7 bikes on Ride - 4 Go down
#1
7 bikes on Ride - 4 Go down
I have never seen a road so slick in my life.
We were on a busy two lane road. It had been sprinkling when the rain picked up a little. We were going about 30 - 35 Went to slow to pull into a church to sit under their carport for a bit. My rear end came up beside me on the right, then the left, then the right again Thought I had it saved but I was heading towards oncoming traffic I went down on my left side.
My Wife slid towards the the right getting traction when she left the pavement came to a stop and I think she went off her right side more to check on me than actually going down.
One bike spun like a top on its side. Another bike slid down on its left side.
Cars were sliding every-which-way trying to avoid what they must of thought was biker carnage.
The three bikes that did not go down. One slid onto the should getting traction and straightened out. The other two - Because I was leading and I kind of cleared the oncoming lane of the cars avoiding my slide - gave them both room to ride their slid out and they stayed up.
When we tried to stand my bike up, the road was so slippery my tach boots couldn't get a grip and I about went down as I was lifting the bike.
We all walked away and spent the night at a local hotel and rode the few hundred miles back the next day. In off and on rain the whole frickin way. Might of been the best thing we could of done - ride that on and off wet ride.
This has really gotten into my head. It didn't make me afraid of riding. It pissed me off. Even though I have riden since I was 12 - I have still taken riding classes and the wife & I do RLP drills - I take pride in my riding abilities. I have practiced hard braking & skidding on wet pavement.
Things I wonder about:
Later - I paced off my slide - 63 feet from where metal hit the pavement. My bike and my skin had little damage. I remember trying to grip the pavement with my hands as I slid - nothing - not even a scratch on my hands. I think myself and bike took such little damage because the pavement was soooo slick - it felt slimy even.
So Thankful!
We were on a busy two lane road. It had been sprinkling when the rain picked up a little. We were going about 30 - 35 Went to slow to pull into a church to sit under their carport for a bit. My rear end came up beside me on the right, then the left, then the right again Thought I had it saved but I was heading towards oncoming traffic I went down on my left side.
My Wife slid towards the the right getting traction when she left the pavement came to a stop and I think she went off her right side more to check on me than actually going down.
One bike spun like a top on its side. Another bike slid down on its left side.
Cars were sliding every-which-way trying to avoid what they must of thought was biker carnage.
The three bikes that did not go down. One slid onto the should getting traction and straightened out. The other two - Because I was leading and I kind of cleared the oncoming lane of the cars avoiding my slide - gave them both room to ride their slid out and they stayed up.
When we tried to stand my bike up, the road was so slippery my tach boots couldn't get a grip and I about went down as I was lifting the bike.
We all walked away and spent the night at a local hotel and rode the few hundred miles back the next day. In off and on rain the whole frickin way. Might of been the best thing we could of done - ride that on and off wet ride.
This has really gotten into my head. It didn't make me afraid of riding. It pissed me off. Even though I have riden since I was 12 - I have still taken riding classes and the wife & I do RLP drills - I take pride in my riding abilities. I have practiced hard braking & skidding on wet pavement.
Things I wonder about:
Later - I paced off my slide - 63 feet from where metal hit the pavement. My bike and my skin had little damage. I remember trying to grip the pavement with my hands as I slid - nothing - not even a scratch on my hands. I think myself and bike took such little damage because the pavement was soooo slick - it felt slimy even.
So Thankful!
#2
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#4
Basz, Glad you guys are OK. One of my fears is hitting a spot where somebody has spilled oil or diesel on the road when it's raining. You can't see it and you don't know it's there until it's too late. It doesn't matter how well you ride if you don't have any friction with the road. Thank God you guys came through it without any serious injuries.
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#9
I respectfully disagree with comments that rain alone won't cause a slippery road. You never know when you are going to have an accident like this! I went down (locked up front brake, low side, about 10 mph) back in May avoiding the two bikes in front of me that went down. Should've been no big deal...not a scratch on me, limited sheet metal damage to the Custom. But, for some reason unbeknown to me, I stuck my left knee out to the left as if it were a kick stand prior to impact. 800 lb bike + 260 lb man = left tibia in 30/40 pieces. I'm still on crutches. I've been riding religiously for over 20 years. Time to go back to braking school and practice more...oh yea, I'm positive if I'd had anti-lock brakes I would not have gone down...if a retro abs kit ever comes out, I'll buy/install it.