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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Drop it Like It's Hot /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1170043387 Message started by mavrik on 01/28/07 at 20:03:07 |
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Title: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by mavrik on 01/28/07 at 20:03:07 Hey Savages: Since the guy at the stealership told me "It's not if you go down, it's when you go down" Just wondering about your near death experiences :-[ I dropped SuziQ my first day (slow speed) dented the tank and my ego. Haven't dropped her since, I earned my badge :P Cheers |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Fat Bastard on 01/29/07 at 00:59:45 The dealer means that every motorcyclist is going down sooner or later.... or like they say. there are 2 kinds of motorcyclist in the world, those who have gone down and those who will go down. I have not yet dropped the savage.. but would like to think that I have used my turn coz before I had a Virago and went down on her (broke my ankel).... so, knock,knock,knock 7,9,13... I'm "save"... |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by justin_o_guy on 01/29/07 at 01:06:29 Theres a thread addressing this. I think it's Those S40s are really hot or good looking or some such. Crashing is not your fate. I saw an interview of an OLD dude, been riding the same 1948 Indian since 1948 & he said he had never dropped it. It looked perfetc. unlkie my tpying. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by babbalou on 01/29/07 at 03:55:01 I've crashed on the street twice, one was my fault. I expect to be hit again at least once in the next 8 years before I retire & move out of the Dallas area. All I can do is dress for the occasion; helmet, gloves, etc. There are riders who have never been hit & never will, but they don't live in Dallas, home of the blind, deaf, angry cager. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by sparkett on 01/29/07 at 04:20:35 When i was just feeling confident , i got taken down a notch. In florida we have all the "oldies" who barely see over the dash!Kinda between the steering wheel and dash. Any way, one decided she could be on the on ramp with me ( one lane) :o I chose the grass down the embankment vs her caddy! Had to stand on the burm holding my helmet till some nice riders stopped and helped me get the bike up.Learned to watch out for cars without a visible driver And dont ride it if you cant pick it up. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Reelthing on 01/29/07 at 06:37:42 oh yes fun with the blue hairs - caddy never even saw you before or after you stage right exit? |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 01/29/07 at 08:25:29 Proud to say that I've dropped every bike I've owned 8) |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Savage Librarian on 01/29/07 at 08:27:23 I don't think it's necessarily true that everyone is gonna go down at some point. My dad hasn't yet, in his 30-odd years of riding (except off road of course, including one amusing story involving a large ramp and a canal that he didn't know was there). Nor has my grandpa since he started riding in the late 40s. My uncle pinned himself agast the wall of his garage with his Heritage for 45 minutes. The thing must have weighed about 800lb after all the chrome and accessories he stuck on the thing. I've partially dropped both my bikes on loose gravel, trying to walk them backwards. And about a month after buying the C50, I just about slid it out from under me on some loose, wet leaves. About a year and a half ago I was approaching a blind curve that you really can't take at more than about 15mph and be remotely safe about. So of course, a dually pick-up came flying around the curve at about 40mph...in my lane. I chose the grassy ditch rather than become a hood ornament, and managed to not drop it. I don't remember quite what happened next, but I do remember having put the kickstand down, and standing off the bike with my helmet in my hand screaming at the guy, insulting him on as many levels as possible (he had slowed way down when I made my evasive maneuver). The LS650 handles far better off road than I had expected. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by billy on 01/29/07 at 09:44:18 Right up the street from me there is a cross street that has to stop it is not a 90 degree intersection so one side faces away from my direction of travel. One evening on my way to work I notice an suv at the side road facing slightly away from me, that small voice that tries to keep me out of trouble went off. I started to slow and sure enuogh the suv crossed the intersection I really locked down the brakes and managed to miss the suv but it was so close I could have written my name on the back window. