Sorry long chatty post.
Bike running on it's side for a minute NO problem, the problem is with the rider I'm afraid to say... BUT you can use the above to educate yourself and IF you end up on the floor again remember these wise words well words anyway...
This IS a drill I do each time I come off, remember I'm short and skinny and not a good rider by any means so when I practice slow maneuvers in the car local car parks this is what I do when I pitch over.
Firstly hit the KILL SWITCH it's there to stop this kind of thing happening, what would you have done if you had the bike in gear and the trottle was stuck open and your FAFFING ABOUT with the bike bucking about on it's side. So kill switch ASAP that's why its there in front of you right by your hand not in the middle of the dashboard as it's a time critical switch.
Secondly pull the bars straight that gives you leverage to get clear and stops your legs getting pinned. Fuck the bars and the grips your going to claim for these anyway, so pull the wheel straight and get out !!!
Thirdly IF you have a passenger get them clear, then get the hell out of the way once safe and the adrenalines kicked in breathe a few times.
Make sure your both safe AGAIN as surprises are always there and they either hurt or kill so spend a second to look around no threats then cool... Then it's get his Reg, his photo (just so I know who's driving) and then pictures of the scene pictures of other cars nearby who might have seen it and take a note of the time, date, directing and WEATHER conditions and sun positioning then and only then is it insurance time, other people will give different views BUT I trust MY way as I KNOW it WORKS. And there's not an insurance company that can dispute MY side of events when the shit hits the fan Army Trained and I alway follow the procedures I was taught.
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As for your riding ask yourself how did you get in to the situation (too tired, too confident, mind wondering etc), you have taken the first step as asked for others opinions and you know that you did wrong by placing yourself and your passenger in a dangerous situation, but you have done really well by taking that first step as I know others that wouldn't have and would have blamed the driver of the van solely... so kudos...
If it was me I'd have been as near to the front of the queue as possible and where SAFE, I'd give the driver next to me the knod and a smile maybe a thumbs up to his/her kids, and be ready to move when safe to do so. I like to build up some goodwill with the guy in the car comes in handy sometimes...
BUT IF... I had to be behind the van there's two points FIRSTLY the van
I'd have been far out to the right (safely) and a good deal behind with my hazards on so that I know that the drives seen me once his noticed the little guy on the huge bike I turn the hazards off and give him the knod. Anyway my thumbs not far from my horn because you just know his gonna wanna reverse or U turn IF he hasn't seen you, I edge my bets as I'm NOT a lucky fella and already have a limp.
Now secondly the traffic coming from the REAR is EVEN moree danerous in my opinion so when I pull up I'm always in first gear clutch in, I'm on the rear brake tapping away (can't afford self blinking lights) thumb on the horn and looking in the rear view to make sure the guy behind me knows I'm there and is stopping. If they haven't seen me I've got time and room to get the hell out of the way, if they do see me I knod my thanks and relax until I see a car coming up behind the one thats stopped. In my 43 years I've seem hundreds of rear ends in traffic and had one when an old lady didn't stop in Monocco she just bumped me BUT that once has made me paranoid and I won't let that happen again.
Anyway that's how I do it, that's the way I PRACTICE and the way I have to force myself to remember to do it each and every time I pull up, like I said I'm NOT that great a rider but I'm a safish rider and because I plainly don't trust anyone in cars not to hit me, experience has taught me that I'm heading in the right direction and others will put in thier views and I look forward to hearing them as there might be a better way of doing things that I've missed.
Let us know if you have taken anything away for the experience and what YOU would do if you found yourself in the same traffic situation tomorrow.
You need yer eyes testing ...
Sorry long chatty post.
Bike running on it's side for a minute NO problem, the problem is with the rider I'm afraid to say... BUT you can use the above to educate yourself and IF you end up on the floor again remember these wise words well words anyway...
This IS a drill I do each time I come off, remember I'm short and skinny and not a good rider by any means so when I practice slow maneuvers in the car local car parks this is what I do when I pitch over.
Firstly hit the KILL SWITCH it's there to stop this kind of thing happening, what would you have done if you had the bike in gear and the trottle was stuck open and your FAFFING ABOUT with the bike bucking about on it's side. So kill switch ASAP that's why its there in front of you right by your hand not in the middle of the dashboard as it's a time critical switch.
Secondly pull the bars straight that gives you leverage to get clear and stops your legs getting pinned. Fuck the bars and the grips your going to claim for these anyway, so pull the wheel straight and get out !!!
Thirdly IF you have a passenger get them clear, then get the hell out of the way once safe and the adrenalines kicked in breathe a few times.
Make sure your both safe AGAIN as surprises are always there and they either hurt or kill so spend a second to look around no threats then cool... Then it's get his Reg, his photo (just so I know who's driving) and then pictures of the scene pictures of other cars nearby who might have seen it and take a note of the time, date, directing and WEATHER conditions and sun positioning then and only then is it insurance time, other people will give different views BUT I trust MY way as I KNOW it WORKS. And there's not an insurance company that can dispute MY side of events when the shit hits the fan Army Trained and I alway follow the procedures I was taught.
----------------------------------
As for your riding ask yourself how did you get in to the situation (too tired, too confident, mind wondering etc), you have taken the first step as asked for others opinions and you know that you did wrong by placing yourself and your passenger in a dangerous situation, but you have done really well by taking that first step as I know others that wouldn't have and would have blamed the driver of the van solely... so kudos...
If it was me I'd have been as near to the front of the queue as possible and where SAFE, I'd give the driver next to me the knod and a smile maybe a thumbs up to his/her kids, and be ready to move when safe to do so. I like to build up some goodwill with the guy in the car comes in handy sometimes...
BUT IF... I had to be behind the van there's two points FIRSTLY the van
I'd have been far out to the right (safely) and a good deal behind with my hazards on so that I know that the drives seen me once his noticed the little guy on the huge bike I turn the hazards off and give him the knod. Anyway my thumbs not far from my horn because you just know his gonna wanna reverse or U turn IF he hasn't seen you, I edge my bets as I'm NOT a lucky fella and already have a limp.
Now secondly the traffic coming from the REAR is EVEN moree danerous in my opinion so when I pull up I'm always in first gear clutch in, I'm on the rear brake tapping away (can't afford self blinking lights) thumb on the horn and looking in the rear view to make sure the guy behind me knows I'm there and is stopping. If they haven't seen me I've got time and room to get the hell out of the way, if they do see me I knod my thanks and relax until I see a car coming up behind the one thats stopped. In my 43 years I've seem hundreds of rear ends in traffic and had one when an old lady didn't stop in Monocco she just bumped me BUT that once has made me paranoid and I won't let that happen again.
Anyway that's how I do it, that's the way I PRACTICE and the way I have to force myself to remember to do it each and every time I pull up, like I said I'm NOT that great a rider but I'm a safish rider and because I plainly don't trust anyone in cars not to hit me, experience has taught me that I'm heading in the right direction and others will put in thier views and I look forward to hearing them as there might be a better way of doing things that I've missed.
Let us know if you have taken anything away for the experience and what YOU would do if you found yourself in the same traffic situation tomorrow.
Got away with it though!
