First time down

[rspivee]

I recently bought a 1974 R60. It is my second bike my other bike being a '09 Honda xr650l. I took it out for the first long ride since I owned it yesterday. It was really a great 70 mile 1.5 hour ride through the back roads of middle Georgia.

Everything went great until I got back to my neighborhood. I was rounding a curb going about 20 mph. A little dog(rat terrier type) ran up his front yard. I saw him as he started moving and saw him lay in an intercept course for me on the road as it passed in front of his house. I tried to anticipate where he was going to get to me and started to accelerate so I would beat him before he got to the road. He deviated and came strait at me actually running into my left boot.

I know I should have kept on strait and run him over if I had to but I didn't. I swerved to the right fearing I was going to run him over. I ended up going down into the drainage culvert in front of one of my neighbors houses. It was wet and full of wet clay. I stayed off the gas and the brakes and down shifted. I must have grabbed the front brake at some point and locked up the front wheel because I lost control and I went off the low side as the bike went out from under me. I think I hit the ground doing 15 mph. The bike slid maybe 5 feet and I maybe 3. I was wearing an airbag vest and it worked great.

The bike never quit running. It slid on the left cylinder through soft wet clay. I cannot find anything bent, broken or even scratched. I rode the bike half a block home without any weird noises and no engine problems. I know I am going to get a good talking to by everybody here for all the things I did wrong but I was hoping I would also get some advice on how to make sure the bike is ok.

Also, I am questioning my ability to ride as I saw that dog in plenty of time and this should not have happened for a number of reasons. I have only been riding about a year. My brother was killed riding when I was a teenager and I have been battleing the guilt of riding again along with trying to make sure I am safe. This minor little spill has set me back a little. I am not scared of riding but I am scared of doing something stupid. Anybody else been where I am now and if so have you got any ideas on how to get my mind right about riding safely. I took the MSF a few months ago and had planned to take the second course this summer.

Thanks very much for listening to me whine.

[criminaldesign]

Don't sweat it. Importantly you're not hurt and the bike is fine.

I've had 2 spills both in turns.

Both spills we're my fault and I know what I did wrong. One was daydreaming and the other was my apex in a turn.

One 150 miles from the house and the other around 70 miles. Picked up bike, inspect it and rode on.

Learn from them.

Be safe rspivee

[kgadley01]

I don't think you did anything wrong. You don't have time to think, you must react. every time something happens it will be different. the fact that you were not injured and didn't hurt your bike means you did something right. no two dogs will ever run at you the same way. the fact that you tried to judge his speed and angle of attack, means your on the right track. this is the method used by most of us. good luck...

[Yarddog]

If you've been riding a year, this is probably a dangerous time for you...in my opinion, this is the most likely time that you're gonna get into an accident...you've got some experience, now, but not enough to handle all situations, and that's not me bein' negative...it's just the way it is...I went thru it, we all went thru it...and when you've got a little more experience, and this experience will no doubt lock it in, you won't be so adverse to running over yippy little dogs that shouldn't be running into the street...or squirrels...or other small animals...large dogs and deer can be a problem though...

[wecm31]

Monitor the bike closely for leaks, give it another good eye ball for anything bent. I'd watch the left side cylinder for oil leaks at maybe the base and/or under the head. Bike's probably okay.

dogs....I was once told to try and trick the little bastards!!! When Fido thinks he has the intercept course plotted, instead of speeding up; slow down and then speed up. Once furry commits to your new position as you slow, you hit the gas and hopefully he can't adjust fast enough. And if he does get in front of you, better to be at good acceleration and have the weight shifting to the rear of the bike. You'll get more of the surge off idle than you would from mid throttle.

And hey...there's two kinds of bikers.

Those that have been down, and those that are going down.

[glenp]

Hi rspivee,

I'm also a new rider, and after a few stupid moves (including busting up a few parts on the bike), I realized that I always did the worst riding at the end of a long ride. I think it's a combination of mental fatigue, and getting lax after having an event-free ride.

To answer both of your questions.. the only way you're going to find out if the bike is ok is to ride it.. and the only way you'll work out your fear is to ride your bike more.