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by justin_o_guy on 01/29/07 at 11:01:19 Before I give the impression I am above ever crashing, I want to go on record as having totalled 2 bikes on the street, no helmet either time. That was many years ago & I have almost 14,000 on the clock on the Zuki with a couple of off road incidents, no fall down, & one time I let the fron slide out on a slope in the back yard on wet leaves(Dangitt). I ride like gravity is just a rumor & I am above its influence way too often. This is when I am on isolated roads & where I live, I get that a LOT! Around cars I ride with a whole different set of ideas operating in my head.We have Blue Hairs here. Very exciting people to be around.The Tuner cagers keep me on edge a bit, but at least they are excited & aware usually. I have had one cager pull out & take my lane & when I dodged the rear of the car & passed, she looked at me as if I was no surprise at all. She SAW me & pulled out anyway.Another left turned from a Tee & came all the way across to my lane, I dodged & she looked at me totally dispassionately.I don't know if she had seen me or if she just didn't care. She had a red dot tween her eyes & was wearin a black scarf, whatever that means. Is there a motorcyclist hate group that dresses like that? I KNEW to be wary of her tho, cuz her right side was crunched already. BABBALOU, I find myself in Dallas coccasionally & can't imagine being on a bike. I am scared in a car. The bike cops there ride exactly side by side even thru the turns. They are good. Best of luck to you Babbalou. Maybe we can meet someday. I live in Longview. Holler if you are headed this way. That goes for any of ya. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by vroom1776 on 01/29/07 at 12:28:54 This winter I discovered that snow does not damage chrome. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by georgekathe on 01/29/07 at 18:14:57 I swear I'm a good (maybe not a great) rider but have dropped more times than I can recall - only in hospital once (put bike under semi when about 19 but got thrown clear - only hospital time ever - for possible concussion). even in country where people drive with more alertness (so everyone says who has travelled from here to there) it is pretty inenvitable living & riding in such a congested city as London you are going to hit metal or vice versa - most times I saw it coming & was braking like crazy & avoided much damage if any to bike & any to me at all. had 2 near mishaps in US in 20 years - one years ago involved a person not stopping @ 2 way stop when I had right of way - I braked & stopped before hitting him. other was very recent on Suzuki when person (likely distracted by kids in back seat) started to do a U-turn in front of me, using the T-intersection for manoeuvering room - saw me & stopped 1/2 way as I was braking/swerving to miss her. actually got rear ended @ traffic light a year or so back by guy in truck who had stopped @ light too. he claimed his foot slipped off brake. don't think so - not to go about 10 feet & punt a 600+ lb bike (my other bike) & me about 6 feet into car in front. know he thought light had changed & he went brake, gas, "oh s@#t!" brake, realizing it hadn't!one of us left in handcuffs (not the cop). I'd just got off work - the other guy had (obviously) been in bar @ 2:30 in the afternoon! :) |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by steelwolf on 01/29/07 at 19:06:43 vroom1776 wrote:
You know what chrome is? :-/ Oh yea that's right, you have another bike. ;D |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Bugscraper on 01/30/07 at 17:05:53 You Christian riders, plead the blood of Christ over yourself for protection; it works. Off-hand, I can think of a few times when divine intervention was the ONLY possible explanation for my survival. Once, I was even told, "Stop, don't go yet", and avoided a side hit. Another time, I was physically stopped when my brakes couldn't do the job (on wet mud) just before hitting a large boulder (stopped abruptly a fraction of an inch away), after fishtailing. Just a few mos. ago, I was hit head-on by a drunk driver (I was driving a car this time) with a combined speed of about 45 MPH. I felt a "cushioning" sensation around my torso, and walked away with no injuries. Hard to believe, maybe, but true. Not trying to start a religious thread, just offering something significant on safety; take it or leave it. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Fido_the_Cat on 01/30/07 at 18:28:52 Dropping a bike. I've only had it like, 16 mos so far. Yea I've dropped it a few times. Bought more than my share of mirrors, recycled a few of them. Now I have 3 pairs. Clean nice set [ never been on a bike] Used [ Current use ] left hand mirror drops at speeds over 55mph. and those good looking fancy worthless c#&p [ never been on a bike cause the stems would not stay tight.] Foot Pegs. They match my buckhorn handlebars. I thought the reference to "when you go down" was about getting hit or mismanagement of the variables that contribute to the probability of an accident. Staying away from rush-hour traffic may have helped in building my confidence in the beginning. Now as things change I may end up in Mash -N- Trash traffic. I like the idea, "Remember, Your Invisible". I can't afford to take chances anymore. Like Bugscraper has referred to I also have had my share of "walk away when I should not have". I am confident that my work here is not yet done. Perhaps things I still need to learn. But I won't test those limits. Ride Safe Enjoy Read the Road |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Bugscraper on 01/30/07 at 19:36:33 Hey, Fido, I hope my play isn't done yet, either. Anyway, had a lotta close calls, but never been seriously down. Went down goin' around a turn & hit gravel w/my 1st bike back in the early 60's. No injuries, except for some gravel in me hand. 1 summer, I lived on a mountain in the redwoods (CA central coast). Had a vertical road (very steep) that made a sharp right turn into my short gravel driveway. Dropped my heavy Guzzi ('73 El Dorado) a couple times (slid part way down the hill) 'til I got the hang of just how much gas I needed to make the turn without falling down or skidding into my front porch. Strained my back picking that darn thing up, too, 'cause of the angle. Those were the days! But, never been down in a bad way. