Wipeouts question.

[jwalz1]

I am looking for scooters but don't yet have the motorcycle license.

I plan to wear an Arai helmet, gloves, armor jacket, high tops and jean at a minimum when riding. I am also not buying it to commute on, just go for a ride now and then and run short errands on mostly 40 mph and lower roads during dry daylight hours only.

I have been reading Proficient Motorcycling before my MS course and don't really plan to be a hot rodder. I might gun it in a straight line once in a while but will most likely be pretty sedate in corners. If I wanted a sport bike, I'd probably buy a sport bike.

Ok......I finally am getting to my question(s).

After reading lots of these threads and some on motorcycle boards about high sides and low sides and the like, I am not really worried about getting hit so much as just wiping out.

I have seen to many people post "my helmet saved me on more than one occasion" and so on an so forth. I think I am getting paranoid about patches of grease-covered icy sand everywhere, but my only experience on rental mopeds riding around Hawaii was nothing but a feel of a very planted stable machine.

So those of you that have wiped out, was the cause rider error? Were you doing something stupid? Going way too fast, or have you had wipeouts due to something like sand that you were not aware of?

I take the safety aspect seriously and basically I don't EVER want to experience dropping the bike, and won't be out in traffic much without lots of practice on proper cornering, delayed apexes to be safe, and plenty of practice panic stops. Why do I have this paranoia that the thing is just eventually going to slide out from under me?

So those who have had a spill please elaborate, and those that have ridden for years without one, feel free to chime in.

I have an high powered, modified sports car, and except for letting it rip in a straight line when nobody is around (or to get away from an aggravating idiot) I don't go near the limits in that and I feel perfectly safe in it because I don't really take risks or push it. I used to 10 years ago, but am just not into risk anymore. Is it rational to think if I drive responsibly I will still lay it down? If I am just into lazy non-aggressive cornering with decent technic, is there any reason to be worried about high sides and low sides?

Gracias

(Bikes I am looking at are Sym RV,Kymco Downtown 300i and Yager)

[inuyasha]

Hi
Your off to a great start, protective gear is your no 1 priority
Learning how and when to use your brakes effectively is the key to avoiding most accidents imho
Also be aware of your surroundings at all times and try to have a way out or contingency plan in case things go south
Heres an invaluable guide for those new to scooters
www.motor-scooters-guide.com/support-files/scooter-driving-tips.pdf
Take care and drive safely
Yours Hank

[klaviator]

I've been riding 30+ years and around 400,000 miles. I have gone down 4 times on the street and too many to keep track of off road. The off road crashes don't really count so I'll talk about my street crashes.

My first happened after about 8 years of riding. Cruising along at around 55 and BANG. The front end went into a tankslapper and I crashed. I walked away unhurt but totalled my bike. I went back to see what caused it. I found a rock about the size of a brick on the side of the road. I think I hit it it with the edge of my front tire. So this was my fault - i was enjoying the scenery not paying attention to the road.

Second was about 2 years later. I was riding to work in the rain when the light turned yellow. I should have gone through but decided to stop. I stayed in the center of the lane and when I got near the light the front end slid out and I went down @ around 15MPH. The center of the lane near lights and stop signs is usually slick due to oil and coolant leaked from cars. I had minor road rash because I was wearing a rain suit over jeans and t shirt.

Third. Riding on a twisty road (Deal's Gap), when a rider coming the other way crashed and slid in front of me. Not much I could do - we hit head on. I was going about 35. I walked away with a broken collarbone but no other injuries.

My last crash was hitting Bambi at around 60-65. I went down and slid/tumbled to a stop on the pavement. My only injury was road rash on one arm where my jacket sleeve rode up. I was wearing mesh jacket and pants. If my jacket had fit better I would have walked away unhurt.

My advice;

1. Wear protective gear. You don't need to wear racing leathers or spend a fortune but protective gear works pretty well.

