Motorcycle crash?

Question

im 16 yrs old and will be getting my motorcycle permi soon. i will be riding a 250cc bike. i have owned a dirt bike for 2 yers but i have never crashed or laid it down. i plan on takng a safty course but i was wondering if there is a correct way to fall when you lay the bike down. i know with various sports that the first thing they teach you is how to fall that way you minimize your risk of injury, is there a specific thing to do when you crash/ lay down a motorcycel

Answer 1

Ay... be careful! My husband laid his down twice in the first year after he got his!

I think that the important thing to do is be fluid. You increase your chances of injury if you stiffen up, and could break bones, or worse, die.

Answer 2

The two most important things to remember when crashing is to avoid a high side and also not to let the bike come down on your leg. A high side is where you have locked up the rear tire and you feel it going down so you release the rear brake and the wheel snaps back inline with the front and actually causes you to go over the other way resulting in you falling farther or a high side. Secondly having the bike come down on your leg can break it or make the road rash considerably worse. Dont concentrate on crashing too much. Just ride safe take the safety course and wear protective gear. Hope this helps

Answer 3

you probably won't have time to think about it.  i've never laid the bike down, but if its like a car accident, you'll probably see the accident coming in slow motion, then it'll all be over before you know it.  just heal up and get back in the saddle is all you can do.

Answer 4

I can tell you STAY away from the pipes. I'm just now getting over a burn. Nasty scar.

Answer 5

The best thing to do is to jump off in a safe place. If you stay on it hurts so much. I got in a crash before and broke my arm because I stayed on. My arm is still broken. I hope this helped.

Answer 6

Like Adam said.  You don't have a time to react.  The best insurance is good riding gears.

Enjoy ur bike and watch out for those idiots on cage.

Answer 7

Most times, the accident will happen so quickly, you won't have time to react.

When I dropped, it happened so fast, I only remember pieces but, I do recall seeing the bike on it's side.

Hitting a tree or sliding in dirt very different than hitting another vehicle.  Ride safe, ride defensively and presume that every car around you is driven by an idiot.

Answer 8

As I sit here with a Metal Plate and 13 Screws in My Left wrist I can tell You, You won't have time to think about How to fall if You go down unexpectedly. Now if You are stunting, then falling practice is unavoidable!

Answer 9

Although I've never done it, you can lay your bike down by locking up the rear brake.  As the tire locks up the back of the bike will slide to one side so that it will be traveling sideways down the road (with the front tire still pointing straight).  If the back of the bike comes around to the right, lean to the left and you will go down, and visa versa.  Keep your leg from under the bike when this happens.

If you're taking a course, ask the instructor for details.  Also, be sure to get a full faced helmet and body armor.  Equipment and training is everything when riding.  

Be safe and good luck!

Answer 10

Because it is so unpredictable it is vital to wear your protective gear every time you ride, even if you're only going down to the shops, helmet gloves and a jacket with armoured inserts are a minimum, preferably the jacket will have a CE-approved spine protector built-in. Leather trousers or specifically made protective textile trousers are comforting too.

Essentially if you have the reaction time to position yourself for a crash you have time to either avoid the crash or at least minimise the effects of it – all your effort should be towards avoiding it, not to thinking about falling off, that is mental as well as physical effort. If you mentally prepare yourself to ‘lay down’ your bike you are then more likely to do it and when you do you are completely unable to affect your direction or speed and will carry on moving until something stops you – friction or the immovable object.

If the worst happens and you have parted company from your bike – which in a high speed accident you are likely to have done – do not try to stand up too quickly, there are umpteen hugely funny (if it isn't you) videos of racers trying to get up while still going 30mph. Real injuries occur when you stop sliding and start rolling like a rag doll with your arms and legs sticking out or when you hit something solid, road furniture, trees, kerbs and other road users can all spoil your day.

A highside, just to clarify for some confused answerers, is when the back tyre loses grip on a turn, the natural reaction is to reduce the throttle, slowing the tyre, which gives it a chance to grip again, unfortunately when it does grip it tends to straighten up the bike very quickly and that is when it flicks you over the top.