2 most common causes for bike accidents

[Shellywoozle]

I was reading this issue of BIKE mag and read that the 2 most common causes of bike accidents are

1) due to lack of confidence in corners causing riders to run wide and ultimately run off road or hit oncoming traffic

2) Poor overtakes

It has a nice image of a rider sliding across the road....not !

The write up on what commonly happens on corners is spot on, it bought back my "off" (back in Aug) as it says word for word what I did and I realised how common a mistake it can be. I am now doubting if I will ever ride again, I don't know why it has put the panic back in me, maybe it was looking at the photo and seeing me on the road. I even went out in my car last night on some windy roads which I usualy nail and I was so slow (I am an advanced driver too).

I have not been able to get back on my bike due to physical issues and wont be able to for maybe another 6 months but am worried they will turn into mental issues. Anyone had these problems and overcome them?

[ASM-Forever]

Its natural to be apprehensive about riding after an off. The key is to just go out and push through it. When i think about my last crash i still feel slightly physically sick. You move on though.....

Pick a nice day and go out for a bimble by yourself.

[laptraffic]

I've been there myself...Sheared all the ribs off my spine on the left side / collapsed lung / broken shoulder.
Once your completely healed just take your time getting back into it. Take a short trip to the store and back, or just a 5 minute cruise on a familiar road. Hesitation and panic are certainly your enemy just before an accident, and can be a huge hurdle to overcome afterward. Everyone has their respective pace on getting back into the "groove". Find yours...relax....breathe...and carry my best wishes along with you:crutches:

[Beenz]

Shelly, when (not if I hope) you're back on a bike, ride with another person (or two) and learn from the lines that they take round bends. Think what you're doing whilst riding and not just following them which is so easilly done. Also consider one of the Bike Safe courses run by the Police. None of us stop learning.

Practice and it'll start to click into place. It did for me anyway.

[sv-robo]

Had a bad off years ago(broken neck,arm,hand)the vicar even read the last rites over me as they thought i was a goner,then when i pulled through they did'nt know if i'd walk again.
Eventually after many month's it all came good and through some of the darkest times i questioned myself if i would ride again.As soon as i was half fit again i gt straight on my dad's bike (mine was still trashed)and rode,basically i did this because i knew the longer i left it the harder it might be.Iwas brought up with bike's so it has always been in the blood to ride..yes it took a bit of time to get full confidence back but i knew it's what i wanted to do.

I'm sure if it's something you enjoy you will be back on(i hope)just start steady and get your confidence back in yourself and the bike and all will be well.hth

Good luck.

[Shellywoozle]

thanks guys .... i know it makes sense just gotta get over the feeling sick stage.

I am going to go out with a mate who does Bikesafe, he will show me where I am going wrong. It's not my road position or reading the limit point, as a police driver I got taught that as basics, it's learning not to decelerate in a bend and having the confidence in getting round.

I will conquer it :)

[K]

You could maybe consider getting a cheapo 125 to ease you back in. It'll be much lighter to handle, so it's unlikely to make you feel like it's draggin you around and more likely to make you feel like you really are the one in control.
Just an idea.

[Stig]

Anyone had these problems and overcome them?

Me. :smt039

As most know. I crashed into a barrier causing rather massive injuries. When it was time to get back on the bike again (about 6 months), I was very nervous. To the point that I felt physically sick. I was lucky in that I had a very good experienced friend with me on that day. For the next few months after getting back on the bike I rode round like a novice.

I even nearly crashed again at a roundabout which my granny never having ridden a bike before could have got round. It got close to the point where I thought about giving up the game. I was obviously not going to get my confidence back. I gave it until a couple of months more, waiting for the good weather before making my final decision to stop riding. Over those two months I started riding better. The weather started to improve and my confidence grew.

I now don't look back. But I do still carry injury, and every time I get 'enthusiastic' and a little bit wild, I remember how much it hurts and how much I was very nearly not here any more. That keeps me in check and my riding at a more sensible level.

give it some time, and get someone you trust to come with you for a while. Stick with it a while and see how you get on. The weather at the moment does not do much for confidence building. See what your like when the good warm and dry weather arrives.

I'm sure you'll be fine by then. :wink:

[ThEGr33k]

I hope you get into it ok. I was lucky-ish in that my accident wasnt really my fault so I wasnt too nervous about my ability, though I still get a little apprehensive before a ride...

Best thing imo is to get out there and ride. If you dont soon you never will. Once you are out on the bike again then you will start to ease back in and should gain a little confidence.

Yes try not to lose speed in corners, If you must dont hit the brakes hard, try not to use the front mid corner, puts too much pressure on the front.

