I don't usually say much about this kind of stuff until a few days goes by....not that it happens too often but it's good to tell others so they can get a little waking up with out having to suffer the alarm

I was about to get on the little cross road that has one of my favorite S curves and Damn, somebody in a van turns onto it ahead of me. Screwed me up for a fun back and forth lean I was headed into at about 60 mph. I was on the bumper of that van before the first turn and I guess the driver saw me because he decided to take the corner pretty fast. Well, I was not about to be outdone by a guy in a minivan so I stayed on him and it really wasn't too bad for speed. He was doing pretty good. The second turn comes and he's taking it fast with me coming in tight like I always do and exiting wide. I was close to him so I thought, "why not go plenty wide to be safe so that I'm not right in line with him, should anything happen." So I went plenty wide, being safe of course, and here comes another van the opposite direction. I don't think I was over in the other lane (there was no painted line) but if I wasn't, I was damn close. I didn't freak out, i didn't let off the throttle but I did not have the stones to lean it any harder. Once I have a line that's my line unless I slow down or straighten up and go even wider. What i did do that was a little embarassing is take my right foot off the peg as I was leaned over to the right. I actually felt the sole of my boot drag the pavement. I musta looked like a dork but later I decided that would have been the best thing to do if I layed it down so that my leg would not have been squashed by the bike...not that that would have helped much if the oncoming van hit me or ran me over.

Gotta take it easy in town. Playing with the traffic can lead to big trouble because you can't always see what's ahead. Especially not when you're right on 'em.

Rook

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/16/2009 @ 11:25 PM *

I know the feeling Rook. Glad things worked out ok and you made it back w/ all yer parts & pieces still attached.

I read a good article on "Controlling cornering arc w/ throttle" last month. It's at Sportrider.com under the riding tips section. Works pretty handy when you don't want to lean anymore, but need to tighten up the corner. Used it just last weekend as a farm truck came around a blind corner taking up more than his share of the road.

Thanks Kaboom. I WILL check that out. Meantime, I'm just doing it the old fasioned way - being a lot more careful!

As you ride D, and gain experience by slightly pushing the envelope, you'll develop more and more instinctive reflexes that could possibly save your life down the road A few years ago I was riding with a bud...we were running pretty fast, we came to an open stretch, and both hit it hard.....I was in front and took a sec to peek in my mirror and see where my bud was, in that sec traveling at 130 mph, I completely used up ALL the straight, and found myself staring into a sharp corner going wayyy to fast to make it. Plus I was looking at a nice, deep, rocky ravine to fly into. I actually realized I was either going to have to make this some how, or it was prolly all over for me....and a strange calm came over me. I was able to work the brakes and lean the bike well enough to drift it around the corner......all on instinct and staying calm (although honestly I think maybe I had alot of help from my guardian angel ). If I wouldn't have retained the calmness, and let my instincts work, I'm pretty sure I would have died Me and my bud both knew the corner well...and he said he just knew I was going to die right in front of him. Some things only come with seat time
One thing I can't stress enough tho, is NEVER EVER take your eye's off the road at high speeds...EVER, it really can kill you mega-quick (pun intended lol).
I know you're starting to test the limits of yourself and the 14 Rook....but be careful brother, we don't want you to become a statistic......you're wayyy too entertaining for that

I think most everyone has pulled a stupid and went into a curve way,way too hot. It will definitely get your attention and stick with you for a while. I will confess to it, about a year ago right after I relocated to W.V. and was loving owning these mountain roads and I pulled a good one too. I was on an somewhat unfamiliar stretch just having fun on one of those zen like days where you ride at your 9 10ths and push the envelope. Anyway I come thru a hairpin hit 2nd and just pin it. When she sets the front tire back down I glance at the speedo it reads about 110 and I'm all up and into a marked 20 mph right hander. I had no time to think it was all instinct. Leaned extremely hard right and trail braked as hard and as deep as I possibly could into the curve. I might have slowed to 80 ish but it didn't feel like it. I literally slid both tires equally and stepped out maybe 8 to 10 feet completely sideways and partially into the oncoming lane of traffic. There was a car coming and close but the bike caught traction just in time and went on around and back to where I belonged. I cussed myself and called myself stupid repeatedly for a while after that. Straight aways vanish very quickly on the 14, rider beware.

I think the key here is calm. That seems to be half of what saved our butts. The other half is instinct. What we really mean by instinct for the most part is a sensitivity to the size, weight and power of the bike and skill that has been learned to the point that it becomes an automatic response in an emergency. I don't think that i would have been able to keep on the throttle a year ago in the same situation. I might have cut the throttle, the bike would have pitched forward and i would have felt I needed to straighten up and go way wide even closer to disaster. I suppose that's why I took it pretty slow just about the whole first 3-4 months last year.

Afterward, it did strike me as interesting how the initial spark of panic simply became focus. I saw the oncoming car and made a decision to either stay on course and miss it or turn harder if necessary and possibly drop the bike. The lifting of the foot off the peg was not graceful to look at, I'm sure but it would have been the best thing to do if the bike fell.

