Rode Malibu today...lowsided on a right hander while riding with two GStwin members.
Here is what happened:
Part I: what happened
We were just getting warmed up on Las Flores right where things start to get curvy. I was working on my form, focusing on my body positioning, hanging off slightly from the bike.
I came in to a right hand turn for which I was already set up. My entry speed was conservative...quick but well within my abilities. Lean was pretty steep but far from part scraping steep. Halfway through the turn I realized that the bike was no longer under me :? :? :? :? :?
My knee traveled the remaining distance from the ground and made contact for a sec...and I bounced right back on my feet :dunno: :dunno:
Then the momentum made me take 3-4 steps and I turned around to see my bike on its side facing the wrong way.
The crazy part is that no part of my body except for my knee hit anything.
Part 2:The aftermath
We then proceeded to inspect the scene for anything that may have caused this. We found that some truck was leaking a trail of fluid, possibly antifreeze...real slippery.
Broken brake lever, ignition cover busted, rashed exhaust .. thank god no mechanical problems whatsoever. Brake lever is already fixed.
Part 3:Conclusion
I came out of this without a single scratch. Judging from the rips on my alpinestars leather track pants, my knee would have gotten pretty effed up.
( :guns: wear your gear biznatches!!!!)
Very special thanks to the GStwin members who escorted me back to my place...rode home with rear brake only...Lesson learned already; carry extra brake/clutch levers...
Jonah
Glad you are okay. I have to chuckle reading your description of falling on your knees and then running a little bit. Much better than sliding with the bike on top of you.
When I lowsided, I somehow ended up on top of the bike even when it was sideways. It's a very WTF?? moment.
I was about 30ft or so behind and watched Jonah show good form, and then just suddenly go down. If I was in the lead, it probably would have been me. What looked like a small amount of water obviously wasn't.
I'm still amazed that his gloves did not even touch the ground!!!!!!!! Only a knee for a split second.
He was like a nimble cat.
Lucky the speed was low, probably around 15-20mph max.
Thumbs down to HammyBoys in Santa Monica for not having the brake lever in stock (but understandable I guess).
Thumbs way up to Marina Suzuki for having stock, and pretty cheap too.
Jonah, sorry about the minor rash on the bike, and I'm glad you're OK.
We'll ride again. :thumb:
Sorry about the drop/crash...pm next time you guys go riding i just moved to redondo beach from san jose =D
I hope no one else wiped out on that slippery stuff. Maybe we should have thrown some dirt over it or something. Dirt's bad, but not as bad as that mysterious liquid was. I almost slipped just walking on it.
Glad you're OK Jonah, and don't sweat it about us not finishing the ride. I know you would have done the same if it was one of us ;)
Not only do you have skillz riding, but you have skillz crashing too!!! :mrgreen:
:cheers:
Glad you're allright.
side question, what tires are you running, and the tread life left?
Sport Demons with about 1000 miles of canyons on them.
That's three lowsides this weekend including mine - glad to hear you're OK and the bike wasn't trashed. My story was pretty similar, except at lower speeds, and I wound up on my side rather than on my feet. The transition from riding to sliding was so fast it took me a sec to realize that the bike had slid out from under me -- weird feeling.
Jonah,
Wow man, sorry to hear about that. Glad you walked away from it... literally. I still have some spare parts that I can sneak out of the house :) if you need them, just PM a list.
I've been working on rejetting my bike since we last rode and it's almost dialed-in. As soon as I feel good about it I'm good to go canyon cutting again. Hope to see you there. :thumb:
Later!
Gavin
glad the purple paint didn't get rashed up pretty bad.... :mrgreen:...
nice to know your alright bro..hope to ride with you guys again soon :cheers:
glad you're okay Jonah. They are still working on las flores so there are trucks up and down there all the time now. I went into malibu last friday and luckily I was taking it easy on Piuma, on my way home, and came around a left bend to find a car across the road turning around. Had I been at full speed it would have been hairy.
For a lowslide, you came out good!
Dont bother with Hammy boys. they're good people but way overpriced. Go to Cycle Products West instead. They're on pico, east of Bundy. they're good people, have great prices (including tire prices you can't beat) and close by.
The current issue of Sport Rider has an article about SoCal communities cracking down on us "disruptive" motorcyclists. We're all aware of the increased police presence at Palomar, ACH, and in the Santa Monica Mtns, but the author also claims there have been "suspicious" fluids dumped in some corners.
I don't think the slick that got Jonah was such, but that's a really disturbing thought.
You think this is a legitimate concern, or just an urban myth?
I've heard of such things hapening at Deals gap... and ACH...but not Malibu...
Quote from: VersOneI've heard of such things hapening at Deals gap... and ACH...but not Malibu...
I've never heard of it at ACH, but I HAVE heard of it at Palomar and the southern areas (Ortega and some other canyons in that area).
whos doing the dumping?
well at the dragon it was the local inbred hillbillies with their pile of pickups just driving down the road. (no offense intended Ken. :mrgreen: )