Intentionally crashing to avoid a crash is usually a terrible idea. If you had taken the time you spent "laying it down" and used it for maximum braking and/or swerving, I wonder if your outcome would be different?
I have no problem answering this question. Thin-skinned I am not.
I approached the intersection at about 35, and accelerating a bit. Facing me in a left-turn lane was Daddy's little girl. On her right were cars, one after another, making a right turn. She pulled out just as I hit the intersection. On my right and 90 degrees was a car making a left turn, essentially blocking my (desired) escape route. In short, I had no where to go, which is where the "idiot" bell goes off in my own head.
Rather than do a high side after a full on collision, I laid the bike down and avoided bouncing. I don't bounce real well.
Check my earlier statement in which I said, in part:
In retrospect, I wasn't focused on the intersection and her and I didn't play the "What if?" game at that time -- and I paid the price.
Attended a defensive riding course in 2003, during which I learned a ton -- mostly defensive measures, which I momentarily forgot in the incident above.
Since I'm new here, I'll say that i've been riding since I was 12 - minibikes, and then a 1965 Honda S-90, which is where I developed some measure of skill. I would not ever characterize my skill set as being much beyond "defensively competent." Never was much of a hotdogger. Just ain't wired that way. This C14 I now have is my third new bike, having bought my first new bike in 1982.
You can better believe I've made mistakes in my riding, just as I'm quite sure others reading this post can nod their heads (if they're being honest with themselves) and admit the same thing.
I'm prepared to keep learning, which is, I think, what the rational man does. To stop learning means to die, and I ain't dead yet.
