Bad Things In Threes

Bad Things In Threes

So bad things DO come in threes:

0. Bought brand new Suzuki SV 650. That's the good thing.

1. Ten days later some guy pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on
the brakes. Bike goes down in avoidance. Minimal damage, some bits
snapped off. Replaced those bits and put on some frame sliders.

2. Two days later I get a screw in my rear tire after 400 miles. Well
that's life. Big freaking screw. New tire.

3. Today, on my new tire (which I know for a fact is slippery) I
accelerate out of a turn and the back wheel goes out. I rebreak some of
the bits I replaced in step 1 and grind a full inch off the frame slider,
which does it job and leaves all the shiny bits intact.

Lessons learned: Go slow and practice breaking. When done, practice
some more and some more. Scold self repeatedly.

Justin
'07 Suzuki SV650
'02 Shadow VT750DC

ps. If eight years of Aikido taught me anything, it's how to fall. I am
completely unscathed except for my ego, and that, my girlfriend tells me,
could use a bruising.

Re: Bad Things In Threes

On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 14:46:09 +0000 (UTC), "Justin" <no@spam . com > wrote:

>Lessons learned: Go slow and practice breaking.

Well, that's your problem, right there. Ya gotta practice NOT
breaking!

--
Turby the Turbosurfer

Re: Bad Things In Threes


"Justin" <no@spam . com > wrote in message
news:evdjjh$868$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> So bad things DO come in threes:
>
> 0. Bought brand new Suzuki SV 650. That's the good thing.
>
> 1. Ten days later some guy pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on
> the brakes. Bike goes down in avoidance. Minimal damage, some bits
> snapped off. Replaced those bits and put on some frame sliders.
>
> 2. Two days later I get a screw in my rear tire after 400 miles. Well
> that's life. Big freaking screw. New tire.
>
> 3. Today, on my new tire (which I know for a fact is slippery) I
> accelerate out of a turn and the back wheel goes out. I rebreak some of
> the bits I replaced in step 1 and grind a full inch off the frame slider,
> which does it job and leaves all the shiny bits intact.
>
> Lessons learned: Go slow and practice breaking. When done, practice
> some more and some more. Scold self repeatedly.
>
> Justin
> '07 Suzuki SV650
> '02 Shadow VT750DC
>
> ps. If eight years of Aikido taught me anything, it's how to fall. I am
> completely unscathed except for my ego, and that, my girlfriend tells me,
> could use a bruising.


Hmmm. sorry about the bike. But really glad that you're okay.

You should contact Dave, he could give you some pointers on how to never
crash in your life.

Thumper

Re: Bad Things In Threes

"Thumper" <roadapple@unclewebster . com > writes:

> You should contact Dave, he could give you some pointers on how to never
> crash in your life.

Or contact me to learn how to crash with dignity.

--
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An ideal world is left as an excercise to the reader.
--- Paul Graham, On Lisp 8.1

At 2.6 miles per minute, you don't really have time to get bored.
--- Pete Roehling on rec.motorcycles

I bump into a lot of veteran riders in my travels.
--- David Hough: Proficient Motorcycling

Re: Bad Things In Threes

"Thumper" <roadapple@unclewebster . com > wrote in news:zttSh.1257$3P3.719
@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink . net :

> You should contact Dave, he could give you some pointers on how to never
> crash in your life.

You could have asked the late Sheriff how to lay 'er down without causing
*any* damage to the bike what-so-ever...

--
RCOS #7
IBA# 11465
* imagesdesavions . com

Re: Bad Things In Threes

On Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:03:43 GMT, "Thumper" <roadapple@unclewebster . com > wrote:

>
>"Justin" <no@spam . com > wrote in message
>news:evdjjh$868$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
>> So bad things DO come in threes:
>>
>> 0. Bought brand new Suzuki SV 650. That's the good thing.
>>
>> 1. Ten days later some guy pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on
>> the brakes. Bike goes down in avoidance. Minimal damage, some bits
>> snapped off. Replaced those bits and put on some frame sliders.
>>
>> 2. Two days later I get a screw in my rear tire after 400 miles. Well
>> that's life. Big freaking screw. New tire.
>>
>> 3. Today, on my new tire (which I know for a fact is slippery) I
>> accelerate out of a turn and the back wheel goes out. I rebreak some of
>> the bits I replaced in step 1 and grind a full inch off the frame slider,
>> which does it job and leaves all the shiny bits intact.
>>
>> Lessons learned: Go slow and practice breaking. When done, practice
>> some more and some more. Scold self repeatedly.
>>
>> Justin
>> '07 Suzuki SV650
>> '02 Shadow VT750DC
>>
>> ps. If eight years of Aikido taught me anything, it's how to fall. I am
>> completely unscathed except for my ego, and that, my girlfriend tells me,
>> could use a bruising.
>
>
>Hmmm. sorry about the bike. But really glad that you're okay.
>
>You should contact Dave, he could give you some pointers on how to never
>crash in your life.
>
>Thumper
>


But PJ has found the only true way....

