Crash Report

[RTNewbie]

I was in my first crash after 15 years of riding on Friday may 29. Now that i'm back from a very conveniently timed beach vacation, i'll share some details about my first crash on the street.

Commute to work. ATGATT, mechanically sound and well maintained 1996 r1100rt with Michelin pilot road tires (appx 600 miles on ft and 4500 on rear, moderate flat center tread, not worn into wear indicators, but slated for replacement, new pilot 2 in garage at home) 94k miles on bike. 7:30 am in light rain, light rain all night before, about 50 degrees, no gravel on roadway. About 14 miles into commute in easy left hander on two lane/secondary road (speed limit 45 mph) at about 65 mph, at apex of turn, the rear stepped out to the right, countersteered into slide, might have chopped the throttle (not sure). High side, landed on my shoulder and head at near horizontal angle (best i can tell) on center line of road. Conscious but saw huge white flash (explains why a dont rememeber fliying through the air), sliding in belly at slight angle towards soft shoulder thinking clearly "hey, I'm OK!", looked left and saw Ole Blue sliding past me from behind and at higher speed on other side of road (into oncoming lane) on her side with smoke and panniers trailing after. Looking back ahead to soft shoulder (gravel), realize i'm still going really fast as gravel flies up in front of me. Come to rest in gravel still in my belly and feeling OK. Rest for couple seconds then sit up and realize wind is knocked out of me (a little), lie back and attempt to remove gloves, realize shoulder not working.

Paramedics on scene within minutes, fully conscious, ambulance ride, emergency room, pain meds, xrays, cat scans. Broken right collar bone from impact, one scrape on right elbow, large bruise on right hip. No head injury, not even a headache.

Riding gear
Head: HJC Symax (modular, full faced) heavy fracturing of outer shell (upper right side) heavy road rash on face shield, evidence of compression of inner shell. Obviously destroyed.

Torso: Tourmaster Flex jacket with armor. Right shoulder armor and cordura shell show major impact. Right forearm (inside arm) major abrasion, not worn through. Belly and chest minor abrasion major abrasion where buttons and wallet were/was. Destroyed.

Legs: Firstgear airpants with armored knees and hips. Minor abraiion at right hip. Not destroyed.

Feet: Sidi sport touring mc riding boots. no evidence of crash.

Hands: Tourmaster gel air gloves (not armored, not gauntlet) various abraisions, some major, arguably worn through. Destroyed but no injury.

Bike:
Extensive damage. Full extent yet to be seen. Insurance company would likely consider a total loss

Cause of crash: Driver error. Driving too fast.

 

[ted]

Thanks for posting, GLAD to hear it was not too bad and hopefully a speedy and full recovery is in order! Any idea why the rear jumped out?

 

[WEZUL]

Dude!!! Don't do that s*#t on my B-day!

Seriously, so glad you're OK. Aren't you?

 

[Holly]

I can really feel for you. Especially since I low sided and broke 3 ribs a month ago. I'm so glad you are well enough to write the report. Take it easy and let things heal. I find that I am still often tired, probably because I don't sleep as well--waking whenever I move. I sure appreciate my ATGATT now. Bet you do too! Take care and heal well.

Holly

 

[rkildu]

Very sorry about your accident.

I want to thank you for your report though. I too wear a modular helmet, Nolan N-103, and for summer wear, a Tourmaster Flex Jacket. I have Joe Rocket Phoenix Pants. It sounds like all the gear did what is was supposed to do! I haven't heard very many reports on the performance of mesh gear. I had some concerns about that and the performance of the modular helmets.

In cooler weather I have a 'Stich Roadcrafter. Lots of reports on it's performance!

Rod

 

[dancogan]

I really respect someone who is so willing to accept responsibility for their own decisions and their own judgment! Thanks for your candor. Sorry about the crash, but it sounds like you're already well on the road to recovery. You just can't do much about the shoulder except give it time to heal.

 

[tommcgee]

Well maybe it was your fault, but there was prolly some slippery stuff on the road as well. Light rain doesn't wash anything away.

Glad you're basically okay. Did you get the clavicle aligned and repaired? 40 years later, I wish that was an option for me. I can still tell when light rain is on the way.

 

[kgadley01]

Thanks for the very Honest report. why the rear started to slide, we'll probably never know. but here's my theory on the highside. when you started to slide you counter steered. if you let off the throttle at about the same time, the rear tire grabbed traction again and it threw you. This is just my theory, but something you can think about. Kenny...

 

[35634]

Been there, after hitting a deer, only I remember thinking "this can't be good"
It wasn't, got matel plate & 9 screws in my arm now. Really brought back memories!

 

[roborider]

Nice write up and glad your are "relatively" OK.

Chopping the throttle in a rear wheel slide is the worst thing to do. I suspect you know this because you mention it. It is a hard habit to break.

