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Anyone ever had to lay their bike down?

HDDon said:
Almost the same situation as trvlr only in town going thru an intersection on a green light. Pickup pulled out from the right and turned right about 6 to 10 feet in front of me. Speed limit was 45MPH and solid line of traffic to the left curb to the right I did lay it down on purpose. Since taking the safety course and the advanced course I now know that I put myself in the wrong place and always look for the escape route long before I get into these types of situations. Take a course you will be a better rider for it.
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Did you and your bike slide into the pickup?
 
IMO laying it down leaves you with zero control and in a very vulnerable position for being run over and/or possibly trapped under another vehicle. Like Breeze said, that patch of rubber on the road will slow you down faster than sliding.
 
trvlr said:
i've been riding since 1977. Learned on a suzuki 380 - moved up to a kawa kz-1000 - a 1500 goldwing and now an 08 ultra.

I always liked hitting the twisties but would probably call myself "cautiously" aggressive. Only (knock on wood) been down once and that was many many years ago when i got too aggressive in a curve that was layered with sand, stood her up and was heading right for some oncoming traffic. Decided to take the ditch instead. Not hurt too bad, that i recall. Still here anyways...

I have never had to lay a bike down, and to be honest, not sure if i'd know how to do it in an oh-crap moment..never having had any practice. That's almost embarrassing to say after riding for all these years.i would think i would/should know how.

Any of you fellow riders ever had to intentionally lay a bike down? Was it gut instinct that took over and got you through it? Was it something you studied and were ready for, or is it something you learned in a safety riding course.

And just how easily does one of these baggers lend itself to avoidance maneuvering? Interested in other folks experiences.... Tia -
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yes!!! Catskill mountains---woodchucks are slippery
 
Shifter said:
Been there, done that, same stupid drunk. It was either lay it down or hit a brick culvert wall. Last time I drank, 1991.
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Best part of this is I enjoy the ride more and remember where i have been and where my bike is LOL
 
Jonas said:
Did you and your bike slide into the pickup?
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The pickup was moving away from me as I slid up to his right rear wheel and then bounced off the curb. The cage driver behind me stopped and stopped traffic then took off and caught the pickup and brought him back. I had some road rash and a large bruise on my back from the curb. The guy in the pickup made the usual remark,"I never saw the motorcycle" but he paid for all the repairs to the Z1B.:34:
 
TripleJ said:
IMO laying it down leaves you with zero control and in a very vulnerable position for being run over and/or possibly trapped under another vehicle. Like Breeze said, that patch of rubber on the road will slow you down faster than sliding.
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and just to further give a visual, this was a 2-lane country road out in the middle of nowhere. There was no escape route option on this particular road that I remember. IIRC, there was a drainage culvert to our right immediately off the edge of the road, and i can't recall if there was a guard rail on the other lane edge, but it was a nice drop off on the other side. If there wasn't a guard rail, there probably should have been. There literally was no where to go in this particular situation. So, the question is if your reactionary time would have permitted you to lay it down..is that what you do? Or do you curl up and go the t-bone route? No good option that I can see.
 
Thought provoking question. About 10 years ago I laid it down on purpose. It was a split second decision and I might have been able to stop but I had been riding for 12 hours on a cold day on a dark twisty road in the evening with my feet up on the pegs and a guy pulled in front of me. It was slow motion and easy to do in that moment. I felt like throwing up afterwards though. The crash bars and luggage took most of the abuse. The thing I took away is do not ride with your feet on the pegs unless you can see clearly on either side - Bob
 
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