Damned Damp Grass

Well, "IT" happened. On my way into one of my favorite watering holes, I was pulling out around back. This place used to be a gold driving range, so there are about 50 concrete pads where the driving mats used to be, they make perfect spots for parking a bike. They also keep the area nicely mowed so riding back there and hanging out is pleasant. Pleasant untill the grass gets dew damp in the evenings...... Riding out back, around 15-20 mph, front brake, slippery grass, Ole Snort spit me off like a wad of rotton Red man.

Broken right foot peg, bent up shift lever, torn shift boot, grass in bar end mirror, bruised signal (now I know why they suggest short stalks in front), bruised shoulder, ribs and EGO. A couple of guys came out helped pick me up and dust me off...... All bikers and they ALL understand. Thanked them all, bought a round of beers and told them, "Don't try this at home".

Swoosh, you aint the only one

Body bruises and EGO are the hardest to fix, the rest may cost money, but are easy to repair.

Stay safe

Jean

steveyacht said:

Swoosh, you aint the only one

Click to expand...

Just be glad we're here to tell the tale.

On 'orrible surfaces, try to use back brake only.
Ask a trials rider.

been there, broke the right foot by sending it through the side casing on a CB450 K7 on street tyres in a wet forest, bent the peg, the bars, damaged the stops, dented the tank, missed the keg, never felt a thing, I was leaving too. That was 1974, a lifetime ago.
The first time is excusable at least from my perspective.
If it wasn't for alcohol and youth I wouldn't have many stories to tell at all.
Spend for the replacements and learn from it.
At least you haven't rode through hedges dressed in short trousers while barefoot. Jaysus Mary and Joseph don't do that, it takes weeks and weeks and weeks to recover.
NOW I NEVER EVER DRINK AND OPERATE, NEVER EVER, my reflexes are slow enough without influence. I just stay at home when I get pissed.
All the best.

At least you didn't mark or dent the newly painted tank or sidecovers.
That when it really hurts....

It wasn't my grass, honest! Maybe it was either wet or moist!

Oh ugh Steve, I've done this too many times early on til it finally soaked in that one should Never Ever Brake unless forks perfectly in line with rear going straight upright.

3rd time I did that was pulling into local bike shop full of bad ass HDs and such, all watching the cool sounding Combat pulling in to about 3 mph with foot about to set down while ever so slightly turning forks to final stopping spot and gave last bit of brake to actually stop SPLAT into THE Gravel. Yeah it took off standard vulnerable items and my ego's shine.

I just about got tossed down today, feeling mildly frisky with Trixie new good behavior brake and handling wise, so decided I could take a down hill pasture short cut, just 15-20 mph with both brakes lightly dragging till right at point to get on Gravel one lane drive where a culvert crosses for a spring branch flow ...
tall grass hid a rut that snatched front out then tossed front across path to barely save in time before front went over edge 4 ft down into rocky creek. Took about an hour for the rush and tremble tingles to settle down ok.

I'm in a conflict to always ride tame as possible or kick up heels a bit by taking unpaved or grass sections on, I feel safer on real roads but then might not have crisis reflexes to save flats or other sudden hazards.

Never ever brake in iffy conditions with the forks turned one iota out of perfect line with rear while straight up rolling. Expect some delayed side effects from the impact on neck and your own emotional muscle reactions in neck.

We should start a new subject line "Who has not crashed Yet?"

Well, I have crashed, but not been hurt yet. But there is always that possibility. Worst one was when I pulled out of a 4 way stop and the dick head in a car on my right pulled out too and hit the RS peg on my BSA B33 and knocked it over, but I was young enough to just walk off the bike. I'm waiting for the big one. I don't do yards or meadows and I'm really afraid of the front brake unless it's on smooth pavement.

Dave
69S

lost it kinda like that on my '69 Yamaha 2 stroke twin back in '76- no one was around to see it so that helped, was really just learning but had been riding a while and was getting a little cocky on an oval track we had been making out in an old field. entered the first turn too fast and tried using the front brake "just a little". Got up and was able to ride home though. Cj

Dave, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, did you learn what you did wrong? It took me a few times doing the same things wrong because it happened so fast going so slow i didn't know why, so had to get back up fix things again and see if I could figure it out. By far most these repeated event concerned just learning how to get to stable pavement. I think I caught your remark you'd hit 25 mph on THE Gravel. [One should always and forever only refer to the loose shitty stuff in great respect and awe] 25 mph is just getting up on a steerable plane, like a boat or rather a water ski. Main thing always to focus on is how little brakes work on loose stuff and how much ahead of time to be going slower that suspected you need too for maneuvers with a chance of oncoming or who knows what around the bend or over a crest. If you ever get the nack to brake 'effectively' on you know what, then pavement saves are much more likely to work out.

