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873 Posts
Ok, If ever there were reason to QUIT riding a motorcycle, something like this would be one of them. I have been touting the theory that most all accidents on a motorcycle are avoidable, but this one blows that theory away.
Additionally, I like to tell people to ALWAYS wear a jacket, and lately i had been ignoring that advice myself.
Heres the story.
The bike is 1/2 trashed, im ok.
I went on a ride Saturday with a friend (on a 99 GSXR600) Everything was going great until we were just past a town called Superior, AZ and heading up a mountain pass. Beautiful sweepers, posted at 50-55mph. I estimate i was taking the sweepers at a very conservative 65-70 tops. Not too terribly fast, but somewhat "into it".
As I came around a left sweeper (beautiful road, recently repaved, smooth dark black roadway, new stripes, etc) I began to roll a bit of throttle through the apex. Without any warning, almost instantly, the bike is down, and im surfing at 60mph. This happened instantaneously. No chance to even realize what was happening until after i hit the ground.
I see the bike spinning down (up) the highway on its left side then watch it smash into a guardrail end (compression device on guardrail) I landed on my left leg/butt and slid for a ways before catching levis traction, flipping over and landing on my right shoulder. I continued to slide along the highway and then off into the gravel of a "turn off" area which was adjacent to this stretch if the highway.
I immediately get up. Im ok. But at 65-70mph this was not a minor spill. My friend on the gixxer saw the whole thing happen. Apparently, there was a 200 foot oil spill in the middle of the lane. With the new asphault being black, the oil was virtually invisible. He hit it also and almost lowsided like i did, but as he had seen me go down he had let off the gas considerably. My friend said that if i hadnt of gone down he would have. His back tire broke loose also on the oil, but as he was not accelerating he managed to keep everything rubber side down. Very scary.
I came away very lucky. I am pissed because i was not even riding near my limits and this happend so fast by the time i knew what happened i was sliding at 60mph on my side.
I am VERY lucky. However, i am stupid. I didnt take my own advice. This was yet another unplanned ride and ended up being farther than we expected. I had my AGV Gloves gloves, helmet (also AGV), new levis but no jacket. I knew better, this time my lazyiness bit me. This is the only thing i can "take" from this. My injuries were AMAZINGLY minor for a wreck like this, but if i had had a jacket on i would be in almost perfect shape.
As it is, i have roadrash in a small area on my left calf, i have roadrash on both arms, right arm more than left, and also a bit on my right back/shoulder blade area. I bruised my left thumbnail, but the AGV gloves really held up well. The left thumb of the glove is just barely worn through on top, the rest of the glove on both hands are just heavily scuffed. The Helmet got the typical rear-of-head grinding. Another reason to ALWAYS wear a helmet. Roadrash is a burden, but i like to keep my cranium intact above all else.
Again, it is amazing i walked away from this one with so minor of injuries. I am pretty sure i didnt even go into shock. Ive seen worse, death, many accidnets, etc, so i just got up and said lets get the bike outta the middle of the road. My friend was more concerned with me, but by the time i stopped i pretty much knew i didnt break anything. This could have been deadly. I made the one mistake of not wearing my jacket. I will never forgive myself for that. So now i have wounds to lick (even if they are minor, they ARE a hassle).
I am very upset, not about the bike (i really didnt like it anyway) but about the chances of such a freak accident happening in the first place. This oil was visible on the highway only AFTER we "walked" the scene. There is oil on the left side of both my front and rear tires, so we are pretty sure from this and the fact that the oil ran from before the spot where the bike went down to well after the spot the bike stopped at that the oil was not from my bike. The lowside took less than a second. I was down literally in the blink of and eye.
About the bike.. The left side is rashed. The tank took a direct hit on the guard rail end. The entire tailsection took a direct hit on the guard rail and more or less exploded. Thats it. The entire right hand side (except tail) is pretty much untouched. The frame is untouched. The Muzzy pipe is untouched. The PM wheels are untouched.
I am not sure if it will be totalled, (i am thinking probably not). I DO have full coverage.
We gathered the bike up at the scene, and moved it off the roadway. The bike WAS leaking oil after the crash as the left case cover was ground down. The shift lever and left footpeg are broken off so it was unrideable.
I piggy backed back down the hill on the gixxer (race tail and all) the short (5 min) distance back to town and rented a uhaul (VERY CONVIENIENT)
We headed back up the hill and loaded up the bike before any Highway Patrol arrived. So here i am. I cant say i am wiser, except id be alot better off if i had worn my jacket, (i debated it before hand) I knew better.
Again, this is so very aggravating right now because honestly, this was just so unavoidable. It blows my theory about accidents out of the water and i will never lok at motorcycles in teh same way again, ever.
The chances of hitting an oil slick like this at just the right place and just the right time is just unbelievable. I had stated on SBW that 9 times out of 10 a motorcycle accident is avoidable. Guess this was the "10" I wish , i HONESTLY wish this was due to some stupid mistake on my part. at least i could learn something in the lines of riding from it all. I guess the jacket is the big lesson (a lesson i already knew)
If i get enough from Ins. i will put a down on a new bike perhaps. Not sure yet. There are alot of good $$$ parts on the bike and they are unscathed.
