Since I know own a GoPro, and I ride pretty much every day on my blade commuting to work, I created a youtube channel to share the situations I come across with. Riding every day in rush hours already gave my share of scares and close calls, either by my fault or someone else's fault.
As of now, I only have 2 videos up, one of today and one with more or less 3 years and hopefully I will only update this channel with close calls, not crashes.
The objective of this channel is to show situations we as riders sometimes put ourselfs into without need to or situations caused by others.
Hopefully it might help someone else not to make the same mistakes I do or simply show how lucky I was on any given occasion.
It's easy to get too comfortable on these bikes, and then we start zipping around tightly congested city streets.
Only a matter of time before we get clipped.
We have to SLOW DOWN in the city. Leave plenty of time to react.
Cagers don't see us. Because one second, nobody is there. The next second here we come buzzing down the road zipping around cars and whizzing around corners.
Think about it. We are partially to blame. Cagers are stupid, and have slow reaction times.
We do not. So it is up to US to avoid THEM.
I don't think revving your engine at people is gonna help you at all. Most people prob have there radio's up and can't hear u anyways. Your gonna have close calls if you are speeding. Gonna have to weigh the risks with benefits on the street.
imo I believe the best way to calm down on the streets, and to be a safer rider is to attend track days!
After time on the track, I don't have that need for speed feeling and I just cruise. I seem to enjoy street riding much better, and stay out of trouble. Not to mention having quicker reactions and better bike control.
if ya gotta ride it hard and cant control yourself, take to the track!
Thanks for the feedback. I certainly understand why you guys said what you said, especially after visiting your country (USA) last year. Things are a LOT different there.
I try to stay out of trouble and be safe... However, sometimes I just want to get home and stay in a traffic jam behind a car, when I can just drive around them, isn't for me. (lane splitting isn't exactly against the law here)
As far as going to the track, I think if I would ever go to the track, I will be so afraid to crash that I will not enjoy the experience. I need my bike to go to work every day, I can't afford to crash it just "playing MotoGP rider"...
Maybe one day, if I can afford it, I'll get a bike JUST for the tracks.
From the few videos I've seen it certainly looks like you do want to crash your bike as well as take an extended leave from this planet in a six foot box.
Just because lane splitting isn't against the law makes it a good idea?
Hey, I just realized you're in Portugal. You ever follow Kaily's channel? Him and his friends are constantly doing wheelies on Gixxer 1000s and R1s? Those guys are crazy. lol
Things are very different here... Not nearly as much Police Forces as in the states... And the Police doesn't have good equipment (cars, bikes, etc)...
For all you guys that told me I needed to slow down... well... You couldn't be more right.
I was going way too fast for the road I was driving in, at at least double the speed limit.
When I saw the car sticking it's nose, I braked, but not too hard... I had more than enough time to pass safely, but when the front wheel touched the white line from the crosswalk, the front tire slipped, and off we went...
I also made this video afterwards showing what were the damages to my gear and bike.
So, here's another guy that learned the hard way.
This was my first crash in 6 years of riding, and... I think that I was really lucky.
What is the purpose of chasing after him?, if he cut you off on the circle, means he is ignorant and reckless, and if you chase after him, he might do something stupid and dangerous.
I watched some of your videos. I got to say that those are not close calls...
Those are close calls
I don't know how you ride where you live but what you show on your videos is just an ordinary day here in Greece. Things like those are a usual thing here and we know how to ride with them. Learn to ride more defensive and never think that cause you have green light or priority over a cross you are safe. My approach when I ride is that I feel that all the other vehicles on the road are trying to knock me down so I am always focused on other vehicles and on possible threats like when I see a cross I always slow down and check even If I have priority on that cross. I even always check when I have green light.
As for your accident I think you should learn to use your brakes better. Do some practise on empty parking spots or something. You should learn how to brake close to the grip limit and develop a good feel of your front wheel.
Also when a bad moment happens to you on the road you should just let it go... You can't change it not you will gain something by having it in your mind... You chase people and ask them why did they cut you off or if they didn't see you etc... That is wrong... Cause your ability to ride safely is affected when you get nervous and mad while riding.
Revving your engine after someone cut you off is only a waste of gas.... If someone cuts me off and i brake down and avoid him I don't even bother with him... Just let go and keep focused on the road
As for your accident I think you should learn to use your brakes better. Do some practise on empty parking spots or something. You should learn how to brake close to the grip limit and develop a good feel of your front wheel.
I understand what you're saying, but... If you have to make an emergency brake, and you do it in a crosswalk,all your experience goes out the window.
One could argue "Well, don't brake in the crosswalk" but... When you're in a situation like that you don't have time to see if there's a crosswalk there or not.
The real lesson I've learned is that in those kinds of places I should be riding a lot slower.
As for the close calls, well... Yes, so far aside from the crash, I haven't got EXTREME close calls. However, all of them were situations that with a little more of bad luck, or less attention, or more speed, could have resulted in a crash.
Yeah true but when you have better feel of your brakes and grip even in emergency you will handle the brakes better. I ride since 2007. I had one crash since then on a cbf250. I tried to overtake a lady on a car on a crosswalk and she remembered that she wanted to turn almost after the cross so without any indication light she fully braked and turned left... I started braking and turning left but there was no room. I ended up hitting on her left rear door and then dropped down but I didn't lock the front wheel and drop by my own. I am telling you this story to show you that even in emergency situation if you have developed a good control of the brakes you will be able to handle the bike a lot better because imho the crash you had was easily avoidable. It was just that you got scared of the car, and locked your wheel.
But the part that you mention about your speed is very important. I noticed on the videos that you drive way too fast in town roads with a lot of traffic. In areas like that you should ride a lot slower to have room for escape or evade. The way you ride in the town practically leaves you at the mercy of other drivers. If someone crosses a STOP sign or changes a lane without notice you will not have the ability to evade that.
Mmmmmm....cbf250 and cbr1000 are 2 different animals, the speed and momentum 1krr have makes stoping and manouvering harder.
Just want to say, cant really comparing between those two.
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