Close Call - Almost Crashed

[VSG]

This is only the 3rd time I've been out for a longish ride this season.  And for the record I've dropped my bike a 0 mph before, but I haven't fallen off it yet.

So I decided to ride to work today.  On the way home, I take a nice windy road.  I wasn't really going too fast.  Maybe 5-10 mph over the speed limit of 35 at the most.  Everything was going great, I thought.  I was nice and smooth on all the curves and had a decent lean.

I came up to a curve that's fairly tight, so I slowed to 25-30 mph.  I lean into the turn, everything's fine.  Then about half way through I feel the rear tire start to slide out.    It happened pretty quick so it's kinda hard to get an exact sequence of events.  But, in the middle of the turn the bike suddenly felt really light, and I realized I was about to go down.  I remember sticking my right foot out and touching the ground with it.  The bike was leaned over far enough to push the foot peg into the folded position.  My foot didn't drag, just hit the ground and I must have pushed myself up.  The bike then got really squirrely for a second, but I think at this point I wasn't on the throttle and was able to just ride it out.

The cause?  About half-way through the turn there is a small 3 to 4 foot long concrete "bridge" that goes over a brook.  There didn't look to be any dirt on the pavement, but maybe it was harder to see on the concrete.  Maybe there was concrete "dust".  Or maybe it was just due to the fact that concrete offers less traction than tar.  I looked at the rear wheel and there was still maybe an inch or so chicken strip but I could see some scrapes in the tire from when it started to slide out.  So based on that, I guess I was just going too fast and hit road conditions I wasn't prepared for.

I think the strangest part about it was that I was extremely calm about it.  I always figured that if something like that happened, the adrenaline would kick in and I'd have to pull over and take a breather before riding again.  But, there was nothing.  No increased heart rate or heavy breathing even after the event.  Just, "crap.." *recover* "... that sucked."

I think what helped is that I did slow down for the turn.  If I had tried taking it at 40 mph, I'd have a scratched up GS and probably some painful bruises.  I do wonder if my cat-like reflexes ( ) and putting my foot down actually helped recover, or if I could have kept it right-side up without doing that.  My foot definitely hit the ground, my leg is a little sore, but I'd image it'd be worse if I fully support the weight of the bike and myself.

I was also very relieved that I had spent the extra few minutes putting all my gear on.  1 - I know with all my gear on, I would not have been seriously injured or scrapped up.  2- I'm positive I would have severely twisted my ankle if it weren't for my boots.  http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-boots/oxtar/matrix/  They have a steel plate in the sole and rigid armor all around to prevent twisting.

So this is just another reminder to pay attention to all the road conditions and wear your gear!!

[ATLRIDER]

Glad ya pulled out of it. That would've sucked.

[VSG]

Went by the same spot today, and there is definitely a good amount of sand in the road right in the middle of the turn.  I guess it was just hard to see from the way the sun was hitting the road at the time.  At least it was a good learning experience/wake up call.

To stay safe, I'll just keep it below 15 mph, so I can recover from any slips