Whatch out for the rookies!!!!!!!!!

[RICHIE]

Well gents, I have a horrible story tell. Just after finishing one of the best rides I can remember, I was aproached by this roolie I had just met that morning, asking me if I wanted to ride home with him. Going against my own best advice, I said yes! I should have followed my own advice of not riding with people I don't know. Because if I don't know ya, I surely don't know anything about how you ride!! Well, as we were heading home, he swings out to pass a car, and because there was plenty of room, I went with him. It starts to get squirly about here!! Just as he pulls back into our lane, he spots a state trooper coming at us! Now, instead of pulling up and to the right of the lane to give me somewhere to go, this ****er grabs a handful of brake right on the yellow line!!! Well, I have the car on the right, the oncoming truck, OR! I can try to get in my lane then try to outbrake him while swerving to avoid the retard Well, I braked and swerved, but it just didn't cut it I just caught his undertail wiht my brake lever, and the rest is history!! My bike did a tail over tank flip, throwing my down the highway at a wimpy 70mph. As if that wasn't bad enough, then my bike got cliped by the oncoming truck I mentioned before!! the moral of the story is this, If you don't know the people you riding with, your taking a huge chance!! think about?

[Limited R1]

That totally sucks. I will ride with people I don't know .But I ride as if to expect them to **** up. Glad your alright. How bad is the bike?

[bekustes]

I feel I should relate this story.

So when I was buying my R1, there was this clown looking at a a Gixxer 750. We talked, he thought he was the shit cause he was buying a Suzuki, I just kinda laughed it off, and thought, yeah, let me meet you on the street, or even better, the Track!!! But anyway, I went back to the dealer today, to pick up the hard armor I bought for my Nicky Hayden Replica Joe Rocket Jacket, and guess who was there? So this dude walks up to me, or more like limps over to me with bandages and all, and says "yeah, I'm here looking for a jacket, I dropped my bike yesterday." And me being the total asshole I am, I say, "So I guess you learned your ****ing lesson right, you idiot!" "I mean it only takes about once till people figure out they need to actually wear protection, I mean would you do a Japanese whore with out protection, cause that is what you are doing with with your Gixx." I just thought is was funny, that it's been all of 2 month's and Numbnutz is buying fairings, while I'm Picking up more protection, something in the Trojan line, Ultra Large of course. All well I will more now, and think about . Take it easy, flame me if you want, cause I don't have a bleeding heart for that fool, but guess what, if you got a booboo and you weren't wearing anything either, I would laugh at you too.

[RICHIE]

Luck for me, I did a whole lot better than my ride. I'm waiting for the insurance company to give the final say, but I work at the dealership where my bike is, and I personaly did my own estimate, and with no padding of the estimate, I came up with like $8000.00 in parts and labor. It's as deads as a doornail!! I totaly agree with the protection brother!!! I hit the ground at like 70mph, and I dont have a spot of rash on me!! My leathers took a pretty good beating, But I ate it on sunday, and I was at work on monday Guys who don't wear safty gear, forgive my language, but they are ****ing IDIOTS!!! Well I put my deposit down on a 2003 R1 today The only problem is I picked up a 2001 gixxer 750 for the rest of this summer. Please don't slam me to bad, I got a super sweet deal on it, and when I trade it in at the end of this summer, it will cover the balance of my new R1!! Rock on! And for the rest fo the rookies out there, wear your gear, it WILL!!!! save your ass!!!

[Solidus]

I ride alot with guys who are much much better riders than myself. Both in stunting and roadracing. I've learned the hard way that if you can't keep up don't push your own envelope. ( you might just open it up.....The one marked R1 for ya ass.) . If you have a novice in your group make sure you emphasize the " ride at your skill level" thing. A lot of newbie crashes develop when the newb thinks ( and logically so ) that he "must" keep up. When I started they joked about my stiff ride position and jerky reactions. I had one buddy who would gauge my progress based on my level of relaxed while we were out. When I got to the wet noodle stage that's when we started the whole knee down thing. Just remember to encourage the new guy in the group too.

[KneeDragger77]

Yea, riding with new guys can suck. If I know someone that has just started riding, I try to encourage them to stay away from group riding for a while. I usually take that person out by myself or witha friend and we just do a casual ride to get them used to the whole thing. After a while we'll do a group ride, at which point I encourage them to stay in the back, and just have fun. DOnt worry about keeping up. We usually run 2 groups. The faster guys up front, the slower in the rear.

