| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
A number of you have perhaps followed my "deer impact" postings; BTW I am recovering well. I see my surgeon next Wednesday and have been doing pretty well at shielding my left arm from further damage. Collarbone healing well (if bumpy), also rib. Replacement '06 Uly currently at dealer getting BAS upgrade. All gear purchased and ready to go for surgeon's go-ahead. Hopefully get a Spring Break trip in this year... However...my 4th son Jeffrey (15 YO) has ridden dirt bikes for years, taken MSF course, has NM motorcycle license, etc. and his road bike is a '91 Honda Hawk NT650. The Hawk is a perfect first road bike---the chassis is better than the engine (a novelty for that time period). Over last weekend the Hawk was down awaiting a new front tire, so 2nd son Keith (my proxy Uly test rider, if you recall) said to Jeff "hey, bro, why don't you ride my bike to school." Keith's bike is an '05 Kawi ZX6R 636 set up for stunt riding; crash cage, lower gearing, etc. So on Sunday Jeff rode it around a bit..."hey, this thing is pretty cool." So on Monday morning at 0730 off Jeff goes...around 1515 Mrs. Greg gets a call (I was on a work-related conference call at home) and dashes out the door. WTF?!? Seems on the way home Jeff hit a diagonal dip (that he hits on the Hawk every day with no ill effects) that threw the 636 into a tankslapper. After about ten "slaps" down he goes. Wearing ATGATT (my jacket) except...blue jeans (OUCH!) Lookee at his pretty knee... (WARNING--GRAPHIC!)  In addition to that he broke three bones in his right pinky (yep, he's right-handed). Re the road rash: thing of it is...that jacket has matching zip-together leather pants. I think he might wear those in the future. For the finger he's in a cast up to the elbow. He just might be home-schooled during Spring 09 (we home-schooled our boys for much of their pre-college schooling). But poor Mrs. Greg had JUST got some time to herself...and now another kid to take care of...poor lady. Here's another pic of Jeff at 5-9, 113 lb (ah, those were the days...) Poor little guy looks pretty sad.  His older brother is very understanding, and yes, the 636 was insured. Mrs. Greg is freaking out...two major crashes within a month for "her" guys... Any good wishes toward son Jeff would be mucho appreciated. Jeff says that he's a little gunshy about "getting back on the horse that threw him" but once back on the Hawk he'll be in his favorite armchair and forget all about the crash. Right now he's a-hurtin'. --Doc | ||
| Troyyz |
Doc... let's pray that bad things do not come in threes! Best wishes on you and Jeff's quick recovery. Again, Maximum and I would like to swing through over the upcoming summer if you have time and see the area. My wife expresses her sympathy for Mrs. Greg. | ||
| Jaybirdxb12x |
my first street only bike was a hawk 650 great bike lots of fun and sounds great. you are right about the chassis I bit a deer 3 years ago at about this time of year. and it stayed up right. these bikes may be I will dust the cobwebs of the old girl and take her for a ride. haven't ridden her sens I got the uly. my best wishes to both of you i hope you both get well soon, we need more great travel tails. | ||
| Froggy |
Wow Doc, next time your in New York, give me a call ahead of time so I can make sure the curse doesn't get me too!  Your son will be fine, looks he is standing already  | ||
| Dentguy |
I hope you told that 636 to go and slap on somebody in its own weight class. HEAL FAST JEFF. | ||
| Svh |
I thought you had to be 16yo to get a license? Maybe that varies state to state. Hope he heals up well and he will have some cool road rash scars to show off. Remind him he is lucky he can show them off. The 636 should be ok if it was caged out and I am surprised he didn't have a damper on there for stoppies. Best wishes for both of you. Heal up and hit the pavement again hopefully not literally this time | ||
| Ourdee |
Prayin' fro him Doc. | ||
| Hooper |
Oh man...that is terrifying...so glad he's more or less okay and can start healing now. I remember getting nasty scabs/roadrash on my knees as a kid...it's the most frustrating kind of thing to heal. You must be thinking, "Kids, stay on the dirt from now on, until you're MY age." | ||
