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Riding beyond your ability (or the bikes).

7K views 45 replies 31 participants last post by  Madrussian 
#1 ·
Some years ago, probably 1997-ish, my wife and I took a road trip on our bikes. We stayed in Cherokee NC and were riding the areas around there. One day we hit the parkway and headed North out of the reservation. We rode all day and on the way back I was coming around a sweeping curve and heard a loud scraping noise. Two Goldwings, two up each, came roaring up the mountain maxed out and scraping hard parts.

As we got to the bottom of the mountain emergency vehicles were on their way up as hard as they could go, lights, sirens, etc.. We both said we bet it was one or both of those goldwings. We talked to a guy on a wing later that day and he said that one of the wings had run straight off of the mountain and one person was critically injured and one killed.

I scrape parts a lot. But, that usually tells me to back off.

I have seen a few crashes in action over the years. In every case that I can remember it was the rider's fault, pushing too hard, beyond their limits, the limits of the bike or, road conditions.

I once had a buddy on a Honda Interceptor that was killed when "a car pulled out in front of him". Of course, it was a crowded 25MPH zone in Myrtle Beach and he was running at least 75MPH. He hit the car driven by some poor old couple, flipped over it and was run over by another car. I witnessed that one, etc, etc..

Point made I think.
 
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#2 ·
I'd say the point is well made, falcon. Its a shame the point is so seldom taken.
 
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#3 ·
I just had a similar conversation with a boiler inspector just yesterday. He rides a Harley but that was not the topic of discussion. He was saying that as he gets older he worries more about what he believes are worse drivers on the road (a point that I also have) however I also added that I see a lot of bad motorcyclists as well.

Just last week while riding a stretch of road, fairly straight, before turning into my development (I was in my truck). I saw a bike coming at me about a few hundred yrds. away. I stopped to let him pass before making my turn across his lane. I sat there for a few seconds watching him and he never flashed a headlight, waved, brake, or even just shift in his seat as if getting ready for me to do something stupid. He passed me at or I believe above posted speed and I just shook my head. Additionally I have seen riders dive on the inside of a left turning vehicle, to in no way being able to see an equally turning left vehicle coming from the opposite direction. In both cases these riders are reliant on the other driver for their safety in my mind. I just won't do that.

The topic never gets old and we all need to stay focused to stay alive. Thanks falcon for the reminder.

I do drive fast at times (as some my riding partners will attest), however I really try very hard not make poor decisions. As always this is just one Ole Fossil's opinion
 
#10 ·
I do drive fast at times (as some my riding partners will attest), however I really try very hard not make poor decisions.
There is a time and a place for everything.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
When I was young, dumb, and bullet proof, I would see how fast I could go from point A to point B. Now that I am old, somewhat wiser, and fragile, I am scared of the asphalt and anything that I might collide with. When we ride, I am constantly scanning for cars or obstacles that could cause an accident. There would be fewer accidents if people drove automobiles in a defensive manner, instead of the distracted driving we witness so often.
 
#5 ·
My attitude as soon as I get on my wing is to defensive drive 110% of the time. I am looking at any vehicle or person within sight of me as a potential hazard and I always assume everyone will pull out in front of me. You can never be too cautious on a bike.
 
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#6 ·
My girlfriend and I were coming out of a coffee shop one afternoon, stopped at a red light. Our light turned green but for some reason, I didn't take off right away. All of a sudden I see a pickup, coming from our right, sailing through the intersection. Not going fast but obviously didn't realize his light was red! Always have to be on our toes!


