Wow, THAT was close!

[mcteague]

Had an "interesting" ride today. My ride took me South on Falls Rd in Baltimore County, a semi-rural area populated by rich folk with lots of property. It's a fun, twisty road lined with trees on both sides. I've ridden it many times but today was nearly my last.

I was going along with nearly no traffic when I came around a sweeping bend with little visibility only to come upon a huge traffic jam. I went on the brakes hard to avoid rear ending the first car and my back brake locked up and started fishtailing. It was clear there was not enough room to stop so I ease up on the brakes a bit to regain control and steer into the oncoming lane.

While doing this I saw the reason for the hold up...lots of horses and riders. They occupied the other lane. Now, instead of hitting a car I was sure I was going to collide with a horse as they were just too close.

Again I was having trouble keeping the rear from sliding but I saw a narrow gap between the 3 horses on the left and the line of cars on the right. Eased up on the brakes a bit, hit the gap, back on the brakes and brought it to a stop in front of the first car.

In front of all this was even more cars and a line of what looked like a group out fox hunting. They all had cute little matching outfits. I told you this was $$$ country. I waited for them all to cross the road and into the field and went on my way, heart still pounding.

So, I came to a few conclusions as I gathered my wits.
1) Slow down more when you cannot see around the bend.
2) Try to use less rear brake (tough to do in near-panic situations).
3) I am thrilled that I am able to think and react when under duress. You read all the time about riders fixating or just freezing.
4) The FZ6 handles really, really well.
5) My next bike will have ABS!

Tim

 

[Botch]

Glad you kept the shiny side up! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[tcmalker]

your post would have been more interesting if you had a helmet cam! I believe it should be part of ATGATT.

 

[mcteague]

your post would have been more interesting if you had a helmet cam! I believe it should be part of ATGATT.

I would have loved to see a video of it. I also would have liked to see the faces of anyone who saw the ordeal. A couple of times I was sure I was going down. Not only was I happy to avoid the crash but I just know, had I hit a horse, that the owner would have sued me, assuming I survived.

Tim

 

[Red Wazp]

Whew, things happen real quick sometimes.

Try moving you rear brake lever down a notch or two on the shaft. Really made a big help for me to avoid the dreaded FZ6 rear brake lockup. That darn rear brake can really cause some trouble sometimes.

+1 on ABS, my FJR has it - love it.

 

[Motogiro]

I know just what you mean about locking that rear wheel in a panic and then letting it go to regain an exit in a situation. Good Job! :rockon:

Glad you're good to go!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Well after all, whenever you approach a curve you have to ask yourself what is the slope and radius of the curve? What the surface condition might be going around that corner and what other highway users might be around that corner?

Well in your case....Horses?

 

[Erci]

Very glad to hear you managed to avoid the crash. Very good observations too.

 

[Lefty]

Whew, things happen real quick sometimes.

Try moving you rear brake lever down a notch or two on the shaft. Really made a big help for me to avoid the dreaded FZ6 rear brake lockup. That darn rear brake can really cause some trouble sometimes.

+1 on ABS, my FJR has it - love it.

I made the same adjustment on my rear brake lever too. It made a world of difference since I have more feel to it and really have to work to over use it. Sometimes things just happen no matter how much you prepare and ride for the road conditions. That's when emergency braking practice pays off. :thumbup:

 

[DefyInertia]

1) Slow down more when you cannot see around the bend.

Yes...try to all together avoid getting yourself into situations that require emergency manuvers (see my signature line). I know for a fact that I don't do this even close to 100% of the time. I definitely outride my sightlines in blind corners too often. Hmmmm...

3) I am thrilled that I am able to think and react when under duress. You read all the time about riders fixating or just freezing.

Hell yeah. Good job. But see number one above. :thumbup:

 

[ELIZABETH]

Great Job, McTeague!! And thanks for posting up your experience. It has reminded me that I need to practice my safety stops again. :thumbup:

 

[TampaFZ6]

The stopping part was cool, but I think that your instinct to look for an opening near the horses shows you have the ability to manage a situation without total panic and not dumping the bike.

Maybe adjust the rear brake so you have to really crank down it for it to lock up?

You are right, you got to have a safety factor with blind corners so slower speed and keeping your eyes up the road as far as possible seem to be a few I think are important.

One thing I need to work on is not cranking down on the front brake before the weight is transitioned during braking because you can just as easily take out your front tire with a quick front brake grab.

 

[novaks47]

Glad you made it out ok!

It's satisfying to know you did good after something like that isn't it! I've had numerous near misses in the city, and each time I was proud that I didn't freeze up and eat pavement, but rather focus and maneuver, seemingly automatically. I still loathe those types of situations though. It's hard to contain my anger sometimes, with all these blind morons "driving" around.

+1 on the rear brake adjustment! The rear brake is so dang touchy! The first time I rode the FZ, I couldn't believe that sucker. I was used to the rear brake on my TW, which I have almost have to stand on to get it to lock up. lol

 

[mcteague]

Thanks, guys. Even before reading the comments I was going to adjust the rear brake. I did that on my Ninja 250 but, somehow, forgot to do it on this bike. Nothing like a near-death reminder!

Looking back I still don't know how I processed all the info that flooded my brain when I came around the corner. There were 4-5 cars backed up in both lanes and horses and riders everywhere. They were cossing the road at this spot and were on both sides of the field and the road. Why they chose such a blind bend in the road is beyond me.

Tim