FasterThanStink
Pro
Posts: 1218
|
posted June 19, 2006 06:27 PM
What Happened?
If you screw up and learn something than all is not lost. If someone else screws up and you learn from that, even better. A few friends and I met for coffee and dissected my little faux pas on the 14.
Like most accidents it was a series of small events that added up to a bad ending.
A car in front of me put the brakes on and started to slow. Then braked hard. I grabbed too much front and did a stoppie over the bars face first. It was a combination of going just fast enough to have the momentum to flip and having the front already preloaded slowing down. It happened at only 20mph. If I had been going faster I don't think it would have flipped. I think that it would have chirped or skidded the front but not gone over as the increased momentum would have overcome the available traction.
Possibly a suspension setup more suitable for my weight might have helped with less front end dive but I am not trying to shift the fault to the bike. The bike did as it was told.
The speed it went over was surprising however. I have zero recollection of going over the bars. It was just brakes - pile drive face first into the pavement. It did not even seem that I grabbed that hard on the stoppers, although obviously I did. More practice on the emergency stopping is the plan. I was practicing the week before but apparently I am not a good student!
Let's see... how does that go? Rubber side down. Yea that's it. 
http://homepage.mac.com/davidchuba/Zx-14%20Crash%20Page/
I wonder if these work:
http://www.lifesavertcb.com/home.html
____________
Speed has never killed anyone,
suddenly becoming stationary...
That's what gets you.
   
|
countersteer
Needs a job
Didn't read the owners manual
Posts: 2207
|
posted June 19, 2006 06:39 PM
couple of assholes on www.zx-12r.org are talking shit about your accident. i feel for you bro, good luck with everything. you couldve broken your neck/back and really been fucked.
____________
Scott
Long Island, New York
2006 ZX-14, 2003 ZX-12R
|
Just Joy
Needs a job
Posts: 3976
|
posted June 19, 2006 06:46 PM
like all accidents.....after it's all over and done with, there's the should a's, and the could a's....like you said, it's not a loss if you learn from it......(trust me, I too have learnt the hard way for most things)......heal fast, those bruses look painful....and remember, the machine is replacable, your not.
____________
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.....
|
FasterThanStink
Pro
Posts: 1218
|
posted June 19, 2006 06:55 PM
quote:
couple of assholes on www.zx-12r.org are talking shit about your accident. i feel for you bro, good luck with everything. you couldve broken your neck/back and really been fucked.
Let 'em talk. Some people are just not happy unless they laugh at others misfourtune. Shit happens. Learn fom your mistakes and move on. It's all that you can do.
In a blink of an eye they could be in the same situation. Most real riders who ride more than down to the local Starbucks and pose in front of their bikes on bike night understand that mistakes can happen. Even Rossi has his slip ups!
____________
Speed has never killed anyone,
suddenly becoming stationary...
That's what gets you.
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:01 PM
Hey, you could be Sete Gibernau right now...Want to talk about feeling the heat from peeps after a wreck...
|
FasterThanStink
Pro
Posts: 1218
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:09 PM
quote:
Hey, you could be Sete Gibernau right now...Want to talk about feeling the heat from peeps after a wreck...
Poor guy. The ambulance that took him to the hospital got in a crash on the way. Luckley no one was further injured. Man that would suck! I don't know why they are on his case. That crash was brutal!
____________
Speed has never killed anyone,
suddenly becoming stationary...
That's what gets you.
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:11 PM
Absolutely. It was one of those racing incidents. Last one I saw like that was Kozinskey in AMA Superbike.
|
FasterThanStink
Pro
Posts: 1218
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:14 PM
quote:
Absolutely. It was one of those racing incidents. Last one I saw like that was Kozinskey in AMA Superbike.
Yup. Elkhart lake. I remember that one. A bike hitting your brake lever at triple diget speeds is gonna ruin your day bigtime.
____________
Speed has never killed anyone,
suddenly becoming stationary...
That's what gets you.
|
Mano 2
Expert Class
Posts: 360
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:16 PM
The argument for ABS.
Now it's confirmed: why I'm more afraid of these brakes than the power.
I've had 30 years to adjust to increasing power.
But these brakes are 5 steps up. My 10R brakes would endo, but these 14's are in another league, aren't they?
|
FasterThanStink
Pro
Posts: 1218
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:22 PM
I don't think you have to be afraid of the brakes just respectful of their almost unlimited power. Like I said it was a combination of things.
The Nissans on the 14 are absolutely in another league. Phenomenal stopping power.
____________
Speed has never killed anyone,
suddenly becoming stationary...
That's what gets you.
|
zx61114
Expert Class
Posts: 327
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:26 PM
FTS, I agree with your thinking. You may recall in my trip report a while back, of this bike's ability to cool it's rotor and pads (especially in rain) better than any bike I've ever ridden. Well the pads and rotors need heat to stop to spec. Although they may have been warm they were not heated enough to allow the rotor to slide, instead they grabbed the rotor.
In rain it can be just as bad (in reverse) very little braking in the first 50-100 feet and then I over did the braking as the pads were up to temp and the 14 stopped on a dime. I ride very conservative in rain so there was space to run.
Hey I also want to thank you for sharing you experience. It takes a lot of guts to throw your ego out there. I like to think you may have saved someone from the same crash; Could be me.
In My Crash, warm tires, brake pads, and rotors are so important. When riding in temps below 55F ride at least a mile before hitting the brakes or gently apply your brakes. Hi or Low siding is very common when it's cold.