That was a good article in Sportrider, KaBoom. In the last paragraph, the author mentions calm again. Good explanaition as to why the bike reacts the way it does to throttle, brake, lean angle, tires, speed and suspension. Seems like learning to roll off just a few degrees could have turned that into a lot less hairy situation. I'll practise that out in the countryside where there's no one too close ahead of me or behind.

Rook

+1 for calm riding, I've discovered over the years that if I tense up, the bike stands up, but if i remind myself to relax i can lean her over harder and stay outta trouble

Blue wrote:

One question Rook-did you shat your chonies?

Maybe that's why I lifted my leg up?? Wow, talk about instinct on the fly, hey?!!

LOL

wow, reading this thread reminded me of an "incident" back in 83 or so on a then 100-miles-on-the-odometer Seca 550 Yamaha.

I threw the bike (God, does THAT sound Ricky Racer) into a decreasing radius off-camber right hand sweeper and just.... mentally rebooted.

When I finally got the mental equivalent of "Windows Start" (you know, ding-da-ding-ding).. I had one of two choices to make extremely quickly:

...die in the firm embrace of a guardrail, or take a 60MPH trip through pine trees down a path that happened to be in the right place.

To this day I firmly believe that God laid that path there - either that or there was some sort of bizarre tinfoil hat radiation that caused LOTS of motorcyclists to blow off the road right there leaving me a convenient two-wheeled version of a truck runaway ramp.

When I got stopped a hundred or so feet down the trail I got the side stand down, shakily turned off the key (took 3 tries), wished mightily for a cigarette I'd never craved before (or since) and turned to the business of getting my sodden Underoos off without touching 'em.

NO idea what happened, it never happened again - but for years afterwards I avoided that road like the plague.

weird, eh?

I hadn't thought of that Ride in The Country for years..

* Last updated by: ZX14Bobo on 9/24/2009 @ 8:49 PM *

"sodden Underoos"! "Off without touching 'em!" Excellent choice of words!

Be careful man I watched a very experienced buddy and fast rider make a mistake on his zx14 doing about 15-20mph over the posted limit in Deals Gap and it could have easily cost him his life. It was a turn he had made literally 100 of times at even higher speeds but for some reason he stood the bike up mid corner and got on the brakes really hard and of course crashed. He is still kicking his own ass for making such a silly mistake all he had to do is just lean the bike over more and everything would have been just fine. I hate to say it because God knows I have done some dumb shit on the street but I will anyway "Take it to the track" Too much speed and "practicing corners" on the street will end in tears sooner or later. Now let’s see if I can take my own advice next Summer LOL LOL LOL

It's been cool all summer. No close ones on the cornering after that. Now that the weather is cold I don't try to push it so much especially if the sun is not warm and the road is not dry. The tire is getting a little squared off and it's time to run it on a few long highway trips before winter sleep.

Now let’s see if I can take my own advice next Summer LOL LOL LOL

So the CBR is up on stands for winter -- already??!! I don't care how cold it get's I'm in denial of winter until the salt trucks have gone and ruined it for me.

yep the fun is over for me this year I kinda put myself in time out after my buds little incident. The CBR will be doing track duty next year. I was looking at an 05 zx10 but decide aganist spending the extra cash for a track bike when I already have a bike that can handle that role even better than the zx10. I just don't see myself ridding on the street very much next year at all but I know the rocket touring bug will hit me in the spring.So I'm sure I'll fold by that time. LOL This one has been on my mind for some time now talk about sexy

* Last updated by: willidx4 on 10/12/2009 @ 8:31 PM *

VERY NICE-how many cc's?

Yeah, and don't forget "how many $$$." Glad I have my itch scratched for a while.

That is a cool looking bike though. Those pipes are awesome. Hypermotard, is it?

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/12/2009 @ 8:38 PM *

1098cc, 155hp, 87ft lbs of tq around 400 pounds so it should move pretty good oh and the wheelies depending on the model between 14500 and 18500 retail. If you look at the some of parts its easy to justfy the price. No its not a motard its basically a Duc 1098 with upright bars.

* Last updated by: willidx4 on 10/12/2009 @ 8:52 PM *

That's a lot of bread but I have a feeling the stock bike is as good/better than modded. If you don't need to do a thing to it, that helps with the price. Personally, I think you have things covered pretty well with the CBR so no need to get another bike so close...........but look who's talking lol.

BTW, Will - we gotta take a ride next Spring. I'll get an early start so I'm not too god-awful slow by the time you take the CBR out. Just don't get me busted. The longer I go without a ticket the more inevitable it seems to be. Insurance has gotten a lot more strict in WI. I'm getting pretty cautious about where and when I speed. I can see why you feel like you need the track. Street is dangerous to your health both physically and legally.

That is a good article, Kaboom.
I would also highly recomend the book A Twist of the Wrist 2, by Keith Code (he also started California Superbike School). In the book he talks a lot about staying calm, and controlling your cornering with the brake and the throttle.
It's a fantastic book. I consider it a must-read.