Just get out even if you have to ride like a girl :p

[scooby]

Hi Shelley. I gues many of us have dark memories.Perhaps this helps in some way.Late last year I came back to biking having not ridden for some 20 years, the memories of my serious accident makes me a causious if not nervous rider. But now I enjoy the thrill of motorcycling once more. and so will you. Little by little you will rebuild your confidence,It is possible, most people who have had a big off understand exatley how you are feeling. Just do it your way . On your own or with friends. Only you will know your comfort level and if that means just sitting on a bike again then thats a start. Help is there if you want it there are some great folks in the 'org'.Things can only get better. Best of luck sweetheart stay posative you will get there;) hope to see you out n about soon.

[DanAbnormal]

Hmm. Interesting. I read an article sometime last year stating that cars pulling out of junctions was the cause of the most bike accidents. I think bad cornering was 2nd. Either way get yourself back on the road and the confidence will come.

[skidmarx]

why not start with a track day? Get a feel for what your bike can do in a corner in a relatively safe place BEFORE you hit the road\\:D/

[dizzyblonde]

hmmmm, on a quick think trip around friends or my partner that has had accidents 99% of them were caused by car drivers.......now remember Melody when she came off?? She was a bag of nerves after her accident, and, we all pulled together and got her back on the road, riding down the road flanked by 3 of us, she soon became a little more comfy
I rode in front of her, and at first ever ytime I looked in my mirror all I could see was her visor steamed up because she was stressing so much. After a ride around yorkshire for a few hours, with yet more of the org, she was buzzing....in fact she was still attached to the ceiling when I rang her later in the evening.
I had to put on a real brave face when i hit that deer last year, seeing that from behind, never mind me would have put anybody off for life...now its just a running joke between friends....but for the entire AR I was looking in bushes for the next one to try flattening me...I sh11t me pants. TBH I never have beeen as confident since and have days where i'm just not liking it. I'm going through a patch at the mo...but don't tell everyone!!!!

I'm sure with a little time you will decide when your ready and there will be a queue of folk to help you.

[Paul the 6th]

sorry to hear about your off shell, a bit off topic but I had a car smash a few years ago and was off the road for a while - was really apprehensive about driving again but when I did get behind the wheel, I took it one step at a time to rebuild my confidence and it all came back over time. The worst bit was being off the road having time to think about everything, losing my independence, mainly psychological things. It's quite natural to think and question the way you are, but like everyone else has said "one step at a time" and "do it your way".

[sinbad]

You can't force yourself to feel differently about something. If you remember the fun you've had whilst riding in the past, the good times, and are still filled with dread, or totally lacking motivation to take it up again, then don't.

If you truly love it, then eventually the motivation will return, but don't force it imo. I for one will never tell anyone to get on a bike if they don't really want to or have doubts. Some may say the longer you leave it the harder it will be, but I don't go along with that. If it does get harder then you're probably better off away from it. Do what feels right. Do not pressure yourself into getting back on or allow anyone else to pressure you, however indirectly.

[Wayluya]

I think these can be summed up with the phrase "Poor Judgement".

Not meant as a flame to anyone - been there and done that myself many a time........especially at the beginning of my learning curve......where it was easy to confuse speed and good fortune with skill and judgement - simply from the fact of not crashing / not crashing badly / not being dead.

I'm still here more from luck than good judgement or skill.......but IMO yer only start to realise this with experiance (and age? old age??!!).

But I do wish I still felt immortal :( :)

[Blue_SV650S]

I am surprised that oil/diesel/gravel didn't score high ..

As for people having an off and this making them scared, I see that as perfectly natural ... it is because your brain is wired correctly... fear is a way of preventing ourselves form getting hurt!!

If you have had an off and now you are scared to ride a bike, and you don't NEED to ride a bike, then why ride a bike? :scratch:

Why force yourself to get back in the saddle?? :scratch:

Bikes were/are a hobby right? ... Just get a new hobby!! :smt069 8)

If then at a future date you get fed up with knitting, and feel a yearning from within to get a bike again, then do so!! .. What is all the fuss about? If someone told me I gotta do something I didn't want to do (that I didn't HAVE too), I'd kick them in the knackers!! :D

[Shellywoozle]

Thanks you guys for youre advice and support. I think BIKE mag was trying to get at rider error style accidents as it was then plugging training. It was a good article of which I may do this training they are on about, not a trackday but on a track, sounds usefull.

I so so so want to get back on my bike, I don't feel forced, Everytime I see a biker I feel envious, every time the sun comes out I think I could go for a ride if my arm was mended. So I know I want to do it. Some kind orger has already had me as pillion, I cringed in the corners but I trusted them and it did help, I was smiling so much at the end of it.

It's probably a good thing I can't ride at the mo cause I am that tense I will make an error but I am going to do it the slow way. Take a bimble around my estate then home. Go to the next estate then home .... it'll take longer to put me kit on than it will the ride but that way I will smile and feel good and build up bit by bit.

Fank you guys xxx

[Blue_SV650S]

...

I so so so want to get back on my bike, I don't feel forced, ..

Ah, in that case, get out there and do it 8)

Is it busy where you live?