Taking the "Cornerspin" school is a great way to train away this impulse:

http://www.cornerspeed.net/spin.html

I took their cornerspeed track school and that is excellent, also. I was on my CBR 600RR (dedicated track) but a guy was there on a 1200R and he was tearing it up, so you don't have to have a track bike!

Best,
Robo

 

[Rpbump]

I was in my first crash after 15 years of riding on Friday may 29. Now that i'm back from a very conveniently timed beach vacation, i'll share some details about my first crash on the street.

sliding in belly at slight angle towards soft shoulder thinking clearly "hey, I'm OK!", looked left and saw Ole Blue sliding past me from behind and at higher speed on other side of road (into oncoming lane) on her side with smoke and panniers trailing after. Looking back ahead to soft shoulder (gravel), realize i'm still going really fast as gravel flies up in front of me.

Its amazing how things seem to happen in slow motion when you are involved in a crash. 23 months ago I decided to lay my bike down rather than high side when cut off by a cage in downtown Jacksonville,FL. I was riding my 1200cc Sportster at the time and can vividly remember rolling down one lane of traffic and seeing my bike sliding away from me each time I completed a roll. I was was not ATGATT at the time just wearing a heavy long sleeve shirt, 3/4 helmet, jeans, gloves and boots. The left knee and right elbow had the worst abrasions and the back of my helmet had several deep gouges although I do not remember my head hitting the pavement. My left big toe was broken when I failed to get my leg clear of the bike when I laid it over. All in all minor but painful injuries but, I remember clearly thinking as I rolled down the street, "I hope the other cages behind me don't run me over". I now ride with a modular helmet, jeans with kevlar in the seat and knees, gloves, boots, and a hi-viz Olympia jacket. I have reviewed the incident many times and feel that the R1200CLC would have allowed me to stop safely in the same conditions due to the ABS brakes. I have practiced panic stops since the incident with both bikes and feel that I have learned valuble lessons. Ride Safe

 

[testinglogin]

Like others, I'm indeed glad to hear you are able to report back on your experiences! There is something to be learned from every crash, and it's nice when you share it to help others. I know I have slowed down a bit as a result of reading others happenings. I'm also happy to hear about the riding pants, as I have the same pair and always worried a bit about protection. Sounds like they to at least OK.

Heal quickly!

 

[sudani]

Would someone mind explaining the following terms:

1. Chopping the throttle

2. High side

Thanks!

 

[35634]

1 - suddenly closing the throttle, slowing the bike

2 - picture a bike leaned into a turn. If the rider lays it down, or low sides it,
it simply continues to lean further and further until it contacts pavement.
Highsiding is when the bike is leaned over then rotates over the opposite
direction that it is leaned. Low siding is usually the preferred way to crash.

 

[E_Page]

Sorry about your mishap. But what a great testimonial for ATGATT! Also a good reminder for all of us to be well aware of the road conditions.

 

[jshuck]

high side snap

a high side crash also usually involves a violent snap of the rider over the top of the bike when the tires get traction. This is usually pretty bad because it is on top of the speed you are already traveling. A low side means you hit the pavement at the same speed you were traveling and grind to a halt. Ouch...

 

[BUBBAZANETTI]

vivid report!

glad to hear you're ok though, looks like the gear did it's job.

 

[RTNewbie]

Rear Stepping out....

Thanks for posting, GLAD to hear it was not too bad and hopefully a speedy and full recovery is in order! Any idea why the rear jumped out?

I stopped this morning on my way to work and walked the scene. The bend in the road is so slight on second look. Must not have been leaned over much at all. Many very narrow "tar snakes" road otherwise in good condition.

Best guess: Rear lost traction while rolling on transition area between flat in center of tire and radius area on left side (smaller contsct patch) as it passed over tar snake.

Lesson: Slow down.

 

[roborider]

Would someone mind explaining the following terms:

1. Chopping the throttle

2. High side

Thanks!

Low side was well explained. It is the safest way to crash on the track. It happens if you lean over too far and lose traction, often the front tire goes first.

A high side happens when the rear wheel slides out of alignment with the direction of travel. This happens if the tire spins under throttle and slides outward. It can also happen if you lock up the rear brake and skid the rear tire. If the bike now cocks sideways and you release the brake or cut the gas, so that the rear tire now grabs, it jerks the bike back into line, compresses the rear shock, and tosses you the rider off the bike like a catapult. It is the "worst" way to crash as you get tossed high into the air and land hard. (I'm not talking about crashes where you head on another car, etc. here.)

Check this video out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KREIjnk6jTI

Rear tire slides, then grabs, and off he goes (about 14 seconds into the clip).

If you do have a loss of traction on the rear tire from a locked up brake, you should skid to a stop unless you release the brake with the frame aligned straight to travel. Otherwise, hold it locked up and come to a stop. If you spin the rear tire out under gas, you should hold the gas enough to keep the spin and then steer to align the frame before reducing the gas (sort of the "Nicky Hayden" technique). Cornerspin teaches you to do this instinctively and most dirt riders are quite familiar with it, doing it for fun.

Robo