| Metalstorm |
Ouch! Poor kid  It could have been worse though so thank God all he got was road rash and a broken pinkie. On the bright side of things, he has just received a great and valuable experience. Not to mention a new found fear and respect for riding that will hopefully help keep him safe on the road. As soon as he's able (which should be soon at the rate a 15 year old heals at), a ride on his Hawk will be prudent. I'm glad he has an understanding older brother. Mine would have killed me if I had done that (After making sure I was well and healthy first) so a special  goes out to Keith. Heal fast Jeff. Heal, ride and enjoy (Message edited by Metalstorm on January 15, 2009) | ||
| M2nc |
From this #4 son, I'm sorry to hear it Greg, but am glad it's as minor as it was, considering. I hope you both heal quickly but I bet he will be back up to speed quicker. Take care yourself. | ||
| New12r |
He should be back to normal in no time, Heal fast Jeff! | ||
| Jlnance |
Glad he is ok Doc. I am sure this, combined with your crash, is very hard on Mrs. Greg. Here is hoping that all in your family recover quickly. | ||
| Ulywife |
Hoping Jeffrey recovers quickly. I think Mrs. Greg needs a long weekend for herself! Our 3rd child is our only boy...I'm sure I'm in for it when he gets to be Jeffrey's age! | ||
| Honu |
Now he's got some cool scars and stories to impress the girls at school. LOL.  Heal Fast Jeff !!! | ||
| Chadhargis |
Ouch!! I know exactly what those scars will look like, I've got a few of my own. Had my first "big one" when I was 17. I ran off the road into barbed wire fence on my Suzuki SP125. A crappy helmet left me with a contusion which put me in intensive care till the swelling in my brain went down. Crashed on a Sunday, and on Tuesday they tell me my arm is broken too....time for surgery! That was not a fun week. Home Jeff heals quick. As soon as it stops hurting, and the wounds heal, it will be "cool". LOL! | ||
| Dr_greg |
Maximum and I would like to swing through over the upcoming summer if you have time and see the area. My wife expresses her sympathy for Mrs. Greg. Excellent; love to host ya. As soon as you have dates, let me know. Mrs. Greg says "thanks!" my first street only bike was a hawk 650 great bike lots of fun and sounds great. you are right about the chassis I hit a deer 3 years ago at about this time of year and it stayed up right No, not a deer! Hope we haven't jinxed Jeff and the Hawk... Wow Doc, next time your in New York, give me a call ahead of time... Well, I may give you a call so's I can stay with you...always wanted to get back there. Some summer... I hope you told that 636 to go and slap on somebody in its own weight class. Exactly! The Hawk will feel much better to him, I'm sure. I thought you had to be 16yo to get a license? Maybe that varies state to state. It varies. Here in NM you can get a M/C license at 15. Heck, you can get one at 13 but < 100cc. I am surprised he didn't have a damper on there for stoppies... He was just about ready to fit one. Oh, well... Jeff is doing fine. Still in pain, but he gets out of school! We may be home-schooling for the rest of the year (we home-schooled the other boys for much of their time). To be honest, "we" means Mrs. Greg, BTW. I wouldn't doubt if Jeff and I are both ready to ride about the same time. My M.D. buddy says from his experience in the ER that "things usually happen in threes"...let's see, #1 son rides a bicycle a lot...nah, Mrs. Greg decided Jeff's crash counted for two: Jeff's body and Keith's bike. So we're done with crashing for a while. Thanks for all your support (Jeff reads this forum). --Doc | ||
| Svh |
That is great that NM you can do that. Wish I could have been tooling around at 13 on a moped LEGALLY.  Hope you both heal up fast. Road rash is painful but not as painful as the shower the next day. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Amen to that. The next SEVERAL showers will suck. | ||
| Geopatr |
Sorry to hear about your son. I am glad he's ok. I sure wish I could ride a bike at that age!!That is awesome For the kids, but a nightmare for the parents. I would worry too much. I know what I was like at that age!! | ||
| Etennuly |
