Fall-free since....???

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Nstr_FZ8

New member
One of my friends that I ride with says "Every rider will take a fall sooner or later." He says it's something that is inevitably happening(hes never been down btw)...

I would like to hear your opinions about this.

And I dont want to sound like a freaking survey, but if you could:
- ¿Daily commuter or occasional Rider?
- Date the last(or only) time you took a fall, and if you've never been down(knock on wood) ¿how long youve been riding?

The reason I created this thread is because I dont want to believe my friend. But knowing so many people that have been down on the asphalt, it's kinda hard not to :/ ...
 
alexk

alexk

Weekend Rider
Daily commuter - 90 minutes a day, 5+ days a week. - 17,000 mi so far
2 years riding, no spills on the road.

1 in training when the throttle stuck and I *stood up* and let the bike go to prove I wasn't messing it up

1 in a dealership parking lot when the transmission seized (different bike)

That said, yes... every rider will eventually have an incident. Its up to us to stay alert to avoid as many as possible, and to minimize the damage through that alertness, and hopefully proper gear.

ATGATT.
  • Motorcycle Helmet
  • Motorcycle Jacket
  • Motorcycle Pants
  • Motorcycle Boots
  • Motorcycle Gloves
  • Heck, even my backpack is armored and hi-vis.

I will go down, eventually. I just hope it's a long way off and minor.
 
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Bajaedition

Bajaedition

New member
there are only 2 wheels
streets are not groomed surfaces
sooner or later you will go down
35 years plus of riding, been down hard a few times, gear saves body parts
 
Banky2112

Banky2112

Just plain crazy...
Daily commuter, and avid rider. (All bikes together.....about 25k miles?ish)
2 sportbikes
2 cruiser 'esk bikes lol (vmax)
Only crashes have been on dirt bikes.......
Been daily commuting for 4 years and about a month.
 
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MikeC

Weekend Rider
It's an interesting saying, because if you think about it, it's not true at all. I mean, nobody REALLY knows the future, right? If you take it the wrong way, its an absolutist statement that puts people in a mindset of waiting for their first crashes; essentially setting them up for failure.

But if you get to the heart of the saying, really it's a cautionary adage that speaks to respecting the machine knowing your limits and taking measures to prepare yourself for something bad that could happen. Is it inevitable? Who knows, but better safe than sorry? Definitely.
 
T

Trooper

New member
I am ( or try to at least) a daily commuter when weather permits, and I have been down twice in about 11 years of riding.

First time was when I was a nube, I came in too hot into a curve and went into the shoulder with loose gravel. I locked the front and flew over the bars at a relatively low speed and wasn't hurt fortunately. With my current experience, I would have taken that same curve no problem.

2nd time was last year with the Bandit I had at the time. Was coming into a left hander in a heavily forested road and started to lose the front wheel due to a tar snake. I picked her up but was already in the ditch heading for the forest when I had no choice but to throw myself one way and the bike another in order to avoid hitting a tree head on. Bike was totaled, and I broke my shoulder blade.

I don't like to use the " every rider will fall eventually " teachings to new riders as it may make them overly cautious on the road and cause them to be too hesitant, but I can never stress enough the importance of having your head on a swivel and to ANTICIPATE !!! You need to always be aware of your surroundings to prepare yourself for a way out of potential incidents.

Other than that, enjoy the ride !
 
ssky0078

ssky0078

New member
"There are only 2 riders: those that have been down and those that are going to go down."
"Dress for the slide, not the ride."
"Keep it shiny side up and rubber down."

I commute daily, tour and sport ride when I can.
Motorcycle endorsement 10/28/2012
Got my Fz6 on November 16, 2012: safe riding for 1,850 miles
1st crash December 2nd, 2012: lost rear end due to gravel/cinder and laid bike into side of hill instead of going off cliff.
Got my Fz1 on January 4th, 2013
2nd crash January 5th, 2013: first morning on my Fz1 and going way too fast in a 25 and failed to make a corner. Put the bike down into a sand dune/pile at about 15-20mph.
Since then 17,000 miles in 9 months without incidence. I did take the Advanced Rider Course in February 2013 and that helped a lot.

Both crashes could have been avoided if I wasn't riding at 9/10th and 11/10th of my skill respectively. Now I could negotiate both of those situations without too much difficulty.
 
9 Lives

9 Lives

New member
I hate to date myself, but I got my MC license in 1979 and have been riding on and off since then. The first street bike I rode was a 305 Honda dream. I wiped out quite a bit both on dirt bikes and street bikes when I was younger because I took a lot more risks than I do now and quite frankly drove like a complete idiot but I was young and nobody could tell me anything. My last wipe out was sometime in the 90s, have no idea of when as my memory is fading.
 
Rotaryknight

Rotaryknight

New member
Ive been riding on and off the last 6-7 years but ever since I got the FZ8 it has been the daily rider for me. I put on atleast 200 miles a week on it. I havent fallen off of it yet.

I did have a "holy shit, glad I didnt crash" moment. Went on a s turn on ramp a little too fast and started to turn outwards, hit a small patch of dirt and the rear slid out. Luckily it didnt slid out all the way...only because the tires smacked into a 2-3 inch high divider which I hit while leaning just a little bit. Me and the bike got up in the air atleast 6 inches before coming back down with a little tank slapping. Gave it a little more gas to straighten out. Didnt really scare me, I was thinking more along the line of..."that was close, but yet awesome" lol
 
A

adams614

Pillion
There isn't a large enough piece of wood to knock on to talk about this!!! :)


If you take enough chances you are bound to fall sooner or later. Chances of someone else upping your chances are always there. Ride safe and smart and things should stay shiny side up.
 
