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Sorry to hear about your drop, V. I think this should be a double-lesson to really be more careful with gravel.

What about setting some gravel in a parking lot and practicing on it? Okay okay, this may sound silly, but I think practicing on gravel might help you learn what your bike will do on it, and help you avoid situations like this in the future.

I like your sig pic but...is it just an optical illusion? It looks like you are about to side off the bike. Is this what you mean by 'shifting' your body weight? Because it looks like you are shifting way too much for that turn with that amount of lean, like you are going to fall off. A little more slip could mean instant crash.

i dont think anyone on here has ever said riding offroad is bad experience, but i dont think people give it enough credit as a peice of the whole. yes i agree that a lot of times you get young kids who love riding motocross etc who think that translates directly to a street bike.

i think dirtbiking is a very strong addition to a) MSF and b)car experience. That way you get the essential riding technique from MSF, you have knowledge of the road from a car and dirtbiking is great for handling tough situations in bad conditions. nothing gets you swerving quick like when your trail riding and a tree or a jagged rock pops up right in front of you.

while i dont think dirtbiking alone gets you ready for hopping on a street bike, its the kids who have ridden dirtbikes for years who often make the best drivers/riders with the right training/attitude because theyre generally good with machines and are aware how they operate, and how they can go bad.

CNF2002 wrote:Sorry to hear about your drop, V. I think this should be a double-lesson to really be more careful with gravel.

What about setting some gravel in a parking lot and practicing on it? Okay okay, this may sound silly, but I think practicing on gravel might help you learn what your bike will do on it, and help you avoid situations like this in the future.

I like your sig pic but...is it just an optical illusion? It looks like you are about to side off the bike. Is this what you mean by 'shifting' your body weight? Because it looks like you are shifting way too much for that turn with that amount of lean, like you are going to fall off. A little more slip could mean instant crash.

better idea is to just avoid gravel... period.

regading shifting weight...

i only slide half my butt off the seat. hanging off means i could take that turn faster w/ less lean angle. which means i have more contact patch, more traction, and less likely to lowside.

i've seen some pics of guys hang almost totally away form the bike. their whole butt is almost off the seat to the side. i don't like to do that. half butt is the way to go for me.

i also think its cool that verm even posted this. he really didnt have to admit to anyone that he put his bike down, and its not like we ever would have known. he also gives you something interesting to read on a slow day.

GrandGT wrote:i also want to thank verm for posting this. he really didnt have to admit to anyone that he put his bike down, and its not like we ever would have known. he also gives you something interesting to read on a slow day.

it's not really in me to hide my mistakes.

i learned from it and more important thing is im fine, no injuries.

i underestimated the gravel, i paid for it.

it's not really in me to hide my mistakes.

i learned from it and more important thing is im fine, no injuries.

i underestimated the gravel, i paid for it.

*sniff sniff* Our little VX is growing up on us.

I know what verm is talking about, along some canyon roads there are gravel pits rather than dirt or asphalt. They are dangerous for bikes, obviously. I pulled off the road into one while on Ortega Highway, I was going pretty damn fast too. It felt like riding on solid ice. I barely touched the front brake and quickly realized that would be a huge mistake, and used the rear brake to slow down. I am lucky I didnt go down that time.

Im assuming you grabbed some front brake over the gravel?

Verm, you really need to do track days. I think your trying to do too much too soon on those dangerous canyon roads. It is a mistake aggressively doing those twisties at your experience level, especially with a group. Take this opportunity to slow down and learn at a safe pace, and in the proper place.

OoJRod06oO wrote:
*sniff sniff* Our little VX is growing up on us.

err... i haven't really changed that much.

even before... i always post my mess ups.

swatter555 wrote:I know what verm is talking about, along some canyon roads there are gravel pits rather than dirt or asphalt. They are dangerous for bikes, obviously. I pulled off the road into one while on Ortega Highway, I was going pretty damn fast too. It felt like riding on solid ice. I barely touched the front brake and quickly realized that would be a huge mistake, and used the rear brake to slow down. I am lucky I didnt go down that time.

Im assuming you grabbed some front brake over the gravel?

Verm, you really need to do track days. I think your trying to do too much too soon on those dangerous canyon roads. It is a mistake aggressively doing those twisties at your experience level, especially with a group. Take this opportunity to slow down and learn at a safe pace, and in the proper place.

well i was about to park so yeah, i was using the brakes to slow down. plus it's downhill.

and yeah, i do need trackdays but need to find a new job 1st.

What I was saying is that based on your lean there it is not necessary to shift your body weight and doing so without the proper lean angle imbalances you.

You have to learn to lean over first, then learn to shift your body so that you can take the corners faster. Otherwise you're just shifting around the weight of the bike and changing its characteristics in the turn, making it more difficult to lean over correctly and potentially falling off/crashing. Someone more experienced might want to comment.

Anyway, aren't there twisty roads you could do that don't have cliffs so you can be open to making mistakes?

PS: I'm very jealous that you live so close to such beautiful roads!