Crashed in North Florida

[jaxrider]

I've not been on the forum for a while, and want to mention that I recently crashed in north Florida. I was riding at Jennings GP in a rider education session and met the pavement in turn 10. I was hospitalized with some broken ribs and shoulder, and am well on the mend now. I was hoping to make it to RWTW but I need a few more weeks recovery before I will be able to keep up with you guys.

Here is a video of another rider crashing in turn 10, and it gives you an idea of what I saw. He goes into a lot of stuff after he crashes, which is funny, and I usually watch it up to the 4 minute mark.

JenningsGP RC51 Crash Turn 10 Snafu.wmv

 

[Cap'n Bob]

Ouch.  It could have been a lot worse. Heal up and take care of yourself first and foremost.

 

[Sport rider]

Ooooo....what a bad thing to do to an RC51.  I ride a superhawk and would LOVE to have one.  :'(

 

[ChipDoc]

That sure did look pretty bad, David.  Glad to hear you're not in worse shape and it's really good to know that you're well on the mend at this point. 

 

[TGE]

The guy in the video appears to be going slightly hot into the turn, and subsequently grabbing the front brake. Do you know what led to your crash?

 

[S Smith]

Hi David - long time, no speak. Sorry to hear about your track get off, but glad to know you are on the mend. If this had happened on the street the problems would have been exacerbated. Heal quick & feel better.

Thanks for sharing the video, as I've been looking for a good video example of the dangers of  braking while in a turn. Last week I began writing another Safe Riding blog article with the focus on cornering. I was prompted after watching 2 students in 2 consecutive weeks go down in turns for the same reason.

 

[jaxrider]

There were several factors involved in my crash, and based on discussions with some folks faster than myself, I have narrowed it down to two specific problems. First, my front tire has too many heat cycles on it. This is a Michelin Power One track tire, and I had the standard profile and soft compound. I am replacing it with a Michlein Power Cup VA, which is the "V" profile so more rubber is on the ground when cornerning and A=soft compound. Secondly, my front brakes have dragged as long as I have owned the bike. It has gotten worse, and I should have rebuilt the calipers but did not recognize it as a serious problem. I also need to apply more body off the bike when going this fast. I used to do that when I was going slower....

I have a riding friend who is extremely fast, even on a really slow bike. He advised me to ride for a while without hanging off the bike and learn to trust the tires when leaning over. I was hesitant to take it into a corner smooth and fast and I was doing better with that at this track day.

So... rebuild the brakes (12 pistons in all!), new front tire, monitor the tire pressures, adjust air pressure, and keep going.
I have also been advised that I need to measure my tire pressures when I come off the track from a session. I measure it cold and then put on the tire warmers. It's probable that my front tire had too much air in it as well. I need to monitor the change in pressure from before and after sessions. I can feel the tire for temp, which is imprecise, but can give me an idea.

 

[ChipDoc]

I suppose the whole point of track days is to learn things we'd really rather not be learning out on the street. 

I have also been advised that I need to measure my tire pressures when I come off the track from a session. I measure it cold and then put on the tire warmers. It's probable that my front tire had too much air in it as well. I need to monitor the change in pressure from before and after sessions. I can feel the tire for temp, which is imprecise, but can give me an idea.

You can also get a cool tool which will make it incredibly precise!
http://www.aerostich.com/thermo-hawk-touchless-thermometer-1.html

 

[Sport rider]

Sounds like you are kinda at the same place as me.  once you start pushing more and picking up speed, form suffers.  it's hard to keep the focus on how I'm riding the bike and hang on at the same time. 

Last time I went down I learned a valuable lesson about how important smoothness is when entering a turn.  We get lazy about just throwing the bike over and trusting things to stick.  If it's wet, it's so critical to transition in easily and not toss it in.  Even when dry, it's an important key to faster riding.  I just see most people ignoring it when they are hard-charging.

It's not a fun way to learn lessons, is it.  )

 

[Gypsy JR]

I suppose the whole point of track days is to learn things we'd really rather not be learning out on the street. 

I have also been advised that I need to measure my tire pressures when I come off the track from a session. I measure it cold and then put on the tire warmers. It's probable that my front tire had too much air in it as well. I need to monitor the change in pressure from before and after sessions. I can feel the tire for temp, which is imprecise, but can give me an idea.

You can also get a cool tool which will make it incredibly precise!
http://www.aerostich.com/thermo-hawk-touchless-thermometer-1.html

This measures temperature at the point of contact of the laser beam. It doesn't directly measure tire pressure. But it definitely has a lot of uses. We had one in the office someone bought, and used it to document the temperature of the air coming out of the vents, to prove a point.

 

[ChipDoc]

No, it doesn't directly measure pressure, but if your tires are low they'll be hotter than normal and it'll stick out like a sore thumb.  It's kinda like those voltmeters, which won't diagnose the problem but which will give you an early warning that something's amiss.