Ben

Re: Bad Things In Threes

On Apr 9, 7:46 am, "Justin" <n...@spam . com > wrote:
> So bad things DO come in threes:
>
> 0. Bought brand new Suzuki SV 650. That's the good thing.
>
> 1. Ten days later some guy pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on
> the brakes. Bike goes down in avoidance. Minimal damage, some bits
> snapped off. Replaced those bits and put on some frame sliders.

Dang! Crashing sucks Glad you're okay!

Did you put the bike down to *avoid* the wreck? Or did you just start
to
slide and high/low sided?
--
Rayvan

Re: Bad Things In Threes

Rayvan <rvannuland@cachevision . com > wrote:

: Did you put the bike down to *avoid* the wreck? Or did you just start
: to slide and high/low sided?

The brakes on my SV650 are far stronger than those on my Shadow (and I'm
not used to that) and when the guy pulled out I grabbed too much of a
handful. Then I made the standard mistake of attempting to turn at the
same time and ended up lowsiding it. So basically it was sloppiness on my
behalf in terms of how I responded.

A better biker would have either done a solid stop with no turns or
managed a good swerve with no breaking.

Justin

Re: Bad Things In Threes


"Justin" <no@spam . com > wrote in message
news:evdrsd$c9n$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> Rayvan <rvannuland@cachevision . com > wrote:
>
> : Did you put the bike down to *avoid* the wreck? Or did you just start
> : to slide and high/low sided?
>
> The brakes on my SV650 are far stronger than those on my Shadow (and I'm
> not used to that) and when the guy pulled out I grabbed too much of a
> handful. Then I made the standard mistake of attempting to turn at the
> same time and ended up lowsiding it. So basically it was sloppiness on my
> behalf in terms of how I responded.
>
> A better biker would have either done a solid stop with no turns or
> managed a good swerve with no breaking.
>
> Justin

That's what Dave would have done, I'm sure. (|;)

Thumper

>

Re: Bad Things In Threes

On Apr 9, 10:07 am, "Justin" <n...@spam . com > wrote:

> Then I made the standard mistake of attempting to turn at the
> same time and ended up lowsiding it. So basically it was sloppiness on my
> behalf in terms of how I responded.
>
> A better biker would have either done a solid stop with no turns or
> managed a good swerve with no breaking.

Braking followed by swerving is fine.

Nothing wrong with scrubbing off speed prior to
an evasive manuever. Often gives the idiot who
cut you off a chance to either stop or commit
to his turn.

Usually it's a bad idea though to try both stopping
and swerving at the same time, and that's where
I think you went wrong.

Maybe you need to practice your releasing the
brake skills.

Re: Bad Things In Threes

On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 17:07:25 +0000 (UTC), "Justin" <no@spam . com > wrote:

>Rayvan <rvannuland@cachevision . com > wrote:
>
>: Did you put the bike down to *avoid* the wreck? Or did you just start
>: to slide and high/low sided?
>
>The brakes on my SV650 are far stronger than those on my Shadow (and I'm
>not used to that) and when the guy pulled out I grabbed too much of a
>handful. Then I made the standard mistake of attempting to turn at the
>same time and ended up lowsiding it. So basically it was sloppiness on my
>behalf in terms of how I responded.
>
>A better biker would have either done a solid stop with no turns or
>managed a good swerve with no breaking.
>
>Justin

According to the Hurt report an accident was more likely when the rider had less
than 6 months (I believe) experience with his particular bike.

