[Andy]

First, the incident:

It had just started raining.  As we all know, or ought to know, this is the most dangerous time for a rider, particularly near intersections.  Oil deposited on the road by idling vehicles and Urals (  ), being lighter than water, seeps out of the asphalt, but has not yet had a chance to wash away.

I was approaching an intersection at about 70 km/h.  The speed limit in that spot is 80, but in risky conditions I'll slow a bit first, until I can determine if I'm going to make the light or not.  This particular light didn't have a flashing pedestrian signal or visible timer to tip me off.

Sure enough, it went yellow just in that "sweet spot" where you're too close to make a comfortable stop and too far away to get through before the red unless there are no vehicles waiting to make a turn in front of you.  There were.  I had to stop.

Still, no worries.  I ride in the rain a lot, and it's a 90 km ride to work, so I'm good at this.  My speed is down and I still have enough distance to stop safely.  I gently apply both front and rear brake - and the rear locks up and starts fishtailing.  Damn.  Not to panic, though.  I've been through this before.  I back off the rear brake and give it a little more on the front while applying just a little throttle to straighten out.   My speed hadn't come down nearly enough yet, but there's time...

The front is on the verge of a slide, but the back end is under control again, so I again gently apply the rear brake...and it locks up again!  Inconceivable.  Off I come on the back brake and get hard on the front.  The front is now locked and sliding, but it's at least going straight.  But the back is now too far off the line and I'm sliding Speedway style into the light. 

As I'm fully countersteered trying to keep it upright, I gave it a touch of throttle to get it back in line - my plan at this point is to straighen her out, get on the horn and gas if I have to and run the red.  But the ground was just  too slick and down it went.  I slid about ten metres, but emerged physically unscathed.  My speed at the time of the fall was probably about 20-30 km/h.
 
But what went wrong really?  The first thing I did, even before a damage assessment was check the adjustment on the rear brake.  It's fine.  I've put enough kilometres on this bike to know how much brake it will take or won't.  I checked the road for any physical signs of an oil spill, but there was none.  It was slick, but no slicker than the thousand other stoplights I've come to in those conditions. 

Today the answer hit me.  It was the most intangible of all.  It was my damn boots!  I had just purchased a new pair of boots specifically for wet and cold weather.  They are completely waterproof and good to 40 below zero.  They are also very cumbersome.  I had already noticed the lack of tactile sensitivity in my shifting but didn't make the logical deduction that what I can't feel with my left foot can't be felt with my right foot either.  I was probably jamming down on the damn brake, all the while thinking I'm giving it just a touch...

So, in the end.... My fault.  I present my shame here before you all, that ye might learn from it.  These Bullets are much too pretty to be tossed about like I do.   

[Ducati Scotty]

First off, cheers to you for not being one of those 'there was nothing I could do' guys.  And cheers that you're in one piece. 

That said, I don't know if it's entirely your fault.  I've had a few panic stops with my RE and the rear wheel always seems to lock.  I think there are two things at work here.  One, it's a drum brake.  It's quite strong but the feedback just isn't there.  Even in the best circumstances it just doesn't tell you what it's doing as much as it should.  Two, the front end on this bike is soft.  In a sharp stop that means the front is going to dive and unweight the rear suddenly.  Classic recipe for losing control.  I can't imagine the road being wet helped any of this.

Glad to hear you are unscathed and that the bike isn't too badly bent.

Scott

[Andy]

I'll add skinny tires to that, which is a factor.  But I have enough miles on the thing now to know how it behaves. 

On the other hand, is it a coincidence that all my accidents happen in May?  Probably not.

[GreenMachine]

yes I notice that I change differently between riding boots and sneakers I haven't notice if I put a different pressure on the rear brake but it probably does and I haven't been in a situation that it mattered.....I'll get the occasional false neutral shift with the sneakers for some reason...Glad to c u okay and the bike in reasonable shape..From what u described, it shouldn't come to much money to get it fixed..

[Ducati Scotty]

Yeah, not much rubber on the ground with these bikes.

Green, the top of your sneaker is probably lower and softer than the top of your boot.  I requires a little more twist from your ankle with sneakers.

