My first accident

[Tarzan]

Hi Everyone,
Last Wednesday I had my first crash. I was in rush hour traffic on the motorway doing about 70mph. I had a good gap between me and the car in front (about 2 seconds) and wasn’t doing anything stupid on the bike. The traffic ahead started slowing rapidly like it often does and I started feeding on the brakes, tightening them fairly quickly once I’d determined just how fast the traffic was coming to a halt. I’ve been more aggressive with the brakes on a wet road in winter without any problems. This time though on a perfectly dry road in bright sunshine the front wheel went and dumped me and the bike. I’m not sure what speed I was doing when it hit the ground but it felt darn fast. Because it was on a straight bit of road I stayed in one lane and didn’t slide off in front of other traffic and I suppose I should be thankful nobody ran over me.

The bike is a mess, not surprisingly, and because of my financial situation is going to take months to fix. My safety gear worked pretty well though and every bit got tested. The boots and gloves will be ok to use again. The helmet is quite heavily scratched on the visor and chin and my leathers look rather tatty.
The only injury I sustained was where the stretch panel just above the knee on the leathers ripped through. Why do they put those panels there!? It’s obvious that in a good number of accidents the riders knee is going to touch the ground and if it does then a flimsy pointless bit of rubber or whatever it’s made of isn’t going to be much protection.
I’m at a loss as to why the front slid out - oil or debris from a five car crash 200yds back the previous day is one option – rider error is most likely but what error currently escapes me. I suppose the lesson is that wear all your gear all the time regardless of how hot it is. I’m glad I was wearing my gear.
Also I guess I should recommend Alpinestars SMX-plus boots, GP-Pro gloves and my Shoei XR1000. I’m fairly cool on the one piece suit but maybe I was expecting too much from it…
In the meantime I’m back in the Volvo for a few months and VERY grumpy about it too 

[ZooTech]

I had a good gap between me and the car in front (about 2 seconds)

I’m at a loss as to why the front slid out - oil or debris from a five car crash 200yds back the previous day is one option – rider error is most likely but what error currently escapes me.

A 2-second gap is not sufficient for 70mph rush-hour traffic. I know the jerks of the world will cut in front of you if you leave too much gap, but rush-hour traffic is known to stop abruptly so you should give yourself as much room as possible and always be aware of an "escape route" (like the break-down lane) to steer into during such an event.

I am terribly sorry to hear about your crash...I'm glad you survived it with so little damage to your person...but the error in this case is obvious.

[Gummiente]

Glad to hear you made it okay! Bikes can be fixed easily, bodies sometimes cannot.

I don't know if this applies in your situation, but were you trying to change lane position while braking? Even the slightest leanangle, coupled with oil/debris on the road could have been the root cause. One thing I've always done is to immediately swerve to the outside edge of the lane as soon as I spot a slowdown ahead, THEN apply the brakes. What this does is take the bike out of the worn area of the lane, which is smoother and coated with more bits of rubber and slimy stuff then the less used edge of the lane. Also, as the bike will invariably brake quicker than the cages behind you, it creates a safety zone that prevents the inattentive twit on the cell phone behind you from bunting you into the car in front.

You have to drive a Volvo now? I'd say you're being punished way more than you deserve.

[Aggroton]

good to hear your unscathed...and at least its not a yugo.

[DustyJacket]

Don't look at it as your first accident.
Be positive, and look at it as your last accident.

And slow down and give the cars ahead some space.

A guy here was too close and when the car ahead passed over a piece of metal, it appear so quickly the biker couldn't dodge in time, and his bike got really messed up.

[Sev]

A 2-second gap is not sufficient for 70mph rush-hour traffic. I know the jerks of the world will cut in front of you if you leave too much gap, but rush-hour traffic is known to stop abruptly so you should give yourself as much room as possible and always be aware of an "escape route" (like the break-down lane) to steer into during such an event.

I am terribly sorry to hear about your crash...I'm glad you survived it with so little damage to your person...but the error in this case is obvious.

I'm at a bit of a loss here. He was following a little close and under heavy braking. While his proximity to the car ahead might have contributed it will not by itself cause the front wheel to suddenly jump out from underneath him. His following distance was not the cause of the accident. Braking + some change in the road surface most likely was. However he's mentioned that he did heavier/harder braking on cold wet roads other times, so I'm kind of inclined to believe he hit a patch of oil or other slick spot. In which case a following distance of a mile wouldn't have made a difference.

[earwig]

No idea what you did, maybe you grabbed the break harder than you think you did out of being nervous about approaching the cars ahead of you too fast. Anyway... glad you are OK.

[ronboskz650sr]

Sorry to hear that, Tarzan. Glad you're okay. Since your gear worked great, I assume you'll be back out there when the finances permit. Keep us posted, and try to stay sane in the meantime! Withdrawal is probably already setting in...

[Aggroton]

i find midnite club 3 and motogp video games help pass the time when you cant ride...

[ZooTech]

I'm at a bit of a loss here.

...

He was following a little close and under heavy braking. While his proximity to the car ahead might have contributed it will not by itself cause the front wheel to suddenly jump out from underneath him. His following distance was not the cause of the accident. Braking + some change in the road surface most likely was. However he's mentioned that he did heavier/harder braking on cold wet roads other times, so I'm kind of inclined to believe he hit a patch of oil or other slick spot. In which case a following distance of a mile wouldn't have made a difference.

It sounds to me like he made a panic stop. Had he hit oil or something he would have just said that, rather than dance around the cause. If you allow more distance between you and the car ahead, braking usually becomes unnecessary as letting off the gas and/or down-shifting will suffice. Besides, crash or no crash, a 2-second buffer @ 70mph in rush-hour traffic just won't do. You're just asking to hit road kill, pot-holes, and all other manner of road debris following that closely at that speed. I see it on Route-33 East almost every morning on the way to work....cars that rear-ended one another for that very reason. I usually hang back, whether on my bike or in my truck, and I'm usually able to just drop down a gear or two and never touch the brake. Had he hit oil while doing so, if that's the claim he's sticking with (no pun intended), the back tire might have slid a bit but he almost certainly would not have gone down. If you ask me, he snatched that front brake lever in a panic when he realized traffic was braking and he had nowhere to go. That's a recipe for rapid chrome removal.