FJR probably saved my life

[bgross]

Whew!

It's always good to hear of the "close calls" - the ones where the Divine Spectator was satisfied with a brown stain instead of blood.

"I'd rather be lucky than good."

 

[wheatonFJR]

Great outcome!

I had a similar situation in rural Indiana but did not have as much space as you did. I veered to the right as much as I could in the minimal time that I had, remembering to look right...braking coming down from 65-70. I am sure I would have impacted the car if they had not moved forward after stopping. As I was still coming down from speed, I ended up in a deep rural ditch crosswise because I was veering to the right...separating from the bike while in the ditch.

Of course the offender, left the scene...and did not return.

 

[08FJR4ME]

40 yards is a pretty good distance. Curious as to how much of the front brake you used? Did you get on them right away? If so how much force did you apply?
Dave

DAMIFINO! Instinct from several years of riding in the woods on trail bikes, and having had the exact same thing happen a few years ago when I was in a car that had no ABS. I held it straight and upright until veering was no longer an option.

There are 4 alternatives to evaluate in this situation:

1. Break left to the oncoming lane and take the chance he lets off the brakes, assuming there is no oncoming traffic. People can be as unpredictable as a deer in these situations.

2. Break right and go behind him (Odds are better for a miss; no time for the driver to put it in reverse)

3. Hit the front fender (get thrown over the hood)

4. Hit the driver's door (make an impression and take him with me).

Option #1 evaporated as I got closer. The braking was going better than expected, so I took Option 2 as soon as I thought I could turn without laying it down or high-siding.

Well if the 1.6 seconds is correct there are no options on the table. Everything comes down to experience and instincts of which it sounds like you have those qualifications. Your testomony writing your post is tantamount to the evidence.

Glad your o.k.

Dave

 

[mxboy96]

That's an awesome story to hear Now how many other riders out there can say they're that attentive to avoid a crash like that?? Most riders would be lollygagging around and not even know what hit um.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I replied to this thread in October of last year. After pestering too many to list here (okay, Twigg, Ignacio, Redfish, Fred, and about 30 others) with stupid questions, I bought a new one in November 2014. I ride a lot of miles in traffic (as noted in my previous post). I can honestly say that, from a risk management perspective, I would not ride in the conditions I ride without ABS and a reliable bike. I have close calls regularly. I am confident that I have chosen a bike that mitigates the inherent risk of riding as well as current technology allows. I simply couldn't deal with riding an under-braked cruiser as breadwinner for my family, though some of them have whispered to me. Glad you're okay, even after all this time.

I was on my way to work this morning, 6:30 am, when a car pulled out in front of me from my right. He watched a car passing across from his right and didn't look to his left before pulling out. I was doing about 45-50 mph and had maybe 40 yards to take action. He pulled out, then saw me and stopped cold, blocking the entire lane. Since I didn't trust him to stay put, I kept braking hard until I slowed enough to veer toward the rear of the car. The tires were chirping as the ABS did its thing across the paint of the stop bar. When I stopped, I was parallel with the car, pointing in the opposite direction and could reach out and touch the glass of the back door. He sped away after realizing no contact took place. I wasn't sure it would be a non-contact event until I came to a full stop.I made the switch from a Vstar 650 cruiser a month ago. Had I been on that bike, I would have tattooed the side of his car, no question about it. It just couldn't stop as quickly as the FJR1300A.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Ding, Ding, DIng! The FJR brakes as marvelously as it accelerates, and handles solidly at speed, too.

My Vstar was a scary bike, but only because the lean angle was so narrow it couldn't take sharp turns at speed without scraping hard parts. Take a few turns where the rear tire lifts off the pavement (because the floorboard mounting bracket was scraping) and you start thinking about your mortality.

 

[Salish1300]

I'll add a small bit to say that when I upgraded to my 2014 FJR I did so primarily for safety concerns. My previous bike, a Versys, was great, but no FJR. The margins we face every day are tight. The margin of safety. The margin of time. The margin of stopping. The margin of focus. The margin of eyesight.

I'm even more convinced after 2,000 miles of daily rides of 30 miles a day in an urban jungle that my FJR is not only an incredibly enjoyable bike to ride, but puts all the motorcycle odds in my favor for those margins.

 

[08FJR4ME]

You get the best of both worlds. Its one hell of a great machine and is capable of some amazing feats given the talents to use it to its fullest. Then again if not used properly you are at your own risk and susceptible to having a really bad day.

That's my theory,

Dave

 

[Bill Lumberg]

My perception is probably colored by the fact that my very first bike was exploded into about six big pieces by an elderly driver who turned in front of me. No ABS then. Hit on the passenger side wheel. Jumped off the pegs and ended up with no more than scraped knees and brimming indignation over having to pay a taxi to get home from the accident site. They didn't roll the bike onto the rollback so much as walked around and picked up pieces, then winched the front of the frame with the motor still kind of attached.

 

[Fred W]

Friday deep thoughts:

First off, the premise in the thread title is totally wrong, The FJR didn't save the OP's life. His acquired riding skills and ability saved it. The FJR was merely a "better tool" to enable him to do that. Kudos to him (I missed the thread in October)

To make the biggest potential increase in your own riding safety you could avoid riding in heavy traffic. Commuting hours are the worst possible time for other drivers' attentiveness. Even were it not, the sheer number of opportunities for an incident (other drivers) means that the odds are increased that you will have a close encounter of the wrong kind.

Hypothesis: "With all other things being equal, a skilled rider will ride faster and more aggressively on a more capable bike, until he reaches the point where he perceives the (same) acceptable amount of risk."

This is a similar concept to Murphy's Law that says the amount of junk you keep will increase to fill the size of your house, modified by Gumperson's Law that "The probability of anything happening is in inverse proportion to its desirability.

If that is true, your personal safety may be no better on a superior performing bike.
IOW - It's more about what's going on inside your own cranium than anything external.

 

[CA G-Man]

Fred's Law: "With all other things being equal, a skilled rider will ride faster and more aggressively on a more capable bike, until he reaches the point where he perceives the (same) acceptable amount of risk."

G-Man's Corollary: "A rider's perception of risk has little correlation with actual risk, that correlation being proportional to the skill and training of the rider."

 

[HotRodZilla]

Fred hit it right on the head. A skilled rider will understand the limitations of his/her bike and ride accordingly. I drive me truck differently than I drive my Interceptor Explorer. My truck is not as capable. Same if I add a trailer to my truck. I increase stopping distance. We all do. Good job not getting killed!!

 

[HotRodZilla]

What the?? :****:

 

[ApexGT]

ABS saved me a few times too, wouldn't be without it now

 

[Yamalude]

Me either.

 

[jscasteel]

That's an awesome story to hear Now how many other riders out there can say they're that attentive to avoid a crash like that?? Most riders would be lollygagging around and not even know what hit um.

No. Most riders, well, Harley riders anyway, would say, "The car pulled out in front of me. I couldn't stop in time so I had to lay the bike down."

 

[MojoGuzzi]

On the way to the New Cumberland, WV, Moto Guzzi rally this past weekend, I missed a buck by probably three inches...thanks to the linked & ABSed brakes. Headed downhill at about 50mph, I barely saw him cut left to right in front of me. Jammed just the rear brake lever (no time for the non-covered front). I slowed just enough to barely miss his hindquarter. My pal riding behind really thought I was a goner.