| Author | Message | ||
     M2nc |
I low-sided the Uly this morning on the way to work. For most of the day I was not sure what happened, but as friends got the word and called to check in on me, I piece together what happened. I was riding to work this morning and the temperature was between 28-32°F. It's about a twelve mile ride to work with a combination of four-lane, back-road and in-town riding. I left the small town I live in and headed toward work. I pulled out on the four-lane and traffic was cooking. I was running with a group of cagers that were running around 70-75mph. About 5-6 miles down the road, I have to slow to turn on a side road. I took that turn briskly because I do not want to get run over. I rode the back-road about 1/2 mile through a sweeping curve to the right, to take another road to the left. I was still a little pumped from the four-lane and running faster than the speed limit, but have gone through the same stretch much faster. I hit the brakes and slowed for the left turn, let go of the brakes and leaned into the turn. About the apex of the curve the horizon went perpendicular and I'm on the ground hearing the bike sliding away from me. I was running between 25-30mph, I was leaned over but have yet drag pegs on the Uly, and was not through this curve. I thought at first that I threw the bike over too hard and laid it down, but I was not dragging parts before I went down. I have my Brand new, week old, hard side bags on the bike with each not even half loaded. I have a book bag on one side with three books in it, plus some gloves and a hat. In the other bag, I had a motorcycle tool bag (5-10lbs) and rain gear. I felt my ankle as I was still sliding. I knew I had hurt it. Luckily (sort of), it was cold so I was in full gear. I had my First Gear Jacket and Pants on with liners in. I have a Scorpion helmet and winter gloves that are not motorcycle gloves, just warm. The gear did great. It felt like I was sliding on grass instead of pavement. The pants and jacket both have small holes in each. I'm going to patch them. Where the pads and Kevlar are, not even a scratch, impressive. The helmet looks to be fine. The only damage was on the face shield that sticks out a little past the rest of the helmet. Not a scratch on the shell so I think the helmet is fine. After stopping, I noticed that my ankle and foot hurt. I was wearing my work boots that are steal toed. Good thing to because when I looked down, I could see the steal. A 3/4" wide by 3" long hole was torn in the leather of the boots. My foot got trapped between the bike and the road when I went down. After worrying about myself for about a half a second, I looked in the direction of the bike. The bike was half on the road facing me. It was laid over on its left side, mostly on the handle bar end and the bag. I got up, walked over to the bike and picked it up. I put it back on the road and on its kick stand. I looked over the bike and noticed that the bike was in really good shape considering. The only significant metal damage was the left side foot peg. It broke off at the ear of the mounting plate so it will have to be replaced. The bike's guards and a very expensive frame puck called the left side hard bag, kept all other metal objects safe. The actual frame puck did not even touch. The bike landed on the hand guard. It gave way as designed, but the plastic bar end that the hand guard clips into took over and kept the rest of the bike off the road with the bag. I decide that since my foot hurt, it would get worse and continuing to work was out of the question. So I put down the passenger foot peg and started the bike up. (It must have a down automatic shut off feature like other Harley products because not even the fan was on. As I stood the bike up, the fan kick on.) I rode home to awake the wife. After spending the rest of the morning in doctor's offices, I was pleased that nothing is broken. I have a seriously sprained ankle and some hurt toes. So what happened? I believe I hit ice (frost) on the road. There was no visible hazard on the road when I entered the intersection. I have pushed these Buells much harder and was not scraping pegs when the bike went down, so I did not exceed the bike's ability or mine. So I really was not sure what happened until a few friends talked to me about having frost covered yards, decks and walkways. I was still not sure until one friend said that they skidded through a similar back-road intersection in their suburban. So this is the first time I've been down on the road. So now I know what it feels like. They say there are only two types of riders, those that have gone down, and those that will go down. I guess I have graduated. I ride bikes to work most days but I have certain rules I follow. I do not ride to work if there is a greater than 50% chance of rain. I do not ride to work in the rain, I may have to ride home in the rain, but if its raining before I leave, I take the cage. Do not ride to work if there is a chance of Ice or Snow. Now I will modify that to never ride to work when its below 35°F. So lesson learned. If its below freezing, leave the bike home. | ||
| Dave |
Glad you came out of it that well M2nc. Sprains can be pretty darn nasty...heal up. How did the saddle bag fair? DAve | ||
| Lowflyer |
Glad you made it. Sounds like they should make bag pucks too. I hope your injuries heal up quick. | ||
| Biker_bob |
Your bike came out better than my 03 Ultra 18 months ago. It had $19,500 of damage on the estimate. Glad to hear you're OK. It happens really fast doesn't it? | ||
| Smcnamara |
Glad you are on the mend, and happy to hear you were in full gear! Your story is a good reminder to all of us up in the North to take it a little easier on the roads now that the mercury has dropped. Speedy Recovery! -Sean | ||