Scott

[ROVERMAN]

I had a similar experience the other day on my Iron barrel,except it wasn't wet. I didn't lock-up but the pucker factor was way high. Just another reminder of the limits of drum brakes,mine actually work rather well but there was a moment of panic toward the end of the stop where i almost applied the rear a little harder,i'm glad i didn't. Glad you are OK. Kind of sobering isn't it?
Robert & REnfield in MI.

[GreenMachine]

Don't u love it when u going about 60 and u have to lock up the brakes...even on dry pavement it  will cause the pucker factor..never tried it in the rain..doesn't sound like fun..oh they'll stop ya assuming u have enough distance between you and whatever..

[Andy]

Oh yes.  Stopping distance is nearly doubled for this bike in the wet,which makes every rain ride a cautious affair.  I ride to compensate for conditions, but it's those unexpected things that other people do that makes it especially dangerous.   Every second I have to ask myself, "If that car does this, which way will I go, or what will I do?"

When I get into situations where there is no exit strategy from potential problems I'll pull over and let traffic clear a bit or change its pattern. 



 

[Ice]

Sir Andy,
For your outstanding display of moral courage and candor I commend you.

[Ducati Scotty]

Sir Andy,
For your outstanding display of moral courage and candor I commend you.

+1.

[Maturin]

Thank you Andy, for your precise description. It´s similar to my own experience with accidents, as there is rarely a single root for a crash. The biggest part of all fatalities happen because of a variety of reaons and errors, of which a single one does not have the potential to cause much trouble.
If you´re riding along and somebody pulls out in front of you, the distance nescessary to cause a crash is very short. However, iIf other factors are involved like wet surface, distraction or technical problems whatsoever, the likelines for a crash rises rapidly.
It´s usually pretty easy for a halfways-experienced rider to identify a single potential danger in advance, and to avoid it then. I always find it complicated though, to identify and add these many little disorders, which in total could develop the capability for trouble, as these disorders happen constantly in traffic. Besides, I don´t want to ride with a steady paranoia to get blown away by a unalerted granny, having forgotten her glases, for that would not allow to have any fun on a bike.
But it´s just like Andy said: if something feels odd, or feels different than usual - that´s probably your sixth sense trying to tell you something. Better to calm down, then.

[Fox]

Ouch. I assume you made it out relatively unscathed? Did you land like I did, directly on the shoulder? How's the bike looking?

I can definitely relate on accounting for conditions. I've got a few hundred miles on the KLR in stupidly nasty weather, and I ride pretty hard typically. I know how much the RE's front tends to lock up, even on clean dry pavement, but when the shit hits the fan, it's down to muscle memory.

Oh well, live and learn, right? Pain is a pretty good teacher.

[Andy]

Oh, hell, I'm fine.  I feel like someone ran over me while I was lying in the road, but that's just old age.  No damage.  Lots of burnt and melted rain-pant on my header though!  I guess the adrenalin/endorphine rush kept me from feeling that. 

Decent gear is life.  It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to be functional.  In the incident described above I was wearing a cheap no-name textile riding jacket and three layers of pants (longjohns, pant and rain pants).  Doesn't seem like much, but there's not a mark on me after a 30-foot slide on my side with a bike on me.

***

I popped into Old Vintage Cranks in Hillsburgh today to see if he had a new brake lever for me.  He didn't, but when he heard my tale of woe, he whisked one off one of the unsold floor models and said, "Here you go," and since he didn't know what to charge for it, he just gave me the price in the Nfield Gear catalogue, which I'm sure is too low for a lever around here.  He's my new bestest friend ever.  I wish I had bought my bike off of him.  When I can afford that sidecar, he'll be the one I buy it from.  To save me the hassle of sanding and painting my bar end, he gave me one of those black plastic bar end covers that some bikes have, some don't, and some only have one of, and nobody knows why they're even there at all.  He didn't charge me for it.  (My bike had one on it, but it was on the side that hit the ground and didn't survive.)

Also put a new footpeg on order.  Straightened the old one enough to ride with for now, but it'll have to go. 

I'll have to add new bars to the repair bill.  They're bent just a tad (and just a tad is just a tad too much).  I'll be checking them thoroughly before and after every ride for cracks until I get a new set in there.  Something in black.... 

I need to borrow a tap and die to re-tap the holes for the bar mount.  The force from the fall spooged up the threads near the top. 

