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Close call during commute

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Mr. Clortho said:
It is good that you reacted properly and kept the rubber on the road.

I did expect the video to be more intense and it got me to thinking how valuable dirt experience is on the road. When in the dirt, you learn to react to a bike that is rarely planted and hunts all around under you (slides, twitches, deflects, etc...). If someone has only street experience, when the bike slips, it can be terrifying. I have heard riders complain about the grooves on the highway moving their bike around and scaring them and thought, "Hmm, I hadn't really thought about it when it happens."

I grew up on the dirt from about 10 years old and didn't hit the street until my late 20's. I picked up a massively heavy VStar 1300 VTwin and had it in a slide for about 6 feet sideways to avoid getting plowed by a 1 ton truck. I reacted as I wound on the dirt, kept the bike upright and although intense, it really didn't scare me too much. I am not saying I am an talented rider by any means, but my muscle memory and instinct saved my bacon when there was no time to think.

Dirt experience can save your life.
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Agreed. I've had some dirt training and experience but definitely still a big noob. I agree that I need more dirt time to be more comfortable sliding around (it's something I want to learn, for sure). I would say that if it weren't for my little experience riding dirt I would've been more fazed. I just shook it off and went to work as normal.
 
that was absolutely TC at its finest, allowing the quick reduction in the slide and regain of traction. Been there twice years ago on my wife's R1200R. Had customers come in to Lonestar and swear the bike righted itself after going into a slide due to gravel and acceleration on it. Good riding! Engine sounds great too.
 
+(insert whatever number it is here) on petroleum/oil/diesel on the road. Water wouldn't sit like that.

Glad you made it out safely, hope you were wearing brown pants!
 
Echoing how dirt experience pays dividends on the street. When pressing limits off-road the bike will encounter that same scenario multiple times, so after 500 or so back-end slides, your body instinctively reacts.

Don't forget the physics! Those two gyros known as wheels are turning and naturally want to stand back up if knocked off balance. Ego, the bike was already correcting itself by the time you initiated a reaction, which was to do nothing. Which is the exact thing you should have done! No aggressive throttle adjustments, and no braking. Congrats!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Dang it stings when you tap a foot down at 20 mph on pavement though! Instinct still sends the foot out. No getting away from dirty habits.
 
Hard to tell on my phone, but it did look like you were in the oily part of the lane.

I put my foot down at about 35 to save it when my front wheel slid a few years back. Thought I'd broken my leg. Was gimped up for a week. Not a good thing on pavement with a 650 pound bike.

But you made it!
 
Reviving this old thread but I submitted my video for review and DanDanTheFireman finally took a look. I never mentioned it was ice, probably just water or oil.

 
Cool that he used your video. I think that your reaction helped with that as well.

Rider aids + good rider on that one, imo.
 
That's a tall center of gravity on the beemer which didn't help either. Those things are now permanently flashed into your autonomic nervous system now.
I need to subscribe to this guy, always enjoy his vids.
 
Jarrett said:
Rider aids + good rider on that one, imo.
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Agree.
my v strom Rider aid is too dumb to help this Rider (or maybe the reverse). Perhaps it would help in this situation but so far it has never done anything but hinder me. it literally cut the power to me once when I was going up a steep hill and I almost lost it. I keep it turned off.
 
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