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#1 |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Gidgegannup, Western Australia
Posts: 140
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Bummer.
Riding down a bush track (not some Iraq threat here, guys) and the bike in front (wife) stops suddenly. Stick caught up in the mechanics..... So I have just launched off the end of a rock, and am in mid air. Hear a skidding sound. Bike in front suddenly closing rapidly @ 10 foot, because I am doing 25 Kph through the air and they have stopped. Thinks (the mind is now in overdrive) "do NOT brake until you hit the ground" So ......I don't. ...................Bum well back because I was crossing a large rock. Hit ground, squeeze brakes. Front tyre skids a bit. OK. Fingetip ABS all under control. Front tyre skids a bit....then WHAM....back wheel comes up...and it gets easier and easier as it rises...nowhere to go....bike in front's rear end.. .tree.. .bush..ow..hmmm an expedition into the bush or fall.. ..fall. Bush is shrubs and rocks and .......I would fall anyway.... so fall into a nice soft bush. Avoid the rear end of the next bike. Metal etc. Could hurt. Can't let brake off, or I will _meet_ the back of the next bike. Turn wheel under brakes, while actually travelling on only that wheel. Fall into bush. Looking back, I can actually ID my thoughts, althougfh my reasons were more complex. At the time, it was "Over the top. Do not pass the bike in front. Do not pass go. Do not collect $100. hmmm nice green bushes...Hit ground" <G>. But I did not get any scratches, and did avoid the bike in front. Again, from this and my other accidents in the past, the mind and body can do amazing things. Injured pride. Not much else. But it was a new experience. I can only think that I was still well up off the saddle after crossong the rock, which raises my COG even though it's well back. I tried again further down the track (which was again very rough, and needed bum out of saddle), and managed to lift the back 1-2 ft off the ground with surprising ease (all this was downhill). This time I was ready. Do folk practice front wheelies to prevent disaster (and there is the pizzazz factor on there)? Or do we assume "this will not happen to me"? |
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#3 | |
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Gidgegannup, Western Australia
Posts: 140
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Quote:
It _was_ enough room until I was in midair, and the "lead" stopped suddenly... If I ride in front of my wife I have to keep stopping to wait, so often I let her set the pace. This time I had stopped myself, so I could belt down this particular piece of track, and catch her up as we started to climb again. I had it all timed so nicely <G> I have been giving the situation some thought (as you do after making a fool of yourself like that). Everything would have been OK, except that because I was standing up for the fly over the rock, I guess I raised my weight, and that will cause a flip. Or I hit a hollow in the ground. I had washed off most of my speed, so until that moment I guess my braking had been ok. |
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