Wot a pillock (me)

[simonm]

So I screwed up.....again.  Not my proudest moment.  I'm a klutz.

[Dead Eye]

Oh dear, sorry to see it

What happened?

[Lawrence]

Ouch   Hope you're ok though.

[snapper]

ouch but anything you can walk or even hobble away from isnt all bad ! 

[richfzs]

Ouch! Hope you're alright?

[red98]

ouch again.....hope your alright  buddy......bikes can be mended us foccers are a little more fragile 

[simonm]

I'm okay, just a stonking great bruise on my right thumb and broken pride and fragile confidence.

I'm a newb and I've come off twice in three months.  Starting to wonder if it's a sign.

Street view is here: http://goo.gl/maps/IJDbj

No real excuse I can think of apart from incompetence.  I thought I was going in too quick, tried the rear brake, as I was beginning to go around the corner, no speed dropped off so I put the rear brake on more and it locked up... I think.  I don't know, apart from I was stupid.

I need to practise cornering off the road (by off the road I mean track), apparently Mallory park do a cornering course or something.  I just go around corners fine and then occasionally, for no reason I can ascertain, I just think this feels wrong and it all falls apart a bit.

I never thought I was a good rider but I seem a lot better at speed than when I'm travelling slowly.  It's a bit surreal.

[simonm]

At least the bike I bought were cheap.  I'm be devastated if I'd taken a spill on a new £9k Ducati or something.  I know I should be grateful that I'm here and I'm okay but I think it's human nature to focus on other things once we've done 'the pat down' and figured that we're intact.


Thank you for your thoughts and good/well wishes.  It's appreciated.

[darrsi]

Have a good butchers at this, it's quite informative 


 http://www.lazymotorbike.eu/tips/braking/

[darrsi]

I wasn't taking the piss with the thumbs up 

[simonm]

I wasn't taking the piss with the thumbs up 

Big grins lad. 

[noggythenog]

Well at least you know what its like to fall off simon,not that i want to fall off but sometimes the fear of it must put folk off their stride a bit.its another tick in the box,even if you have got 2 ticks.& your still about to tell the tale.


After my bike being in storage for 5 months ive been learning again,ive got a lovely road on my doorstep that winds over the hills,its quite technical,a few dodgy bends,some fast corners,plenty farm traffic,couple o cattle grids,gravel in the centre of some of the corners,junctions.i've dont the same route a number of times in the last couple of weeks & if i can master it im sure ill be confident on any road.


I know what you mean about the speed, i was following a mate down a dodgy road with poor views round tight corners,slower speeds but he was going too fast & i was outta my comfort zone following him & backed off as i was all over the place,fasforward a bit to long sweeping corners,higher speeds & i was off in front wondering what had happened to him,& he was on a gsxr 600 that shoulda left me in the dust.


Backto my practice road,To start with i was getting in trouble going into a series of bends too fast,leaving my braking too late then getting  a bit flustered,but i was in the wrong gears & too busy braking to even begin lining up & smoothly getting on the throttle,now im kicking it down the box to lose my speed & it feels much smoother.


Not sure if most folk do this but ive started putting weight on the pegs when cornering,like the start of a squat instead of jus slumped in the seat & i feel much better,i think i read somewhere that it lowers the centre of gravity coz its on the pegs lower down instead of the seat but anywayi like it.


Ive also read about the back brake trick to get round a corner but i honestly dont think i'd manage this & id probably upset the bike squirming about trying to get on it, best bit of advice i read on this site was just look where you wanna go,turn in tighter & hope for the best...nice & simple.


1 other thing,how long do you go out for...ive kinda noticed that i dont really warm up properly until about 40 or 50 miles into a ride & after a quick pee & tea stop.


Please get back on & crack on simon,coz it gives other newbs like me some hope that we'll do the same if we ever fall off.good luck with the track day too.

[Lez72]

I'm okay, just a stonking great bruise on my right thumb and broken pride and fragile confidence.

I'm a newb and I've come off twice in three months.  Starting to wonder if it's a sign.

Street view is here: http://goo.gl/maps/IJDbj

No real excuse I can think of apart from incompetence.  I thought I was going in too quick, tried the rear brake, as I was beginning to go around the corner, no speed dropped off so I put the rear brake on more and it locked up... I think.  I don't know, apart from I was stupid.

I need to practise cornering off the road (by off the road I mean track), apparently Mallory park do a cornering course or something.  I just go around corners fine and then occasionally, for no reason I can ascertain, I just think this feels wrong and it all falls apart a bit.

I never thought I was a good rider but I seem a lot better at speed than when I'm travelling slowly.  It's a bit surreal.

 
Glad you're Ok but seriously, if you have fallen off twice in 3 months then you need to get some extra tuition or call it a day before you turn into a statistic.

[simonm]

I'm okay, just a stonking great bruise on my right thumb and broken pride and fragile confidence.

I'm a newb and I've come off twice in three months.  Starting to wonder if it's a sign.

Street view is here: http://goo.gl/maps/IJDbj

No real excuse I can think of apart from incompetence.  I thought I was going in too quick, tried the rear brake, as I was beginning to go around the corner, no speed dropped off so I put the rear brake on more and it locked up... I think.  I don't know, apart from I was stupid.

I need to practise cornering off the road (by off the road I mean track), apparently Mallory park do a cornering course or something.  I just go around corners fine and then occasionally, for no reason I can ascertain, I just think this feels wrong and it all falls apart a bit.

I never thought I was a good rider but I seem a lot better at speed than when I'm travelling slowly.  It's a bit surreal.

 
Glad you're Ok but seriously, if you have fallen off twice in 3 months then you need to get some extra tuition or call it a day before you turn into a statistic.

