So you've crashed....

[OTB]

...now make it work for you.

NOBODY with any sanity wants to crash and I know the old saw about "there are two types of riders, those that have crashed and those that are going to."

Well, I dunno about that, 'cause I've met a few folks with many hundreds of thousands of miles who've never forgotten to keep the rubber side down, (but there aren't a BUNCH), but what I do know is that if you've crashed and assuming you haven't been badly or permanently injured, you are probebly thinking about quitting. Don't. Not yet.

Crashing is a traumatic experience. Especially the first time. I've had my share, and afterwords I was filled with a multitude of feelings; from remorse, to self-anger, to fear, to despondancy (especially when I looked at the damage to my bike). After my first crash (drunk driver changed lanes into me at 2 am), I figured I'd take the insurance money, fix the bike, and take up something safe, like nekkid skydiving. That lasted till my first test ride after I had finished the repairs.

Putting the helmet back on the first time after the crash, my hands were sweaty and shaking...I thought I'd just take a quick spin around the block to make certain everything was ok, put it in the front yard with a For Sale sign on it, and get on with my life. A year and a half and 20,000 miles later I finally got rid of that bike for a bigger one.........

Give it half a chance. Get back on, go ride, and if the whim whams don't go away, or it's lost it's charm, or you can't shake the feeling of impending doom, well, go ahead and sell the damn thing. But, if you throw the leg back over and wobble out of the driveway, and the old magic comes back.........if you get back home with a big stupid grin on your face........if you forget about the horror of the grinding of metal and plastic and the shock of the sudden fall and instead find yourself smelling the smells and SEEING things again, FEELING things again, ...well.....

....you can always list it in CL next week.

BUT. If you decide to keep on keepin' on, then take the crash as a warning. A warning that something in your routine is lacking, something in your skillset needs attention, something in your riding habits needs examination.

When I got over the emotions of my first crash, I learned to take away lessons from my mistakes. I examined all the circumstances from that first crash, from time of day, road conditions, my own physical, emotional and mental states, to the state of my training or lack thereof, to the type of gear I wore, to the shape of my mount. And I owned my part in contributing to the crash. (If you want to stay in one piece, don't be on the road on two wheels when the bars let out Friday night, and if you do have to be there, keep your head on a 360 swivel and be REAL paranoid about every car in your space...don't be there and they can't hit you.)

I've had crashes since then, and each time, I spent a good deal of energy looking for my fault(s) in the process. I haven't (knocks on wood) crashed in a long time and many miles. I like to think I remain teachable.

Today, I mentally critique each ride in the aftermath. What did I do well, what did I hack at, what did I miss, how can I be better? Where are the holes in my skills, how has getting older handicapped my riding (eyes, ears, stamina, attention, concentration). Don't get me wrong, I don't sit and contemplate my navel....I just do a mental run through as I'm putting my bike and gear away....no big deal.

And then I make a plan to deal with my faults......and stick to it.......


PS... I'm signed up for the Total Control clinic this spring................



See ya out there.......and remain teachable......


OTB

[OTB]

PPS... IMHO there is NO SHAME in crashing....only in not learning from it, or blaming the rest of the world.............


Rubber side down, please.....

[Rider]

Thanks OTB, those are some words of wisdom.

[PhiSig1071]

It's a little insane, but crashing is the biggest adrenaline rush you'll ever have a motorcycle. I know my first Turn 1 get-off at JGP was pretty benign, busted a footpeg and rearset bracket, that's it, but it was about a 115mph lowside. I didn't exactly enjoy it, but there was definitely a rush from pushing right to the edge, sometimes you stretch the envelope, sometimes you don't.

[Archren]

Originally Posted by OTB

PPS... IMHO there is NO SHAME in crashing....only in not learning from it, or blaming the rest of the world.............


Rubber side down, please.....

That's the part that freaks me out about my big accident. The other couple times I went down, I know where *I* fucked up (because there was no other cause for going down other than stupid rider error), and I'd like to think I learned from those (don't take corners hot when it's cold out/tires are cold/asphalt is cold.. easy braking in the rain ).

But the one that sent me to the hospital for 5 days, there was no obvious cause that anyone in the group I was riding with could tell me.. only that I ran off the road and lost control from there. Why I ran off the road? No one saw and the resulting concussion did a number on my memory. So I don't know... and it's always haunted me - where did I go wrong? There was no gravel.. no oncoming vehicles.. Did I look behind me to check on the guy behind me and swerve? Was there a critter? So I've kept on riding.. getting back on the bike was easy, there wasn't really much of a mental block there - hard to be afraid when you can't remember what caused you to crash. But I have slowed down a lot just in general - I don't go too far out of my comfort zone unless I'm on the track, and even then I'm still pretty slow.

[Ninjakel]

Great post!!

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by PhiSig1071

It's a little insane, but crashing is the biggest adrenaline rush you'll ever have a motorcycle. I know my first Turn 1 get-off at JGP was pretty benign, busted a footpeg and rearset bracket, that's it, but it was about a 115mph lowside. I didn't exactly enjoy it, but there was definitely a rush from pushing right to the edge, sometimes you stretch the envelope, sometimes you don't.

I'm with ya on this. I could honestly careless about wrecking... Other than fucking up the bike... Its why if I do end up loving the track ill spring for a track only one...

[zed]

I was actually thinking of posting something about getting comfortable in the corners again after a crash.

I have crashed/totaled 3 bikes. the first two I walked away from and didn't have any problems getting back on and riding like it never happened. like you after the first crash I got a bigger bike, the second one I rebuilt it then got a quicker/faster bike. the third one I got the same bike different color.

I do not remember the last crash and about 1/4 mile before the crash site. I was talking to the guy I was riding with (when he finally came back for me) before I remember talking with him.

my ankles are messed up from the crash, I have bone floating around in one ankle and the other is stiff.

I know I had slowed down prior to the crash because I had bobbled a couple corners that I shouldn't have and wouldn't have on my old bike. this was a new bike (3 days old)and a new to me road (another reason I had slowed down).

I got back on a bike a week later (I was working in a dealership as a Tech/setup so had to). I used wheelchair/crutches for weeks, found out that I couldn't shift a sportbike for several weeks.

I go out for rides now and get that oh shit feeling on just about every corner. the new bike says I have about 20K on it now and still love to ride, just can't do the type of riding I like now because I can't figure out how to get past that feeling.

I don't go out on the streets and treat them like a racetrack but some spirited riding a little over the speed limit is fun.

[dReWpY]

stickied

[Rider]

Originally Posted by drewpy

stickied

Uhh.. the grammatically correct term is.... stuck.