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#15 ·
My girlfriend and I were coming out of a coffee shop one afternoon, stopped at a red light. Our light turned green but for some reason, I didn't take off right away. All of a sudden I see a pickup, coming from our right, sailing through the intersection. Not going fast but obviously didn't realize his light was red! Always have to be on our toes!
When I took the MSF course many years ago, one thing the instructor said that sticks with me today is "Don't try to be the first person into the intersection when the light turns green: let some other idiot get hit by the red light runner"
 
#7 ·
It's very seldom I don't witness or be a close part of the result of some inattentive driver or rider when I'm out on the road. Sure I love to have fun on twisty roads and scrape the boards and stuff too, but I do know my own and my bike's limits. What none of us know is the attention span or skill level of the other idjit be it in a multi wheel tin top or otherwise. I recently had a woman in a car pull straight out in front of me while looking me dead (no pun intended) in the eye; we had direct eye contact and I just "knew" that she was going to do it. While startling it wasn't what I'd call a panic situation, but I was prepared. Daydreaming or not riding defensively it was a t-bone for sure and that was at in town traffic speeds, not on the highway. She still got a good blast of those wonderful GL1800 horns and an exclamation from me on her evolutionary status as well her newly acquired canine gender base combined with my usual colourful adjectives and pronouns.
We all make mistakes, we're human and that makes us all fallible at some juncture. What we can't allow ourselves is the failure to occur by trusting the other guy; that's when it hits the fan.
Good post falcon!
 
#8 ·
Like TwoIron, back when I was young and stupid.... I liked to push the limits of my bike.... I thought I pretty much had it figured out..... but baking it in to a corner.... someone else had earlier went onto the shoulder and slung gravel onto the road..... when you are at the limits of your bike then hit the unexpected gravel....... lets just say.....I was damned glad to have grown up riding dirt....... I left the road and dirt biked it all the way to the fence.... and managed to save it.....

Ever since.... I leave some room between what I am doing and the limits.... got to leave the unexpected some room in there. Has saved my a#$ more than once.

Scares me how many people I have heard saying the were going to get their first motorcycle and it was going to be a 1200 or bigger.
 
#9 ·
I always start out on the ride with caution and I am not going to push the limits. Sometime I am successful....................:grin2:eek:ther time's it gets lost.:wink2: I just do not know where it goes.:surprise:
But if V is with me.............I try real hard to keep her safe.0:)
 
#12 ·
To be honest I feel safer on my Goldwing than I do in my truck, I can get out of lanes faster I see way better and the only time I have really pushed my luck was this last IB ride , I only slept like 2 hrs before we left and near the end I was dead tired , but I had 2 great guys with me to help me out


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#14 ·
Carol says I ride and drive like and old Grandpa. My response is always the same, "and your point is?". I ride my own ride and don't trust anyone.
 
#16 ·
When I was in the army in the early 70's I had a 650 Triumph which I believe that I drove it more after I was drinking than being sober. The grecious man up above was watching over me with his guiding hand. Today if I ride there is no alcohol at all. Those who have been in the service know what I am talking about. Ride safe and enjoy the journey.

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#17 ·
I have been trying to drill myself into a new habit for several years now and am getting pretty good. It comes from driving fire trucks and ambulances. As I am starting to enter an intersection, I check left and right to guage what other drivers are doing. It is a simple thing, but has kept me out of at least one collision.
 
#18 ·
Think I learned a long time ago not to over ride my ability, learned the hard way you might say. Be CAREFUL out there.
Ken
 
#19 ·
I've never understood why some people ride the 1800 Wing like it is a sport bike.
 
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#22 ·
I've never understood why some people ride the 1800 Wing like it is a sport bike.
Bob, with the utmost respect, I say this. Cause its fun. I love pushing the GW as much as I loved to play with my CBR1000. It was not the same bike by any means, but even tho I ride the 'Wing hard at times, it does not equate with unsafe.

I enjoy the hard lean, I enjoy pushing the bike over, I just love the feel of the heavy bike doing things that a lot of other heavy bikes cannot handle. With that being said, I VERY SELDOM even rode my CBR in a crazy manner and even when I really pushed that bike, I was not unsafe. I pulled those stunts on back roads that were not traveled much and was purely looking for the thrill. Either way, I do not feel it is against the rules to ride a 'Wing hard while pushing it near its limits. To me its fun.

We could turn it around and some people would say, "I've never understood why some people ride a sport bike like it is a GoldWing." :wink2: Ride your own ride, enjoy your ride, know your personal limits and be safe.

