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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Laying the bike down /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1158248465 Message started by Roadrunner17 on 09/14/06 at 08:41:05 |
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Title: Laying the bike down Post by Roadrunner17 on 09/14/06 at 08:41:05 Hi, I'm a new rider (2006 Suzuki Boulevard S-40, acquired last April) and loving it. Over the years I've heard a lot of (mostly idle) talk about 'laying the bike down' in order to ameliorate a crash. Now I haven't ever laid it down, even to perform maintenance, but even the thought of doing this is repulsive. My thoughts have been that should you find a crash unavoidable that the best thing you can do is to scrub speed, and doing that is most effective with rubber (the tires) in contact with pavement, rather than metal (the bike) and flesh (you & me). And that even in hard braking you exert some sort of control over your trajectory. I just wonder if any of you are better informed about that than I, and what your thoughts have been. And this, of course, assumes we're not talking about a loss of control situation (like a skid or a fall). |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by mornhm on 09/14/06 at 08:51:05 It's hard to make a crash better, but everything I've been taught, learned or shown indicates that unless you can avoid the crash by going down (such as going under something) you're better off staying on your wheels both to try and avoid the crash and to scrub off speed if the collision is inevitable. Practice, practice, practice, take classes, whatever, but learn how to control your MC. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by thumperclone on 09/14/06 at 10:23:56 rubber side down... |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by sluggo on 09/14/06 at 11:21:07 lyin the bike down imho, is hollwood fodder. i've been riding all my life, and never once have i even thought about "layin it down", nor has anyone i know. now don't get me wrong i've " been down" 6 times in thirty years but none because i thought it was the best course of action. i would suggest that at some point you gently lay the bike on it's side and pick it up. never know when you'll have to do it ie kickstand fall, tommy tip over at intersection because your foot slipped in road grime. i'm sure we all have a story about it happening to them, perry i believe has a really good one, perry explain to us again, i'm in need of a good chuckle. ;D |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Savage_Rob on 09/14/06 at 11:43:28 sluggo wrote:
Aww, now that's just mean. ;D |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by jrdudas on 09/14/06 at 15:00:41 I agree that "laying the bike down" is mostly a Hollywood invention they use to spice up action films. However, there is at least one situation where I found it better to "lay the bike down" and that was at a virtual standstill when I lost the balance of the bike. I had slowed to the point where I was almost stopped (maybe another foot or two to go), and somehow lost it. Maybe there was loose dirt or gravel under the front tire and my approach was not exactly at 90 degrees; don't remember for sure. The choice was to let the bike go and land on my feet, or go down with it and wind up with the bike on top of me. On that occasion I chose to let the bike go down without me. As for laying it down at some speed; I can't say I have ever been in a spot where I thought that was a good idea. JR |
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Title: I think we have a consensus... Post by Roadrunner17 on 09/14/06 at 15:44:36 Thanks everyone. I didn't think of the two scenarios that you mentioned where lying it down would be OK, and I do plan to try the maneuver that Sluggo suggested. 8) |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by starmom on 09/14/06 at 15:49:47 my suzi has been on the ground 3 times. on one occasion it fell over because the ground was too soft where i parked it. on another occasion i was on an up hill turning left up hill and i overturned and it stalled and the weight got the best of me and i let it drop. the third time i was gonna take off, let go of the clutch to quickly wheel too far to the right and the weight got the best of me. thankfully all three times the damage consisted of a scratch and my mirror getting alittle loose (easy to fix tools on board) i think my engine bars and saddle bags helped. its not fun and its embarassing but it happens....the most important thing is that you dont get hurt first and then second that your bike is ok. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Ed_L. on 09/14/06 at 16:05:26 The only time I had to "lay the bike down" was at low speed when I was following the car ahead of me too close. It happened at a 4 way stop when a f*ckn cage driver ran his stop sign when the car in front of me had the right of way. The car in front had to slam on thier brakes to prevent a collision. I was too close and grabbed too much front brake while turning to advoid the car and went down. Happened so fast that I didn't have any chance to think about it, just a quick lowside at about 5mph. Got bruised and bent up the handle bars mounts. Laying the bike down at speed is a Hollywood fable, can't see how you would drop a bike when you can ride around the obstruction. Unless you have some really good gear keeping it upright is the way to go. I learned that the best way to prevent from lay the bike down is to watch out for all the other stupid cage drivers (that's all of them) and don't tailgate. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Paladin on 09/14/06 at 16:39:22 I've laid a bike down, deliberately, once. Riding a dirt road along a railroad track, the washes perpendicular so it was a up-down-up-down fun. On the up I look ahead and there is a train coming. If I do the down and stop on the next up the train will be passing me. So I hit the brakes, slid sideways plowing up piles of dirt, as the bike leans over I'm dismounting. Bike slides to a stop, still chugging, while I slip the Rollie out of it's belt pouch and get the picture of the train. Since you cannot plow asphalt, at least with tires, such a maneuver would not be effective on the street. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by mickthelimey on 09/14/06 at 16:58:03 my lay down came at 75 mph on a 500cc Arial red hunter,I was racing my buddy back to town after watching a local road race at Fairwood in South wales,I was way ahead of him on his Triumph,it had been raining all day,I was laying over pretty low on a left turn, right about half way through the turn when right there in my line was a manhole cover,slick as a whistle,we went down together I landed on my back and shoulders the bike took off on it's own and went a good 80 feet,it hit the embankment and started to cross the street again,I just got flashes of the bike doing it's thing,while I was bouncing around,I was even on my feet for a second or two before momentem took hold again,I was sitting at the side of the road when my buddy pulled up, he asked if I wanted a lift (funny guy) in those days I rarely rode with a helmet on,but this day I had one on,it was ground flat at the back,could of been my head. as for laying down or what ever,in the fraction of a second it took to happen I did remember what my Dad always said ,LET IT GO, My buddy and I straightened out the handle bars ,and I managed to get it home,I hid it so my Mom woulden't see it (her first husband was killed on a bike on Christmas eve) I fixed the bike up at work my Mom never knew,but my Dad sure did,he was not a happy camper ,it was his bike >:( |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by thumperclone on 09/14/06 at 20:25:36 no time to lay it down...last week neighbors b.f. was almost home following a contractor that had one of those homemade trailers made from an old pick up bed, and a piece of visquine blew out of the back..b4 he could react the plastic was wrapped up in the front wheel and he was down, feet still on the pegs it happened so fast..a few pins and a plate and crutches for a few weeks..30 mph and a block from his house.. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by PerrydaSavage on 09/15/06 at 03:17:42 Quote:
No prob Sluggo! Happy to oblige! Enjoy! Was my 1st drop (not a lay-down) ... beautiful spring evening in May '04 ... daughters were having parent night at their Jr. High School ... despite being dog-tired after a gruelling day at work, I decided to take the m/c while wife and the ladies followed behind in the car. Had to go gas-up before setting out and since the station is only 1km from the house, I dodged down, gassed up and Rode home to wait for the females. Pulled up to the curb in front of the house and had a brain-fart ... next thing you know I could feel the weight of the Bike going over (dohh, forgot the side stand!!), well I have a couple of bum discs in my lower back, so there was no way I could prevent it from goin' but instintively tried to stop the drop ... my back protested and promptly went out ... and in an instant I was on the pavement with the Savage on top of me. At this point the pain was so intense that things became a little fuzzy and the next thing I knew my neighbour was pulling me off the asphalt ... I looked over and saw the Savage upright and leaning on her kickstand ... confused I asked my pal how the hell the Bike got there ... it was just on top of me? He laughed and said that he saw the whole thing happen from his front yard and as he was running over to help, Maxx (my darling 5ft tall wife) had raced out of the house and single-handedly lifted the Bike off of me and expertly placed it on it's stand (this is a gal who hates Bikes ;D ). Needless to say, I was astonished ... and my back was buggered for a week afterward ... I get ribbed/reminded about this incident on a regular basis! |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Paladin on 09/15/06 at 10:10:17 Dropping a bike and "laying 'er down" are two entirely different things. The "I had to lay it down" in street riding is, AFAICT, bogus. I've dropped at least four times on the street. Dirt riding I expected roughly a drop per week. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by gary_ona_savage on 09/15/06 at 10:32:55 Paladin wrote:
Your a better man than me. Dirt riding I drop at least almost every time out. Of course, it's usually trying to climb hills and not making it and that's how you "get off". The only drop on street I did was when I went for a short test ride on my street after doing some wrenching. Got some lubricant of some kind on the front tire. Heck of a lot of fun when I was turning around at the end of the block. I turned left and the front tire went right. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Paladin on 09/15/06 at 15:34:07 Not better, Gary, less aggressive. Which is why I could never make it on a race track. When I rode off-road it was generally at a very mild pace. For me, the bike allowed me to go places I would have trouble walking to. I'm also relatively non-aggressive on the street, other than having a bad habit of accelerating briskly to cruising speed. Many riders are far more skilled than I am. Not many are more defensive. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Island_Biker on 09/15/06 at 16:08:13 Teh only time I ever laid a bike down was back when I was about 16 (about 100 years ago) riding another kid's mini dirt bike. I was heaver than the bike and made a jump and landed heavy side (me) down. Last summer the bike I had (250 Rebel) almost went over as it's kickstand sunk in the sand in the driveway. I just grabbed it and straightened it up. I know it's coming someday - I'll just delay it as along as I can. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by Salad_Shaker on 09/18/06 at 08:17:06 Don't tell Mrs B but The Lettuce had a lay down just last week. Not by choice - I can't see that would ever make sense. To get it in an out of my office where I keep it, over the street from my house, I have to go one step up from the street then over another step through the door. A trials rider would find it a doddle but not me. I lay a length of builders shuttering board as a ramp then, easing the clutch, up and in we go. Except on Sunday, back from a ride, we didn't. Still don't know how I messed it up quite so badly but the next thing I knew I was on the floor of the office with the Savage on its side on top of my leg and the freshly filled tank spewing petrol out of the filler cap. Step one: extract leg. Step two: Hobble over to shut the doors before neighbour (or worse, my wife) spots me. Step three: pick 'er up and inspect for damage - slight bend to handlebars it seems. Hey, they were due for replacement with flat bars anyway. Could be the first time a Savage has come rest stopped by a stack of PA sound gear that was due to be tested before putting it away for storage. |
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Title: Re: Laying the bike down Post by gary_ona_savage on 09/18/06 at 16:28:26 Salad_Shaker wrote:
LOL!!! Having worked in an office all my life, I've seen a lot of things spilt on the office floor...but never a motorcycle!!! That one takes the cake! Gary |
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