| Author | Message | ||
     Jlnance |
Hey Fatty, it's probably still laying there if you want to go get it.  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Nah, you can only eat road kill in TN. I'd get nicked for taking game animals out of season. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Did you give the jacket the smell test? The first thing Mrs. Greg said when she arrived at the ER (well, almost the first) was...UGH! YOUR GEAR SMELLS AWFUL!  An hour from now is my best time of day, so I'll be writing up my "crash site visit" then. Stay tuned! There is lots more to tell; this whole saga may NEVER be done... | ||
| Dr_greg |
Visit to the Crash Site On Monday morning Mrs. Greg drove me out to crash site: between mile markers 47/48 on NM 117. This is about nine miles S of I-40; the junction of I-40/NM 117 is about 70 miles W of Albuquerque. The country is semi-wooded (pinon pine, etc.) but pretty open. Elevation about 7,000 feet. My crash occurred near the N end of El Malpais National Monument. Here's a photo (taken July 12, 2008) of "the Narrows," about 15 miles S of my crash. That was the day I hit 50,000 miles. Sigh.  Approaching the area, the only reason we found the spot was because the deer was still there, on the right shoulder.  This was the first "smudge" on the road; there were two more at roughly 20-foot intervals.  We began walking uo both sides of the, looking for stuff. Fragments of Uly were scattered on both sides, for a good 200 feet. Like I said, an explosion... hey, what's this?  Oh, yeah...  And this...  /b{YES!!} My favorite Snap-On breaker bar!  Found the grille thing; I assume that's deer hair...  "Honest, officer, I was only doin' 40"...still woulda hit the deer.  Here's all the stuff we found:  Spare belt (new), HVMP bar-ends, kickstand, bottle of oil I carry, map, helmet piece, instrument cluster Snap-On socket handle. The value of the tools, belt, and bar-ends made it a worthwhile trip. Most of you would probably like some more "panoramic" photos of the area. Well, a storm was blowing in, I was freezing and beginning to shake, and of course I know what the area looks like...so I hopped in the car and we drove home. The terrain on both sides of the initial POI is quite flat, with wide dirt shoulders. Good visibility. Yet that deer "materialized" in front of me. UPDATE: Just got a call. My left wrist IS broken. In two places. Multiple times. I'm headed to the UNM ER immediately! No time to lose! DAMN!!! YEAH, Yeah, I'm alive and my brain works. And it's the "trough" of riding season. Still... Next: Taking Ulysses in for his repair estimate. | ||
| Rays |
Dr Greg, I have been following the saga of the thread repair and oil leaks with keen interest - your enthusiasm and ability to rise above the challenges has been an inspiration to me. I was completely devastated to read of the accident with the deer and the injuries to both yourself and the Uly. Like dozens of other forum members my thoughts are with you and I wish you a speedy recovery. | ||
| Ourdee |
Smudge from you or the deer?  Did you get any brake at all? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Smudge from you or the deer? I'm assuming from the deer since he didn't show us pictures of the inside of his pants. | ||
| Tipsymcstagger |
Very sorry to hear of your get-off Dr. Greg. Get well soon and get back on that horse! Tipsy | ||
| Stevem123 |
More of a smackoff. Glad you're OK Dr. Greg! I've been lucky enough to kill two of those buggers and came out unscathed each time. One hit the pannier on the Uly and was left spinning in the road behind me with only some fur left on the bag and I didn't go down. The other glanced off the fairing on a road glide I had to the same effect with only some fur and no damage as well as not going down that time either. I vote we put some long skewers on the front of our bikes and have venison shishkabob at the end of the ride!  BC Steve | ||
| Dr_greg |
Did you get any brake at all? None. Not a chance. No time to do anything. Mrs. Greg and I just returned from a 13-hour stint in the UNM ER (1800-0700}. Injuries worse than first thought. Details later...gonna go to bed now. --Doc P.S. Already got a replacement bike picked out... | ||
| Jphish |
Doc - Damn! sorry the subsequent diagnosis included wrist damage. Hoping you'd escaped any additional injury. Still, you were able to walk away... compared to the constellation of possibilities... So, when you wake up from your much needed rest - don't keep us in suspense too long on the 'replacement bike'. Be well, j | ||
| Xbimmer |
