Where the f*ck is the bike?

it looks to me after you turned the handle bars to the left, there may have been so much weight on the back that it took the front tire a bit longer than normal to find the grip, requiring you to keep the bars turned. then by the time it caught good you had used up the whole width of the trail, then went flying.

Wow! Just came across this on YouTube. Glad you're alright.

What a story!!! If I wanted to scare the crap out of myself even more, could someone kindly tell me how to initiate slow motion?

thanks

Same here. In this specific case god only knows. But if you want to avoid riding off a cliff then you need to have your brakes and clutch covered during technical sections.

And to train yourself properly you also need to do it in non-technical riding. Basically the brake and clutch should always be covered, even on an empty highway.

I agree with that too. One of my worst crashes was when I hit a massive rock and my XR (basically the same stock suspension as a DR?) bounced up and would have backflipped if it hadn't hit me in the chest hard enough to fracture my ribs despite hitting a well padded/armoured area.

A few years later I hit a rock the same size at the same speed on my KTM and the front wheel probably never got more than an inch into the air. Just rode over the rock. And my KTM's suspension is a few inches shorter than the XR I had.

Damn, Joe... I'm glad you lived to tell the tale!

I think we all have that nightmare where we wake up just as the bike goes over the edge. Thanks for sharing your story, and it's nice to see how that nightmare ends.

Live large, and Ride safe.

Wow, glad you were able to share this experience and glad you were alright!

Wow that was a good one! Glad you are okay! This scares the crap out of me, where I do my trail riding it looks a lot like this with the very rocky terrain and cliffs ...
That 650 is a huge bike so I know its not like you can just whip it and throw it around,I ride a very old very heavy bike these days and I dread the day this happens. Thank god you didn't do the old when in doubt floor it method! I see you are in the Bay area. You ever rode Pozo in San Luis Obispo County? Happy Trails!! :huh:eek1

Man I cring every freakin time i see this, and so does everyone else I forward it to

Just read through the recollections from Joe and appreciate your sharing. Glad you came out relatively unscathed and ready to ride again!


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I'm very glad that you were not hurt seriously. A punctured lung is pretty bad but you are very lucky.
Be safe!

Just caught this bus today, Joe, so I'm a little late to the "hot damn/glad you're OK" party. So put me in for one of each.

I know for myself, when that trail started climbing and getting very boulderish, I would have stopped and considered my options; not to say you should have.
I'm just taking Clint Eastwood's advice here.

A very harrowing thread and another reason I really appreciate hanging out at this website so much.

Mend.

Second time around seeing this and I still tense up seeing it. Glad you're ok

Yep. I have been following this thread all along. That video shows just how fast things can go pear shaped when you are riding. It also shows that there can be unforseen consequences when we ride if things go bad.

Namaste'
Doug in Kentucky

Only because you aren't hurt badly, I feel safe in saying that that video was great. Sorry for your crash and stuff, but I got a laugh in good taste in. Hope the rest of your rides don't have the same result.

Maybe you should take some trial lessons. Dougie Lampkin does drops like that when he fetches the paper.

Seriously, I was afraid to watch your video. Only by checking later posts was I certain that you had no serious injury and watched it ... waiting for "gory" parts using that little thumbnail preview thing ...

Thanks for sharing, and thank you especially for the detailed analysis and follow-ups.

But I was only half-joking when I mentioned trial. You said you weren't aware of the height, but I can honestly imagine you jumping that drop and letting the bike take the beating. What do you think?

PS: One thing I can't understand is how people get a laugh out of this. Guy falls over a cliff. boom. groan, moan ... and the first thing people do is laugh?

Yeah, no kidding. Having fallen hard and wound up feeling punchy like that myself, my reaction was nausea.

The book by Robert Heinlein "Stranger in a Strange Land" describes that human characteristic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land

"I had thought — I had been told — that a 'funny' thing is a thing of a goodness. It isn't. Not ever is it funny to the person it happens to. Like that sheriff without his pants."

If you think about it any "funny" thing has some negative aspect.

I think it's a matter of context. IMO, laughing at somebody who is injured indicates a complete lack of empathy. It's only truly funny if our laughter emanates from a place of recognition and relating to the situation. If the source of that laughter is the ego stroke of feeling superior, it really can't be construed as 'funny'. YMMV and all that.

I don't think people are laughing at the crash, I think they're laughing at the stuff I say after I get up; which even I think is amusing even if I don't recall saying it. They may even have already read more of the thread and know that I am fine, and that frees them to have less serious thoughts on subsequent viewings.

Anyway, I have felt that the posts on ADVrider (at least in this thread) have been very respectful. I have even been pleasantly surprised by the support and civility of the comments on YouTube.

This thread is one of the main reasons I now keep my SPOT on me instead of in my rear bag. I had to use it a couple of weeks ago - all I had to do was reach up to my shoulder and push the button. This lesson was really emphasized as I lay listening to my cell phone ringing - from the bike bag I couldn't get to.

I'm glad people post these experiences - really helps decrease the learning curve.