Ben

Re: Bad Things In Threes


"Justin" <no@spam . com > wrote in message
news:evdjjh$868$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> So bad things DO come in threes:
>
> 0. Bought brand new Suzuki SV 650. That's the good thing.
>
> 1. Ten days later some guy pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on
> the brakes. Bike goes down in avoidance. Minimal damage, some bits
> snapped off. Replaced those bits and put on some frame sliders.
>
> 2. Two days later I get a screw in my rear tire after 400 miles. Well
> that's life. Big freaking screw. New tire.
>
> 3. Today, on my new tire (which I know for a fact is slippery) I
> accelerate out of a turn and the back wheel goes out. I rebreak some of
> the bits I replaced in step 1 and grind a full inch off the frame slider,
> which does it job and leaves all the shiny bits intact.
>
> Lessons learned: Go slow and practice breaking. When done, practice
> some more and some more. Scold self repeatedly.
>
> Justin
> '07 Suzuki SV650
> '02 Shadow VT750DC
>
> ps. If eight years of Aikido taught me anything, it's how to fall. I am
> completely unscathed except for my ego, and that, my girlfriend tells me,
> could use a bruising.


First, glad you're OK, and glad you installed the sliders.

So, in a sentence, it seems the moral of your story is:

"If you don't practice braking, you may practice break-
ing".

Good luck....

Re: Bad Things In Threes

Firstly, like the others, I'm glad you weren't hurt. I think we all
recognize that that is the most important thing.

Second, whenver I hear a story like this, it reminds me that if you
spill or crash trying to avoid an accident the police and your
insurance co. don't even see it as a 'collision' because there was no
collision. The other guy can't be found at fault, because he's not
even involved, officially. I think that's really unfair, but as
Durante would say, 'Nevertheless, dem's the circumstances that
prevail.'

Third, without sounding like Dave, there is no substitute for
experience. I ride paranoid, I -expect- people to pull out in front
of me. That did happen to me once, more than 30 years ago, my only
serious accident, and for YEARS I had dreams where I was cruising down
the street and suddenly there was a big truck or a schoolbus or even a
wall blocking my path. And especially with a bike you're not
completely familiar with.

Re: Bad Things In Threes

Blazing wrote:

: Second, whenver I hear a story like this, it reminds me that if you
: spill or crash trying to avoid an accident the police and your
: insurance co. don't even see it as a 'collision' because there was no
: collision. The other guy can't be found at fault, because he's not
: even involved, officially. I think that's really unfair, but as
: Durante would say, 'Nevertheless, dem's the circumstances that
: prevail.'

It's true. In this case I felt a little guilt myself thinking perhaps I
could have done a better job of braking and/or swerving. I even told the
guy who pulled out in front of me as much. He countered that he thought
he looked but clearly did not and offered to pay 50% no questions asked.
I took him up of course.

: Third, without sounding like Dave, there is no substitute for
: experience.

Equally true. For both of these incidents I am perfectly comfortable
admitting that I could have done better. The bike is sitting covered now
waiting for the parts to come in and so this'll give me a few days to
ponder what I can do differently.

Well sort of, I've still got the other bike!

Justin
'07 Suzuki SV650
'02 Honda Shadow VT750DC

Re: Bad Things In Threes

In article <evdjjh$868$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu>, "Justin" <no@spam . com >
wrote:

> So bad things DO come in threes:
>
> 0. Bought brand new Suzuki SV 650. That's the good thing.
>
> 1. Ten days later some guy pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on
> the brakes. Bike goes down in avoidance. Minimal damage, some bits
> snapped off. Replaced those bits and put on some frame sliders.
>
> 2. Two days later I get a screw in my rear tire after 400 miles. Well
> that's life. Big freaking screw. New tire.
>
> 3. Today, on my new tire (which I know for a fact is slippery) I
> accelerate out of a turn and the back wheel goes out. I rebreak some of
> the bits I replaced in step 1 and grind a full inch off the frame slider,
> which does it job and leaves all the shiny bits intact.
>
> Lessons learned: Go slow and practice breaking. When done, practice
> some more and some more. Scold self repeatedly.

No, you've had enough practice breaking. You need to practice braking.

The other thing you need to do is find an empty parking lot and practice
figure-eights. Nice slow ones at moderate angles, then incrementally
more aggressive. This is a good way to scrub off the new-tire goo that
new-tire manufacturers insist doesn't exist.


> Justin
> '07 Suzuki SV650
> '02 Shadow VT750DC
>
> ps. If eight years of Aikido taught me anything, it's how to fall. I am
> completely unscathed except for my ego, and that, my girlfriend tells me,
> could use a bruising.

You do have good riding gear, yes?

--
Timberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com>
faq: * w w w .timberwoof . com /motorcycle/faq.shtml
It's easy to say a war is so important your neighbor should go fight it for you.