2. Learn how to ride properly. My first 8 years or so of riding I had a lot of close calls and scared myself every so often. Once I became a better rider I had few close calls despite riding faster. But no matter how good you are, S#*t happens.

3. If you can, do some riding in the dirt. It will help you learn how to deal with poor traction.

4. You mentioned going 40 or less. I have found that I am more likely to not pay attention when I'm going slow. I don't know where you live but around here going that slow is dangerous since you're not keeping up with traffic.
I wouldn't feel safe on anything not capable of going 50+. Traffic may be different where you are.

5. You mentioned taking it easy in corners. if you do that you will never become proficient at it and if you need to take evasive action you won't know how. People crashing going around curves because they don't know how to do it is a common cause of crashes. You need to push the limit a little or you will never become a proficient rider.

6. Most important. Have fun. Why ride if it's not fun.

[WarrenS]

High sides and low sides are caused by losing traction. Watch your road surface for anything that will cause you to lose traction. Losing the front wheel is the worst to control. You can't control the actions of others, you can only control yourself. This means stay in control. Don't insist on the right of way. You can be right and still wind up dead. Stay safe and enjoy. I have over 50 years experience. Haven't gone down since I was a teenager.

[terrilee]

there is nothing that can help more than experience
.but u cant just get it or buy it.
i have had only one accident in many years of riding

the best thing i can tell u is ride, ride, ride and more riding.
of course as u start out--u wont know crap
the more u get CONFIDENCE the more u NEED to push it.
what i mean is.. after awhile {?} go to a parking lot
and instead of doing 20 in a turn{lean] do 23
till u get CONFIDENT doing that
then do 27.
slowly increase speed that matches ur CONFIDENCE
u defiantly dont sound like a speed demon
so just keep gaining CONFIDENCE

BUT dont get cocky--CONFIDENCE IS GREAT, COCKY AINT
RESPECT PHYSICS, SPEED, YOUR LIMITS, THE SCOOTS LIMITS

also practice braking---brake going into corners,
practice braking when in corners { sometimes u have to--ya never want to but crap happens}

when i go for a ride, even nowadays,
i always practice, braking, speed, everything
ALWAYS
as im riding.

and WHAT I FEEL IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS CONFIDENCE is
AWARENESS
as a 2 wheeler u must be aware of EVERYTHING, cars, rocks on the road, birds in the sky, the sun,oil spots, gravel EVERY FREAKING THING
because if your not, theres a good possibility u will die.
in a 4 wheeler , ehh u wreck, 2 wheels, well theres always the chance of dying or being a veggie.
ask anyone who has ridden for a long time.
they seem to develop it.
they see things that other drivers just dont see

i almost never use brakes, i am so aware of whats happening i just
start slowing down and coast to a stop.
even in a 4 wheeler.

this will not happen overnight
BUT
your confidence will grow, u will see.
soon u wll be doing 45 thru turns , whereas now ur doing 20
its all in your mind-CONFIDENCE

[imnts2]

Ain't it great. Everyone is full of ideas to help you. I assume you need to take the motorcyle corse to get your liscense. If it is anything equal to the one I took, you will be much more prepared to ride at the end of 3 days than you will from weeks of riding and reading and thinking by yourself. I suggest you do it soon, even before you get a scoot. If you want, you can sak them to flucnk you so you can take it over (free).

Pleae stop worrying about it. Time enought to worry when you start riding.

Welcome
Please have fun with the scoot.
that 40 mph speed limit means you need to be able to run 50 to stay out of the way of the 4 wheelers. So at look as at least 150CC scoots.

Cheers
lefty2

[dudley]

Watch out for painted areas on the road, they get real slick.
Lots of corners have an area where sand or gravel washes into the road.
Once you know what to look for and the situations to avoid you will be fine.
Just don't be afraid to ride like grandma til you get comfortable.
I put in a lot of miles in an almost empty subdivision so I could practice curves and turns with no cars or curbs to worry about.
You will be fine.