Okay, so I was going under suicide bridge in Archway a little while ago, and as I passed the speed camera I applied the front brake. I wasn’t above the speed limit, it just seemed right to slow down there, since all the other traffic did. I must have hit the front brake too hard (again?) because the bike went over on it’s right side and slid down the road for a few meters, as did I.
The damage is: Bent handle bars!, lost my right foot peg, bent in and lost the ribber grip on my right brake pedal, damaged right indicator glass. The rest is cosmetic, ie. scraped tank logo and exhaust on right side, not bothered about that.
What’s the cheapest way to get this fixed? I’m gutted about having the second crash (on my first payday at a new job ;[ ) and it makes me wonder if its worth going for a bigger bike test just yet. Maybe next time I’ll be dead
Any ideas how much I’m talking here? Gutted that I’m gonna be bikeless for a little while now It’s not rideable as it is.
Most of us do a sequential braking drill. In dry weather, apply 10% of braking force on the front brake only, then progressively squeeze the rear brake up to around 40% then the front brake.
You can vary the % depending on experience and conditions. If you tipped over on the right, rather than going head over shoulders, you probably stamped on the rear brake too hard, or hit a diesel or ice patch in the bowels of suicide arch?
It doesn’t sound too serious - it sounds more like one of those basic technique things which most riders master within a year of riding…? I don’t know how much experience you have, but provided you’re finding some way to learn (apart from crashing), either through theory or in group riding practicing etc, the greatest danger is from some cager following too close and swiping you if they aren’t minding their own distance.
The damage sounds relatively minor if you don’t mind it not being back to cosmetic shape. Third party parts and/or the forum should get it back and running. What make is your bike?
I have a spare Suzuki handle bar lying around for some reason!
the post above is spot on it, you have to watch that back brake, i remeber a couple of years ago in similar weather an idiot pulled out on me on finchley road and i braked hard i was concious of the front brake but jumped on the back and the back started to slip from side to side so i had come off it and get back on it again.
Luckily i managed to steer round the mini cab and so was shaken up but ok, its somthing i have been concious of since.
In this weather mate its almost not worth riding, the roads are so bad, salt, slush, muddy patches, diesel its just never ending.
I wouldn’t let coming off put you off, and it certainly should not put you off a bigger bike, as you get 5 days at least of intensive training with an instructor and you will learn loads over those days.
I don’t konw about others on here but i can spot people who have not got L’s on but have clearly not got there full licence just by the way which they ride and the silly mistkaes they make.
Chin up, the bike can be fixed!! And your ok so its not to bad!!
could be that the front didnt have time to load (move the weight infront) before the braking forces started. looking at your profile pic it seems to be there is little weight on the front (unlike sportsbikes for example)
what you need to be aware is that the front brakes are quite strong. if they dont have enough weight transfered on them before you start heavy breaking then they will lock and if they stay locked youll go down.
a good idea is to apply a little front (or back brake) to start the weight transfer before you start hammering on the breaks.
now if you did the above then i guess you must have hit the breaks on a white line or some diesel.
Awww, sorry to hear you had a second one… as gutting as is it remember this , its a learning curve. try to see your first bike as a learning tool, make all your mistakes so you dont make em with your next (bigger) bike.
You’ve read my threads, lol. It makes perfect sense :D:D
ive got to add that the tyres are thin and made of a shitty compound that is ment to last long,really hard and has no grip.a friend of mine had a jap 500 cruiser and he managed to lock up and crash at 10 miles an hour when some one pulled out on him the harder the tyre the longer it takes to warm up so add in wet weather and rain,well you get the idear
Sorry to hear that - I guess the main thing is that you’re ok & you didn’t hit anybody/anything else
Something I found quite useful on my old (non ABS) bike after an off due to my locking up the front wheel was only using my index finger for front braking - it results in a gradual & gentle application of the brake (rather than instinctively grabbing a fist full of brake in an emergency!) - reckon it kept me upright on quite a few occassions.
Bad news there fella, but if you weren’t going too fast, that sounds like you’ve either got to be a little smoother with your braking or your brake was jammed and it took a bit of pressure from you to get it to bite, and the sudden release of that pressure was such that it locked the brake…
If you think you were braking smoothly then I’d recommend havin someone who knows a bit about maintenance just checkin the brakes for you to see if they’re stickin at all…
Glad you survived though. Shame about the bike, but like the others are ssaying, bikes are repairable, people not so easily… better to damage the bike than you!
Bummer about the off, but you walked away again so thats good.
I was always locking the back end of my cruiser when I had one, it’s easily done, especially in this weather. Maybe it’s the way they are set up or maybe I was just too heavy with the right foot, well I obviously was, duh.
Not much more I can say that hasn’t been said. Hope you get back up and riding soon.
+1 for this book, very good techniques and drills for developing road and track skills. It covers everything from basics that we all (should) know but maybe don’t really do enough, like warming tyres and brakes before giving it the beans through to mental and physical prep for track days, though it is definitely more focused on developing road riding skills. Def worth a read.
Your rear brake is your best friend, especially on a 125 … on these small bikes the brakes tend to be a bit wooden and the front end is usually slightly less than “planted”.
Sorry about the crash but atleast you walked away from a second one. Chip up and hope the bike gets fixed soon. Lots of good advice already on braking.
Those bars are made of tin foil anyway, good riddance! I’m sure you can bend that pedal back into shape too, stick a hollow metal pole over the end and go to town with it. Indicators…pft, no one uses them anyway.
