| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
Well, in one of the dumber decisions  I've made recently, I chose to ride the Multistrada 1200 across NM 126, which has about ten miles of hardpack dirt...no problem on that bike (or the Uly, on which I've ridden that road many times). Problem is that the extreme dryness around here endowed that road with about two miles of heavy SILT BEDS  . I crashed about ten times, breaking off mirrors, handguards, turn signals, etc. A Good Samaritan helped me pick the bike up every time. The good news is the beloved Multistrada 1200S is still perfect mechanically and electrically...I rode it 80 miles home from the crash area w/no problems. My only injury is a painful left hand (yay for GLOVES!) that may be broken, I suppose. I hope not. I've had enough injuries. So I'll get a damage estimate next week...that'll be an eye-opener, I'm sure! I'll do the repair, so it might not be too big of a money hit. But it looks like my summer trip will be taken on the good ol' '06 Uly! That's not a bad result at all! I might post a link to my Multistrada forum writeup if I post any pictures there. In the meantime, just send good thoughts my way...I need 'em!  --Doc | ||
| Pontlee77 |
At the end the Uly is taking back it's place, she is pushing out the multi. The uly says it's my time to  | ||
| Mnviking |
USA 1 Italy 0  | ||
| Buellerxt |
Sorry to hear that, Greg. Glad it wasn't worse though. Heal quickly and this will be nothing but a good, hum, maybe bad, learning experience in your rear view mirror! Best to ya'. | ||
| Hughlysses |
...two miles of heavy SILT BEDS Well, it's for sure the Uly wouldn't have done any better in that stuff. Silt and fat 17" front tires do NOT mix well. Hope the Strada damage doesn't turn out to be too terribly expensive. | ||
| Portero72 |
'Well, it's for sure the Uly wouldn't have done any better in that stuff. Silt and fat 17" front tires do NOT mix well.' Amen to that. I had to forge my way through about 9 miles of the stuff(complete w/ baby head rocks) on my 08 Copper Canyon journey. It sucked. Never did drop the bike, but that stretch took me two hours. After that, the 50 miles down the dirt canyon road was cake. If I had known.... Glad you are ok, Doc! (Message edited by portero72 on June 19, 2011) | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Doc, You could have wheelied through those silt beds on the ULY. | ||
| M2nc |
Dr. Greg, what tires were you running on the Multi? Prior and I, both on loaded Ulys, were riding on a very wet gravel/dirt road. My bike has Syncs, his has PR2. We were both slipping around, but I could saw the bars and get traction. On a down hill, Prior lost the front end. Even with his good reach to the ground and going slow, he could not get the front end back. When I dismounted to help him up, first thing I notice was how muddy the road was even though it had plenty of gravel on it. I was sinking one to two inches in muddy gravel as I walked over to him. At one point I had Stradas on the Uly. I hit a very small muddy spot going around curbing at a drain to get to the next lot. I instantly lost the front end. Luckily the bike was not loaded and I was going slow enough to kick the bike back up. The front end out of the muddy spot grabbed and I avoided the embarrassment of picking the bike up. That is when I noticed that even though the D616 and Syncs are not the best off-road tires, they were noticeably better than pure street tires when not on pavement. One of my favorite stories of showing off the Uly's range was a ride home from work that ended up with me hitting deep sand at about 50mph. The bike was pretty new at the time and I still had the OEM D616 tires on the bike. The story is posted on here somewhere but it was a classic case of "Hey y'all, watch this!" Where I went wrong, like the ride with Prior, was I assumed that the dirt road's surface would stay constant. The assumption was incorrect. Passing a couple walking along the side of the road, I nodded my head to them, a common hello around here. While I was doing that I was not noticing that I was closing on a sand pit that covered the whole road in front of me. I hit the sand pit at 50mph with no chance to slow down. Knowing that slowing in the sand would move weight forward and that would only make it worse, I got on the gas. The bike wobbled around under me but I stayed on the gas, even so slowing down. I kept giving it more and more gas but the bike was bogging down and after crossing the 50 to 75 yard stretch, the bike pulled out of the sand at only 35mph. I know now that speed probably helped me get through the deep sand. The gyro effect of the wheels helped balance the bike as the sand shifted under it. I also believe that the tires helped. I know the Uly is inherently stable due to its design, but with this most recent incident, I see tire choice is much more important. I am glad you are mostly okay. I hope the hand heals quickly and you are back up and riding the Multi soon. One know the day will come when I will have to replace the Uly. I am reading reviews and researching now even though I know I will not be able to buy a new, or new to me, bike for a couple of years. The Multi is on the short list for sure and just wondering about the tires. | ||
| Bttrthnwrk |
My experiences off the tar have all been pretty much the same. Get off the seat, get on the throttle, get over the back wheel as much as possible (unless I'm going uphill), and get REAL lucky. So far, on the Uly, that's worked. It hasn't always on all my bikes (thank God my wife has always insisted I wear a helmet - even back when "gear" wasn't much more than a lid, boots, and maybe gloves - but that's a different story). Unfortunately, I did drop the Uly when pulling off the side of the asphalt recently to adjust my helmet (that doesn't count as "off road", does it?"). When it' s laying out flat, I just can't get it up. A couple of extra hands are wonderful things. If I could get it as far up as 40 or 45degrees, I could walk it up backwards into the seat. But getting it up that far, even when it's laying on the side case, I can't do and still hold it while I turn around or get my butt set on the seat. I've broken 4x4's trying to lever it up enough to make it work (hey, the wood was rotten, but they WERE 4x4's). Bah! So, I don't ride much anymore off the tar unless I'm with folks. It's okay then. So, glad you're doing okay-ish, Dr. Greg. Good luck with the injury and the Duc. Maybe I'll pass you by during my upcoming vacation, if I get far enough east. | ||
| Froggy |
Bttrthnwrk, what are you doing wrong? I am a scrawny computer nerd, and can pick up every Buell I've tried with just 1 hand. It sounds like your technique needs improvement. | ||
| Ourdee |
Last time I ran Silt beds was in the desert chasing roadrunners. (the feathered ones) I was on a 79 XL250S with a 23" front tire. Will pray for the hand, the multi is on it's own. Glad you still have the uly for back-up. | ||
| Bttrthnwrk |
Just lucky, I guess. | ||
| Ronmold |
A little help from an excited adrenal gland seconds after a spill will make righting the Buell like picking up a bicycle! My son dumped his Vulcan recently and doesn't even remember how he picked it back up. As always, heal up quick Doc! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Froggy all pumped and ready to forearm curl his Buell  | ||
| Zac4mac |
Froggy - I have picked my Uly up twice now, successfully. Once on flat ground in mud(front folded) and once with the back tire in a ditch(belt popped). no problem. The night I brought her home from Frank's, I fell over as I hit pavement rolling back out of the truck bed. On concrete, she just slid sideways instead of standing up. That one took assistance. Glad you're OK Doc - take it easy and quit breaking things!!!! Zack | ||
| Rotorhead |
Doc, looks like your one of your favorite stomping grounds is all aflame. Hope it doesn't wreck the camping trip this year. I think owning the Multi you'll heal at the same rate as you can afford to fix it. Your ULY want to go on a trip this year anyway. Have fun. Heal fast or take a lot of pain killers but don't sit out a trip. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Dr. Greg- Sorry to hear about your hand and the Multistrada. Dug out the Ducati polo today in an attempt to channel good healing vibes for both of you. Never ridden in silty stuff, sounds like an adventure on the right bike. Gotta get in the dirt in FL sometime. Been too long. Any updates on your hand injury? Heal quickly! B. |