And I also put in that much sought after NGK iridium plug.  VERY NICE!

Then I went for a hooligan howl around the block and up the back road to make sure everything was still straight.  She's nice and steady, and that new plug REALLY smooths out the engine.

So a new set of bars, a few twists of a tap, and I'm good to go.  Life is good.

[Desi Bike]

Andy,

I'm glad you got to meet up with Ken and Christian. OVC are one of the good dealers around. 
While you were there you didnt happen to see if my Chrome C5 was sitting there waiting for me didja?

[Andy]

I sure did... It's missing a brake lever, dude!!   LOL

[Desi Bike]

Bugger.      

[GreenMachine]

why did i know it would all work out for you..glad to c u got a replacement lever...now some poor bloke gonna have to wait for one...unless they take it from snother bike..
u up and running and that iridium is working great ...sounds like its a  better plug for the newer enfields...

[nigelogston@gmail.com]

Glad to hear you are unscathed, and your cautionary tale reminds us all about the perils of riding and the unexpected.  I have heard the adage "Dress for the Slide, Not for the Ride" and I think it is quite applicable.  Odd really that over the years I certainly (and I think most riders) are attentive to choice of jacket, but happy to ride in jeans: (or chaps, which actually leave one of your main contact points flapping in the breeze).  There are a number of excellent Kevlar (or newer) riding pants in both jeans and cargo style on the market  now (Draggin Jeans etc) , as well as various Denier Nylon overpants and even leather overpants .  I plan to use one of these products all the time just in case of situations like you describe.  There is a lot of skin on your outer thighs. 
Did you have any kind of crash bars on your bike?  Does anyone out there have experience with them in low speed slides in terms of both rider and bike protection? 
I will be taking the RE plunge myself in a few weeks with Kenneth at OVC.  He has been very helpful and patient with my emails and phone calls (I am a long distance away).   Heres hoping that the bike he took the lever from isn't the one I have my eye on!   Nigel.

[2bikebill]

"....I will be taking the RE plunge myself ..."

Let's hope not, bearing in mind the above.....

I have a straight bar on my bike - saw one on an old AJS and had to have one like it. I dropped the bike early on, after stopping on a gravelly slope (stupid bugger - lesson learned) and the brake res. put a tiny dint in my nice chrome tank. I bought the bar to prevent a repetition, but didn't want too much ugly metal on the front.
Hood Jeans (UK) make excellent heavy duty kevlar jeans - not just a few bits sewn in like some others, but completely lined from waist down to the bottom of the front of the leg, halway down the leg at the back. Fixing points for optional armour.

Congrats on new bike. G5? C5?

[nigelogston@gmail.com]

Electra Deluxe ("G 5 " in US) is what I'll be getting.  Haven't inked the deal yet, but I'm done choosing.  Went to the dark side for a while and looked a various ways to make a Sportster back into a standard.  Eventually concluded it could be done either with an older "pre-slammed" used model or with some modifications to the current Superlow to raise the suspension, but at the end of the day it woud still probably only barely get 5 " ground clearance, and 27 inches seat height, price over $10,000 after tax etc and insurance double, fuel consumption higher,small tank, no centre stand  and,     .............and this is the real truth.............it just wouldn't be an RE.   Fell in love with the "'G 5" at first sight, and no other bike is going to do.   So I am done thinking.  Dealer is 7 hours away or more, so I have to plan a little expedition with my trailer after I get my piggy bank sorted out.....any week now.    Nigel.

[2bikebill]

Good Choice. The minute I saw the Electra DeLuxe I had to have it. Three days later it was in my garage 

[Andy]

Heres hoping that the bike he took the lever from isn't the one I have my eye on!   Nigel.

It really was the chrome C5 it came off of (Gorgeous machine BTW).  No worries, Desi-man, he has some more coming in.

I had a set of crash bars on last year, but they cracked from vibration, so I took them off.  I'm glad they weren't there.  If they had been on, they would have folded at that weak spot and crushed my leg.  Still, I intend to get another set on there eventually, as soon as I can find some that are really made for go and not just for show.

I'm also interested to hear of any that have actually been used (ie, crashed), but most folks don't like to admit they dropped their pretty bike.