I haven't taken the course, but I use this method when I come into a corner too hot. This way I can float the rear tire near the limits of traction without getting the bike sideways. It has worked well for me so far, but I know there are times when it isn't an option. I never thought about that angle. I suppose I think in terms of multiple experienced riders, where the slowest rider goes first to set the pace. It does make sense to guide an inexperienced rider through a ride, however, as long as the leader remembers to keep it slow and not run away from the "student". Good idea. I'm sure glad the OP's wife had that $800 helmet. What a relief to hear "I'm OK" after watching her hit her head.
A little off topic but it doesn't sound that high to me. Maybe you could deal it down to something like 2800$. If your online price is 900$ for parts only (brand new parts?), 3200$ for a whole dealer job is in line with what I'm used to see around. How do you want them to make some money and pay the labor? Glad your wife is ok I must say.
First, I'm very happy your wife is OK. That "$800 Shoei" saved her life, so forget how much it cost. IMO, going over the crash footage right away was the wrong thing to do. Your wife is going to feel like you are judging her and patronizing her for crashing when all she wants is your love, understanding, acceptance and complete patience with her. I know this because I did he same thing when my wife crashed five years ago, except we didn't have the go-pro. Her crash was not as bad as your wife's (low slide on some gravel turning onto a street). She also rode it home after we straightened the bars by putting the front wheel against a fence post and yanking 'em straight. I tried to "teach her" what went wrong -- and she, being patient and loving, didn't blow in my face immediately, but it boiled over later. All she wanted was to be comforted and for listening ears, not a teacher. FWIW she continued to ride for about a year but always too cautiously (holding up traffic, etc). we had a long talk at one point and came to the conclusion that she did not want to ride anymore. Case closed, I didn't push it....and am still marred In short, everything that happens now is up to your wife and your only purpose is to listen and support her decisions.
Then I lost count! Unfortunatley I had the experience of watching my girlfriend go down.....Twice:huh The first time was shortly after she passed the BRC. We were at Raceway Park Motocross practice and brought my TW-200 along as a pit bike....It was a simple washing out of the front wheel on gravel (See Pretty Girlfriend Hits The Gravel http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=730811 ) Lots of lessons learned and not much hurt. The second time was a little different. This time I was on the Tee Dub and she was on her LX-150 Vespa. I live in a very mellow suburban area of NYC and decided we would spend some time cruising the local roads....She was doing fine; It was a beautiful April day and a great day for a ride. Then I fucked up. I was leading and started to twist the throttle a bit (on the straights) and I could see she was trying to keep up and having trouble with her speed control. As I watched her in my mirror yo-yoing from 100yds to just a few feet away, I slowed to get things under control. Then she passes me, target fixated on a tree, hopps the curb about 35mph.....A Wop Boppa Loo Bob a Wop Bam BOOM She washes the front wheel on the grass (Thank god) flies over the bars, hitting the grass chin first:huh (full face helmet saves the day) does a front roll, lands on her butt and says Ouch! She's fine but shaken. Being an ATGAT girl saved her bacon big time. As she brushes herself off, I'm in shock as this is the worst crash I have ever witnessed. After a quick test ride I proclaim the Vespa "Rideable" and suggest getting the bikes back to my house 2 miles away. She agrees and we get home without incident. While mostly unhurt physically, (Her neck would bother her for sometime) she had taken quite a hit mentaly and emotionally. She lost her confidence, felt betrayed by me (I must take some of the blame) and as she sobbed deep sobs on my shoulder, she knew she probably wouldn't be piloting her own 2 wheeled machine for some time. I had to take a hard look at her as a rider and now what would I suggest to her? I suddenly remembered how white her brothers face looked and how his voice shook when we told him about her scooter purchace. I brushed it off then, but what about now? She passed the MSF BRC course when some of her classmates didn't. Aren't you supposed to wash out (counsel-out as they call it) if you can't ride?? I know she just dodged a very big bullet and wondered if she would ever be that lucky again. I am considering getting her a lesson with the local MX pro at my track and take her in a different direction to learning to ride two wheels again. As far as your wife goes, I think she'll be fine as long as she gets back on that horse REAL soon and doesn't let her demons get in her head. Good luck!
Agreed. I think she's done (for now) as a solo rider- but that could change when she wakes up tomorrow.... as of this morning, she wants to get rid of the bike. I just say, "Okay- what ever you want to do." She actually found the video useful. Made her realize how fast conditions change on a bike. We then You Tubed a bunch of bike mishaps and she felt better. She just made me promise not to put the video on the web.
Did that years ago... watched the DVD, too. While reviewing the GoPro- she knew exactly what she did wrong. Panic was the deal closer.
I'm sure a crash at 40 mph is pretty traumatizing for anyone, not to mention getting banged up in the process. Having to ride a smashed bike right afterwards and then being made to watch the video of the accident while getting critiqued is really just salt in the wound. I'd drop bringing up this incident to her for a while. I'm sure in two weeks or so she'll be less freaked out about it and more receptive to keeping her bike and your riding suggestions.
Try progressive. Your premiums seem way to high especially if Geico is FFY in the process. Be sure to claim her helmet, jacket and all incidentals also. Sounds like you've been a good mentor to her riding. Only thing better would be more miles under her belt and more often.
