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My First Low-side


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So I finally had my first "Off" Tuesday night heading home from work in London... 2 minutes out of work, obviously cold tyres, cold road, took a 90 degree left which opens onto a 3 lane road, Park Lane... Picked my turn point, looked through the corner, steered my bike into the turn, got onto the gas gently, then I felt the bike basically lean more, though I did not do anything with the bars... I was like, hmmmm... sliding???..... Then all I knew was I was on my ass, watching my bike slide down the road on it's side...

 

Scraped knee, banged shoulder, nothing major... The bike?? Lost mirror, turn-signal, scraped nose cone fairing, and engine cover, nothing major... Was still able to ride home, and am back on it again today, after fitting an aftermarket turn-signal...

 

I guess it had to happen sometime...

 

Glad it was not a bad one....

 

Back to pootling around corners upright for me for a little while then!!!

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Glad you are basically OK. Bikes can be fixed with money, which isn't always the case for us humans.

 

Was the road wet or dry? Wet roads can be the pits because they can hide oil/diesel spills that are slick as black ice. I have done a lot of riding in the snow and on ice and I'm pretty confident about where the limits are in slick conditions and also sliding at low speed/low lean, but when it hits totally unexpected it can lend you on your ear before you can say oops :(

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Its a nightmare mate, at least your ok, just keep on riding and try not to over analyse what happened, it can mess with your head and your cornering confidence!

 

Bobby

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Glad you're ok mate, that's most definitely the main thing.

 

Your bike and pride is no doubt dented, but you'll be back in no time. It's not the time of the year for any heroics, that's for sure, and everyone needs to take it very easy, bad roads, loads of scum on the surface, cold temps/tyres and ambient, is a reciepe for a trip onto the tarmac without due care.

 

We've all done it mate! ;)

 

Bullet

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Its a nightmare mate, at least your ok, just keep on riding and try not to over analyse what happened, it can mess with your head and your cornering confidence!

 

Bobby

 

Yeah I was trying to analyse what happened, but everything just points to cold tyres, cold road...

 

It was not wet at all, but that can also mask diesel spills etc, but I am just assuming that it was too cold for that lean angle... It certainly felt like I hit a slippery spot as it was at the end of the corner that I felt the bike "lean" more without any input from me... I assume that that is the sensation of losing traction... Back side never felt like it came around, and front side did not feel like it let go first either... So from what I remember, both tyres let go equally, and the bike just ended up on it's side... And me on my ass!!!

 

I rode home afterwards, and that was a bit daunting, as there were alot of questions in my head which I just pushed away until I got home... but riding today was better... No real issues, just now I know not to lean SO much when it is 2 degrees out... Even in the dry...

 

Thanks for the kind words, and support to keep it upright!!!

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Glad you're ok mate, that's most definitely the main thing.

 

Your bike and pride is no doubt dented, but you'll be back in no time. It's not the time of the year for any heroics, that's for sure, and everyone needs to take it very easy, bad roads, loads of scum on the surface, cold temps/tyres and ambient, is a reciepe for a trip onto the tarmac without due care.

 

We've all done it mate! ;)

 

Bullet

 

 

I hear ya, Bullet... Thing is, there was certainly no heroics on my part at the time... But I could have taken it easier... I was only going 20 mph though, 30 MAX... But yeah, I was taking it easy, but now I will take it very easy.

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My brother has an on-board video clip while riding his Daytona 900. Tyres were BT016 front and BT020 rear. Normal summer day here, which will say around 20C. Sunny, dry road. He had been riding briskly for some time, then backed of to a sport-touring pace. Then, very visible on the video, around a right-hander, the front just tucks and you can hear metal slams to the tarmac as the bike falls dramatically over to the side. Then, just as suddenly, the tyre grips and the bike gets back up to its previous banking angle and the ride continues as if nothing had happened. He never found the cause of it - he went back to watch, but the road surface was clean.

 

It would be hard to believe if I hadn't seen it on the video myself.

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