| Lowflyer |
If it makes you feel any better, Buell is offering a version of the Ulysses called the Motherpucker.  | ||
| Jim_sb |
Dude, sorry to hear about your get-off. I've ridden my (former) S2 in snow and ice so I know that slip-slide feeling. Be careful and heal quickly. Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Brotherbuell |
M2, Glad to hear that you are OK. IMO black ice ice one of the most dangerous road hazards we face. I've scuffed up my bags for reasons too embarrassing to admit here. If it's not too far gone, you may be able to get them presentable with the following. Scape down the heavily abraded areas with a utility knife and then give it a very light sanding with 220 wet-dry sand paper. I've used Kiwi black shoe polish (paste) to blend the color back. Make sure that you let the shoe polish dry thoroughly before using a brush to buff it out. This will at least give you some MC stuff to do while the ankle and toes heal. BTW that frame puck on the bag idea has got me thinking! | ||
| Daves |
Glad you are OK! | ||
| Jlnance |
Carlos! Glad you're not hurt any worse. I suspect you might be a bit sore when you wake up this morning.  It sounds like neither you nor the bike sustaned any permanant damage, which is wonderful. Did you have any trouble picking the bike up by yourself? Was Kristi upset? You've convinced me I need better boots. What kind do you wear? - Jim | ||
| Rubberdown |
Dang Carlos, sorry ya biffed it. Glad you didn't hit anything hard. I've been seeing a little frost on the small bridges and such. So far I have not really moderated my velocity in recognition of the changing season. This is a wake up call. Again, I'm really gald you are o.k. Mike. | ||
| Speedstar |
Wow, sorry to hear about the mishap. I am glad that you did not get seriously hurt and that the bike faired pretty well considering. Hopefully the ankle will be better soon. | ||
| Waorgany |
M2nc..glad that your ok. Could have been alot worse, best of luck on a speedy recovery. | ||
| Court |
First. . .glad to hear you came through relatively unscathed. Heal quickly and keep wearing that gear. Your note about the steel toe boots is a real reminder. Second. . . I'd like to see pictures of those bags. If you get a chance, e-mail me some detailed pic. Ride safe, lean much and smile more, Court | ||
| Wasions |
Carlos, Just glad to hear it was (relatively) minor. I've sometimes been a cold-weather rider. This is sort of a wake-up for me, too. Good luck to ya! Gear up! Steve | ||
| M2nc |
It seems that some want to see how well the bags and bike faired in the incident. I guess I will be the crash dummy and let you know that the bags did very well. On top of staying on the bike and closed, the bags protected the bike and the rest of my leg. Here are some pictures I took earlier today. Side View! As you can see the frame, engine, even the frame puck is unscathed. The bag however took a direct hit.  Closer view of the bag.  The next contact point was the brush guard. Even though the brush guard popped out the bar end for the brush guard protected everything but the clutch lever. Since this will be number 3 clutch lever, Kristi suggested I buy them by the case. Not funny! In this picture you see the hand grip is not touched  Clutch Lever is actually planed in two direction, but stayed together, even if it has a custom look.  The plastic guards did its job.  The lower left fork also made contact.  | ||
| Lowflyer |
Sorry for your bad luck, but it looks like your bike faired well. I wonder if LineX would stick to the bags?  It looks like you could have them sprayed just over all the black parts. | ||
| M2nc |
Here are few other shots I took of the bike. The rear view of the bike is not a straight on shot. I am off to the right a bit. The bag frame did not move, everything is where it should be.  Side view. The picture does not show it very well, but the turn signal did get scuffed.  Here is a great shot on how well the bag protected the side of the bike. The frame and engine are not touched. If you look for the rider's foot peg, you will see its not there. The ear broke of the side plate so it will have to be replace. Other than that, the side is perfect.  The last thing damaged is the mirror. Though it did not break, it does match the M2's now. The previous owner laid it down basically the same way, but gravel versus ice.  Okay, here is why I hurt my foot and you can imagine if I was wearing gym shoes what my foot would look like. I was able to go to my daughter's last soccer game of the year today. I coach the team and was on the side line with my crutch. Here is a picture of the boot I was wearing thank god it was steal toed. I am looking for a boot with metatarsal guards next. That may have prevented the sprain.   | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Looks like a sacrificial guard like they have on the gas tank/frame sides is in order here. It certainly would have saved the side of the hard bag. My Electraglide slid out on me once and the side bag guards and engine guards were the only things with a scratch. All underneath so I didn't even replace them. Anyway, glad you're essentially ok. The adrenaline was really flowing wasn't it. I'll wager you were shaking like a leaf and white lipped for an hour. It's almost like going into shock. It has happened to me a few times over the years and it surely gets you to reviewing things. | ||
| Henrik |
Glad you're ok Carlos. Considering the weather and temps, reason for the crash could be cold tires? Just a thought. Happy that both you and the bike faired fairly well. Henrik | ||
| Crusty |
