Frank:
I know the flat trackers used to rely on broad sliding or "hot shoeing" thru a turn. The night I met a couple of deer on my Harley, I can assure you I would have done well to have had a flat track racer's skills. I was doing about 50-60 mph when the first deer came up onto the road, out of a field. I got on the brakes, so the bike had slowed a lot. About that time, the second deer appeared out of nowhere. Her head and neck were lit in an unearthly orange glow, like an apparation, as she was right in the left hand front running light. I am guessing that deer tee-boned my Harley, and set me into a broadslide, with the righthand side of the bike facing the forward direction of travel. At that point, the only thoughts crossing my mind were: "This is a broadslide, and I am going to be OK". It was a sense of peace, not fear, but I also knew I was going to lay the bike down. It did not take long for the Hog to lay down on its left side. A heavy saddleback with a rigid liner held the bike up. It made a nice "bridge" and I stayed with the Harley as it slid on the pavement. I watched the sparks fly in a cloud of masonry dust, probably more spectacular since it was at night. I remember thinking the sparks looked like high carbon steel and hoping it was not the gas tank grinding thru. At some point, I realized the Hog was following the crown of the road and would wind up either wedging under the guide rail, or high siding. I let go of it and slid in my leathers. I got up, ran over to the Hog and found it had high sided and was down on its right side. I picked it up, and in a few minutes, the engine cranked right up. I came away with a busted knuckle on my left ring finger, and a small bone cracked in my ankle. No other bruising, no road rash, no strains or aches. I was walking and running and moving just fine. Considering I was 57 years old at the time, it was a nice testament to keeping in reasonable shape. My leathers took the brunt of it, and the steel toe cap on one of my work boots was ground by the pavement. I know I was extremely lucky, or, as I told the deputy who arrived, "Someone else was handling the bike for me". Ever since that time, I have always thought that if my riding skills were a bit better, I'd have been able to pull out of the broadslide. I think it might well have been a case of my being a rider who was used to having and using brakes on a motorcycle. I know that my Harley, having a disc rear brake, can be a bit twitchy and have the rear break loose if I apply too much rear brake on a road with loose material or if it is wet. I know I am light on using the rear brake on any bike I ride, but I think I probably just had the front brake locked up. I suppose I had a death grip on the front brake lever. I am a bit old now for learning some flat tracker's skills, but with 20-20 hindsight, it would have been an excellent thing to do. I never get on a motorcycle, even for a local run to the grocery, without at least work boots, a leather jacket and gloves and helmet. Going to and from work, I always wear a pair of heavy Vanson Chaps and my Langlitz jacket and a pair of gloves. I've since gone to a full face helmet. I had an open face helmet on the night I laid the bike down, and while there were no marks on the helmet, I figured I'd used my "free pass" and it was time to get a better helmet. I think if there were a rider's skill course where they had some kind of training for broadsliding a road bike and pulling out of it, I'd take it.
