Getting back on after your first accident.

[JackFlash]

>>  I need to look for a better hot weather jacket too

 

I think this is the jacket I have.  Same deal.  Zip out

the liners and you have airflow.  Pads in the shoulders

and elbows.  Velcros tight as you like in the waist.

All liners have inner pockets.  Zips to the pants.  Good

for riding up to 90 degrees.  After that, it's too hot for

me to ride.  I'll have to buy one of those cooling shirts.

 

Wear a sweat shirt or two under this and you can ride

when it's colder outside.

 

.http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/product.php?productid=269&cat=3

Edited June 9, 2014 by JackFlash

[Tonik]

After that, it's too hot for me to ride.  I'll have to buy one of those cooling shirts.

 

 

http://entrosys.com/

[Gixxus Christ!]

I'd rather sweat than bleed. I do have some mesh textile pants and a mesh/perforated leather jacket I wear when it gets above 80...but I don't like trusting textile, I've wrecked a couple textile jackets and they disolved fairly quickly even at low speeds. Leather or kevlar has been the most durable so far.

[JackFlash]

http://entrosys.com/

 

Bookmarked!

 

.

[JackFlash]

...but I don't like trusting textile, I've wrecked a couple textile

jackets and they disolved fairly quickly even at low speeds.

 

I've heard that in a slide some textile can melt to

your skin.

 

.

[redkow97]

I've heard that in a slide some textile can melt to

your skin.

 

.

 

seems like that would take a long slide, and be asking for a product liability lawsuit.

 

my only complaint about my textile jacket is that it doesn't breath at all.  It's great in colder weather though.

[Bad324]

I do have a pair of Kevlar lined jeans, I'm wearing them right now. The problem is that in 80-90F weather, I'll die of heat stroke wearing them. Thick denim with kevlar reinforcement strategically placed doesn't breath. Plus, they really don't do anything to protect against impact like the pads in my jackets. These jeans do have pockets for knee pads, but with the loose cut, there's no hope they'd stay in place when you need them.

 

I constantly ride in my kevlar lined jeans in those temps. It's really not that bad at all. Hell I even have mesh pants that I've only worn once because the jeans always seemed more comfortable

[Tonik]

Bookmarked!

 

.

 

For the record, I don't know a thing about it, nor do I know anyone that has bought one.

[Phreon]

Thanks for the bookmarks!  I have the Joe Rocket Phoenix in red:  http://www.joerocket.com/catalog/index.cfm/236/103/Textile%20Jackets/Phoenix%205.0%20%5Bmesh%5D  It seemed like a nice mix of features and performance, but that Tourmaster looks to solve the Phoenix's weekness, namely the baggy, straight arm cut and insufficient elbow pad control. CE armor is useless if it doesn't stay put!

 

Maybe it's the brand of kevlar jeans I have, Sliders, that are too warm. I think a road trip to Iron Pony is in order.

[Gixxus Christ!]

I have a pair of sliders and they do get swampy after a while but...rather sweat than bleed.

[Phreon]

So the ride to work was fine. The ride home however, I got stuck in rush hour traffic. Yeah, I feel like I've regressed to when I had only been riding a few months. It's going to take some time to get comfortable again.  I know the Vulcan's limits pretty well, but leaning causes puckering. What a surprise! 

[Tonik]

You are doing it right, imnsho. Just work your way back up to speed a little at a time. Let the comfort level come back naturally.

[wantahertzdonut]

I have 1000wt cordura pants and jacket from cycleport. Double the durability of 99% of the cordura stuff on the market. I haven't tested it (thankfully), but at 5mph and over, it breathes like it's not there. Better prices than most other cordura stuff out there too.

As for getting on, you'll know when you're ready. Since you're already back on your Vulcan, you're ready. Just don't go chasing limits. As Desmo Brian said, learn from your mistake and apply the lessons learned into every aspect of your riding, and you'll be better off for it.

[zx3vfr]

First wreck was on the vfr. Rear tire went low psi in the middle of an entrance ramp. Was able to slow down enough to head into grass and fell over. Heart was racing racing racing. Got back on and pulled away just in time to see ems and police get on the entrance ramp. Luckily they didn't see me.