[From MARS]

Your story reminds me of the time a buddy was riding his Honda 550 and a little dog crossed the road just in front of him. Dave slowed while the dog crossed, and then sped back up. Unfortunately, it was about this time that the dog changed his mind, turned, and headed back from wince he'd come. Dave, being the nice guy that he is, grabs both brakes, but still hit the dog. Down goes Dave. This all happened on a busy road in Yuma, AZ, so there was traffic. In fact, there was a pickup with a camper following Dave. Now we have Dave in the road, bleeding from numerous abrasions (no ATTGAT), the bike laying in the road, the dog laying in the road yelping like crazy, and the pickup sliding to a stop just feet away from Dave. A lady gets out of the pickup, runs to the DOG, gently picks it up, and returns to the pickup. Away they go! From the look she gave Dave, I'm surprised she didn't kick him.

Now, all this wasn't funny at the time, but we had many a laugh over the years as this story was retold around a campfire. With time, perhaps you'll be able to laugh about your encounter with a dog.

Tom

[tghsmith]

dogs that are coming to chase you: slow down as they aproach, speed up quickly when they get close, this speed differental is usaully enough to make them trip all over themselfs..had a neighbors dog that chased my bike every day untill a riding friend followed me to the house one evening(the mutt never expected a second bike) this method does not work for deer....

[bikerfish1100]

your BRC taught you how to respond to an attacking dog- slow, then accelerate. also taught you what to do, and not do, during a swerve. NO brakes, NO downshift, KEEP your speed steady. your downshift is likely what caused the lowside falldown. staying on level ground is also superior to culverts- next time, swerve right, or just run the little guy over. my general rule is "if i can eat it in one meal, just hit it." (i love dogs, but not at the expense of my bike or my physical safety).
don't sweat the bike- if nothing has shown up yet from a 15 mph falldown, it is incredibly unlikely that anything else will appear.
we will be offering ERCs at thsi year's National. maybe i'll see youthere

If you have not been doing so, then you need to practice those safety skills you learned in the BRC- swerving, max braking (straight line & in a curve), looking thru the corners, etc. until they are second nature.

[bikerfish1100]

Originally Posted by kgadley01

I don't think you did anything wrong. You don't have time to think, you must react. every time something happens it will be different. the fact that you were not injured and didn't hurt your bike means you did something right. no two dogs will ever run at you the same way. the fact that you tried to judge his speed and angle of attack, means your on the right track. this is the method used by most of us. good luck...

sure he did. he downshifted while swerving into a mud-filled gutter, instead of (possibly) running over a small dog while proceeding straight ahead.

[Yarddog]

With motorcycling, and wrenching on motorcycles, there's a fine line between thinking too much and not keeping your head in the ball game...yes, always be alert for danger and look for your 'out'...but accept also that 'stuff happens', and be willing to accept that as part of the sport you're participating in....

In terms of your motorcycle, if it's running good and looking good, why sweat it or pick it apart any more? Just pick it up and go...they are designed to be able to go onto their sides from time to time and still keep tickin', if they weren't, they'd have two more wheels!

Good luck and DO take those classes!!

[JOHNW67]

As a new rider myself, I can recommend this book:

Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

Great book that goes over many different situations that we run into on the road. Best $18 I ever spent!

Oh, and +1 on the classes!

[Weasel]

I've had a lot of dogs come out to "herd" me. I just maintain speed and hold my legs up so they can't bite me. Usually, they look like they are going to intercept the bike at the front, but, from my experience, they like to nip at the cuffs. Above all, don't panic.

[TravelingPenguins]

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of GA are hosting the Georgia Mountain Rally the weekend of April 30 through May 2, and there is a road skills training provider, Stayin Safe, that's offering a 4-hour street skills training session the Friday morning of the rally.

It might be worth your while to check it out (the rally and the training session), and the coaching might restore some confidence and tide you over until you can take the MSF Advanced Rider Course.

[therealbatman]

First thing , glad you are ok...the bike can get fixed or replaced.

Being a dog lover myself I do not try to hit them, even the "rat" type, but I did hit one once. I hit a chocolate lab at aprox 30 mph on a long downhill. He came out of his yard full tilt to get the bike in front of me, he must have realized he was not gonna get that one so he changed course twoards me. I T-Boned him right behind his right sholder, and I rolled over him. He did a few rolls, yelped and ran back to his yard. The guys behind me were totally amazed that I did not go down nor did I even knock my wheel out of true. It must have been my mountain biking skills that helped me instinctivle bunny hop and peg the dog in such a manner that I managed to go over him.

Oh yeah, I was on my road bicycle...does that count?

Actually, that experience has since saved me a couple of times on the motorcycle. I try to slow down to confuse the mutt, then just as he gets within a few feet, I accelerate leaving him running behind me.

BTW, you may consider taking the MSF experienced rider course as a refresher and confidence builder.