Robert
|
zxlnt
Needs a job
Kawpuke Extraordinare
Posts: 2853
|
posted June 19, 2006 07:53 PM
One thing that will help with the brakes is to make sure the lever is adjust in as far as it will go. That way your not tempted to grab such a big handfull of brakes and it seems easier to modulate when the lever is closer to the bar...
|
Tool Man
Needs a job
Posts: 4493
|
posted June 19, 2006 08:07 PM
quote:
quote:
Absolutely. It was one of those racing incidents. Last one I saw like that was Kozinskey in AMA Superbike.
Yup. Elkhart lake. I remember that one. A bike hitting your brake lever at triple diget speeds is gonna ruin your day bigtime.
Was that crash not Steve Rapp?? That one was wicked, the forks flew off and almost hit Mladin in the head! When asked if it hurt he just said it was all relative ( real tuff no poser) 
____________
The banks are failing..
The banks are failing...
Invest in Ammo
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted June 19, 2006 08:11 PM
i'm not sure that practicing emergency breaking is enough, unless you really practice it _all_ and then always be on alert when riding. if you're practicing just stopping fast, that doesn't help you _react_ fast, or react properly when the time comes. or if you can stop fast when ready for it, that doesnt help if you're not ready for it (like you almost never are). maybe if you practiced in a setup environment where you had helpeds throwing cardboard infront of you at unknown points, to simulate that reaction...
not that i'm preaching, fuck knows i've never done so much as the MSF course or practiced anything. but you are rekindling that desire to take a course...
|
Tool Man
Needs a job
Posts: 4493
|
posted June 19, 2006 08:17 PM
FTS; It has been my experience that most crash's are a sequence of events that if avoided and identified early enough can be prevented altogether. While easy to sit in my office and write about it is much harder to practice on the road.
"I have zero recollection of going over the bars" is probably just from landing on your gourd When you get your next bike, Practice often (I do) We are never Too Good. 
____________
The banks are failing..
The banks are failing...
Invest in Ammo
|
Mano 2
Expert Class
Posts: 360
|
posted June 20, 2006 01:33 AM
The brake practice in the rain rule puts things in perspective for me.
'If you are afraid to practice panic stops in wet, then you are not qualified to ride in the wet'.
Sounds like I better do some wet practice, right away.
And these brakes are that good when it's dry.
Maybe a track day would be good?
There must be other factors at work here too?
When the Busas came out in '99 the speeds got crazy fast, didn't they?
And the number of riders got huge.
For 2-3 years there were lots[1-200] riders on the weekends around Houston, especially at night. And we were riding really fast. This wave swept the country didn't it? But almost no wrecks at all. During all this time. I only remember 1 or 2 .
Lots of big end numbers, nite drags/tricks, etc.
Maybe it's time for me to go back to safety school?
And put another 5-10k miles on the bike. Saddle time seems to help me alot too.
|
Mano 2
Expert Class
Posts: 360
|
posted June 20, 2006 01:41 AM
Toolman,
Well said. And if I didn't believe that to be the 99% rule I would stop riding today.
Also, when I try to tell this to John Q, non riders[ who are busy instructing me on MC hazards], they look at me like I'm stupid. Right?
|
S A Kruz
Expert Class
Posts: 127
|
posted June 20, 2006 04:24 AM
quote:
couple of assholes on www.zx-12r.org are talking shit about your accident. i feel for you bro, good luck with everything. you couldve broken your neck/back and really been fucked.
What are they saying?
____________
2007 CBR 1000RR Red/Black Yoshimura RS-5 Full System, Flapper Mod and PCIII
2006 ZX-14 Passion Red, Flies Out, Yoshimura TRC, PCIII, TRE006a and Custom Map
2004 VTX 1300C Candy Apple Red
|
OutsiderzX12r
Zone Head
Street Racer
Posts: 841
|
posted June 20, 2006 04:34 AM
quote:
couple of assholes on www.zx-12r.org are talking shit about your accident.
So far I only see "one asshole on www.zx-12r.org" that has talked any $h_t....
____________
OutsiderZX12R
2000 ZX12R-A1
|
Gunner
Needs a life
Posts: 5778
|
posted June 20, 2006 05:21 AM
quote:
I don't think you have to be afraid of the brakes just respectful of their almost unlimited power. Like I said it was a combination of things.
The Nissans on the 14 are absolutely in another league. Phenomenal stopping power.
While I'm NOT saying the 14 don't have good brakes. Most any of these new sportbikes are capable of endoing if enough lever pressure is applied. Even the piss poor braking system on the 10R will put you on your head if you grab a hand full. Mastering the brakes is a talent that should be reached long before a person finds themself on a bike like the 14 or a 10 for that matter. It's all about having that nack of always knowing where the edge is and staying just this side of it. Some people have that ability and others will never have it. Some people have it by the truck load like the Pros and others just have their share. It's strictly a seat of the pants thing that you gain the skill over time for. It's also another skill that's best learned on dirtbikes in the dirt. You will fall learning to find the edge. Guys that start out on street bike and never ride dirt usually end up hurt the first time they cross the line. It's a line that you must cross to learn the skill. Everybody falls sooner or later. The difference is will it be on a new 14 or a YZ250 in the mud. Keep in mind that most ALL top roadracers pratice in the dirt several days a week. This isn't because they like getting dirty.
|
shawnski
Pro
Posts: 1809
|
posted June 20, 2006 06:01 AM
everything happens for a reason, don't be so hard on yourself, i have been lucky i am 49 years old i have been riding since i was 9 years old, believe it or not never been down, but it can happen to me tomorrow. so just learn from your mistakes and move on.
|
|
|
HOME
NEW TOPIC