Edited June 16, 2014 by zx3vfr

[Ziggy]

Low sided my Sporty on March 1st this year.  Was wearing a Scorpion EXO400 full face lid, armored leather jacket, gauntlet style leather gloves, boots, and jeans.  Same kinda deal, was having a nice ride, pulling into my neighborhood at 15ish mph, at dusk.  Poor lighting and loose gravel that blended in with the asphalt, and my picking the wrong track through the intersection was all it took.  It happened so fast, once it started, I was done.  Nothing I could have done to recover.  My gear did it's job, couple scuffs on my jacket, impact to my helmet, and tore up my gloves, but no rash, thankfully.  I did suffer a concussion and a separated shoulder though, but it could have been so much worse!  I sold my wrecked Sportster to a buddy of mine and took the insurance money plus the sale money and bought a new-to-me Softail the day I was cleared to quit wearing my sling 24/7, which was about two weeks after my accident.  The Softail sat in the garage waiting for me to heal and get my mind right before getting out.  I was still suffering the effects of the concussion about 6 weeks later, so "getting right back on the horse" wasn't really much of an option.  Not to mention the fact that here we are almost 4 months later, and my shoulder's still kinda jacked up and hurts if I do the wrong thing.  I had a lot of time to reflect on what happened that day, and when I encounter gravel on the road that I can see, I still have brief moments of paralyzing panic (talking split seconds, here...) that I have to consiously work through.  I totally get being spooked though...  When I started feeling like I could physically ride again, I realized I wasn't mentally prepared.  It takes time, don't rush.

[DerekClouser]

So the ride to work was fine. The ride home however, I got stuck in rush hour traffic. Yeah, I feel like I've regressed to when I had only been riding a few months. It's going to take some time to get comfortable again.  I know the Vulcan's limits pretty well, but leaning causes puckering. What a surprise! 

 

Unfortunately for rider's who have been down, being tentative can be even worse. You start thinking about cornering and it gets hairy. Just keep going at it. The moment you start overthinking, is the moment survival reactions take place. Just look through the corner, keep a steady throttle hand, and the bike will be just fine.

 

I'd bet your tires were still cold and didn't have the grip at that moment. It happens. I can assure you, the bike can do much more than what you were doing  before you crashed so you have nothing really to worry about. And from the sounds of it, you have the knowledge about basic cornering from your explanation of the crash, much more than an average 1 year rider. 

And remember, gear is important. You can pick up a pair of textile riding pants for 100$ or so and it'll help with the injuries. 

[Phreon]

Thanks for the great advice and encouragement! I've been on the Vulcan 500 several times since my last post, including a ride with a buddy around North Bend, OH and up into Indiana (Dearborn Rd. is great), another ride to work which was much better and general tooling around. I'm feeling pretty comfortable again, but still catch myself overthinking sometimes, which indeed immediately causes problems. Remembering back to flight training has helped too. Just like an airplane, the motorcycle seems to reward a light touch and smooth commands while quickly protesting if "manhandled" at all. Despite being a small cruiser with an ancient suspension design, the '500 really seems to respond to activly moving one's body weight around and "swooping" through a series of curves, for a lack of better terms.  I'm sure other motorcycles will come and go in my garage that are technically superior machines, but I can't imagine selling the little Vulcan.

 

I've collected all the parts I need to get the Nighthawk back on the road, just need to find the time to fix her up *again*. I have a nagging feeling that getting back on the bigger machine that "threw" me will be harder - it'll just have to take it easy and have patience.

 

FWIW, I've changed my mind about the next MSF course and am thinking I could really benefit from a good dirtbike / offroad course. Learn how motorcycles feel at traction limits in a more controlled environment and lower consequences than the street.

 

Again, thanks for the advice and please keep it coming,

 

Doug

Edited June 30, 2014 by Phreon

[Phreon]

Also, I did find Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist" video online. Though it's clearly more about track day riding, there's a lot of great info in it. Once you get past that he seems like a slightly psycho, rock-a-billy Colonel Sanders, that is.