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PNUT

Member
Riding for two years, I commute almost every day to work on motorcycle. I've been down twice. Once, I hit a wet steel plate in the road and rear slid out. Second time I was hit by another motorcycle while splitting traffic(His fault). ATGATT
 
Kardiac996

Kardiac996

New member
IM at about 7 years total riding.

Commute daily, track days, and mountain riding.

Downed my CBR on loose gravel on a slight right hander. Rained 2 days before and run off from someones drive way left sifted rubble.

No accident is fun but to be honest, nature is not on our side.

As for my friends between the 5 they have totaled 8 bikes. And the list of why....

- Lack of maintenance: You cant be cheap on tires, change when indicated. When you buy a bike you have to know and understand the costs to ride. One of my friends complains about having to buy tires, chain, sprokets etc.. and that doesn't make sense (cost comes with the territory).

- Stupidity: Going to fast on roads that aren't banked for speeds. Back mountain roads aren't the track. They aren't setup for motogp riding.

- Showing off: STunting and trixie moves will dump a bike faster then anything else.

- Other drivers: People don't pay attention anymore. They are driving, talking on cell phones, inputting gps routes, painting their nails or yelling at kids.

- Nature: Ive personally hit the following creatures. (Opossum, Deer, Rabbit, skunk and a snake.) All were shit my pants events and I was lucky each time. My underwear wasn't...

- Awareness: Ride smart. Early mornings can leave a moist pavement resulting in lack of grip. The start of a rain storm is the slickest. Fog doesn't allow you to see well. Cold weather doesn't allow for a quick tire heat cycle so you have less grip etc...

- #1 : Group rides. More people wreck on group rides then in many of the above mentioned. People always ride outside of their comfort in large groups of friends.

SO is it inevitable that you will wreck... no its not but recognizing everything that is stacked against you should help in being smart and defensive which will seriously lower your chances.
 
L

lance2448

New member
about 4 years riding on the street, and a couple years worth of dirt biking. Only times I've crashed were in the dirt....or if I forgot to put the kickstand down :hbwall:
 
S

schmittz

New member
I've been riding since I was 15, downed my first time at 16 on my gsxr 750r going about 90. Hit a pothole, both myself and the bike did a frontflip, with the bike flipping over me. ripped out my knee cap (somewhat] 3 cracked ribs and fractured both the radius and the ulna. Second down was August 18th 2012. Was riding a buddies brand new 250 ninja back from jersey for him since he didn't have his moto license. My friend was in his car behind me on the bike, in the left lane. Some ******* decides he needs to cut my friend off and when he did, his car caught the back tire of the bike, spinning it out, I let the bike go, and hit the center divider at around 45-50 mph. 4 cracked ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. Since then I've gotten surgery and am now on my fz8 :D
 
hutru01

hutru01

Knights of Columbus
Been riding for 4 years. I went down in my gravel driveway at a very slow speed a couple of years ago. Minimal damage (frame slider and brake lever replaced)

2 weeks ago I was on my FZ8 and I hit a patch of gravel on the other side of a blind curve going around 30-35 mph. I had all my gear on. The crank case slammed into a guard rail, thus totalling the bike.

I had bumps and bruises, but walked away.

There are two types of riders...those who have been down, and those who haven't been down yet.

I can't stress this enough, but ALL GEAR ALL THE TIME.
 
2trax4me

2trax4me

New member
Nstr_FZ8 said:
And I dont want to sound like a freaking survey, but if you could:
- ¿Daily commuter or occasional Rider?
- Date the last(or only) time you took a fall, and if you've never been down(knock on wood) ¿how long youve been riding?
Click to expand...

Ride it any time I have the opportunity
ATGATT
2 years riding and ~4k miles
first down 8-25-13 due to dumb blond driver with bad driving history

Currently searching for new bike
 
G

greenturbo

New member
Nstr_FZ8 said:
One of my friends that I ride with says "Every rider will take a fall sooner or later." He says it's something that is inevitably happening(hes never been down btw)...

I would like to hear your opinions about this.

And I dont want to sound like a freaking survey, but if you could:
- ¿Daily commuter or occasional Rider?
- Date the last(or only) time you took a fall, and if you've never been down(knock on wood) ¿how long youve been riding?

The reason I created this thread is because I dont want to believe my friend. But knowing so many people that have been down on the asphalt, it's kinda hard not to :/ ...
Click to expand...

occasional rider
never fallen, (started in 1997)
15 years riding

I always wear my gear
 
K

kawk2fazer

New member
Daily commuter riding 9 years; 500 miles on 04 zx6r, 19000 miles on my 06 zx6r and now 200 on my fz8

1. 04 zx6r - totaled when a jacka$$ made a left in front of me (oncoming). Paramedics said if it wasnt for my gear I would not be here today
2. 06 zx6r - lowsided on a trip to Alice's (SF) when I hit a patch of gravel
3. 5 weeks ago on my fz8 when some dumb teenager bumped me changing lanes

Everyone goes down...its a risk that we take being on 2 wheels and drive with distracted cagers on the road. ATGATT and you'll come out of it with maybe some minor scrapes and a story to tell
 
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