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by mornhm on 01/31/07 at 05:22:11 I never dropped my Savage (too light, I could lean it all the way over and pick it up with one leg/arm). However, I do belong to Connie Droppers Anonymous ;). The Concours is a somewhat :o top heavy beast. I backed out onto my driveway, executing a Y turn to get headed out into the street as I do every morning, remembered something I wanted from the house, and either didn't remember to put down the sidestand or didn't get it all the way down. Anyway to make a long story longer, I started leaning the MC onto the stand that wasn't there, and by the time I realized what was happening, I couldn't hold her up and just tried to set her down as gently as possible. No damage, but I did learn an important lesson, be sure and deliberate when moving something that heavy. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by verslagen1 on 01/31/07 at 23:50:02 We need a new smiley _.Q._ or -q- Dropped mine 2 weeks into commuting part time. :'( It was a Friday, after dark, following at a safe distance on a 2 lane arterial road. Cage in front pulls into left turn lane, I move to the right in case and begin to pass on the right, fool decides he doesn't want to make a left and pulls out. I'm doing good, pull over more as he's beside me, slowing fast as I can to get behind him. Now I can see it's a cage full of monkeys without a care in the world. And guess what? They want to make a right!!! :o And my front wheel is even with their rear! A little more experience and I may have been able to handle it but at least it was solo and slow. So no major damage to the bike or myself. And those f#%king idiots never looked back. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by stinger on 02/02/07 at 02:27:37 my uncle picked his husquavara up at the dealers after some repair. he decided after warming it up to ride it up this plank into the back of his full sized pickup. halfway up, it died. him and the bike fell to the pavement with the hot exhaust on his leg. he was unconcious.and he had some very severe burns that took a long time to heal. he never rode again. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by vroom1776 on 02/02/07 at 15:27:23 that sucks. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by justin_o_guy on 02/02/07 at 15:46:17 I've thought about riding a bike up a plank into the bed of a pickup. I never thought of doing it without folks there to help. I also never dreamed of it shutting off.I did manage to foresee other disastrous ends to that idea, so I never would do it. I am sorry for him. What a crappy way to get hurt. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by aussie_biker on 02/04/07 at 12:26:31 In the Australian Outback we have trucks called Road Trains.Basically a semi-trailer with 3 trailers measuring 50 meters/150 feet long.The roads are usually pretty straight & you can see to the horizon.When you see one coming you usually pull over if the road is narrow because they push a lot of air & the rear trailer can swing out 6 feet or more.However this time I was cruising about 75/80 mph & came up over a rise to look straight into the eyes of the driver of one of these behemoths.He started to swerve away which made me scared for my lady riding behind me knowing how far the rear trailer would fishtail out.I think I shook my head & mouthed "NO" at him & bailed out into the soft red dirt on the side of the highway doing a Jay Springsteen (Harley flat track racer) impersonation.I was on my wide-glide fully loaded with gear having spent a month on the road.Somehow I kept it under control until I had nearly stopped.Then when I thought I was travelling slow enough I turned the bars to head back toward the road & down she went with me standing over top of her.Only damage was a heat shield on the front exhaust & scrapes under the rear exhaust that are still coloured with red dust to this day.Can't get the red out of the scrapes. :-[ |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/07 at 09:23:35 In my dirt bike days, we'd ride enduro on a course that wound through about 15 miles of really fun woods. It would take a few hours depending on how many got stuck or crashed along the way. Part of our little game was to see who could get back first and have their bike strapped on the trailer and a cold beer in hand....(you know, "what took ya so long?") My personal favorite was returning first one time (and those other guys were good, too) and as I approached I saw the trailer ramp was still down and waiting. To which I continued forward with the plan of driving right up to park. (You have to understand the adrenaline rush). When the others returned, I coolly stood there with beer in hand and my Yamaha parked over the front of the trailer with front tire firmly placed on the bumper of the attached truck :P |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/06/07 at 10:25:29 Never crashed...Never will. ;D Im 25, I've had my bike for one season. I am invincible! |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/07 at 11:29:56 Hashbrown wrote:
My first crash was at 25. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/06/07 at 11:34:14 You apparently were not invincible. I benda da time and space (Hiro Nakamura) |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/07 at 11:42:01 Hashbrown wrote:
Good point. Hey Rob! Can you bump this guy up to God status? |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/06/07 at 11:48:04 Its ok...I'll settle for demi-god status. I dont have the devine powers of such Titans as Lancer and Rob. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/07 at 11:52:42 Hashbrown wrote:
In you the Force is strong. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/06/07 at 11:55:14 Your overconfidence will be your undoing... Your faith in your friends is yours |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/07 at 12:01:47 That is most certainly Brown :P |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/06/07 at 12:02:54 What can Brown do for you! |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/06/07 at 13:07:23 Hashbrown wrote:
I'll Hash that over and let you know. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/06/07 at 13:11:07 In that case, Brown can make a trip to 7-11 for some taquitos |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by TVR on 02/07/07 at 09:19:27 You guys need to share a snickers.... |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by YonuhAdisi on 02/07/07 at 09:31:51 Greg_650 wrote:
Yes, the Force is strong in this one. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/07/07 at 09:48:50 YonuhAdisi wrote:
The way Yoda would say it is, "In this one, the Force is strong, yes." |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/07/07 at 12:31:13 "You guys need to share a snickers...." Hahaha, good commercial |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by john1652 on 02/07/07 at 12:34:06 stinger wrote:
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by john1652 on 02/07/07 at 12:36:07 mavrik wrote:
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/07/07 at 12:37:05 i prefer the "batwing" or "freespace" |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by mavrik on 02/07/07 at 14:59:42 Hashbrown wrote:
Sounds like Hashbrown's gonna be picking hASHPHALT from a blunt FORCE trauma. :-[ Overconfidence can kill you as much as underconfidence Balance is the key....Rubber side down :-* Cheers |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by phasender on 02/07/07 at 22:27:31 Reading these posts, it sounds like there ARE two kind of riders in the world, those who almost never drop a bike, and those that... are not so blessed. I'm one of the latter. I'm a noob, only been riding about 6 months, commuting to school (I'm 28), first on a CM400T that died, then, starting 4 months ago, on my '97 LS650. In the past 4 months, I've dropped the thing 5 times. First time was 3 days into owning it. Turned out the gear shift rod was being held together by duct tape, which came loose on my way to work. After walking it for three blocks, I stopped for a break, saw a pretty girl walk past, forgot I didn't set the kickstand, and just let it fall. No, I didn't get her number. Number 2 was the second time I'd ridden in the rain. Accelerate from a stop, car in front braked, squeezed the front brake without the rear, ouch. Learned that lesson. Number 3 it was wet, and I learned the lesson about not accelerating through a turn on a wet road. Actually managed to keep it upright, but I ended up on a mulch covered median. Number 4 I was riding at night over some old railroad tracks embedded in the asphalt with few streetlights. Didn't see the crack in the asphalt until it had already grabbed my front tire and spilled me on the ground. Number 5 It was about 10 degrees out, the roads were damp, but not wet, clear visibility. Was going maybe 15mph as I was slowing down for the stop sign, and then I was down. As near as I can tell, I hit another crack in the asphalt, but it wasn't big enough to actually catch my tire like in Number 4. I'm guessing the water/ice that was in the crack might have jerked my front tire a bit or something. Laid it down hard on its side, bent the peg, broke the clutch lever. So, as I wait for my parts to arrive, I wonder... am I just THAT bad of a rider, or have I just been slowly learning one painful lesson at a time? How do you guys feel about riding when the roads are wet? Should I just never ever ride when it's wet? Get a better helmet for improved visibility? I took a free MSF course before I got my first bike. Think I ought to go back for more advanced training? Or maybe I should just scrap my thumper and buy a Segway... |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by justin_o_guy on 02/08/07 at 01:13:22 Well, the first one doesn't even count IMO, You dropped the thing, you didnt fall off. Totally different situation, besides, you were starstruck. Boy, I bet that was embarassing.. ;) Now, seems you are brave in the crappy weather. On unfamiliar streets, make