[what]

It took me a little while to get over the "what if" jitters after I went down the first time. I learned 'when I should stop riding due to mental fatigue' that day; luckily the bike and I weren't terribly injured but things could have been a lot worse. 

 

Best thing to do is figure out why you went down so you can correct any mistake you may have made or be more aware of things that weren't previously on your radar and then start riding again. Lane position while riding around town is pretty important, try to stay out of the middle of the lane during corners as that is where oil and other slippery crap usually ends up. Other than that I guess just watch out for dark spots on pavement… sadly there's not much you can do except be more vigilant when scanning for potential hazards. 

Edited July 1, 2014 by what

[Phreon]

So how does one reconcile picking a good line through a given curve, bend or corner with lane position. The two often seem to conflict. Slow down even more and avoid the center scum?

[what]

So how does one reconcile picking a good line through a given curve, bend or corner with lane position. The two often seem to conflict. Slow down even more and avoid the center scum?

 

Intersections are the worst offenders, I wouldn't go blasting into them. Generally cars aren't stopped or moving terribly slow through normal turns so the amount of muck is less of a problem. That doesn't mean you should trust every corner though as you will find gravel or other debris / pot holes / random obstructions in the road mid corner every now and then. If I'm on an unfamiliar road I generally take it easy. You don't want to be riding at the edge of your abilities and run into something unexpected. Not to mention it's pretty stupid to ride like that on the road in the first place. 

Edited July 3, 2014 by what

[granda080]

I high sided my bike a few years ago and was pretty lucky to not be seriously hurt. For me I spend some time trying to focus on how it happened, but in all honesty it happened so fast it's truly hard to fully know.

The next thing I did was spend time bettering myself on the art of riding. That meant reading and watching some instructional videos.

I also found that tearing down my bike and fixing it was helpful in getting back out riding. I know for some once the crash they are done. I think for me it was actually beneficial. It made me want to be a better rider.

You can't change the past. You can only hope to learn the lessons from it and try not to repeat them.

Edited July 3, 2014 by granda080

[HeavyDuty]

I hate the asshats that come to a full stop look at you coming and then pull 2 feet forward.

[J_Copeland]

My first off road experience came last fall.

Pretty much unhurt with a sore shoulder,I finished the group ride very cautiously !

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Phreon]

I thought I'd post an addendum about my progress.

 

I've been slow to fix up the Nighthawk 750 - my 100 year old detatched garage isn't pleasant in the summer heat and I've been enjoying the Vulcan 500, the bike I'm more comfortable and experienced with anyway. Perhaps, I bumped up to the 750 a little too soon...

 

It has been hard to rid myself of the tentative feeling crashing instills.  I thought I had it under control pretty quickly, but it would pop up at very inopportune times, like a highway ramp. I've just been pushing forward and riding whenever I can. I did a nice 140 mile day with my friend last Sunday that took us through some twisty roads in KY on the way to Rabbit Hash.  I was a bit "slow" as we started out, but I *FINALLY* feel like I've found my groove again. The tentative feeling is to lean away and tense up with the controls. Time on some nice twisty roads helped me re-learn:

 

• Use those knees to brace against the tank instead of holding onto the bars for support.
• Shift weight and lean into the turn - the bike (and countersteering input) seems to naturally follow.
• Stay loose on the bars. Practicing the above two points, the machine almost feels like it knows where to go if you quit man-handling it.
• Lean in decisively - no slow, lazy transitions. Lean the bike and get it upright like you mean it. Slow transitions waste time getting into the turn
• SET YOUR OWN PACE. I usually follow my friend on his DR650; that bike has more low end grunt and can be flicked around faster than my Vulcan 500. I simply cannot and should not try to follow his exact lines. He started out pulling ahead of me in every series of curves, but by the end of our ride, being mindful to stay back and set my own lines, I was wishing he'd go faster. The '500 is no sportbike, but there's still plenty of fun one can wring out of that package.

I don't doubt I might still have flashes of "butt puckering moments", but getting out and riding curvy roads with a buddy seems to go a long way towards banishing those moments.

 

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Phreon