Caught out...nearly first off

[Trox]

Got back from work today about 430pm, thought I'd go for a short ride (I've done this little course a few times now, those that know the area, cordeaux, up mount keira Rd, accross and down Mt Kembla Rd then home), anyway coming down Mt Kembla took a left corner, recollected the road wrong, thought it was a straight out of the corner but went to a right turn . At this point I'm not experienced enough to transition that well and was going too quick to be able to transition without going wide....well going wide off the narrow road u r straight in to leaves and grass and about another metre at the most is a rolling drop with trees immediately, needless to say my thoughts at this point I tried to in the transition apply as much brake as I could before having to begin the RH corner as a result I was late in cornering and still going to quick, as i knew there was grass a leaves figured it would be extra slippery so thought I would try a get a little more upright...no good, end up running wider (on to the leaves and grass), in a fluster applied brakes again (lightly)....another bad idea, it was at this point that I had lost a lot of control of my bike, it was sliding just about to hit the deck...natural reaction was to throw my right leg out to stop me from falling, I think lucky it didn't snap and actually helped me up, now back end sliding all over the place.....ah sudden realisation my foot is back on the brake, release, no more slide action, take off, wonder what the people in the car behind me thought of the whole thing

Lessons Learnt (experienced please correct me);
1.Don't brake in a corner, yes i know this is obvious but it's a natural reaction and needs to be corrected, yes brake b4 the corner but like I said I wasn't expecting the right hand corner, would have been fine if it was straight out of the left.
2.KNOW THE ROAD WITHOUT DOUBT if you plan on taking a corner at a speed that requires less speed for sequencing to an opposite corner(wasn't speeding but going too fast for my ability...like I said lesson learnt)
3.Perhaps refrain from putting your leg down (snAP?! next time )
4.I'm thinkin I would have been better off leaning over more a giving some throttle??? (I know it can lean more than what I had it but am still learning that)

and it all happened so quick but in slow mo at the same time, I'm pretty sure that's how it happened

Stoked the bike and I didn't get a scratch (the joint in the top of my right leg has a slight ache)

Take it easy fellow learners, know your ability, know/learn your roads, wear protection. Never a rider that couldn't be thrown!

[Trox]

After thought....limits need to be pushed (maybe on the track though..with full protection and people around )

[marksesh]

glad your ok. dont worry there will be pleanty more oh shit moments to come my friend. as long as you learn from the mistake. I'm still getting use to my 600 again after being on the 250 for 12 months. Rode the 600 for 3 years then back to the 250. I must admit i really miss it. enjoy the light bike the bigger the bike the worse those moments are.

[tim]

Here's a few points to work on.

When you go on your rides work on starting wide and finishing tight on EVERY CORNER! In the process of doing this try to tip in and apex (the most inside point of your corner) reasonably late, which will help you avoid running wide on the exit. Combine this with keeping your eyes up to feed your brain as much information as you can and you should be well on your way to Fixing up what may have caused your roller coaster ride.

After that I'd say do some reading (twist of the wrist2 or sport riding techniques) or get some training.

If you can take a good clear pic if your rear tyre and post it up here we can tell you how much more you can confidently lean.

[the kid]

A bit of Number 4 .
Don't let your head go straght to panic mode and run wide , keep telling yourself it will go round , and it will suprise you .

[matt1414]

Well done that you can review the incident and evaluate where you went wrong. That's what learning is all about. Glad you didn;t get hurt.

[Strika]

The error, was not how you took the turn, the error was in how far ahead your eyes were scanning. When learning, you become very interested in the here and now. What is that different coloured surface?? Is it gravel? is that a pothole? Is that some leaf litter? Will I make this corner I am in now? What was that movement of the bike??? was it a slip? was it a bump? was it a cats eye? or even an undulation? All these questions roll around inside your head, distracting you from looking further ahead.

A certain forum member once had a go at me for passing them around the outside of what they thought was a blind left hand hairpin. The difference was, that I was riding so far within my limits, that I had already scanned the next three bluffs on the mountain and knew there was no traffic coming and no vehicles in that section. There were probably 5-7 turns I had scanned ahead prior to making the pass. It is because, I had complete confidence at the pace I was riding, which created more head space for me to review and plan for what was coming.