Thats awesome Queenie that you love riding like you do I'm all for the ladies getting out there and enjoying the wonderful sport of riding just like the guys.....I'm glad you understand what draws us guys to it, its an awesome hobby and sanity retaining recreation no matter who you are In my 35 years of riding tho I have to say lady riders like you are few and far between....when I was younger I tried to get the women in my life to ride their own bikes with me...never happened, they just didn't want to. As I got older I started realizing that for the most part the ladies I've come across....girlfriends, riding buddies wives/girlfriends/sisters, my wife etc would all rather be a passenger than ride solo...barring a few exceptions like you. I love seeing a lady enjoying riding the way I do.....I just like to see them do it because THEY want to, not to make somebody else happy, which often just leads to disaster.......that was my only point And it sounds like the OP's wife is like you, a lady who enjoys the ride for herself
Mrs. Infidel does what she wants... weather it makes me happy or not One of the reasons I love her so much is the fact she's not up my ass all the time asking, "Should I _________ ? What do you think?" I hate chicks like that...
They should know enough not to ride faster than they feel comfortable, it's a more natural self preservation instinct . OTOH sometimes they don't realize they are going too fast for a condition they are approaching, and THAT can be a problem. This can be a problem for someone who usually drives cars as a bike requires more pre-corner planning. A car you can start to overcook and then see it late and slam on the brakes. Even if the car spins it doesn't fall down; and usually you can "just" crank the steering more, nail the brakes and let the stability control keep it in the road.. My wife went too fast into a pavement corner on one of the few times she went first. It was a paved local road only a few miles from our house so what could be the harm? She got very exuberant on the straights and gentle curves. Then we came up to a hard right. She went in WAY too fast, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it at that point. Luckily there was nobody coming since she ran way wide into the far side of the oncoming lane. She would have been a hood ornament had anyone been coming. In her case she is still too much of a noob to lead, especially when she knows there is a faster rider behind her. Your partner is a more experienced rider so the case isn't as clear cut.
read it gain and practice until it is a natural reaction,I thought because i had ridden since I was 12be but long ago now -some 20 years, that it would be my reaction until i entered into multiple increasing radius corners, am glad I bought the Buell instead of the sportster ,my last option was to push the bars and let the bike follow,was just that close to the tops of those orange trees . I practice solo every year now before my wife gets on the back as instinct is not something to trust but as they say in flying practice makes permenant.
I don't understand...still no video... Only if you're on a GSA. They're pretty drama free (and for sure don't count) on my XT225. Seriously though, glad she's ok.
Glad to hear your wife is ok. Hopefully she'll continue to ride whether it's with you or on her own. Being able to ride on her own gives her the best of both worlds...solo or two-up. I've biffed it on my bike a couple of times. Thankfully it's been going slow and usually traveling on gravel. Gravel and I do not get along well. It's as much a mindset now as anything. My ex-boyfriend wasn't the most sympathetic type when I'd biff it. He'd help me get the bike picked up, make sure I wasn't damaged too much, and off we'd go again. I'd ride my own pace, but I'd ride. Sometimes I'd be more than just a tad po'd that I wasn't getting the sympathy I really wanted, but maybe it helped to make me get back on the bike by him not being so sympathetic. The incidents weren't terrible, but were nerve-wracking nonetheless. I've learned to ride for me and not how anybody else wants. I can ride all day/weekend and then some. I do, however, know my limits and that's fine. I'll just meet you at the next gas stop or where-ever. I have no problem with that. I do most of my riding solo now. Thankfully I've had no major incidents by myself. I can understand why some would choose not to ride again, but it would take a lot for me not to ride anymore. I enjoy it too much and am looking forward to more riding and longer trips on my bike.
Nah, it's clear you care a lot about her. I just think it might be best to let her cool off a bit before offering riding advice. Otherwise, if she's still nervous about it, it may make her feel overwhelmed, hence the talk about selling her bike. I know you mean well.
Oddly enough (and not directly on topic), my wife, who has never ridden regularly enough to become proficient, said she learned more riding one day as a passenger on my big bike, than on a half dozen recent "practice rides" on her own bike. Riding her own bike helped to prime her to be aware of what was going on, and riding with me (I'm more of a dirt rider, I am not an expert pavement rider and don't push the bike to the limits like I can on dirt) showed her more what the possibilites were. She was amazed that it took "so little movement" to turn the bike at speed on twisty pavement. Just a little counter pressure. She asked me did I "use all the gears" when I demo'd a high performace start from a stoplight. She wasn't aware that it was possible to shift five times in about 5 seconds, she can spend nearly 5 seconds on one shift and as a result loose the momentum she's trying to build up.. She was amazed at the smoooth acceleration on a demo of a gentle takeoff, said she couldn't even tell when I shifted. (See above about slow shifting and losing momentum.) And there was something else about "I can't believe you can turn so close" when going around 'square' street corners in town. Just because I didn't drift into the oncoming lane. And yes, she passed MSF just fine, has ridden numerous different small bikes, and ridden on dirt. MSF is just sooo limited. All on smooth flat clean pavement, at parking ot speeds. it is good for what it is, they can only do so much in the time alloted, but it sure DOESN'T make someone "ready to ride".
Good luck with that, when the $hit hits the fan, you react, not think, so unless you are lucky, or have had a lot of experience in dirt or pushing the limits, talking about what to do is useless. So, IMHO, to analyze the events AFTER the rear end broke loose, is futile. The REAL education should concentrate on why she started to brake that hard in the first place, that is the key, AVOIDING the Oh $hit moments. Try riding with your wife and kids, I have to say their skills helped them avoid trouble and I have never watched any of them crash. The wife due to her short stature has had couple of "legs to short" tip overs at stops, but she is smart enough to just step off the bike and let it fall, so I don't worry too much when it happens.
I count my dirt drops as long as I was moving and the drop had the potential to brake me or the bike in some way... if not then it was like dropping it in a parking lot and I don't count them...