None. Not a chance. No time to do anything. I'm amazed at how invisible those things can be. When I was younger my friend and I were roaming the hills and plinking with our .22's, started shooting at a yucca about 40ft away. When we emptied the mags and paused to reload a mule deer stood up from where it had been lying in the grass, between the yucca and us, 25-30ft away! Calmly walked away while we just looked at each other. I've ridden with deer whistles for years, can't convince me they don't work, won't listen. I've seen them react to my brother's bike (whistled also) in the Utah mountains as he approached and passed by, wagging their ears around and looking back and forth but more importantly FROZEN. Another brother is a truck driver in WA, hit a whole GROUP of the dummies as they all leaped out into the path of his tractor and trailers. Stupid animals, and I like animals. Get well soon Dr_greg, hope your new bike is still a new Buell. If not, well I know where we can get a nice oil-tight engine, right? | ||
| Dentguy |
I've ridden with deer whistles for years, can't convince me they don't work, won't listen. I've seen them react to my brother's bike (whistled also) in the Utah mountains as he approached and passed by, wagging their ears around and looking back and forth but more importantly FROZEN. Remember, don't put them on backwards or they will run toward you.  | ||
| Dr_greg |
Interestingly, windshield "survived," probably because of its soft mounting.  Laminar Lip did not... | ||
| Krassh |
P.S. Already got a replacement bike picked out... So I can maybe assume they are calling the bike a total loss...? | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Animals aren't stupid, just ignorant. You've got to take into account that most of the animals that get clobbered by cars are very young. Where humans can't even walk until they are about 2 years old, deer can walk within an hour and are on their own in under a year. We always compare our intelligence against animals that pretty much have to figure out most everything on their own. It's no wonder they run out in front of cars. Young kids do the same thing if they aren't watched like a hawk all the time for their first 5 years or more. | ||
| Ourdee |
What, You already picked it out? Don't we get a say in what you ride? Ok, What color is your next Buell? I hope they didn't have to put an exoskeleton on your wrist with those pins going through the skin. Still Prayin' for you. | ||
| Dr_greg |
So I can maybe assume they are calling the bike a total loss...? Nope, don't know yet. More on this later. I'm hurting a lot tonight so I may not write anything till tomorrow. I'm sure you understand. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Also, the Garmin Zumo kept tracking on through the crash and the tow truck ride to I-40. I'll be looking at the track when I feel up to it. | ||
| Sekalilgai |
there's some local 'wisdom' around here that suggests that when you see a deer appear in your path .... to aim for it with the reasoning that it was in motion (that's why it showed up) and that if does not freeze (i.e. stare at your headlights) it'll keep moving. Can't say I really trust this advise. It is just bad luck it seems when someone hits a deer. At freeway speeds there is not much time to react. On backroads... well there's just nowhere to go. (hillside or cliff around these parts) I've a family of four or five that bed down in my back yard and I regularly drive past them without a flinch or reaction. I've bicycled past some I could reach out and touch. How they react appear quite random. Hope you feel better doc. (Message edited by sekalilgai on December 13, 2008) | ||
| Rotorhead |
If you'll take note of the color of the deer and the color of the road we'll see that is why it came out of nowhere. having moved out west for the last 4 months I have found the deer hear blend in much better than they do in the east, day and especially at night. I've come close to a few and consider myself lucky. DR. Greg, I can't wait to see the "replacement" bike. We'll see a good 50,000 on it soon!! Hopefully great ride reports and posts instead of long drawn out SAGA posts. Maybe were on to the "prequels". We've read "The Spark Plug" "The Engine and its Rotation" and "The Re-Rotated Engine" Now the "Phantom Menacing Deers from Nowhere". Coming soon to a BadWeb post near you "Attack of the ULY Clone" Is the bike a complete loss? Will his son rebuild it? Will the Dr. have a new Blue or Orange Saber? By DR. GREG Staring DR.GREG Heal fast and take it easy during the Christmas break. | ||
| Ourdee |
Doc, I'm sure we all understand if you don't write all the time. I used to live in a dark rural area in Indiana. Deer were heavy on my way home. I took one with a Dodge Ram ($5,000 deer). I found the only thing to do when sighting one was to lock it down. Saved my car when I did it and the deer turned around and stepped right back out in front of me. Funny thing with the deer whistles, whenever I had them on one of my cages, I would never see any deer. I really feel for Doc, as the one I tagged with the truck knocked the truck sideways, quite an impact and I was safe inside. It was a reindeer. I could tell from the way he flew. | ||
