Had a bad experience with a gravelly corner on a bicycle as a kid. Eased on the front brake & hit the road so fast I didn't know what happened. Gravel is hard to see sometimes. Ever since I favor the rear brake when leaned over & the front for all else. I wouldn't ride a bike with a linked brake system. Crashed a lot on dirt bikes, twice on the street. One my fault, the other a cager's fault.

i've put over 150,000 miles in the saddle, and have been down 6 times. some my fault, some others.

here's what i've gained from the experience

1. quit counting the near miss's.
2. sliding down the road is ok with good safety equipment.
3. sliding down the road and hitting something bad.
4. hitting cages  bad.

so it's the old adage,  it ain't the fall the will kill ya, it's the sudden stop at the end.

I laid my Suzy down about 2 weeks after I bought it.  Yeah, suck.  I was starting my first day of college the next day, so I left it in my parents garage, still dusty and all, and didn't touch it for a month (oh yeah, it wouldn't start after I laid it down).  A month later I came back, hosed it off, and she started right up for me.  Guess she just wanted some love.  It was rideable at that point, but had a few problems.
    -Large dent in the tank (the handlebars came back, broke the stop and the triple tree dented the tank).
    -Broken mirror
    -Bent/broken footpeg
    -Broken headlight housing

It all turned out good for me though.  I ended up repainting the bike myself, and doing quite a few other things (if ya wanna see pics, go to the poster's picture gallery--I'm 21, Ryan G).  It turned into a great project that may not have happened without the wreck.  I wasn't hurt at all and the damage to my bike wasn't too bad.  Yes, I consider myself quite lucky.

 -RG

Absolutely correct....you WILL hit the ground. I cringe when I see folks ridind in shorts, the woman on the back with flip-flops on. I bet they haven't hit the ground....YET.

I try to remember this when I saddle up. I always, always wear boots. Jeans are OK but if you go down with any kinda speed, they will be picking blue fiber outa your a$$ for a while. Leather jacket in winter, jean jacket in summer.
See? I do remember.

wrecked tons of dirtbikes but not the savage YET ive had it about two months a couple close calls but no bologne have misjudged a turn and bounced off a curb and twisted my ankle cause i put my foot down and wobbled all over the road but kept it up that was the closest been cut off and almost been hit or hit a couple of cages

Here is a summary of my 39 years of "Live to Fall".  I'll just mention street bikes since falling is a given when riding offroad

I laid this bike down under the rear bumper of a school bus when I was young, dumb, and full of myself at 16.  I later got hit by a car and my Dad sold the bike.

I flipped this bike a few times at highway speed when pulling off the roadway into the gravel shoulder after I dropped a glass bottle of Coke on the tank and freaked....had to haul it home in the trunk of a car for repairs and get a few stitches.

I dropped this bike while making a u-turn when I was stoned and drunk riding home from an all day outdoor rock concert....made it to a motel.  I think it was a good concert too.

I also ran straight off the road in a curve when I was drunk a few years later....still drove it home.


And finally (using an older stock photo), I laid this bike down passing a pickup on a windy country road at about 35.  I was stone sober, but wasn't watching for some slippery old leaves as I leaned into a curve.  Went to a bar, had a beer, and went back home to heal my pride and start repairs.  That was 5 years ago, so maybe I finally learned.

It's one of those things.  When the bike's all shiny and new we're over protective.  We might even spend more time waxing it then riding it.   One we gotten over the scratching and denting part, then the real riding begins  

I could see this in a movie: Guy/Gal buys new bike.  The first thing he/she does once the dealer wheels it out the door, is to drop it on the asphalt (on purpose).  Just to get that part out of the way and not have to worry about it.

Keep it in perspective. If you drop the bike in the garage, it's not a big deal although your not happy about it.   However, if you 'touch down' while in motion, that's much more serious. Try to prevent a repeat, review the series of events leading to the incident.  What steps could you have taken to prevent it.  Watch for those warnings signs in the future.  ( okay, I'll get off the soap box)