Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

GBD approved!

Practice panic braking and use both brakes. Using them well and yet not locking them is something you learn with continuous practice and experience.

Go through this - http://max.xbhp.com/panic-braking/in.../#.VkCSIdIrLGg

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

NO offence, but you are the idiot not the guy on the splendor. Your laziness put you into the peril. Yes those gaps in the speed breakers are tempting but try using basic road sense and stay in a single line/lane. India is a country where Motorcycle licenses are given out like children's candy without the Rider having basic knowledge on Road sense and rules and regulations. You cant keep blaming others for everything.

Panic braking is something inexperienced riders cannot control. You have to master emergency braking with practice. Go to an empty parking lot or area and practice on emergency braking. Plenty of tutorials on youtube as well.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

1. It's better to honk and warn the people who often surprise others at blind corners or junctions.
2. Take that foot on to rear-brake-pedal when the road ahead is suspicious(not clear ahead).

Practice panic-braking on free non-tarmac roads at low speeds. On tarmac, front holds better on hard braking, but on most Indian roads front gives out quickly.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

It is a good practice to honk when you are not sure of the surroundings, I honk randomly sometimes just to be sure because India.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

I too horn randomly to let them know a vehicle is coming towards them.

Sent from my GT-I9100

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

I hope you are safe. No offence but never pass through broken speed breakers again even if someone doesn't show up suddenly then also there is chance of off balance which could result to a fall. And apply both brakes simultaneously at time of panic braking but it comes with practice and lastly every time when you are in blind spot honk every time.

Ride safe 😀

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

Thanks for the tip buddy, will develop this habit as you never know what can happen :P in India

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Thanks buddy, yes I learnt my lesson
And as soon as I'm good as new, I'm going to practice my emergency braking...

Got any tips for me, like how many fingers should I use, where should my right foot be(always on the break ?? I keep it at the side)
And while practicing, at what speed should I start

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

Use as many fingers that allow you to be quick and brake easily. I use 2.

Don't keep the foot always on the lever as you might subconsciously rest the coot and the brake would start dragging. I keep the right foot on the side but sometimes on the highway rest the ball of the foot on the peg as i want to get used to this position, but when I'm unsure of the road or if I have doubts about anything i keep my right foot ready for braking by placing it above the lever (not at all pressing the lever but just about touching it) but it is not comfortable for long so i do it when i have any doubt.

For panic braking start around 30-40 and keep practicing there no need to go higher, this is just to make a habit of safe braking.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

.
for the love of God please don't "honk randomly"... that's not what a horn is for.

you ended up locking ur front because you panicked.
not panicking, comes with practice and experience. so get more of both.


also, you're far more likely to lose control and fall over if both your wheels aren't aligned
(which was the case coz you tried going over the broken bit of the speed breaker.

you can't just grab a handful of your front brake all at one go. you're bound to lock the front.

progressively... squeeze down for the brake pads to bite... and then press down hard IF required. two steps.

if you let the allow the weight of the motorcycle to transfer to the front wheel,

the front tyre will compress, in effect, increasing the size of it's contact patch which will give you more grip.

and, learn to ride defensively. it will allow you to take evasive action if required in an emergency.

.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

Oh so after pressing the front brakes lightly, I can press them as hard as possible and wouldn't fall... Hmm thanks buddy, practicing emergency braking is the first thing I'll do...

A little more about my accident, when I pressed the front brake(hard), the handle moved to the right(was that me? Idk) and then I saw the front wheel doing small hops(it was due my speed wasn't it ?)and then the bike fell

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

Hi. This is the suggestion from my side as a fellow XBHPian and your well wisher. I never knew this will become so long, but I have kept it to the point so kindly bear with me.... As long as it is going to make someone's ride safer, I dont mind.

There are three major things to remember.
1) Always be prepared
2) Always be prepared
3) Always be prepared.

Remember, Riding is a privilege, not a right.

Always keep your rear brake, front break, gear shifter and clutch(referred to as 'things' hereafter) covered. One cannot give excuse that road is empty or nothing will happen.

Regardless of road is empty or a so-called accident free zone(There is nothing like an accident free zone ), all things that should be covered, must be covered. So that in panic/emergency situation, the reaction time is less. Also, never look at the obstacle while braking. Look at a way/road out. If you look at the obstacle, you will hit it. If you look at a way out, you will be out of it.

I am proud that I practice what I preach. The biggest problem in India is that I believe 99% people never go to any Motorbiking School to learn the art of motorcycling.
I was lucky enough to attend a workshop conducted by my student on "How not to motorcycle" a few years back in Mumbai. This helped me a lot to become a better biker.

EX: While on my trip to GOA, I had given a small pravachan (lecture) to my other friends, that whatever happens, never come down a ghat slope in neutral. Always engage appropriate gear to maintain appreciable engine braking. Second, anticipating there may be oil spills here and there, I had told them never even think about applying front brake when knowing one is over oil spills. Slow down to a correct entry speed when taking turn specially on down slope. They are into the habit of entering a ghat corner at full speed and then brake while turning . They didnt know what is counter-steering, so explaining that was out of question. Now it so happended, that I was cruising down the ghats of Rajapur. At one of the turns, I slowed down to may be 20kmph(may be second gear) as the turn was sharp and while turning I realised there was a not so fatal oil spill. I feathered the rear brake a little. No touching the front brake at all. No throttle at all(Gravity doing all the job.). The bike slightly wobbled and I was out of it. Now this friend of mine just comes in fast as he can and corners like Rossi, applies the front brake and u know what must have happened next. Poora pravachan waste gaya(Waste of giving lecture). His show off gloves could not protect his fingers and wrist and textile jacket almost torn. Moral: You have figured it out.