| Jlnance |
Doc, what was your final mileage? You were always ahead of me, but I kept trying to catch up. I thought I might do it too, then my motor blew up. 53,135 miles. | ||
| M2nc |
Dr. Greg. I am sorry I am late to the party, but I am glad you are posting. When I had my spill on the Uly I was thoroughly pissed for about the time it took me to realize I was not hurt. Buell makes new Uly's and parts for them. They do not my new Dr. Greg parts. My best wishes on a speedy recovery. P.S. You are right, the bags are great frame sliders if they weren't so expensive to replace. I split one of my side cases on my spill too. I have over 18,000 miles on the bike since that day though. | ||
| Dr_greg |
I can't wait to see the "replacement" bike. I've already got pics---you'll see it soon. Doc, what was your final mileage? Counting the 476 miles leading up to deer, the final (!) mileage is 55,689 miles. Ran better than new. my motor blew up. 53,135 miles. No way!?! What happened!? I'd like to hear; offline if you wish. Fellas, I spent 13 hours in the UNM ER (not an emergency, but I was asked to come in for more tests) from 1800 Friday to 0700 Saturday. Final result: broken wrist, broken rib, broken collarbone. I go to UNM Hand Clinic 1200 Monday for the specialists to decide if I need wrist surgery. After that I have an MS thesis defense at 1330 (one of my students). Busy day. Then Thursday I've gotta figure and submit final course grades. Then Saturday go to commencement; one of my best Ph.D. students is "commencing" and I want to be there to put his "hood" on. Frankly. since the "all-nighter" I haven't felt well at all... I do have more info and pics to post...gotta keep folks in suspense about the next bike... --Doc | ||
| Jlnance |
I wouldn't feel well if I'd spent all night in the ER either. Be gentle on your student, I'm sure you'd both rather be someplace else. What happened!? Was out on a shakedown ride after replacing a failed stator. All of a sudden the bike looses power, and as I pull off the road, I hear something inside it "break." That's an expensive sound. Towed it home, then had the dealership come get it:   Exhaust valve dropped into the rear cylinder, which unleashed a bunch of metal bits, damaging the front cylinder as well. The dealership people (mikethebike72 from here among others) felt that these engines should not blow up with just 50k on them, and convinced HD to goodwill the fix. My bike made it past 40k miles never having a walk home issue. Since then I had to get a ride home when the wheel bearings failed. The bike actually made it home from the stator failure, dying in my driveway. Then the engine failed on the next trip after that. I love taking this thing on multi thousand mile adventures. I'd lost confidence that it could handle that. I knew I needed a new bike. I traded my 06 with 53k miles for an 06 with 12k miles. It was orange, but we swapped plastics. So I still have an 06 Uly. It just a lot newer.  | ||
| Chadhargis |
Doc, you're a real trooper. Broken bones and all, you're still doing your job and being there for your student will mean a lot to him. I had a professor in college who made that sort of impression on me, and I remain in contact with him to this day even though he's long since retired. I tend to be a "glass is half full" sort of guy, so the way I see it, this is all a good thing because you are getting a new bike. Now, be sure to buy the crashed bike from the insurance company and part it out to your Bad Web brethren. Knowing the history of the motor, and how well you've cared for it and the condition it's in, you could get some nice change for it. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Now, be sure to buy the crashed bike from the insurance company and part it out to your Bad Web brethren. Knowing the history of the motor, and how well you've cared for it and the condition it's in, you could get some nice change for it. Absolutely. Will hopefully hear about the state of the bike this week, although the dealership claimed to have several crashed bikes ahead of me. Maybe I'll feel up to posting some more pics late in the day; right it's off to the UNM Hand Clinic. Later, guys (still no ladies?) --Doc | ||
| Chadhargis |
Hope you don't end up with too much hardware in you. I've had some in me before, and it makes a cool souvenir when they remove it. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hope you don't end up with too much hardware in you. Another plate on my lower radius (larger forearm bone). They have to use a smaller plate than they'd like to avoid overlapping another plate farther up the radius from an older crash. The X-ray of my entire left arm is pretty impressive (already). --Doc |
