• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Went down on Mt Hamilton

Elfin

Elfin

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 4, 2024
Location
San Jose, CA
Moto(s)
Kawi Z400, Hon CRF125F, Lightning Spark
Name
Brona
Mt Hamilton is my training ground. Beautiful Sunday to ride, went to the top and beyond on my electric Spark. The return trip was going good except for the autos hogging the center line until... passed a couple of roadies, immediate blind right hand turn to a blocked road. Really large commercial (cement) truck fully taking up his lane completely stopped, the car in front of Butch was stopped. Butch was stopped and I grabbed both brakes locking the front but just missing Butch. Then boink! Down to the left with leg stuck under the bike. All I could think was gotta get me and the bike up before someone else comes plowing around that blind curve and this gets worse. Butch got my bike up and on we go. Thankful for appropriate safety gear which allowed no damage to happen other than to my pride.
After getting home, I'm going over this and what should I have done differently. Motorcycle safety course I took gave me the answer. Gotta let of the brake when you lock it up and reapply. Only time and experience can get you to the point of being able to let off the brakes to be able to stop.
 
Oh no Brona!!!!!

Glad you are all good and thinking it through is a good sign of accomplishing the mind set for success in the future.
 
Often when you lock the front, you're down before you could possibly let it off and reapply. Been there, done that, was sliding on my face before I knew what happened. :cry

If you practice braking you'll be better able to modulate the front. What I've found most useful is to find a clean parking lot, mark where you want to start braking, then run up to that point at 25 mph and see how short of a stopping distance you can manage. Bring some chalk or something to help you know where you finally stopped. Do it at least ten times to find your best distance and to find out how consistent you can be. You can learn at least 90% of everything that you need to know about braking doing it from 25 mph, but the risk of dropping the bike is way smaller than from higher speeds.

The other skill that you can probably only get by riding dirt a lot is to learn how to step off of the bike as it's going down so that you don't get stuck under it. I tend to practice that skill several times a year on dirt roads. :laughing
 
In my experience, if you've locked the front wheel due to quickly grabbing the brakes before the tire is loaded only a fighter pilot is likely to be able to release the brakes in the fraction of a second you have before you're on the ground. Trail braking, if your comfortable with it can be good to keep a.small amount of brake pressure mid corner, also, covering the brakes, maybe with just one or two fingers allows you to react sooner, and potentially smoother to surprises. But also, sometimes shit just happens. Glad you were more or less alright!
 
Sorry to hear you fell and glad that you aren't injured.

It's likely that you grabbed the front brake lever vs squeeeeeeezing it progressively.

Mt Hamilton is not a good road for a person to learn on.
 
We, had to happen, glad you’re ok and that But he was there to help you and Sparky up. Years ago, panic stops were part of my pre-ride routine. This gets you comfortable to that front end dip that can initially be a bit upsetting.
 
Glad you weren't hurt. Gotta ride within your sight lines, make it a hard rule. (y)
 
ScottRNelson said:
Often when you lock the front, you're down before you could possibly let it off and reapply. Been there, done that, was sliding on my face before I knew what happened. :cry

If you practice braking you'll be better able to modulate the front. What I've found most useful is to find a clean parking lot, mark where you want to start braking, then run up to that point at 25 mph and see how short of a stopping distance you can manage. Bring some chalk or something to help you know where you finally stopped. Do it at least ten times to find your best distance and to find out how consistent you can be. You can learn at least 90% of everything that you need to know about braking doing it from 25 mph, but the risk of dropping the bike is way smaller than from higher speeds.

The other skill that you can probably only get by riding dirt a lot is to learn how to step off of the bike as it's going down so that you don't get stuck under it. I tend to practice that skill several times a year on dirt roads. :laughing
Click to expand...
We did that in the safety course but I haven't practiced it since. I've gotta practice it more. The dirt practice is coming up weekend after next. Looking forward to being in the dirt again.
 
for training purposes we just did the Mt Ham section from Grant Ranch to the Smith fire station and back. And again. Repeat. We have graduated to the top and back. No problem.

This incident was a bit unique. We were coming back, last hairpin before Three Springs following a hotted up Honda Fit (or some such racerboy thing) at a decent pace. He She Them was only a bit of a shitty driver and slightly crossing the DY.

After the right hairpin there was an oncoming bicyclist with a cement truck in tow. Slow. Cement truck had his wheels on the line.

Fit dude stops. I stop. Brona stops and falls down. Fit dude proceeds as there was plenty of room. I pick up Brona’s Lightning Spark and get the hell outta there. We stop shortly and make sure everything is ok…

Lessons learned.
 
N4teTheGreat said:
In my experience, if you've locked the front wheel due to quickly grabbing the brakes before the tire is loaded only a fighter pilot is likely to be able to release the brakes in the fraction of a second you have before you're on the ground. Trail braking, if your comfortable with it can be good to keep a.small amount of brake pressure mid corner, also, covering the brakes, maybe with just one or two fingers allows you to react sooner, and potentially smoother to surprises. But also, sometimes shit just happens. Glad you were more or less alright!
Click to expand...
It happened so fast I felt like a fighter pilot. Thank you, Good advice
 
Last edited:
Enchanter said:
Sorry to hear you fell and glad that you aren't injured.

It's likely that you grabbed the front brake lever vs squeeeeeeezing it progressively.

Mt Hamilton is not a good road for a person to learn on.
Click to expand...
Thank you. That's exactly what I did. But I disagree and feel it's perfect for getting these lessons outta the way without too much traffic. There's the hairpin curves, narrow lanes, dealing with roadies and these fast stops.
 
ThumperX said:
We, had to happen, glad you’re ok and that But he was there to help you and Sparky up. Years ago, panic stops were part of my pre-ride routine. This gets you comfortable to that front end dip that can initially be a bit upsetting.
Click to expand...
Hi ThumperX. I had just been thinking that well, while Butch is in Pakistan why can't I ride Mt Hamilton by myself? After getting moving again I said, that's why you can't go alone.
 
Elfin said:
It happened so fast I felt like a fighter pilot. Thank you, Good advice
Click to expand...
First time I dumped my bike was on 80, trying to merge from stop and go traffic into the quickly moving HOV lane, while looking for a gap I got too close the car in front of me, when I saw that I grabbed the front brake and I was on the ground before I had a chance to think even the oh part of oh shit! :laughing Same as you, not injuries aside from my ego and some.nrw scratches on my already scratched learning bike.
 
In that situation there is always someone to help. At stony we can practice falling and keeping legs and feet clear.
 
N4teTheGreat said:
First time I dumped my bike was on 80, trying to merge from stop and go traffic into the quickly moving HOV lane, while looking for a gap I got too close the car in front of me, when I saw that I grabbed the front brake and I was on the ground before I had a chance to think even the oh part of oh shit! :laughing Same as you, not injuries aside from my ego and some.nrw scratches on my already scratched learning bike.
Click to expand...
Memories of these things are the stepping stones to a better rider. It means you've been there done that glad that's over with! The scratches on learner bike is a beauty mark of experience.
 
ThumperX said:
In that situation there is always someone to help. At stony we can practice falling and keeping legs and feet clear.
Click to expand...
Looking forward to it. When I was 13 I had a Honda 50. Didn't realize that I had lost the muffler guard. I had to lay it over and my leg carries the beauty mark of that burn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top