Tips on How to Crash Properly or "How Did I Get Up in This Tree?" from a Profess Sunday, April 27, 2008 (01:21:25) Posted by editor The one thing all of the different riders out there agree upon, no matter if they are crotch rocket test pilots, boulevard thumpers, or red light to red light drag racers, crashing sucks. It tears your bike up, eats the hide off your butt, and spreads your various biker accessories in all directions. Unfortunately there only two types of riders out there, those that have been down, and those that will go down. Boys and girls lets face the truth, motorcycles are dangerous, nothing wrong with that everything that brings us pleasure in life is dangerous, not to say the level of risk is not manageable but it's always going to be there, and to tell the truth we wouldn't have it any other way. So when that moment occurs for you will you be ready? Well the best way to reduce the risk is to increase your skill level. Find a Motorcycle Safety School, or (MSF ) they know their stuff and can teach you all kids of things I don't have the time or space to share with you, and completing the course usually gets you a discount on your insurance, more money to spend on chrome or carbon fiber, always a good thing. Get good protective equipment, helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, and wear them. Oh and ladies I love the cutoffs, and tiny tops but skin grafts are not attractive, trust me. Ok you've got the training, you got good gear, and your not riding like a circus freak, but the motorcycle Gods are still offended by you, and they stick a oil slick in your favorite hot corner. Suddenly you find yourself in a very unpleasant situation. You are out of control and headed into the ding weeds where mister death lives. Now ask yourself " Have I lost control?" If you can't get it back immediately your answer is yes, this decision is very important, and needs to made quickly, so you can decide "How am I going to crash?" The two most common forms of crashes are high sides and low sides. A high side is when the bike snaps into a straight up position and launches it's rider into the air at roughly the speed of sound, which may result in a face full of squirrel's nest, and a rescue by a cherry picker. A low side loses traction at the rear tire and places you onto the ground in a slide, of the two, this is the most preferable. Do whatever you have to do to get away from the bike, a motorcycle has all kids of sharp pointy bits, and the bikes are usually pretty heavy, in a crash they go from pleasure craft to large projectile very quickly. It is best to separate yourself from it as soon as you can. I have seen rear sprockets amputate fingers, and floorboards break legs. A few of the most common techniques among motorcycle racers, who are the undisputed experts on crashing, they use to reduce the damage taken in a crash are as follows, tuck your chin, this helps brace your neck and if your wearing a full face the halo at the base of the helmet will brace it even more. If your launched in the air try to roll when you land, if your sliding, either tuck into a ball pulling your elbows and knees in, or lay flat on the ground, this slows you down quicker (worked best for me) and you can steer you slide a bit more. Remember all those pointy bits I mentioned earlier. The main thing is don't fight it go limp and let your equipment work for you, and make damn sure your done crashing before you try to get up. So be safe out there people, now get out and chase a sunset. By Bill Shell, MSF instructor Content received from: American Biker News, http://americanbikernews.com