When I was asking about Drouin supercharger experience a decade ago a fella said he'd brought his to a rally and all eyes/ears were on him as he started it to leave, gave a good crowd please'r blip up then let the clutch out to instantly spin out on the grass and topple over...

If you ever encounter mud its always an immediate emergency state whether you realize it in time or not. Best to blast into it ballistically straight across when only applying enough power to just keep tire spinning at your speed and even slightly backing off power as you get dragged down slower or risk being spit off -or get off and walk through it messy as that may be not as much as not going fast enough to carry of through while it both floating and sinking each tire oppositely.

I was on a gravel road a month or so ago. Going really slow but grabbed the front brake, front end washed out a little. I guess riding in the dirt paid off and I quickly recovered. But the street tires are not exactly idea for loose surfaces. :mrgreen:

Steve, the stuff I'm riding for a mile to the pavement is actually mostly dirt. It's that packed crusher run that turns to mud in the rain, so there is actually very little gravel except in the center of the road, and I pretty much stay off that. None of it is deep, so it's usually easy to navigate, but for sure I don't even tempt the front brake. The ribbed speedmaster feels like marbles when it does hit a little patch and I'm not even going to try going over 25. It's one thing for the rear to break out a bit, but the front, ugh. I don't need to practice on it, I'm not going to do any other dirt roads around here, but yeah, they can grab you in a heart beat.

Dave
69S

I had the Big One about ten years ago. I was going up a set of switchbacks in the mountains and didn't see the crap in the road till it was too late. Broke my neck and my back. After about a year in rehab I got everything back except my left hand and my right foot. There was no way I could work on the Commando, or even kick it over so I got a VFR. It had a light clutch, left side shifter and linked braking so the right foot didn't have much to do. I did go through a few right side rear-view mirrors because my right foot would get hung up. Looked like the guy on Laugh In, Arte Johnson. Got it figured out and rode it twice up to Alaska, once on the Cassiar. Finally was able to finish the Commando with a modified center stand so i have some options on how to kick it over and the lightest clutch I've ever seen on a Commando. First ride was sweet, may all your accidents be minor. ATGATT

Say What? Mostly Dirt not marble/arrow head layer over cement like hard pack under, pshaw that's great traction surface to cross in good security as skip-slides stop as soon as you let off power or brake or steering. Still it ain't stable smooth pavement so still different to ride.

Swoosheroo, for THE Real Gravel, ie various size layer of marbles/arrow heads over cement like hard pack under, only full street tires work the best, same as tarmac that a tire can not cut a rut in no matter what just spin and slide on the surface. If tire can dig a rut in surface then is mostly soft delicious dirt road, pleasure to cross even if rather lumpy and rutted. Best tire for THE G- is pure non DOT super soft race slick. Grooves only help on grass and real dirt and a bit of mud.

Learn from Swoohe's almost second hard lesion NEVER EVER apply brake while forks turned and/or bike leaned no matter the surface, period end of story throw in the ole towel. If you are tending to apply brake while turning you are being set up for way more bad juju than just a fender bender. If you are applying brakes while leaning and turning its a sign you are going in too fast or not nearly fast enough. Do not find out like I have that the absolute worse state to put a bike in - is leaning and turning some and needing to brake to make the turn or avoid a road blockage suddenly revealed around the blind. If your front washes out on a fair speed turn and don't immediately crash, let go front at same time you stomp rear brake HARD to snatch a high side back up right, then get on front brake again while straight up in line. This may apply in wet conditions too.
Racers have to do this because they ride corner cripple that can't take power through turns, don't try to mimic them as they also crash a bunch trying it.

Today I practiced on Trixie's all factory brake MINUS the stupid restriction, pulled down hard form 70 and almost skipped out front in mid 30's mph so had to let off completely an instant then get back on with less squeeze. I now know my old front tire limits and about how far ahead I'd better be braking. Another little for real use of brake also happened to today, flag man in shade was unseen till barreling down about 70, then saw him with sign turned to Slow but he didn't see hear me coming till 60yd away to suddenly turn flag to STOP, ugh, sharp pull down w/o incident but not if I'd not practiced ahead of time, Surface had crumbs of asphalt to compensate for too. I do not feel competent in braking well yet ok.