Brown trouser moment...

[St0rmer66]

I was going along a road I've ridden lots of times and am familiar with (first mistake...) so was going at a fair old pace but not much above NSL really as the road doesn't allow it.

Anyway I came round a corner to be confronted with a line of stationary traffic and half of the road barriered off with temporary traffic lights. Since they were on red for my direction this also obviously meant that they were on green for the other direction. I was going at 60mph on a bike with a single front disc brake with a 2pot calliper (I think) and had to stop within about 20m (if that). Cue me slamming on the front anchor and moderate rear brake. I was now heading for the back of the last car in the queue at a rather rapid rate despite my brakes trying their best. So I concentrated on the gap to the right of the car and just headed for it. Unfortunately the cars coming in the other direction had just come through so I had to squeeze through about a 1m gap at speed with the rear end skipping about (along with my heart rate) and me trying to keep the bike going in a straight line despite the front wanting to fold from under me. I could hear much screeching from my rear tyre too.

Somehow I managed to stop just before the car at the front of the queue leaving enough gap for the cars coming through the other way and I just slotted in the front of the queue as if I'd just done the whole ordeal on purpose . Smoooooth . Such a close call. Unsurprisingly I rode home at a much slower pace after that! I'm just lucky that (a) my tyres were warm and (b) it was dry.

Can't help but think the lack of ANY warning signs prior to the traffic lights is a bit neglectful though! Legally I was allowed to be doing 60mph along that road and being confronted with that around a blind corner is not what you expect! Especially in the middle of the country (on an urban road it would be a much more likely occurance). But of course I know... always ride to speeds appropriate for the conditions... it would have been 100% my fault in the event of an insurance claim.

And of course the obligatory paint diagram...
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[Stu_666]

Had something similar like that a few months back. Was heading near Exeter direction through NSL country lanes with hedges on either side. Went around one bend prob doing about 50mph when around the other side their was stationary traffic.
As you found, had two choices of either trying to brake and stop in time or go around the side of the cars (was a bend ahead on mine with oncoming cars), so I had to go around the outside with oncoming cars beeping at me.
Was so fucking lucky that day and still amazed that I didn't hit anything. Also reinforced that if you can't see the braking distance ahead of you then reduce the speed.

[daytonapaul]

Lucky escape St0rmer66

Time to get some advanced training perhaps?

One of the things you would learn is that you should be able to stop in the distance that you can see and on your side of the road!

[Jamie S]

If the back locked I would have a good look at the tyre to make sure it is still road worthy.

[alpine]

[BlastThemAway]

[St0rmer66]

I've already done bikesafe, I just didn't expect there to be roadworks with no warning. I still couldn't have seen round the corner and all I would have seen is a car at first anyway (so I'd still have to stop in the same amount of time). As it is I think I did a good job of stopping at all, If I'd panicked and just slammed on both brakes instead of progressively adding more front and only a bit of rear then I would have slid down the road and into an oncoming car.

There were no actual workers there, it was just a fenced off hole with some temporary traffic lights, by the way.

GPZ 500 UK model got a twin disc front in 2002, but mine is a late registered 2001 model so it still only has a single. A P reg with dual discs has been converted from a newer model front. I have braided lines and I'm thinking of getting some better brake pads now.
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[aaron0288]

[Dalemac]

Stormer, lucky escape there!

cant help but think you could have shifted down and got a bit of the engine braking, i have only had my gpz 2 days and i realise the brakes are pants, so if you were in a straight line could you have shifted down to stop a bit quicker? lots of engine braking from these gpz engines.

Just a thought

Dale
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YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[Dalemac]

Oh and stormer, i believe an older style cbr600 front end will slot straight into the yokes of a gpz500, looking at getting mine converted to be honest, dual disks should help alot.

Dale
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YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[st3v3]

[G]

[iooi]

[feef]

[daytonapaul]

[faddius]

If you done bikesafe, im sure they would have told you not to go round a corner too fast as you may need to brake within the distance you can see. So if you can only see 10M round a corner you may need to stop within those 10M incase theres a pillock in a car in the middle of the road, or theres traffic lights in your case.

I aint even done bikesafe or any advance riding and I still do that.



As Iooi said, speed limit doesnt mean you should always do that speed. Thats the max speed you should really do, but you do need to drop down at times. Theres a set of twisties by me, its a 60 limit, but anyone who can do 60 round those twisted should be in motogp, you can see around them at all, they lead from one into another often doubling back on themselves, and theres one in the middle of them that scrapes your pegs going round at 30.

[thegubner]

[St0rmer66]

The rear tyre is only about 1000miles old, so it has plenty of grip and I put it on the centre stand and checked for flat spots all around it before I even posted this thread.

As I said in the OP, I KNOW I shouldn't have been going round there at 60 really, that's why I posted the thread in the first place, to make people aware of similar incidents themselves. It's too easy to get complacent on roads you know well (I know exactly what bend is coming and when on the road in question). No amount of advanced training would have made me not go around that corner at 60, I just wasn't thinking as I was in "attack mode"... but the experience of nearly crashing certainly will.

Also on the slowing down, it happened far too quickly to effectively use engine braking by shifting down, I would have had less effective normal braking If I'd been thinking about shifting down as well (something only experience can teach). But I did leave the clutch out to get some.

Dale, any more info on the cbr600 front end? Like what years etc? Would make it much better to have dual disks and I'll be keeping this bike at least another 18months so I'll get some use out of it.
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[Tango675]

I have seen a simalar situation on a road I used to take to work everyday.

Luckly it was an accident that had bloked the road so traffic could, and did use the other side of the road to slow down.
I halled my car down as fast as I could (without using the other side of the road) Then sat there looking in the rear mirror for the next guy behind me to appear. Fucking scary. Luckly everyone behind stopped in time (although it was a close call for a guy in an alfa)

Did get me thinking through. I drive a lot slower round that bend now.

Always ride or drive to the road you can see, not the road you can't.

You did the best thing though. Most people would have not thaught to use the other side of the road and rear ended the car. sometimes you are better off heading for a nice soft field!
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Somebody give that windup merchant a torque wrench..

[St0rmer66]

I actually read the thing about using the other side of the road from another near miss someone else posted many months ago. It's something that always stuck in my mind and it saved me! Who knows, maybe this thread will help someone else? .

P.S. Really keen on the CBR600 mod for the GPZ! Any info appreciated from anyone.
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:: Honda XR 125 L ('53) => Kawasaki GPZ 500S ('02) => Suzuki SV650S ('00) => Aprilia RSV-R ('51) ::

[Timmeh]

lovely picture.

Is that a big pile of poo coming out the back of your bike?
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GSXR400 x2 | '94 RVF400 | '93 TZR125 4DL (again)
20:22:30 BLUEX5: i would love to be forced to undergo a**l plugging with different sizes
20:48:18 Temeluchus: comp you hunk of smouldering homos3x you

[map]

Glad you held it together.
For stopping quickly I as advised to squeeze the front brake until it bit and then just continue squeezing.

FWIW another piece of advice is always be prepared to stop in the distance you can see. So if going into a blind bend, even if you know the road, take some speed off beforehand. This doesn;t mean tiptoeing around every bend at 20mph but just riding with a little advanced planning.

HTH
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...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[iooi]

Hows that saying go...

Slow in and fast out.....

Not fast in and flat out....
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......