The rest of your experience would not have occured without a lack of forward vision.

[dilligaf]

what strika said. its why he's so quick

good you didn't come off. how are the jocks?

ps they teach corner braking in some training courses

learn about limit points' heaps of stuff on the web

[Nelso]

Lessons Learnt (experienced please correct me);
1.Don't brake in a corner, yes i know this is obvious but it's a natural reaction and needs to be corrected, yes brake b4 the corner but like I said I wasn't expecting the right hand corner, would have been fine if it was straight out of the left. You can brake in corners but it is an advanced skill that you won't be able to do in an emergency situation while you are learning. You will need to learn this skill and practice it before you can rely on it so for now keep your speed at a level you know you can get through the corner with
2.KNOW THE ROAD WITHOUT DOUBT if you plan on taking a corner at a speed that requires less speed for sequencing to an opposite corner(wasn't speeding but going too fast for my ability...like I said lesson learnt) Pick your speed according to what you can see, avoid target fixation and keep looking through the corner when things go wrong. The above posts will help you with this.
3.Perhaps refrain from putting your leg down (snAP?! next time ) Trust that the tyres will stick if you lean the bike further and countersteer more. It's not a dirt bike so keep your feet on the pegs and lean more.
4.I'm thinkin I would have been better off leaning over more a giving some throttle??? (I know it can lean more than what I had it but am still learning that) Yes

and it all happened so quick but in slow mo at the same time, I'm pretty sure that's how it happened That's how all accidents that you can remember feel. Time slows as you look for a soft spot to land. It's much better to remain in control and not have this "oh shit" moment.

Stoked the bike and I didn't get a scratch (the joint in the top of my right leg has a slight ache) Just be thankful that this lesson wasn't a painful one and learn from it.

Take it easy fellow learners, know your ability, know/learn your roads, wear protection. Good advice. Remember that stupid hurts.

If you want, I could catch up for a few short runs some afternoons over that loop and I can show you a few things that might help. I'm only in Unanderra and get home just after 4 and have a couple of weekday afternoons free.

[marksesh]

Trox were you at kiama blowhole today with a ZZR600?? I was on the yellow Yammy.

[Trox]

If you want, I could catch up for a few short runs some afternoons over that loop and I can show you a few things that might help. I'm only in Unanderra and get home just after 4 and have a couple of weekday afternoons free.

Thanks Nelso, I would really appreciate that . Unfortunately I usually get home just after 5 and am working the next 2 weekends. I'm thinking I might put in for a couple annual leave days this week though. Thanks for the comments as well, I will take them on board.

what strika said. its why he's so quick

good you didn't come off. how are the jocks?
yeh not too bad

ps they teach corner braking in some training courses

learn about limit points' heaps of stuff on the web

I checked them out 2day during a bit of down time but too many distractions so I will check them out now and have a look at what else I can find.

Thanks Strika and the rest of you.

After that I'd say do some reading (twist of the wrist2 or sport riding techniques) or get some training.
I will be doing both!

If you can take a good clear pic if your rear tyre and post it up here we can tell you how much more you can confidently lean.

Any luck it will be light enough tomorrow when I get home and Ill take a pic.

[Trox]

Trox were you at kiama blowhole today with a ZZR600?? I was on the yellow Yammy.

Nah not me, I was at work today (all day all I could think about was the fact that I knew u guys were out riding and I wasn't ) and have a black 250R (on my L's).

[Chitchats]

Live and learn,

congrats on the save.

Ride safe

[marksesh]

Trox were you at kiama blowhole today with a ZZR600?? I was on the yellow Yammy.

Nah not me, I was at work today (all day all I could think about was the fact that I knew u guys were out riding and I wasn't ) and have a black 250R (on my L's).

Yeh was the same as yours, the other guy was on the ZZR. sorry you missed the day.

[Dafuzz31]

yep we are go through those experiences....very scary at the time....dropping a couple gears before the corner can help....just not to many