This thread indicates to me that those riders had more experience in their minds than on their arses.
 
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#20 · (Edited)
I came across this......Pretty interesting and completely tells where you fall.
Your personality will transfer into your riding personality. Those on the left have a greater chance of crashing.
 

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#21 ·
I will say, everybody can and will have lapses in judgment. I almost screwed up yesterday. I was going along at 65 mph and the radio quit. I looked down to see if something got bumped or something, I looked up and I'm just starting into a 30 mph curve at 65 mph. I rolled off the throttle and leaned hard and was kicking up gravel on the side of the road before I got slowed down. Even experienced drivers can have a lapse in judgment.
 
#27 ·
Here is a sad example;
http://www.themanchesterenterprise.com/doctor-killed-in-motorcycle-wreck/

I know the riders sister, she works for the Forest Service in Kentucky and is a member of the Incident Management Team I am on. From what is reported she could not keep the bike on her side of the road.

Last month another Forest Service person I know down toward the coast in Mississippi had her husband run off the road in a curve which was also fatal. Nobody witnessed that accident so it isn't certain if he was overriding or someone came around the curve wide and he ran off to avoid a head on. I've been on that road many times myself and the curve isn't even close to being sharp.

I've come close myself. I do like to lean into the curves but work on being sure I slow for what I can see then accelerate out.
 
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#28 ·
I am not trying to make excuses here Mark. But both of those accidents could have been from the Target Fixation. It is a real thing and something that we should all remember. I have found that it can happen when you riding a bit casual and you are not looking through the corner.
I was riding with a very good rider over here about 6 weeks ago and started looking at the car in the corner and that was where he was heading. Don't get caught with Target Fixation.
 
#29 ·
Eric, I agree. Target Fixation could very easily be involved in both the accidents I mentioned.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Target Fixation is very real, I learned all about it from dirt biking. I used to always stare at the rock I didn't want to hit, but what did I do? Yep, went straight for the rock and hit it, Every Single Time. :surprise:

Then after mentioning this to a more experienced rider at the time, he told me look where you want to go, ignore the rock and it will ignore you. Best advice ever. Now I scan the trail, look for the best line, and look where I want my tires to go. It works. :smile2:

On our trip through Ebbetts Pass, I was in the front and my son behind. We have radios on, and I saw a rock on the road, I told him "Watch the rock", well he must have took me literally because what did he do? Yep, he hit the rock. :frown2: Luckily nothing bad came from it, his bike is able to take hits like that without too much issue. Next time I will tell him to "miss the rock" and see if that helps.:popcorn:
 
#32 ·
I live about 30 minutes from the famous (or infamous) "Tail of the Dragon".... Hwy 129 thru Deal's Gap going from Tennessee into North Carolina......I have run it hundreds of times...mostly on a sport bike...there's a rash of crashes, of which many are fatal due to riders who don't realize their limitations...are unfamiliar with the road....and don't understand that you don't need to try and run it as fast as possible to enjoy it.."slow down and live" is how I ride.
 
#33 ·
Two of the most desirable and accident prone roads in the USA (and I've yet to ride either one): Tail of the Dragon and Mulholland Drive. The carnage on and off road on those two haunts is incredible, and also totally avoidable. There is no such thing as a dangerous bike, only a dangerous and underskilled, no presence of mind rider. The old HD credo nails it: "Live to Ride, Ride to Live"
 
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#34 ·
I am lucky enough to drive Mulholland Drive at least once a week. It's a super great road, and it's my way home from work, if I don't take the freeway. Weekends, it is packed with crotch rockets, and sports cars, all trying to beat their last time. There are also a lot of cars with emergency lights on top of them, so buyer beware. I'm also lucky enough to have a terribly memory, so I never get complacent or over confident, just keep it within the limits of my skill and the bikes ability.
 
#35 ·
It matters not who is at fault in a motorcycle accident. Motorcycle is going to lose at it will more than likely hurt bad...


If 10 is as hard as I can ride I try to keep it below 7 Has saved me several times

Ride safe ride hard and ride often :super:
 
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