Went down in 6....but I got it on video...

First off I want to give a big thanks to the guys at Seacoast and the control riders who stopped to give me a hand after I went down in 6 yesterday. I went down a lot harder than I thought I would and it really took a number on my body.

The initial blow to my helmet took out my vision for a few seconds, and when it came back, I literally saw stars for a while after. On top of that, I got the wind knocked out of me so it really was tough to get up after that spill...

Once I got back to the garage, I checked myself over and other than a massive headache, I was feeling OK. I hung out for an hour or so before I packed up. On the drive home I started to get dullness in my hearing on the side that received the impact. I knew it wasn't something to mess with, so I headed to the ER.

After a few CT and spinal scans I was told I had a pretty severe brain contusion and some swelling that was pressing up against the nerve that goes to my left ear drum. Luckily there was no bleeding or fluids and I was discharged.

Today I feel like I got hit by a truck. My back, neck, hips, shoulders are as sore as I've ever felt them, and my head is still pounding (which I was told can take many days to recover from). In the end, a simple crash turned out to be more serious than I would have ever anticipated.

The bike never really felt planted all day, and the rear felt like it was walking. I originally attributed it to tire pressure, which I was trying to dial in, but it turned out that it was a preload issue with the suspension (long story...) which caused the rear to act the way it did that day.

Anyhow, a big thanks to those who helped out. Now to prepare for next season...


Before...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2/283ae694.jpg


After
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2/1b97c397.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2/32e5d0b0.jpg


Jay Crash Edited.avi - YouTube

pretty weird you lost the back after the apex and you didnt even open the throttle that fast.
Good thing you are ok though. and you did jump up pretty fast lol

Weird crash. Glad your ok and looks like the bike isn't too bad.

Sorry to hear about the wreck, but sounds like you're doing alright. What you experienced is a concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury. Current studies show that, while your symptoms may resolve within just a few days, your brain is actually not back to normal for the better part of a month.

My advice to you is to literally take it easy for a month, both physically and mentally. No strenuous activity, try to not watch too much TV in a day, no difficult mental exercises. Literally, give your brain a vacation as much as you can for a few weeks.

Looks like you made a steering correction. I crashed the same way in the bowl last year except my front end washed out, but I thought I was getting to close to the curbing and made a steering correction and was down.

Might be the fresh paint job, too. That's a track curse you know.

Glad your okay. :plusone:

Your bar ends grew after the crash!

All kidding aside, glad you're relatively ok man. I just hope it doesn't scare you away from the hobby... there's always something to be learned, sometimes the hard way.

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Originally Posted by RyanNicholson

Your bar ends grew after the crash!

All kidding aside, glad you're relatively ok man. I just hope it doesn't scare you away from the hobby... there's always something to be learned, sometimes the hard way.

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I knew I'd go down eventually...and I'll get back into it next year. I'm pretty sure the preload in the rear was too soft. When I got home I was measuring the rear sag again and it was vastly different than when I first measured it.

The video does look like I made a steering correction but I'm pretty certain that the rear started to slide out, cause I felt it for a second or so before the crash. Once the rear slid out I knew it was just a matter of time. The front end must have followed shortly after, but it's hard to really pinpoint it. For most of the day the rear was feeling similar coming out of 2a and in T4.

Anyhow...whatever it was I'll get back up on that horse next season. For now my body is still beat.

looks like you tried to recover something for a split second.

Glad you are tnot oo knocked around.

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Originally Posted by nt650hawk

looks like you tried to recover something for a split second.

Glad you are not too knocked around.

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...Which was probably the case, and I'm willing to bet inexperience recovered in the wrong way

I crashed the same way in t6, too light on the pre-load
And the rear packed in. Glad you're doing ok.

I got a real good concussion about six weeks ago, I've has
Headaches off and on the whole time but they're going away now.

Glad to hear that you are OK. Bike looks pretty fixable. I played the crash a couple times through and from what I can conjure up you made a reasonably common mistake. My guess is that you gave the bike bar input after the apex while starting to apply the throttle (your bars turn hard left before the fall....indicating a front end tuck). The combination of bar input asking for more grip and throttle input (even though it was smooth) unweighting the tire caused the crash. Remember as you roll the gas on, bar input must decrease......

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Originally Posted by Woodcraft

Glad to hear that you are OK. Bike looks pretty fixable. I played the crash a couple times through and from what I can conjure up you made a reasonably common mistake. My guess is that you gave the bike bar input after the apex while starting to apply the throttle (your bars turn hard left before the fall....indicating a front end tuck). The combination of bar input asking for more grip and throttle input (even though it was smooth) unweighting the tire caused the crash. Remember as you roll the gas on, bar input must decrease......

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The bar input on the video certainly is to the left indicating a front end tuck, but just before that, the rear end was getting loose. I'm not sure what made me do it, but after the rear was going out, I must have corrected the wrong way for some reason...I keep trying to piece the whole event back together

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Originally Posted by Fastsc92

The bar input on the video certainly is to the left indicating a front end tuck, but just before that, the rear end was getting loose. I'm not sure what made me do it, but after the rear was going out, I must have corrected the wrong way for some reason...I keep trying to piece the whole event back together

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if the rear was sliding then you were on the gas and your correction was the bar input. that's most likely how it all went down. fixing the suspension is gonna help in any case. I'm not sure if its right but in my experience the best way to get through a slide it to just let it happen and finish itself. as you get faster you'll start to slide a little more and you'll learn the different reasons for the slides (cold tires, slippery track, ham fist, etc.) and you just ride through them.