If I am riding with someone I dont know, I'll usually lead or if I am in the back, I'll follow at a very safe distance. Once I see that you have some skills, then I'll get a little closer. We've had guys drop their bikes cause someone grabbed brakes in front of them. It sucks.

[toba r1]

Do you guys find that when in groups you ride with more restraint or do you get competitive ? Personaly I find that I ride a little slower in groups because you mostly have to wait for everyone to catch up if you drive in regular fashion.

[T0DD]

First off let me say that I am glad that you are alright and I too am a huge supporter of wearing your gear. Another success story.

Now.....

You hit him from behind? and that is his fault? Look, after reading the posts in this thread no one wants to come out and say it. But, I will. You hit him. You were following to close. Step up and take responsibility. The only reason I am so out spoken on this is because I was riding with a new guy that was following me and he almost hit me when I was turning right at a intersection. Yet he tried to blame me for it. How am I to blame if you almost hit me. Now, no matter how you want to rationalize it... the bottom line is.... YOU were following to close. You need to ride at a safer distance. Look I'm not trying to start any war here but come on man you wrote your own story that says: Hey, I like to tailgate and when I hit you I am going to try and blame it on you because you are a new rider and I am a seasoned rider who has become complacent.

Keep your distance in the future and you won't have to subject yourself to riding a Gixxer.

Stay safe!!

[RICHIE]

Tso2R1, your point is right on brother! I may not have expressed it in my first thread, but in all honesty, I'm totaly at fault in this case. It was not my intention to blame him for me not following my own advice of not riding with people I don't know. Had I taken my own advice I would not have crashed, nor would I have invoved him in such a shity situation. That said, I still think he f***ed up, but you are right. I hit him, and thats that. We both made mistakes, mine prior to the trip home, his during the trip home. all in all though, nobody but my bike got killed, and that's the most impotant fact of this tale Anytime we walk away from a get off we win, as long as we learn from and improve our riding because of it Anyhow, did I mention how ****ing good my leathers worked??? I couldn't believe it!!!! It was awesome

[RoG'Z]

I totally agree with what everyone has been saying. I also ride with a lot of guys that are way better riders than myself, i don't care and don't try to be the rider i'm not, personally being at the back of the pack i more relaxing for me, i can watch the other riders technique and learn from watching them. You also don't have to worry about anyone behind you doing some stupid shit like riding up beside you or tailgating. So what if your the last one at the destination, if anything you'll arrive there in one peice and get to enjoy the scenery more.

riding safe rules!! it guarantees that you get to ride again!

[mancuso]

If I ride with a Squid / Newbie / etc, I make sure, up front, that he understands that he/she must stay the **** away from me, not ride my ass, or try to keep up with me. If they start doing wheelies in residential areas, etc., I ditch them.

If he/she does not agree, they don't ride with me.

[revvin]

we were all new once and a lot of us seem to be forgetting that. how many of us wiped out because we were trying to keep up with more experienced/faster riders? i know i didnt because i didnt try to keep up.

credit new guys with some intelligence, people just need to be told there is no pressure on them, that the group will slow down to let them catch up, and that they just need to concentrate on what THEY are doing and not on what other riders are doing.

riding with people who are better/faster than you are but who are also prepared to share their knowledge and experience with you is the best way to learn.

as for the initial wipeout by richie, it would never have happened if he had left one car between him and the other rider. they could both have gone for the pass and then slipped back into their own gap. no fuss, no drama, just a giggle when you get back.

ive got to say man, the new guy did nothing wrong at all there. everyone pulls the lever hard to avoid a pull off the police, and i know for a fact if you had done that to me i would have given you a right load of verbal, i certainly wouldnt have seen you coming in my mirrors because i would have been concentrating on getting the bike stopped before i wiped the car in front out and i wouldnt expect an 'experienced' rider to be doing something stupid like that behind me.

all that aside, its nothing personal, at least you can walk away and learn from it, sounds like the car behind you did a good job aswell in not running you over!

as for the gixxer, dont trade it in, just put the f*cker out its misery and burn it!