[Unknown]

I am a brand new motorcycle rider and crashed my brand new bike just a few days of having her.

I admit I felt like I caught the hang of riding a motorcycle pretty fast and so I was pretty cocky of my skills. I was focused on the road in front of me not looking ahead, riding faster than i should have been, all of a sudden a pretty sharp left turn appeared in front of me. I tried to turn left into the turn but i felt as if the bike would not turn left no matter how hard i was turning but in reality i was probably scared of turning too hard, so I started looking at where I was going to crash if I didn't turn more. It all happened in slow motion. next thing I knew I accepted I could not turn more left and accepted i was going to go down and went off the road and crashed. luckily it was not a situation where i was gonna get hit by oncoming traffic or a stationary object, it was just gravel.

After the accident i did a lot of research on riding and also reading around here it looks like its called target fixation and the lesson learned is to:
-pay attention and look ahead
-as some other people mentioned, look where you want to go and not where you will crash to avoid target fixation
-i also started to look at some youtube videos on turning and found out about counter steering and started to practice that and that definitely seems like it allows for better turns

stay safe everyone

 

[NoQu4rt3r]

Ouch!...Looks mostly cosmetic though. Hope you're alright! Keep practicing and maybe get a safety course in under your belt! It's been 5 years now for me and I don't regret it one bit, looking to do the advanced one actually, they help!

 

[3th3r]

Heal fast and repair cheaply.
And remember next time that it's more effective to do your research before embarking on a new endeavour.

 

[ahakanc90]

Well you still have a bike you can ride, consider yourself lucky

 

[Sage]

Well you still have a bike you can ride, consider yourself lucky

This x1000 haha
Hope you're not injured!

 

[abvc]

Dont take your concentration off while riding, this is important. I had a crash too, was too emotional, however i pushed myself more so i didnt hit the mountain wall

 

[AussieR3]

Glad you are ok, hate to here of people crashing.

 

[derfernerf]

It's a long, and really lame video, but the film "twist of the wrist" is a pretty informative video in regards to riding tips. Since you mentioned you were watching YouTube videos, I would recommend that one.

Glad you made it out ok! Just remember there are 2 kinds of riders: Those that have gone down, and those going down. It's a part of riding. Get that bike fixed up and get back out there!

 

[SLO]

Twist of the wrist has a lot of good info.... Since your mentioning you just found out about counter-steering and looking through a turn, sounds like you haven't taken the MSF course? If not, just a suggestion to take it.

Sounds like you came out of it without injuries which is good. Still a tough lesson but glad things didn't turn out for the worse.

 

[Capn Kirk]

riding faster than i should have been,...

and the lesson learned is to:
-pay attention and look ahead
-as some other people mentioned, look where you want to go and not where you will crash to avoid target fixation
-i also started to look at some youtube videos on turning and found out about counter steering and started to practice that and that definitely seems like it allows for better turns

stay safe everyone

1st - Glad your OK.

I have to point out that your lesson learned did not include the most important fact that you told in your story! Had you been riding at a safe speed and riding your skill level, you would not have wrecked in this scenario.

Speed is one of the most important factors in riding a motorcycle. Speed is time. The faster you go, the less time you have to make decisions and execute to get the physics of the motorcycle to do what you need it to do.

Ride Safe!

 

[willswheels]

I started motorbiking on a Vespa scooter back in 1961 - the extent of my training was when the dealer pushed it out on to the sidewalk and said, "Here you go!". I moved into motorcycles, then into roadracing in the late sixties. At my favorite track I could eat up most everybody in my class, but in this S turn, everybody would pass me. I asked other riders why and no one seemed to know the answer. I quit riding in the mid-seventies and took it up again about five years ago. To renew my license, I took the free safety course offered in Pennsylvania. To make a long story short, on the first day of the riding part of the course, I discovered I NEVER LEARNED to ride a motorcycle and in a flash, I realized why I couldn't take that turn fast - if I knew then what I know now!! I think I learned more about riding in eight hours than I did in decades on the road. DON'T ASSUME - TAKE A SAFETY COURSE!

 

[K.O]

Since most reasons for getting better training have already been covered I thought I'd throw in a little-known fact (at least in CA); if you've taken the MSF course within the last 3 years, you get a discount on your insurance. Of course everyone's insurance is different based on many factors, but it's equal to a 'good drivers discount'; which, if you have been a good driver you'll get that too!

 

[Texas250]

I didn't see it mentioned: Countersteering. Which way did you turn the bars? To turn left, you push the left bar up, basically turning the bars to the right, and the cycle will lean to the left. You can't make a sharp turn without the countersteer. It's one of the first things you learn in the MSF Basic course. If you haven't taken one yet, it would be my next order of business. I'm glad your not injured and good luck man.

 

[YamahaR3]

Man there are a lot of people wrecking lately. All these newbies that think they have riding a motorcycle licked after riding for a few hundred miles or months. After a decade on two wheels I'm STILL learning every time I get on the bike.

 

[AussieR3]

Twist of the wrist has a lot of good info.... Since your mentioning you just found out about counter-steering and looking through a turn, sounds like you haven't taken the MSF course? If not, just a suggestion to take it.

Sounds like you came out of it without injuries which is good. Still a tough lesson but glad things didn't turn out for the worse.

Took my R3 up the mountian today, first time for me. I spoke to a rider and he told be of a book called Twist of the Wrist.

 

[Onebadscot]

I've been riding for 30+ years. You never stop learning period! I saw 3 post that mention Keith Codes Twist of the Wrist, buy it, read it, practice it, and then read it again. I don't work for the guy really lol but I have bought 3 books and given them away to new riders. Wish I had one in the 80's. Another point OP, having had many bikes the little bikes are the most fun and most forgiving. Your accident on a liter bike could of been 10x worse. I get blasted a lot on other forums, but you really don't need any more bike. I thought nothing would top my ex250 till I got the R3. Next time buy sliders the day after you get your new bike, my 2 cents.

 

[YamahaR3]

Yea I mean I had a 400cc bike and I DOWNGRADED to a 300. Nobody needs a bike that's faster than 0-60 in 5 seconds and tops out at 115.

 

[stampde]

Yea I mean I had a 400cc bike and I DOWNGRADED to a 300. Nobody needs a bike that's faster than 0-60 in 5 seconds and tops out at 115.[/QUOTE
SURE YOU DO !!!

 

[SunGawd]

Unknown...

Good to hear you’re okay. As I read the Posts, I feel your fellow riders telling you to ‘crawl’ before you ‘walk’ and walk a while before you ‘run’. I think the MSF class, was a good start to my crawl. I am not OCD, but here’s how I am going about becoming a motorcyclist.

Every ride I attempt to improve my skill set. This includes lane positioning, proper braking before turns and traffics lights. Scanning for inattentive drivers, etc. I record my rides in a journal; it’s not a tedious process, and it helps me reflect on how skills are progressing. Every Sunday, I go to my favorite parking lot and practice ‘quick stops’ and ’escape swerves’. Every ride I talk myself through every phase…primarily not to surprise myself and ride deliberate. My apologies, if this post seems preachy. Just want my fellows R3ers to ride safe mechanically and mentally.

 

[Unknown]

I forgot I posted this but I have now got my motorcycle license from the MSF course. If I took the MSF course before the crash I am almost positive I would not have crashed or dropped the bike as much as I have.