Heal well Jeff. Did you notice your dad's knees after his get off? ATGATT isn't a joke. I remember falling off a dirt bike at about 55 mph on a mountain power line trail when I was eighteen. As I was flipping through the air and realized I was wearing jeans and a T shirt because it was hot out, I made a deal with myself about ATGATT if I got out of that one with my skin. I got lucky that time and rolled harmlessly into some deep weeds. Kinda like wishing you had your seat belt on just as you hit a wall head-on. If you only needed to wear it when you crash the insurance industry wouldn't have much need to exist. That will be a sticky healing process, I wish you the best with that!  | ||
| Dynasport |
Ouch! Road rash sucks. Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Hope you both heal up fast. Road rash is painful but not as painful as the shower the next day. Ahh, yes. I don't think he's yet taken a shower. When he does I'll casually mention, "hey, have a nice shower, Jeff?" Believe it or not, I've never really had road rash. In my years of pushbike racing/riding never had such a crash (I tended to roll rather than slide...) In my fifty years of motorbike riding (no racing!) I've crashed many times (both dirt and street; fractured virtually every bone on my left side) but never any RR. And yes, there were times in the late 50s---early 60s where I rode in shorts and T-shirt and no helmet. Eek! That will be a sticky healing process, I wish you the best with that! Ooh...that sounds gooey. Glad it's Jeff and not moi! Frankly, guys, Jeff looks to me like he's enjoying himself way too much. Missing school, sleeping late, his girlfriend hanging on his every word...man, when I was his age I SUFFERED when I crashed...oh, well, this younger generation. --Doc P.S. Saturday I get my "new" '06 Uly back from the dealer; it was in getting the BAS recall done. Garage looks pretty lonely w/o it. I'll then start the "minor" farkling. Yes, there'll be pics, not that they'll be of much interest to anyone. | ||
| Ourdee |
Looking forward to a good farkling picture thread. That sounds like cussing. I'd rather break a finger than have road rash. Oh, sorry. Tell him my broken pinky only hurt when it was cold out till I was about 40, then everything else hurt when it was cold out. So I didn't notice it anymore. I think I was 17 when I did mine. | ||
| Jlnance |
Believe it or not, I've never really had road rash. I never say things like that. | ||
| F_skinner |
Doc, I am glad you and Jeff are healing. Your wife must be very understanding and I hope she is doing well too. If Troyyz and Maximum make a trip down your way I will try to talk them into letting me tag along with them. Lynn and I have enjoyed many miles in your state. Frank | ||
| Dr_greg |
If Troyyz and Maximum make a trip down your way I will try to talk them into letting me tag along with them. Lynn and I have enjoyed many miles in your state. All are welcome. New Mexico does have some beautiful places to ride; I know some of them.  --Doc P.S. Mrs. Greg is indeed understanding. As I've said before, I courted her in 1973 on my RD350, so she knew what to expect. | ||
| Thetable |
Tough one Jeff, sorry you had to go through that. On the bright side, if there can be a bright side, you might inspire others to reconsider their commuting gear. I know I have, and will be ordering a new slightly more ventilated oversuit when the weather finally breaks here. I have gotten a little lax in the summers because it just gets a little warm with a pair of pants and overpants. I guess thanks are in order should I ever need to use the gear. At least you will have a story to tell and scars to go with it. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
yea jeff, been there done that. consider yourself a little lucky. your not in a full leg cast. to you and your family doc, hope the rest of the year go better for ya and ya'll heal up fast. it's one thng to not ride the bike cause your busy or something but it's another thing when you can't cause your bandaged up. | ||
| Blake |
Way to survive the crash Jeff. Chicks dig scars and you are now wiser for the wear. If I'd been riding a 636 at age 15, I'd likely not have made it to 16. | ||
| Chadhargis |
Same here. An SP125 put me in the hospital for 5 days. If I'd have had 100+hp on tap...I'd been nothing but a greasy spot. |
