this is starting to get ridiculous

ok so i went out and bought gloves, padded jacket, and replaced my helmet for she was getting old. i have only had my full riding gear for two days and I AM GLAD!!! tonight i think it saved my life. i don't know what happened at all. :frown: i was cruising at about 35mph and all the sudden my balance was all messed up leaned left then right i knew i was going down to tried to bail on the bike but my leg got cought under my bike and it fell on my leg dragging me about 3ft. luckily people were around to help and the amublance fixed me up good but i broke my ankle in 2 places and tore my ACL... i am out for a while and this is now my SECOND lay down in the past 2 months. the only good thing was if i wasnt wearing my jacket, gloves, and helmet... i would be a hundred times worse because it was a hard fall. this will not be the end though for i will hop back on the bike and go back out to better improve my skills. i refuse to quit and hide from the fact of going down i am just going to use it to improve and keep it from happening to the best of my ability... :first:

What i don't understand is what went wrong????!!!!???? i was just cruising and everything just went crazy... i have no clue.

oh and for everyones concern. the bike ONCE AGAIN is absolutely fine... few scratches on the pipe, mirrors, brake lever, grips, front fairing, engine cover, and my peg is jammed and wont go up. but its all minor and cosmetic that is barely noticed. it seems like i am the one always taking the worse beating. :tongue:

i am ending my story with.... anyone who does not have gear... BUY IT. it is the best money i have invested. good helemt. protective gloves. and a jacket that has padding in it. it really helps when the worst may happen. so ride safe and my recovery will be done soon i hope cause i wanna go back out and ride. :biggrin:

 

Hope you recover soon and up and riding again .........Good advice gear is more important than the bike!!.......... now that the weather is getting hot starting to see so many rider with tshirts and shorts!! crazy crazy squids

 

Are you new to riding? If you are, you may still be getting over some anxiety. If you are not a new rider, and this "balance thing" is something totally new, I'd have to recommend you see a doc for a neuro-check. Losing balance during otherwise normal conditions (i.e., not being spun around real fast) is typically a sign of something more sinister going on upstairs.

In any event, glad you are OK.

 

2000:

From past posts we know you have not taken the MSF course yet.

Before you even touch your bike again, you NEED to take the course. Without being their as a witness to see whats going on I don't think we can diagnose the issue as one specific thing.

However, I am willing to bet it is multiple habits, issues, whatever you have. You need to learn the basics before you ride.

Glad you geared up!

BZ

 

All these previous guys are correct. Riding without training successfully as many have is one thing, but if you have had 2 crashes in 2 months as a new rider I would caution you on continuing without a sober evaluation of what's going on.

Its very possible your basics are needing work, or as SFPA has said you may have some balance problem in your inner ear or something. If you aren't experiencing any symptoms besides when riding it could be stuff is just happening really fast being new to riding. Either way take the class, it will increase your skill as well as confidence within your new favorite sport.

Heal quickly and good luck my friend.:yo:

 

This may be a long shot, but there could be some mechanical issues with your bike. If you have recently put your bike down, and it sounds like you have, you could have an alignment issue with your bike. Even a slight (and easily fixable) twist in the front end can cause the bike to lean when traveling in a straight line or other undesirable handling issues. If you're new to the sport, you may not have recognized the subtle misalignment after your first incident. Check it out.

 

Glad to hear you have gotten some gear. Now please take the MSF course so you will not further injure yourself, or an innocent bystander or total the bike. I understand some people may not be able to put out the money for the MSF class, but remember subsequent hospital stays, loss of income from injury and a funeral all cost more than an MSF course. I personally do not understand why some people think they can just go out there an learn to ride - you are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk for injury or death. Taking additional riding clinics after taking the MSF is also a good idea. I would just suggest you take the MSF course and then get some miles under your belt and then consider an ERC or ARC to further your skills. There was recently a guy in my area who posted on Craigslist to come practice learning how to ride with him at a parking lot near where I live. I offered my services as a rider coach and was told off, because the guy was determined not to pay for any services and do what he wanted to do. Well two people got hurt and their bikes were damaged. The police and ambulance had to be called. The building owners were contacted and they are proceeding with tresspassing charges against the people who were in the lot with bikes - The property owner only wants to protect himself from any lawsuits the stupid people who got hurt may try to file against him. Good luck - but if I do not hear from you again I can only assume you got done. I also agree that you may want to get the suspension on your bike checked and make sure there is no frame damage. I like to be prepared when I am on the road and I do not like mechanical suprises. My bike is a 2k VFR with slightly under 20k miles. I am in the process of having the axel and swingarm bearings replaced and I am also replacing the shock and forks springs and installing the race tech gold valve kit. Riding a bike is an exercise in traction control, and a overly busy suspension (super soft) does like to change direction. Again this is something you can learn in an MSF class, and subsequent clinics. Please understand, I do not think I know so much, I lost two really good friends in Texas who were trying to learn to ride without going for any kind of training. I stopped riding for many years and when I decided to get back on a bike training was the first thing I did. I would not ride with anyone who does not know what they are doing and refuses to get training. Some people like myself do not like seeing accidents on bikes. Who wants to clean up the mess from the accidents. Also, recently in my area a young man was trying to learn how to wheelie his bike and killed himself. He was cut in half (got done on the highway service road trying to do a high speed wheelie. Hit a pole and was cut in half) - again who wants to see that and who wants to clean that up?

 

Glad you survived the crash.

Now, you wouldn't get into a plane with a pilot who was learning to fly without formal training, would you? Of course not. This is no different, motorcycling takes a different set of tools than driving your car, and without these you will be very likely to go through yet another crash. Maybe next time you won't be so LUCKY!