That's the plan. That's why I had the bike safe course and why I intend to do more training. Thanks for the advice

[Chris]

Really glad you're ok Simonm, shame the bike has some battle scars though.
 
I don't mean to offend you but the situation you describe sounds very avoidable...
 
You shouldn't need to be braking while turning in normal road riding. It means that you approached, and entered, the corner far too fast for your ability/confidence and that shouts a lack of forward planning whilst riding.
 
However once you found yourself in the corner going too fast and with the brake already applied then you should have released the brake, applied pressure to the inside bar, looked where you wanted to go and trusted your tyres (they will continue to grip long after the bike is leaned over further than a novice rider will want to lean but by asking it to grip whilst leaning and braking with weight moving forward and off the rear tyre it is much more likely to lock up as you found out).
 
We all make mistakes but planning ahead and being able to read the road are very important skills to learn.
 
All the best with the repairs and as I said, really glad you're ok.
 
Chris

[simonm]

Really glad you're ok Simonm, shame the bike has some battle scars though.
 
I don't mean to offend you but the situation you describe sounds very avoidable...
 
You shouldn't need to be braking while turning in normal road riding. It means that you approached, and entered, the corner far too fast for your ability/confidence and that shouts a lack of forward planning whilst riding.
 
However once you found yourself in the corner going too fast and with the brake already applied then you should have released the brake, applied pressure to the inside bar, looked where you wanted to go and trusted your tyres (they will continue to grip long after the bike is leaned over further than a novice rider will want to lean but by asking it to grip whilst leaning and braking with weight moving forward and off the rear tyre it is much more likely to lock up as you found out).
 
We all make mistakes but planning ahead and being able to read the road are very important skills to learn.
 
All the best with the repairs and as I said, really glad you're ok.
 
Chris

No offence taken. I said I was a klutz and it was my incompetence. Not much more I can say to completely accept responsibility for my own actions.

I think I'll call my local riding school and see what, if anything, they can do to help me with my cornering.

[Chris]

It's not just a question of throwing money at the problem, although further training is always useful. It's the mechanisms in your brain that can really screw you up and you need to train your brain to react the right way. In this situation your brains, and therefore your bodys, reaction was wrong.
 
Please take the time to watch this, albeit very american in its presentation and very cheesy, there is amazing advice in it:

Twist of the Wrist II

 
It's not a question of learning to go faster on the road. It teaches you how to understand and use the right inputs to control the machine you are using, training your brain to react in the right way and staying safe.
 
We've all done something and scared the crap out of ourselves or been caught out by a tighterning corner while on our bikes but by having the right reactions, knowledge and skills most of these situations can be avoided.
 
Take care,
 
Chris

[simonm]

It's not just a question of throwing money at the problem, although further training is always useful. It's the mechanisms in your brain that can really screw you up and you need to train your brain to react the right way. In this situation your brains, and therefore your bodys, reaction was wrong.
 
Please take the time to watch this, albeit very american in its presentation and very cheesy, there is amazing advice in it: Twist of the Wrist II
 
It's not a question of learning to go faster on the road. It teaches you how to understand and use the right inputs to control the machine you are using, training your brain to react in the right way and staying safe.
 
We've all done something and scared the crap out of ourselves or been caught out by a tighterning corner while on our bikes but by having the right reactions, knowledge and skills most of these situations can be avoided.
 
Take care,
 
Chris

I've watched twist of the wrist, but there is a difference between watching and implementing and also implementing correctly.  I'll watch it again but I need confidence and at the moment I don't feel confident where there are cars and trucks and concrete kerbs.


I'm staying off the road on the bike for a while till I figure out how I can sort my head out.

[simonm]

I don't mean to offend you but the situation you describe sounds very avoidable...
Chris

What kind of Foc'cer would send me a PM telling me I should say to Chris "take yer boike N fook off back oop norrth ya bastad" ..I have no idea 

[Chris]

A southern fairy who wouldn't dare say it to my face     

[simonm]

A southern fairy who wouldn't dare say it to my face     

[red98]

some good advise there simonm,take no notice of the pm..theres always one  .....we have all been in that situation before hence all the advice,after a long winter lay up i do it myself a couple of times untill i get back in my stride,3/4 years ago i did a bike safe refresher course with local council/police all stuff i already new but nice to have a reminder.....road position also very important,use the whole width even the over side when its safe to do so  ......good luck with whatever you decide to do 

[red98]

"WOT A PILLOCK"........not you simonm,the idiot who sent the pm....now thats what i call a PILLOCK.

[simonm]

some good advise there simonm,take no notice of the pm..theres always one  .....we have all been in that situation before hence all the advice,after a long winter lay up i do it myself a couple of times untill i get back in my stride,3/4 years ago i did a bike safe refresher course with local council/police all stuff i already new but nice to have a reminder.....road position also very important,use the whole width even the over side when its safe to do so  ......good luck with whatever you decide to do 

The PM was just a joke.  Twas funny from both sides methinks ;-)


I might have a word with the local bodyshop and see if the dent can be pulled out of the tank easily or not.  The fairing is pretty narfed but may be fibreglassable.  Maybe this is the time to give the bike a respray, maybe with a funky purple flip if I can afford one.

[stevierst]

Jeez, glad your ok  Simon. Your lucky that you didn't buy that 9k ducati, they don't bounce anywhere near as good as a fazer! she looks perfectly repairable to me though, I've had worse damage on a bike and got it back on the road. It's the minimal damage to yourself that I bet your grateful for!

I'd be one of the lads to +1 twist of the wrist II. Go through the videos a section at a time, then practice that bit on the road. I only saw the videos for the first time last summer, and even with the millions of miles and years of riding I've done, I still learned quite a bit from it.

Get your machine and your confidence back on the road for the summer, and enjoy it buddy

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