Low Side Crash - First time down in over 20 years

[BobFV1]

Other than a parking lot tipover and a broken kickstand, I have not been down on a bike since about 1980! That crash was a pretty bad lowside. This one is right up there in the same category...

It started out as a nice day on my R1 at Firebird Racing Park West Track in Phoenix. Same group I ride with every month. We have been on the East track the last several months, which is less twisty, but this month we were back on the small and more technical West track:



I had Race Tech do a suspension adjustment for me before the start of the day. I was on my stock Dunlop 218's - they had 1000 miles and one track day on them when I started the day.

The first 20 minute hot session was just fine, no problems. Then I went out 40 minutes later for my second session. I had to pass quite a bit of traffic and it kind of had me bummed out, but when I finally got through one big plug of bikes I decided to cook my speed and open up a little distance on them (this was a mistake, because it is very, very uncommon for me to be passed by someone I have already passed at track day. But you know, once you are by you just want to tear it up a little on the clear track.)

I got down to turn 8 and laid the bike over to the right at a very high lean angle, I entered the turn aggressively, I would say at about 50-60 mph. I finished my braking a little early, hit a rough patch of the track (I know this patch well - it's always there!!!) and as I was getting on the throttle I went straight to the ground in a low side. I immediately came off the bike and had a very gentle landing, but I looked in the direction of my original travel and I saw my beautiful red R1 (the race bodywork has not arrived yet!) sliding through the turn on it's right side, spinning around, and coming to rest on the gravel.

I was absolutely fine - I did not hurt myself at all but it must have looked quite terrible, they red-flagged the session. I ran over to the bike and turned the key off as a corner worker met me on his little mini-bike. We picked up the R1, fired it up, and I rode off the track. Then I went in to tech again and the bike was hardly damaged at all!!! No harm to any bodywork whatsoever except a little scratch on the right side of the tail piece. My Intuitive frame and clutch sliders completely saved my bike - they took ALL the force of the crash, except for some very very minor damage to the bar-end and to a two small plates on the clutch assembly. Honestly, to look at the bike, if you were looking hard you may think it had been knocked over in a parking space or you may not notice anything!

I impacted and slid on my right hip and my Gericke race leather pants held up just fine, but had they been blue jeans I would have a serious case of road rash.

Well, that's about it. Several CCS racers saw it go down - concensus is that I was riding at the edge of the bike's abiliity and of my ability for the conditions (that's what track day is for - right!) I did not do a good job of keeping weight on the front of the bike and the Dunlop tire did not do me any favors - in fact, it seems to have worn much more on the left side than the right side, leading me to believe that the right side was pretty hard and contributed, with the other factors, to the crash.

Okay - here are some pics. Ride safe!

[DJ Downunder]

That's bad luck...and lucky you had those sliders mounted...all bikes should have them...glad you're ok.

DJ

[Deans BMW]

I ran over to the bike and turned the key off as a corner worker met me on his little mini-bike.

Shame, shame on you, you did not use the big brother mandated kill switch, good grief Bob, what were you thinking. .............

Glad you are OK and it was great meeting you in Calif.

[9291150]

Bob, on the 7th I was at Shannonville Ontario on my Fireblade, and I remember saying to myself "whatever happens happens, just PLEASE...not a highside or PLEASE...let my bike slide flat if I fall."

I've witnessed too many great bikes slide on their side only to hit a curb or something and catapult itself into pieces. Maybe you have to, so consider yourself very VERY lucky.

Especially considering you've had your first fall and it was uneventfull. I never met a fast guy that hasn't fallen, so now your in the "club."

Keep pushing, wisely as you do. You probably already know there is nothing like running the right bike at real speed in the right environment, so keep at it! ...Rui

[Bones]

Bob,
Glad you are fine and your bike is essentially fine.
Here is something to think about.
The R1 is an unbelievably capable bike with unreal power. At lean angle, a liter bike like that needs incredibly disciplined throttle control. I am betting you spun up the rear tire a bit and the whole thing washed out from under you.

