How long before your first off?
Discussion
Fell off loads when I started out. Remember the funniest being a race between me and a mate, both on FS1E's. He braked for a corner so I tried to outbrake him but ended up bottling it, sitting upright and bouncing into the middle of a herd of cows grazing in a field. Never actually fell off but I would class it as a crash. Since then had various offs on my 125's, but did my direct access 11 years ago and since moving to the bigger stuff I tend to take it a lot more seriously. I realise now if I crash it's likely to be at a higher speed, cost more money and lead to being off work, which as a self employed person is far from ideal!
I've had one or two near misses though that could have been nasty, but I'm pretty sure we can all say that. Cars starting to pull out then spotting you at the last minute, close filtering incidents and the worst being screaming over a blind crest to find the road turned a 90 degree left in front of me! Luckily there was a 'straight on' option but had anything been coming that would have ended very badly indeed!
I've had one or two near misses though that could have been nasty, but I'm pretty sure we can all say that. Cars starting to pull out then spotting you at the last minute, close filtering incidents and the worst being screaming over a blind crest to find the road turned a 90 degree left in front of me! Luckily there was a 'straight on' option but had anything been coming that would have ended very badly indeed!
About 2 years for me. Put a 3 month old Yam YZF750 into a field on a fairly benign right hander that I'd been around countless times previously. I was accelerating out of a village and approached the corner but once I'd turned in I found the road strewn with big clods of mud, as though they'd fallen off a trailer or tractor. I (mistakenly) grabbed the brake and shut off, bike sat up and ploughed on into the field. I got spat off and the gleaming Yamaha cartwheeled end over end until it dug in and stopped. I was unharmed, the bike not. I dragged it out of the s
te and rode it home with bits falling off as I went. Bent yokes, bent bars, bent swinging arm, clocks gone, tank dinged, exhaust ruined, bodywork destroyed. Estimate was £5800 to repair (in 1997) so it was written off. I was gutted. Fully comp saved the day mind you and I replaced it with a ZX7R, which remained intact until we parted company in 2000.
te and rode it home with bits falling off as I went. Bent yokes, bent bars, bent swinging arm, clocks gone, tank dinged, exhaust ruined, bodywork destroyed. Estimate was £5800 to repair (in 1997) so it was written off. I was gutted. Fully comp saved the day mind you and I replaced it with a ZX7R, which remained intact until we parted company in 2000. Edited by andySC on Tuesday 29th May 19:39
Almost into my second year when I had my first (and only) off. Was riding my trusty old GS125 when I slipped on a large amount of spilled diesel on the junction I was turning into - Was doing about 10 mph.
Even at that speed, it was amazing how quick everything escalated. It all seemed impossible to try to keep the bike upright.
Even at that speed, it was amazing how quick everything escalated. It all seemed impossible to try to keep the bike upright.
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