not want someone here telling me that it was BS.

[sm=closed.gif]

 

Couldn't find the "Topic open" Icon

Ya I wouldn't want to hear that either, but I'd try not to use those words either.

 

Back to the topic of, "Lay it down, or ride it out?"

I figure that there are at least three options:

1. Normal folks learn from their mistakes. ANYONE, in a given situation could panic, over apply the brakes, lock a wheel (or both), dump the bike andgo slidding down the road. Theysay to themselves, "OK, Imade a mistake - I sure don't want to do that again."

2. Smart folks can learn from the mistakes of others. Logic tells them that tires are designed to produce traction and will stop a bike quicker than the bike will stop while slidding down the road on its side

3. Other people never learn anything from their mistakes. If the topic comes up, they defend their actionsbecause they have "never" make a mistake. If they crashed their bike, it was not their fault, it was totally the fault of someone else. Also, since theyknow everything they need toknow about riding,they have no need for instruction to learn more, or practice to refine their skills.

JMHO

 

I've never (knock on wood) layed my bike down except when I was at a track coming off the straightaway in a decreasing radius turn. It was many years ago at my first race school and I did all the classic mistakes of someone in trouble.

The first rule is: Throttle control. Perfect throttle pressure/control will transfer weight incorrectly and make the bike that much more unmanageable. (remember, we're talking under 400lb sportbikes, not 800 HD's)

Second ruleon't stand on the front brake in a turn (remember, these are sportbikes, they don't need/use rear brakes. Out of the thousands of miles I've put on sportbikes, I've used the rear brake ONCE)

Third rule: Don't fixate on an object.


I broke all 3 rules and though I was still on the bike, I was skidding at 90 mph into a wall on a curve. I made the decision to lay the bike down and slide without it.

I did and both of us hit the wall. Fortunately, the bike took much more of the brunt than I did. (though my shoulder was fukked up and made for a trip to the hospital.

The point is, I conciously decided to lay the bike down. If you're into a panic situation and not being ejected off the bike, it's very easy to make that decision.

Remember, there are only two types of riders. Those that have gone down.... and those that will.

 

I agree with all of you, this is a good thread

 

There's a lot of good replies here to different situations and different skill levels. IMO, laying it down would be the last resort. Luckily I've never had to do it butI've been in a number of situations over the years where I'd have to say instinct took over more than a descision did. I couldn't say what I was gonna do at that instant but fortunately could tell ya about it after!
I like the old saying and it applies here, " Experience is something you don't need until it's too late".
Tip for newbies: I always speed up to get past an intersection before a car coming from the other direction can get there and ALWAYS ride like your invisible to any other vehicles on the road.

 

"Lay it down" means "wreck it on purpose". And hope the insurance company doesn't find out.
You get a lot more traction on rubber than on metal. BRAKE!
Besides, the guys who believe in laying it down are usually the guys who refuse to use their front brake. In their case maybe the side of the bike will stop it faster than one brake.

 

It doesn't matter which option you choose................. Just make sure your airbags are in working order, and your seatbelt is fastened.

DougJ