I wouldn't run Dunlop 218's on an R1 on a track for anything. It is only my biased opinion, but I think those are a street only tire and not a very good one, at that. I have ridden with them before and didn't like them as they let go easily and without much warning, and that wasn't on a liter bike.

Back on the track. Have you tried Pirelli Diablo Corsas or Michelin Pilot Powers? You can ride both on the street if you want and they are good track day tires.

Bones

[chibbert1]

Glad you're in good shape

Chris

[1MPH]

Glad to hear you are OK. Nice that the bike is also.

Jack

[big papa]

Glad your okay.

[darthrider]

Bob -
Glad all is well...mostly.
Proving once again how superior a lowside is to a highside!
Props to ya for laying it out here for the world to look at, analyzing it and trying to learn from it. That's all any crash is good for, on or off the track.

Bonester -
Tell me what you know about the Michelin Pilot Powers.
That's what my Speed Triple came with and so far I'm very impressed. Of course I'm now running my "secret test route" with an S3 with these tires rather than my 50R with Dunlop D220's so you'd expect a lot more. The chicken strips were completely gone with no drama after the first round trip to work.
Today was the first time I rode them fast on some really good curves. They seem even better at higher speeds. Very accurate steering but so quick I was over controlling until I settled down with them a little.
These ain't Dunlops!
The dealer had them set at 35 PSI front and 36 rear when I picked up the bike and I haven't played with tire pressure yet.
I hope they last as well as they work but I doubt it.

[BobFV1]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts and comments.

9291150 - excellent comments - uplifting and appreciated.

Bones - I studied what you said and I think you are right - I spun the rear end of that bike right out from under me. The 218's are trash, but I thought I would use them just through this track day and put on new Pilot Powers for the California Superbike School in two weeks. Well - I shouldn't have waited - I'm not blaming this crash on the tires but they sure didn't help!

[geechie]

May all our crashes be lowsides.

George

[NCRoaster]

Bob,

I once attended a meeting of state motorcycle safety administrators where they asked the two-hundred people in attendance, "Who has not gone down while riding?" Four people raised their hands. The response to them was, "You're next." We all fall down eventually it seems. But if we are lucky we get back up and ride another day.

NCRoaster

[CycleRob]

BobFV1,
I'm retired now but my shop's suspension doctor still does suspension set-ups on race & street sportbikes. Many times, the very first suspension set-up is performed after we do the bikes extensive crash repair damage. The R1, with it's light weight and FAT instantaneous power, is especially unforgiving of imprecise throttle management, even after the suspension is set up perfectly. There aren't many shops that do the entire procedure correctly, so my advice to you is to ask around and go with the shop that has a good track record at lowering lap times while saving leathers and plastic.

Part 2 is to pay very close attention to throttle management.

[BobFV1]

BobFV1,
I'm retired now but my shop's suspension doctor still does suspension set-ups on race & street sportbikes. Many times, the very first suspension set-up is performed after we do the bikes extensive crash repair damage. The R1, with it's light weight and FAT instantaneous power, is especially unforgiving of imprecise throttle management, even after the suspension is set up perfectly. There aren't many shops that do the entire procedure correctly, so my advice to you is to ask around and go with the shop that has a good track record at lowering lap times while saving leathers and plastic.

Part 2 is to pay very close attention to throttle management.

Thanks Rob. The guys from Race-tech who work our track days also do the set-ups on a lot of the local CCS racers and have a good rep, I think it boils down to having improprer rubber on the bike and getting on the gas too hard and too fast - this is not my little 2-valve Ducati!

Tp rwpair the damage will be minimal, 150 in labor and about abother 150 in a new frame slider and some little metal bits. I'm going to take a sharpie pen to the black bodywork. Oh - Brand new Pilot Powers are being mounted up as we speak....