Crashing on Turn-In
Sep 17th, 2009 by Leo
The track guru Keith Code is often heard saying: ‘I’ve asked loads of racers if they’ve ever quick-turned a bike fast enough to crash, and no one has…’ What this means is that when it comes to the point on the road you need to turn, you can really push that handlebar…hard, and get it leaned over fast. That’s what professional racers are exceptionally good at (although you can’t tell so much on tv). In person, they drop the bike over so quickly it looks like they’ll hit the ground.
But there’s a qualifier: You can’t turn a bike so fast that you’ll crash… provided the road is dry (not wet), and clean…
Here, it appears that some debris on the road happened to be at the exact same point where the front wheel began the turn-in… Everything that followed happened in a split second.
Afterwards Rossi painted a donkey on his helmet admitting he messed up. His mistake is one that regular mere-mortal riders make all the time at intersections: initiating a turn when the front wheel is compromised… Such as turning-in while the front wheel is on top of a man hole cover, or one of those steel construction plates, or on top of dirt or ice, or on a grease strip while it’s raining. It only takes a couple of square inches of slippery stuff to cause a crash at turn-in. And when it happens, it often happens so quick it’s over before you realized anything happened.
This is why many street riding courses teach you to stay clear of manhole covers just as a matter of habit. Steer clear of them even when you’re going straight, so that you’ll be on the watch for them if you ever need to turn on short notice. Probably a good idea.
Anyway, ride safe and enjoy your ride!
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