Almost crashed today

[Tortuga_imp]

Geez, Mr T. I'm pleased to hear you got through that OK too. These stories always make me wonder how I'd go in similar circumstances, Lacking your experience, not as well, I expect.

Traffic engineers like roundabouts in this country. They use small ones in all sorts of odd places, like residential areas, as what they delightfully call "traffic calming devices". Not sure they always work to achieve that.

I live not far from one of Australia's premier tourist beaches, Noosa. The local government there believes traffic lights should be spurned and instead have gone enthusiastically for roundabouts to the extent that the local joke is that "Noosa is aboriginal for roundabout."

I get lots of practice!

Anyway, glad you're OK.

Thanks, I live in an area similarly peppered with the things. They're actually seen over here as a bit of a bonus for bikers due to the fact they're an endless corner, in effect.

I also have a slip road system near me which allows riders to perpetually loop 'left'.
Each summer we normally lose one or two bikers on this small intersection as it becomes 'knee down heaven' for all the wannabe heroes from May to September.

As to how you'd cope in a near off; I think if you just repeat in your head when in a corner the Keith Code mantra:

"Once the throttle is cracked open, it is rolled on evenly, smoothly, and constantly throughout the remainder of the turn".

Also, it's worth learning how to overcome your body's 'survival reactions' which scream at you to brake, sit the bike up mid turn and generally bail out of the corner.

This is what causes so many fatalities as riders panic, yank the bike upright and either run off the road into something hard and concrete-flavoured, or hit oncoming traffic head on.

I watched a video on a youtube where a motorcyclist was hot by another bikes who over ran the corner in just this manner.

In slow, out fast was what I was always taught.

Maybe we should have a 'riding techniques' section on the forum where old lags can share their experience with the newer riders.