------------------
Fear Green.
Additionally, I like to tell people to ALWAYS wear a jacket, and lately i had been ignoring that advice myself.
Heres the story.
The bike is 1/2 trashed, im ok.
I went on a ride Saturday with a friend (on a 99 GSXR600) Everything was going great until we were just past a town called Superior, AZ and heading up a mountain pass. Beautiful sweepers, posted at 50-55mph. I estimate i was taking the sweepers at a very conservative 65-70 tops. Not too terribly fast, but somewhat "into it".
As I came around a left sweeper (beautiful road, recently repaved, smooth dark black roadway, new stripes, etc) I began to roll a bit of throttle through the apex. Without any warning, almost instantly, the bike is down, and im surfing at 60mph. This happened instantaneously. No chance to even realize what was happening until after i hit the ground.
I see the bike spinning down (up) the highway on its left side then watch it smash into a guardrail end (compression device on guardrail) I landed on my left leg/butt and slid for a ways before catching levis traction, flipping over and landing on my right shoulder. I continued to slide along the highway and then off into the gravel of a "turn off" area which was adjacent to this stretch if the highway.
I immediately get up. Im ok. But at 65-70mph this was not a minor spill. My friend on the gixxer saw the whole thing happen. Apparently, there was a 200 foot oil spill in the middle of the lane. With the new asphault being black, the oil was virtually invisible. He hit it also and almost lowsided like i did, but as he had seen me go down he had let off the gas considerably. My friend said that if i hadnt of gone down he would have. His back tire broke loose also on the oil, but as he was not accelerating he managed to keep everything rubber side down. Very scary.
I came away very lucky. I am pissed because i was not even riding near my limits and this happend so fast by the time i knew what happened i was sliding at 60mph on my side.
I am VERY lucky. However, i am stupid. I didnt take my own advice. This was yet another unplanned ride and ended up being farther than we expected. I had my AGV Gloves gloves, helmet (also AGV), new levis but no jacket. I knew better, this time my lazyiness bit me. This is the only thing i can "take" from this. My injuries were AMAZINGLY minor for a wreck like this, but if i had had a jacket on i would be in almost perfect shape.
As it is, i have roadrash in a small area on my left calf, i have roadrash on both arms, right arm more than left, and also a bit on my right back/shoulder blade area. I bruised my left thumbnail, but the AGV gloves really held up well. The left thumb of the glove is just barely worn through on top, the rest of the glove on both hands are just heavily scuffed. The Helmet got the typical rear-of-head grinding. Another reason to ALWAYS wear a helmet. Roadrash is a burden, but i like to keep my cranium intact above all else.
Again, it is amazing i walked away from this one with so minor of injuries. I am pretty sure i didnt even go into shock. Ive seen worse, death, many accidnets, etc, so i just got up and said lets get the bike outta the middle of the road. My friend was more concerned with me, but by the time i stopped i pretty much knew i didnt break anything. This could have been deadly. I made the one mistake of not wearing my jacket. I will never forgive myself for that. So now i have wounds to lick (even if they are minor, they ARE a hassle).
I am very upset, not about the bike (i really didnt like it anyway) but about the chances of such a freak accident happening in the first place. This oil was visible on the highway only AFTER we "walked" the scene. There is oil on the left side of both my front and rear tires, so we are pretty sure from this and the fact that the oil ran from before the spot where the bike went down to well after the spot the bike stopped at that the oil was not from my bike. The lowside took less than a second. I was down literally in the blink of and eye.
About the bike.. The left side is rashed. The tank took a direct hit on the guard rail end. The entire tailsection took a direct hit on the guard rail and more or less exploded. Thats it. The entire right hand side (except tail) is pretty much untouched. The frame is untouched. The Muzzy pipe is untouched. The PM wheels are untouched.
I am not sure if it will be totalled, (i am thinking probably not). I DO have full coverage.
We gathered the bike up at the scene, and moved it off the roadway. The bike WAS leaking oil after the crash as the left case cover was ground down. The shift lever and left footpeg are broken off so it was unrideable.
I piggy backed back down the hill on the gixxer (race tail and all) the short (5 min) distance back to town and rented a uhaul (VERY CONVIENIENT)
We headed back up the hill and loaded up the bike before any Highway Patrol arrived. So here i am. I cant say i am wiser, except id be alot better off if i had worn my jacket, (i debated it before hand) I knew better.
Again, this is so very aggravating right now because honestly, this was just so unavoidable. It blows my theory about accidents out of the water and i will never lok at motorcycles in teh same way again, ever.
The chances of hitting an oil slick like this at just the right place and just the right time is just unbelievable. I had stated on SBW that 9 times out of 10 a motorcycle accident is avoidable. Guess this was the "10" I wish , i HONESTLY wish this was due to some stupid mistake on my part. at least i could learn something in the lines of riding from it all. I guess the jacket is the big lesson (a lesson i already knew)
If i get enough from Ins. i will put a down on a new bike perhaps. Not sure yet. There are alot of good $$$ parts on the bike and they are unscathed.
------------------
Fear Green.
