Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique emergency takeoff's...do you practice them?

Since my last "incident" paid off reasonably well, guy sideswiped the bike doing about 50 and took out my turn signal.. Probably the one thing that saved me was the back tire was spinning as I was accelerating away from the out of control truck as fast as I could, so the bike naturally stayed "upright" while the impact occurred...

This got me thinking, I always try to know how my bike will respond under "adverse" conditions and I routinely practice emergency braking, and quick takeoff's didn't take long to be appreciated. Do understand, my last bike (V-Max) would have just landed me straight upside-down and in a world of hurt if I throttled up and dumped the clutch! The Dyna (yes I own a Harley..) wouldn't lift the front wheel off the ground, unless you're really trying to (it will,btw, but that's not the point!) The scenarios we face in the "real world" are better suited "tried" than left to guess... So until you actually try it, you're not gonna know!

Although I'm not advocating learning how to do "burnouts", a sense of how your particular bike is going to respond and moreso how each individual will respond in a crisis before it actually happens does help! In my particular case, because I was alert and had a "path" to exit to and executed it while being hit, I only came away with a busted turn signal and a ruined pair of underwear! We don't get many second chances, so think how you're gonna react if a 18-wheeler can't stop and is heading straight for you!

Do you have an escape route?, Are you in gear ready for a quick take off? Do you know how your bikes gonna respond and maintain control.... just things to think about!

Please ride safe out there my bro's!!!

Jeff Seal

"so think how you're gonna react if a 18-wheeler can't stop and is heading straight for you!"

Assuming that would happen very quickly indeed.

That would call for the famous ohsittoobadjoe manuver, rarely tried and usually fatal.

I always try to plan an escape plan but yesterday I found myself in a spot where my inattention could have really done me in.

A cager going like hell in a tuner turned left in front of me with tires screeching, barely holding traction, almost hit the curb. He missed hitting me head-on by just a few feet and I would not be here now if he had.

There I sat, at a light, looking for something in my pocket! I never take the bike out of gear-and ****** sure won't again! Had I been in gear like normal, I would have had enough time to accelerate to my left becuase I heard his screeching tires 2 or 3 seconds before he crested the hill. I had that feeling my guardian angel was tapping me on the shoulder whispering, "Hey stupid, you don't get unlimited chances! Pay attention."

"Honest officer, I wasn't doing a dragstrip holeshot launch because I'm a hooligan, I was practicing an emergency safety maneuver!"
I think I'll file that excuse away just in case.
I accelerate, brake, and turn hard because it's fun, mainly.
The fact that it keeps emergency skills sharp is a happily added bonus.

Your advice is well founded. We should all practice evasive maneuvers. I must admit that I have not practiced the take-off - Regretfully, I have occassionally practiced the emergency LANDING. They each were painful

Opposite happened to me the other day. I'd pushed the choke all the way in a bit too early (cold day) and as the lights on a roundabout turned green I dropped the clutch and stalled it.
I had time to curse, pull the clutch in, fire the bike up and start rolling.. Then a truck roared across the junction coming across the lights.. I mean it must have been at least 2 or 3 seconds after they went red. If I'd done any kind of enthusiastic getaway (and I don't normally hang about) I'd have been toast.
Guardian angel looking after me that day.

Hey Richard,

Not busting on you and thanks to your angel but you really should have seen that truck in advance and anticipated that he would have pulled the exact maneuver he did. Always expect them to do something stupid as they always will.

It may be a well-worn phrase but 'ride like are invisible'

I've seen London streets. They were mostly made and the buildings built 200 - 500 years ago and there are few intersections that you can see round the corner well. I remember one corner in an older part of town where the pavement (sidewalk) had been trimmed down to less than 6 inches when they widened the street to make way for motor traffic.

There are just some intersections designed poorly. The intersecting streets are too close together, come together at acute angles, etc. And I am talking about streets in Austin, Texas, a 'new' city where the designer had a clean sheet of paper and should have had all the room in the world. In an old city like San Antonio , or London some intersections were originally horse paths and could never be improved.

True, 99% of the time, if the rider is vigilant, they can make a move but sometimes there is no place to go and no time to do it in.

When I first got my 03 America slightly over a year ago I did practice the fast take off and emergency stop. I told a couple of my friends about this and they laughed. In my defense I told them hopefully one day they will not have to do it but if they do need to use this it may save their life. It has been years since I have owned my own bike and thought I should practice to see how the bike reacted. I must admit that I have not done it in the last 8 or 9 months so when the weather clears and the road is clearer I will practice again. Never know when the rarely used skills will save your hide.

On one of the police sites, they mention that each officer has to run a short course like an MSF cone weave, emergency stop, etc before they go out on the street. I often practice lane change swerves, emergency stops and quick takes offs at the high school parking lot.

As someone on here says "It's better to be seen than viewed" and I want all the edge I can get out on the streets. Too late to practice it when the emergency is on you.

I'm at the age cool doesn't interest me near as much as staying alive.