It might be an idea to get a friend (or a van/trailer if you don't have any mates - like me!! :D) to get the bike out to a bit more of a deserted area (if you are really timid, how about a deserted supermarket carpark/industrial estate out of hours?). You can then go as fast or slow as you like without the pressure and danger of other road users/pedestrians until you get a bit more confident!! 8)

[Stig]

If you have had an off and now you are scared to ride a bike, and you don't NEED to ride a bike, then why ride a bike? :scratch:

Why force yourself to get back in the saddle?? :scratch:

Bikes were/are a hobby right? ... Just get a new hobby!! :smt069 8)

If then at a future date you get fed up with knitting, and feel a yearning from within to get a bike again, then do so!! .. What is all the fuss about? If someone told me I gotta do something I didn't want to do (that I didn't HAVE too), I'd kick them in the knackers!! :D

Through all the time that I was re-learning how to ride again, the only thing that frustrated me was my lack of ability to shake the confidence thing. Not at anytime did I think, this is not for me and I don't want to do it*. I just got to a stage when I thought no matter how much I am practising, I can't go round corners because of the fear of crashing again.

It seems quite clear to me that Shelly is in the same position. She obviously wants to continue but can't lose the fear factor.

*My initial thoughts were never to ride again, but that was very early stages of recovery when I didn't even know if I would be able to.

[kwak zzr]

*My initial thoughts were never to ride again

i think this is how we all feel after a spill i know i did for maybe 3 months, once the mending process of the body takes place you start to forget and just want to get on again, will shell's case her arm/shoulder is being a bugger to fix so this is still prob playing on her mind with her not having fully recovered yet or not got good strength back in the arm, I'm sure when your arm is a little better shell you confidence will come back, with short confidence building rides you know me and cuz will ride with you at your pace, don't try and keep up with faster riders and just do you own thing.:thumleft:

[I'm_a_Newbie]

I had an off on my 125 a couple of years ago. I wasn't injured luckily. After this I was very rigid and acting scared of the bike in bends. This made things worse and I was very slow. Over time my confidence grew and I began to relax again. The only time I get a bit tense now is in the wet after it hasn't rained for a while.

Just take it easy and confidence will grow again.

Tim.

[ThEGr33k]

Some kind orger has already had me as pillion, I cringed in the corners but I trusted them and it did help, I was smiling so much at the end of it.

TBH I wouldnt worry about that too much. I hate it on the back of bikes now. ;) I cringe also.... feel like your leaning more than when your actually riding... Not nice.

[plowsie]

After my second off on my first SV I nearly highsided 2 days later ended up catching me footon the wheel, I went straight home parked it up on the drive threw the keys at my garage wall, punched the wall a few times cos i thought to myself is there ever going to be anything I am good at...I moved house got the bike back out, used it a bit, got a can grinned, still wasn't a 100%. Then I went out with this looney bunch of people from this website called SV650.org on a weekend out that they call their Annual Rideout, on the first day just getting to camp I was buzzing :D Went out in the morning on the second day with this guy on a orrible looking pointy thing, i refered to him as Baph or Dave, he cured my wet riding woes and dry riding woes, he was very patient but very helpful, giving me words of wisdom, then i found out he had only been riding a few months more than me.

What I'm saying shell is get yerself out with peeps near you like Kwak and Cuz if they are willing to help, ask them to guide you about nicely, it will help you.

[Shellywoozle]

Fanks folks and yup Plowsie Kwak and Cuz are gonna wish they never offered to help. You guys are all great and today I feel like a little bimble, just wish I could.

Going to give Zuky a good clean in the week, and get me back in love with her.

[kwak zzr]

Fanks folks and yup Plowsie Kwak and Cuz are gonna wish they never offered to help

Asif lol :p

[Shellywoozle]

Asif lol :p

:kiss: fankoo :smt023:riding:

[Baph]

Went out in the morning on the second day with this guy on a orrible looking pointy thing, i refered to him as Baph or Dave, he cured my wet riding woes and dry riding woes, he was very patient but very helpful, giving me words of wisdom, then i found out he had only been riding a few months more than me.

What I'm saying shell is get yerself out with peeps near you like Kwak and Cuz if they are willing to help, ask them to guide you about nicely, it will help you.

Enough of that you. :mad: (NB, those few months were a considerable distance :p )

Shell, I can only re-iterate what others have said above, just take your time, you'll get back to it when you're good & ready.

One thing to think abotu when you do start getting back in the saddle, is that there's 2 ways to build confidence. Either 1) follow someone else & then you start thinking "well, they made is, so I can too" - usually helps if folks are unsure of lines etc, but may help in your case looking out for traffic etc. Or 2) Ride in front of other people & make your own way, knowing that the other rider(s) are looking out for anything coming up behind you. This way can lead to feelings of "god, I'm holding them up, I should pull over & let them get on with it".

I've done both styles of "leading" and it's always the preference of the person that wants encuragement that fits best :)

That said, if you find yourself riding around North Wales (with/without your other partners in crime), consider the offer open for a ride around :) Confidence building or not!