sure you don't overdrive the lights & conditions. If the lights reveal a problem fifty feet out but conditions are so bad you need 70 feet to stop or turn due to conditions, you are going too fast. Riding at anything freezing or below with any moisture on the ground is asking for it IMO, I don't like wet & cold conditions because (Now, this is just ME, I have no idea if this is valid or not) wet makes me nervous about slipping down, & cold doean't make me happy because I figure a cold tire is a harder tire & not as grippy. Add wet & I am riding like I am on greasy snot, slow & careful. RR tracks cause me to take a whole different tack, I make sure I hit them square. Ther are some in town that cross the road in a turn. I work that turn so I stand it up at the tracks , then lean it over & finish the turn. Steel just doesn't have the traction of asphalt & there are steel " skirts" laid along the track to make the road all nice & level. Cool, but it's still slick looking. Just rethink your aproach. Consider what you've done & learned. IF you haven;t learned anything, then maybe ditchin bikes is a good idea. I don't want to tell you it will all be fine & then you go get hurt. Be careful, Okay? |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Savage_Rob on 02/08/07 at 05:26:09 Well, I have not yet "dropped" a bike but I have laid them down a couple of times. I'm not sure if anyone is distinguishing between the two but that's me so far. I do my best to minimize it but I also try not to say "never". |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Hashbrown on 02/08/07 at 06:01:08 NEVER!!!!!!! |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/08/07 at 08:51:01 I recommend that all Newbies take an MSF course (called Team Oregon in this state). I took it with my spouse after I'd been riding 37 years. Had a lot of fun and it was a learning thing too. In some cases, they explained things that I knew but didn't realize, and in some cases they taught me things that I didn't know at all. Spent the better part of 2 days riding a different bike. I had a ball on a 200 Yamaha http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/MSF_JMD.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/MSF_GMD.jpg |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by justin_o_guy on 02/08/07 at 12:58:50 Greg, how about a bit more detail on that bike you used in the course? My wife is considering a dual purpose ride. I was thinkin how cool would it be for the wife to have a dual purpose, the daughter to get a Ninja 250 & then with the Zuki in the garage, if I wanted to ride out in back O the house or go play Ricky road racer I would have bikes that would do it. & When we wanted to ride together, well,, there's 3 bikes. I wonder about the little 200, tho. How big a dude are ya Greg? My wife's 5'8 & about 160 ish. The bike pretty peppy? Seem like maintenance would be easy enough? Anything about it put you off? Qualities? Talk to me , man,, :) |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/08/07 at 15:50:49 I was about 190 then. Pretty good little bike. Started easy. Nice and nimble, but they didn't let us REALLY try them out. If ya know what I mean. Heck, I lost 2 points in the final test for going TOO fast 8) |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Fido_the_Cat on 02/08/07 at 19:20:01 phasender wrote:
Advanced Training?!! Go back and take the beginners course and pay attention. Ask questions. This may sound condescending but you have repeatedly "Bitten off more than you can chew". Riding in the rain and cold is not for someone with six months of experience on two different bikes. Learn your bike, how it rides and brakes. For what it's worth... I dropped (any definition) my bike alot in the beginning. Even broke off the turn signals a few times. But I learned from my mistakes. Please take your time and pace yourself. You will get better the more you ride. Good Luck |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/08/07 at 20:47:45 Ah...to add... If you consider any experience or collective wisdom from this group to be valuable, then think about learning your bike, and taking a real course. I've ridden 40 years and fallen a lot in the past. Never been someone else's fault. Always mine. Something stupid or something ignorant, but mostly just being over confident and feeling "invincible". Not paying attention or making bad assumptions can kill you. The world is even more difficult to navigate now than when I was learning. So many more drivers and people speeding or talking on a stupid phone these days. Next time you have $150 for bike gear, enroll in a training course. Best bike stuff you can get. Go here so you can get the same patches that we have on our leathers... Motorcycle Safety Foundation (http://www.msf-usa.org/) |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by phasender on 02/08/07 at 21:35:36 Thanks for the advice all. It looks like consensus is: I'm not the worst rider in the world and all these accidents happened because of bad riding conditions, BUT, given my skill level, I should avoid bad conditions, AND, if I don't learn from my mistakes, I'll end up dead. I definitely think I've learned from my mistakes and internalized lessons like: 1. don't over squeeze the front brake, especially when it's wet 2. be really gentle on the turns when it's