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| Tips & Training Riders new and old can always learn. Share and experience ideas for making motorcycling safer and more enjoyable here! |
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09-25-2006, 12:44 PM
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| Found second gear by accident  Join Date: Feb 2006
Bike: 06' C50 (Blue/Gray)
Location: Richmond, Va
Posts: 327
|  Back To The Parking Lot (Drawing Board)
Had a close call this morning that I thought I would share. I was on the interstate for my normal morning commute, traffic was moving ok (the usual 65-85 mph variance depending on merging traffic & smooth straight stretches of road), nothing out of the ordinary, when up ahead, from the passing lane (the road had a slight arc to the left here), I saw a line of brake lights. I still don’t know what the cause of the slow down was (not a normal occurrence), but traffic came to a complete stop before getting back up to about 30 – 35 mph when all of a sudden traffic again came to an abrupt halt. The road here was straight and I could not see past the SUV in front of me. I thought I had enough distance between us, but I was wrong. I estimate being 15 yards from the SUV when the brake lights came on. I know there was brief hesitation on my part before braking to see if it was going to be just a momentary tap on the brakes, but when I realized this wasn’t the case, I had to brake hard. While I was trying to stop, I knew I didn’t have enough room before hitting the SUV so I chose a path to the left over the rumble strips. I ended up stopping with the whole front tire past the SUV’s bumper. On a pucker factor from 1-10, I’d rate it a 4+, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to crash because I had enough room to go around the SUV, but I felt like an idiot for not being more aware of the surroundings and better prepared for action. And to add insult to it all, I stopped in 3rd gear and stalled it. I was so focused on braking and choosing an escape route I failed to pull in the clutch and downshift. I ended up having to start back out in 2nd gear as traffic started moving almost immediately after I stopped. So like the title states, it’s back to the parking lot for me, and I think I’ll start off with some quick stop drills. As a general rule, I allow 1 car length of distance for each 10 mph increase in speed. In a car it has worked for me, but apparently it is not enough for me on the C-50. Thanks for listening… |