So don't be a crash dummy again. Take the course. Its painless and alot of fun. But more importantly, you will be able to correct your problem(s) and gain confidence again. Don't give up... TAKE THE COURSE, it may save your life

 

ok guys i found an MSF course located near me and i am signing up as soon as i can walk around and ride again. i also found a couple groups that offer training sessions or skills practice. as far as balance etc... yes as many of you know i am a new rider. probably 2 months now i think. i also decided to get my endorsement. guys this is a great website and you all have great opinions and i thank yall. so i'll get some training and keep everyone posted. and to think i almost thought of moving to a 1000cc. NO WAY NOT YET.

 

I'm glad you are open to the good sugestions,especially the MSF, but in your gear selections, may I suggest good M/C boots & pants as well.
also since you have a attraction to gravity (I do ), under Armor as well.

You can get this stuff that has vents so the heat won't be that much of a concern.
besides the best thing for riding & heat, isn't stripping down, it's more fluids.
I ride with a water pack in a back pack model or tank bag type with full gear.

If I can do that blasting down to LA or Phoenix in the Summer (115 plus temps) from Utah, anybody can.

 

I had a similar thing happen a while back - it turned out the front tyre had only got about 5psi in it. The bike had felt a bit wierd, I put it down to me. The following day I went through everything - and I mean everything, eventually checking the pressures (the tyres felt OK when I pushed them with my hands - but the front very definately was not...... Now they get checked far more frequently!!!

 

Being a MSF instructor, I can tell you that the course we teach are for all level of riders. There are basically two courses availalble, the Basic Rider Course (BRC) and Experienced Riders Course (ERC).

The BRC basically covers basic riding skills and knowledge development on street smarts and awareness. It is usally a 2 day course with both a written and riding test.

The ERC is more of a refresher and riding skills enhancement. It is only a 1 day course and is suggested that you have had the BRC before.

Question is do you need the BRC? The answer is it depend on how experience are you. If you have been riding well and you can foresee events on the street before htey happen, then the ERC is all you need if you want to hone those riding skills a little more.

 

M/C boots? and when you say pants do you mean the racing pants?

 

Glad to hear that you had bought gear after your last encounter. I too learned that lesson the hard way. All of you guys have had GREAT sudgestions as usual... I wouldn't rule out the mech issues at simple tire pressure or alignment problems either. Mine was feeling wierd in the twisties and even at low speeds around 30-40mph... Turned out it was a combo of a flat spot in the tire and a bad wheel bearing... After a lay down anything is possible. Good luck Bro, and enjoy the pain killers, just not too much.

 

Y'know, that brings up a good point. The age of your bike is a factor you need to consider. Even a bike that age that has been fairly-well maintained will have issues that need to be dealt with: tires, brakes (pads, rotors, hoses, fluid), chain/sprockets, wheel/head bearings, etc. These are some of the items that need to be checked and the older the bike, the more likely they are to be worn. What about the rear shock and fork springs? Has the fork oil ever been changed? When i buy something used like a bike or car, i go through it and change everything; that way i know it is all fresh and i know when i have to change them again.

Glad to hear the bike is pretty much okay, but so what? Bikes are replaceable, you are not. Use the time you are laid up learning about the bike and riding skills. There is a ton of info out there: i have been riding nearly 35 years and i bet i learn something new every week.

 

Good M/C (road racing has the best protection) boots ( look for model close outs, I p/u some $200.00 plus Joe rocket boots for $60.00 on close out).

Pants should be M/C pants with reinforced stiching & padding, & leather Riding gear (pants & Jacket) are best I've gone down 130 plus on a track in leather & walked away w/o a scratch).

Also I did't point out, gloves should be gauntlet style with tightning straps on them.
Reason is that If or when you go down that a short glove will not protect your wrist are on a slide when your jacket sleeve rides up, & the extra length of the gauntlet glove protects that area & the straps keeps the gloves on your hand.

 

well i do have a light fork seal leak. also i could probably use a new pad on the front and the rotor looks a little worn. however i got new tires which helped. everything else seems to be in good condition.

 

Hey, 2000ex you really sound like and sensible and likeable person. Glad you signed up for the MSF and found other resources to work on your skills. Rev brought up the same point I stated in my post. If I buy a used bike the first things I work on and have done is brakes and suspension (Rev did some nice suspension upgrades on his VFR - ummm 929 shock - NICE!!!). New tires are good, but not on a bike with a bad suspension. If the suspension is not setup adequately (correctly or close), or if it is too soft from wear, then changing directions on it will not go well sometimes - especially on rough roads. On a bike with a single-sided swingarm the VFR I would change the bearings at the recommended interval. On my 2k VFR (23k mi), I just finished replacing the front wheel because it was off a required a lot of weight to balance, and I also did the axel and swingarm bearings. Glad I did because them bearings were dry. After you finish the MSF and get some more miles under your belt let me know if you would be interested in the Lee Parks ARC (Advanced Riders Clinic), which addresses understanding how a bike's suspension works and also how to properly setup your bike's suspension and cornering skills (dragging a knee and transitions). The Lee Parks ARC is also the contracted and certified DOD (Dept of Defense) Motorcycle training for all military branches. The Government contracted Lee Parks services because of the increasing amount of accidents and fatalities experienced by members of the Armed Forces. I am sure with the large audience on this site there gotta be another ARC coach in the group. This is my first season as an ARC Coach and I am still working on some things. I am also going to a trackday/clinic with Keith Code's School in Va later this year. Even somone like myself with years of riding experience and training can still learn and get better and be safe while on the road with cars. Good Luck and get well soon!!!!!

 

thanx man for the info. i'll let you know soon or whenever i recover fully. thanx again.