First off, I'm glad you're OK. Having had a few sprained ankles over the years, I know that it doesn't feel OK; but nothing's broken, so you'll heal quickly - I hope. If you're going to ride in the winter, you have to ride like a novice. Keep the bike as upright as possible. Tiptoe around curves. Be easy on the brakes. Very sticky tires have as much traction as bowling balls when the temps drop below freezing. It's not like riding in decent weather. | ||
| Jak |
Carlos - Glad to hear a semi-happy ending on this one. I honestly ride half scared most of the time and always with full gear. I went down on my Ninja because of some piled up sand and nothing will teach you to respect the road like a little face to face sit down. Take care of yourself and keep the rubber side down. | ||
| Wasions |
"a little face to face sit down" Heh. I just thought that was funny. Steve Gear up! | ||
| U4euh |
Carlos, 1st and foremost glad you are OK! 2nd, you will start to piece things together a bit better as time goes on. I did after my spill last March, and it still spooks me every now and then droppin into a lefty. Just glad your OK. Now tell the truth, you and Erik have secretly made an agreement. You test the ...L out of a Uly, and in return you get what?lol Again we're just glad your okay bro! (Message edited by u4euh on November 20, 2005) | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
On my old Kawasaki KLX250, I got tired of replacing levers and I replaced mine with stubbies. I don't know if they are even still sold or if they could be applied to a street bike but hey. The idea was that the bars touch down before the short levers. In fact, I crashed last time bad enough to break a couple of carpal bones and bend the bars. The levers were ok! I think they're 15 years old now  Glad you're going to be ok. | ||
| Eor |
I'm sorry to hear about your biff but glad that your injuries are not serious. I have a question regarding your bags...  What's the rubber looking piece under the Buell logo? ...a puck of some kind? | ||
| M2nc |
LOL, I obviously put it on the wrong place! The reflectors fell of the first day sitting in the parking lot at work. I have to make up my mind if I'm going to try to glue them back on or take the mounts off. | ||
| Xb12xdude |
Eor , That's the reflector mount. When I installed my luggage , I had to mount the reflectors. | ||
| Eor |
Okay...that makes sense...I didn't get reflectors? BTW...I hope you don't mind that I posted the pics of your bike's damage on ADVrider. I copied them to my photo hosting account so it won't be using anyone's bandwidth but mine. I know several folks there are interested in how the bike would fare in a crash...and you have the dubious distinction of being a pioneer in that field...sorry. | ||
| Lovehamr |
My reflectors fell off within 3 days of being installed. The sticky stuff just wasn't good enough. | ||
| Dave |
Yup ... the rubber mount for the reflectors came off mine within 24 hrs. I cleaned it reaaaaal good w/alcohol too but no dice. DAve | ||
| Brotherbuell |
I used Silcone adhesive to re-adhere my reflectors to the rubber mounts. That has held for 2 months now. | ||
| M2nc |
I made it back to work today and a few co-workers and fellow riders went to the intersection I wiped out on Friday afternoon to see if any parts or anything fell off the bike that they could pick up for me. As we talked they asked what damaged the Stop Sign post did to the bike or me? I was a bit confused because I never hit the sign which is posted in the middle of the road on a tear drop traffic island. They told me when they got there that afternoon, that a road crew was replacing the stop sign because it was knock down, the post snapped about two feet off the ground. A co-worker that I passed on the four-lane that morning told me that I must have missed the first patch of ice because his pick-up actually found two patches of ice that morning. Well, at least I'm not crazy. The stop sign was in place when I left it, so someone in a cage missed the intersection too and took out the sign. At least I wasn't there when that happened. It happen so quickly that I still wasn't sure if I did something wrong (other than riding in below freezing temps). I feel better knowing that it wasn't me or something wrong with the bike that caused that spill. Like I mentioned before, lesson learned. | ||
| 2hogs |
M2nc, Glad you're not seriously hurt, and hope you heal well and quickly. I must say you have me rethinking my 'ride til roads are snow covered'. Guess I've just been lucky not hitting any slick spots on those cold mornings round here. Eor, I have the reflectors that I don't plan putting on, there yours if you want them. Just PM me. I'm thinking white reflective tape on the rear of the bags is best for the inattentive drivers round here. Cheers | ||
| Jlnance |
I'm thinking white reflective tape on the rear of the bags is best for the inattentive drivers round here. It probably is. I was following m2nc through the woods of NC at night a few weeks ago. Very dark, miles away from anything. Carlos had a bag on the back of the Uly which had a reflective triangular patch, similar to the tape you're describing. It wasn't very big, maby 2 inches on a side. When ever I turned my high beam on, it looked like he had a flashlight shining back at me. It was bright enough that it hurt to look at it. I was impressed. | ||
| M2nc |
Hey, great idea, reflective tape over the scuffed area of the bag! | ||
| 2hogs |
M2nc, Well that's one way to hide the scuffage on the bags. The tape bouncing back oncoming drivers headlights may freak them out abit. Hey wait, you could really mess with their minds by moving your leg to block the tape, kinda on-off-on-off. Nah they'd probably be ignorant and hit you with their brights or worse. Cheers |