wet 3. stay away from railroad tracks, or at least hit them head on. 4. Even small cracks/potholes can be deadly when it's wet or icy. 5. Don't get distracted by pretty girls walking by. No one offers lessons in Chicago in the winter time, but I'm going to sign up for an MSF course when it opens up. As for why I want to take the advanced instead of the basic, the beginner class I went to was pretty much a "this is a motorcycle" class. Even though I'd never ridden before, by the end of it, only one guy in the class could handle the bikes better than me. I don't mean that I think I'm good, just that this class was focused more on which hand is the clutch, how to shift gears and pressing to turn than on handling a bike in road conditions. I thought it was an invaluable learning experience, but the class didn't really address any of the situations I encountered. Well, except the railroad track thing. That was just stupid. I'm hoping the advanced course teaches more about riding in difficult situations. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Savage_Rob on 02/09/07 at 04:24:49 I'd like to take the advanced class sometime myself. I believe students use their own bikes for that class. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/09/07 at 04:52:24 phasender wrote:
Honestly, I just don't think that you get it. If you are content to be "not the worst", then you'll still drop it like it's hot. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/09/07 at 04:54:23 Savage_Rob wrote:
Yes, they do and it's on the open road. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by sparkett on 02/09/07 at 05:01:40 Brown, you spelled it wrong! INVISIBLE |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/09/07 at 05:11:51 sparkett wrote:
You wrote it wrong :P |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by phasender on 02/09/07 at 08:57:10 Honestly, I don't think I said I was content with my skill level. If I was, I wouldn't have posted here like I did. All that I meant by saying "I'm not the worst" rider is that after 4 months of daily commuting on my bike, I'm not so horrible that I should quit riding completely and never touch my bike again. But, that I should avoid riding in adverse conditions. Also, given my skill level, when I take a class this spring, I think I'll get a lot more out of it on the open road. Greg_650 wrote:
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/09/07 at 09:55:09 Yes, but you are assuming that you know what the MSF course is about. Sorry, but you don't. Of course it starts out with the controls and some drill. That's because of newbies like you. Some people take the course BEFORE they get a bike. Your 4 months of experimenting doesn't even begin to cover the knowledge they will give you in 2 days. There were actually people that failed the Basic course on the first day. Too darned scared. And then there were 2 that failed the final test....are you afraid of that challenge? You should take the basic course. I don't even know if the MSF allows you to take the skilled course without it. I'm done. Keep the rubber side down. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by phasender on 02/09/07 at 10:18:58 My bad, I think I didn't make myself clear. I DID take an MSF basic course. I don't know if it was the "basic" course that you're talking about, but it was a 4 day course, 4-6 hours a day, and at the end of it, I got a card with with an upside down triangle, "MSF" and my name printed on it. I think we're talking about the same thing here. I definitely learned a lot, it WAS a challenge, and I passed. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by Greg_650 on 02/09/07 at 10:36:04 phasender wrote:
Okay. Maybe I misunderstood this part. Sorry. All that I can say is that they also stress that you should only ride within your skill level...and I guess that's what you need to do. |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by mavrik on 02/09/07 at 13:49:49 It takes literally a lifetime to learn to ride safely!! I took the MSF course too, great course. I can still hear my instructors voice in my head when I approach certain situations. (she was a pretty blonde and rode a BMW) Anyway, I learned at my own pace, usually early sunday mornings at daybreak I would ride for 2 hrs. Start/stop accelerate/up shift down shift etc. My pace, not rushed nobody behind me making me nervous. I loved it. Then I joined a riding club when I was ready. I only do things when I feel comfortable. Ride your own Ride :) Cheers |
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by phasender on 02/10/07 at 15:11:37 No problem. I think that riding only within my skill/comfort level is the best advice. Right now, given that it's friggin' cold winter, I guess that means taking the bus to work any time there's the slightest bit of moisture/ice on the streets. It's a pain in the ass, but it sure beats permanent brain damage. Thanks all Greg_650 wrote:
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Title: Re: Drop it Like It's Hot Post by geo on 02/14/07 at 22:17:06 I dropped my old Honda 450 by showing off; skinned my knuckles and tore my leather jacket. I'm much more careful now. Give the 4 wheelers lots of room. Don't get stupid like the crotch rockets, and you might die of old age. |
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