Also understand the "ART OF PACING", to anticipate whether you need to brake way before something happens rather than panic braking. As my well wishers rightly say: "You may not make a mistake, but someone else may". You can google the Art of Motorbike Pacing to know how to ride on dry/wet roads and turns/corners.

Later while reading books on motorcycling, I realized that the concepts in the book and that covered in the workshop were the same.

Ok, so now that you understand to cover 'things', the next part is understanding what panic braking is. I am just elaborating on what fellow XBHPians have mentioned.

The process is follows(Kindly correct me If am going wrong somewhere here . I am open to getting corrected rather than my ego standing in between it and I making a mess )

1) You realise you have to brake hard.
2) Say you are doing a 50kmph @ 5th Gear.
3) I prefer to keep engine braking assistance ON
The following may not happen in chronological sequence.
4) (Now the following steps happens very very very quickly). Gear down(to forth). Keep shifting down as speed decreases while following steps below.
5) Simultaneously apply rear brake(not hard though. This is not for braking(though the bike will slow down and transfer weight to the front a little), rather stablising the bike(no use if you end up doing endo )).
6) Start with a feather touch of front brake parallely. Start increasing pressure on front brake(say 30%). The main intention is to get the weight transfer on front as much as possible and reducing the possibility of wheel lock. Then start building rapid incremental pressure on front brake and the GOD BE WITH YOU MAN. . Never squeeze the brake lever very very very hard unless sufficient pressure has built up.
NOTE: The traction of front tyre should never be overtaken by the braking forces.
7) I usually try keep my body firmly seated on the seat. I have observed that if I take my body a little ahead of the seat towards to tank, it results in little endos, n I dont like them in panic braking. THough if the situation demands, I do it. Funny I cant do endo on empty road. I get the hell scared out of me when I attempt it. But while panic braking, it happens automatically.
8) If you are applying the front brake correctly, you will never have to reduce the pressure on front brake lever. If you are reducing the front brake lever pressure, that means you aint doing it right.
9) Thumb rule. Better slow down, see and proceed than hustle, see there is an obstacle and brake.

This is just a short summary . When I do panic braking, it is the practice that comes handy and not the theory.

Also, you should be well aware that you will accelerate with reference to your current speed or brake. You should keep your feet engaged according on the gear lever.

PRACTISE...PRACTISE and PRACTISE.... How will you do that. Put a complete gear on. Find a open road with little to no traffic.
Start practising by achieving a speed of say example 40 kmph. The moment you start braking is POINT A. Keep some stone or brick as reference at POINT B. POINT A and B should be at a distance of 10 meters. Then attempt to brake before crossing point B. Gradually decrease this distance and see how far can you go. Then gradually increase you speed at POINT A and according try to halt at POINT B. refer to the manufacturer manual to find out ideal 40-0, 60-0, 80-0 and 100-0 braking time.

It will be better to explain things when in person. Otherwise, I may write a 100 page essay that you wont even read..

Situations when I did panic braking.
1) PUNE-SATARA road nead khed shivapur. I was doing an 100 kmph on an almost all clear road. A could see a maruti 800 parked on the leftmost side way ahead. Now I was like say less than 100 meters(I know what 100 meters is because of practising drag race). Now this guy starts out, bangs on his throttle and comes from the 3rd lane to the first lane in like no time, right in front of me and brakes. . I was like say 20 meters behind. I was anticipating that I had to brake down but I didnt expect that he will brake too out of nowhere. I could see that the road in front of him was clear thru the car's glass. So obviously he wanted to take a U-Turn. (There was no board saying that there is a U-turn). Realising this I countersteered to the left a little while simultaneously panic braking(freaked out like hell in my mind... so tense was that situation.) I realised in a fraction of second later that I will be able to get thru safely, but this wasnt it. This guy had to take a U-turn, so this guy didnt just stick to the right lane. When he approched the right U-turn as expected, he steered a slight to the left so as to make Lewis Hamilton style right U-turn. Countersteered and panic braked again, the bike woobled a little. By this time he had taken his u-turn(BTW, it was not an official U-turn, it was just that the dividers were broken by villagers) and I had a free road again in front me and I could relax. This whole thing must have happened in say 10 seconds.

Many more...will post if needed.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A STANDARD WAY OF BRAKING. ONLY MY SUGGESSTION. TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

Hi Harry,

Its really great that you want to learn from the incident that took place. Many people have give you an opinion/ view about what you need to do (no offence to them in any manner whatsoever), however no-one has pointed out your basic mistake i.e. to quote you "like always I was feeling lazy". Well, my friend that laziness has got you into trouble. You cannot ride a bike with just 50% attention (hypothetically) and effort. To ride safe requires you to be alert and aware of potential hazards. You need to pay 100% attention to the riding.

Your basic mistake was to vier to the left to avoid the speed rumbler, while your attention was on navigating through the gap rather than looking ahead and being aware of any sign of potential danger. Your second mistake was NOT staying in the middle of the road (on your side of the lane), this would have given you more time to act on what was about to happen. Your third mistake was to think the speed breaker was a nuisance, whereas it would have been put over there for this very reason, to slow you down as there are vehicles/ people crossing that point and is potential accident spot.

Hope you take these inputs in the spirit that they have been given.

Ride safe, live strong.

Re: Had an accident, what would you have done ?

Hi,
I read all of it and I must say that it was really helpful. Nowadays I always keep my feet near the brake and gear lever and my index finger is always on the front brake lever.
And it has helped me many times after the accident xD

Thanks again

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Wow you really analysed the whole situation, there were some points which I never considered !
Thanks and yes nowadays I always go over the speed breaker even if its broken from some particular place :P