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Originally Posted by CBR929RE

I'm not sure if its right but in my experience the best way to get through a slide it to just let it happen and finish itself. as you get faster you'll start to slide a little more and you'll learn the different reasons for the slides (cold tires, slippery track, ham fist, etc.) and you just ride through them.

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For sure...I'll blame the majority of this on rider inexperience. I'm glad I got it on video so that I can learn from it. I thought I'd be pissed the day I went down, but it's just part of the sport, the bike can be fixed (thankfully I invested in some race bodywork) and I'm sure you guys have all been in my shoes (some more than others...)

On the good side the bike didn't highside or tumble so it got off pretty light. Looks to be in pretty good shape all things considered.
Take it slow with that concussion. Glad you're OK.

Your helmet looks too familiar to me. Take it easy and good luck with a fast healing. I had my spill back in August and tomorrow I go in to find out why I'm having dizzy spells. It's like the whole world ratchets around and my eyes get to darting about. It, dizziness, was apparent directly after my surgery and such but weeks later and its rearing its ugly head again :mope:

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Originally Posted by Fastsc92

The bar input on the video certainly is to the left indicating a front end tuck, but just before that, the rear end was getting loose. I'm not sure what made me do it, but after the rear was going out, I must have corrected the wrong way for some reason...I keep trying to piece the whole event back together

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The bar input post apex side loads the rear tire....essentailly winding up the elastic band before it lets go. Most high sides are caused as much from bar input as throttle application. If you relax on the bars as you accelerate, most extra throttle will simply make you run wide as opposed to spinning the tire. The bars solve 90% of the issues....as for the other 10%, you were done for anyway.......

I've crashed in 6 right after the apex in almost the same way. I blamed it on my rear as well (at the time thought it was tires). But as Eric has pointed out - most of the time it's the front that tucked first even though when it happened it felt like the rear let go.

Glad you are okay - and hope you get back out there soon!! The more you learn from your bike and are able to get feedback, the more confident you will be.

Not the type of before and after picture most people here would be hoping for. Glad you got off relatively uninjured.

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Originally Posted by Woodcraft

The bar input post apex side loads the rear tire....essentailly winding up the elstic band before it lets go. Most high sides are caused as much from bar input as throttle application. If you relax on the bars as you accelerate, most extra throttle will simply make you run wide as opposed to spinning the tire. The bars solve 90% of the issues....as for the other 10%, you were done for anyway.......

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Thanks for posting that Eric. I have trouble convincing people that their mistake was steering input when they spin/slide the rear. That was well said.

Glad you got scans. Head trauma is very scarey. If you experience ANY wierd symptoms please get medical attention. Not trying to scare you but I've experienced it first hand. And I should know better.... there are four doctors in my family.

And next time.... Run to the nearest edge of the track...not across! LOL

Good catch. I was kinda thinking that staying in the inside of the turn would have been safer. No biggie seems like he crossed it the track safely.

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Originally Posted by Charlief

Glad you got scans. Head trauma is very scarey. If you experience ANY wierd symptoms please get medical attention. Not trying to scare you but I've experienced it first hand. And I should know better.... there are four doctors in my family.

And next time.... Run to the nearest edge of the track...not across! LOL

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Yea...I dont know what I was thinking.... My first reaction was to stay down until I saw all the other bikes pass by. Staying down wasn't an issue cause I was hurting pretty good there for a second :spank But yes, I should have gone to the inside but I wanted to get off the racing line and at the momment, that was the most obvious :confused:

So you don't think you were alone, I crashed in T6 on Monday too and for the same exact reason. In my case though I didn't feel the rear wiggling around. I felt the weight of the Gs at the apex, (I think) I pushed the bars slightly then whammo. I rolled on to my back as I skidded into the gravel and looked up in time to see 3 more bikes follow me into the rocks (sorry guys!).

Sure slowed me down through that turn for the rest of the day.

After reading Eric's post and talking with more experienced racing buddies I blame my slight bar input at the apex, but I also took the same line into the turn. I tend to turn in to 6 too early and make it more of a V than a J. I wonder how much this had to do with things.

I've been there (on the ground in 6) both times I went to the track. Good luck healing. Time for a new helmet!

Glad you're OK!
I think countersteering got you there. You said that you felt the rear slide which meant, to you, that it was going RIGHT, so you instinctively (sp) tried to turn the front to the RIGHT by countersteering, like you would do on the street. So you pushed on the right grip--BUT, the front was way light already (see Eric's excellent post) and you lost the front (bar going quickly LEFT in vid.) in a classic front end crash!!
That's what I see anyhow.
But what the heck do I know---I've crashed there before too:jackie:

not bad for a first time off on the track. bumps to the noggen suck big cajones; tumbling sucks big cajones. dust yourself off and get back out there next spring :)

Jeez I'm late.. After watching your video a few times it kinda looks like my crash. I wonder if my crash was due to bad bar input. Pretty crazy you were that banged up. You seemed fine at the track. Glad it wasn't any worse. Hope to see you out next season after your wedding!

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Originally Posted by mi1knc0okies

... Glad it wasn't any worse. Hope to see you out next season after your wedding!

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Yea...I'm working on that situation. I feel like after the wedding in May, my balls will be officially snatched up and I'm going to have to fight tooth and nail to make it to some trackdays next season. We'll just have to see how it all pans out.