| Author | Message | ||
     Skyguy |
50mph leaned way over in a 25mph turn bike went bye-bye. Seems some a-hole drove up the mountain leaking coolant and I choose to ride into it at play speed. I should have had a clue as a couple of turns back I caught a little slippery action but thought I was rolling on the throttle to hard. As it went down I calmly lifted my leg out from under the bike before it could get stuck and rolled from my hip to my stomach trying like hell to keep my helmet and knees from hitting by surfing my forearms and boots. It worked out. No one ran me over and both the bike and I stayed in our own lanes. I picked up the bike gave it a quick visual and left with-in 45 seconds of going down. I should have slowed down. Location: Highway 18, "Panorama Point" decreasing radius posted 25mph. Also refered to as the turn with the most crashes below Crestline, CA Gear worn: Vintage 20 year old Hein Geirke jacket with 3 previous crashes on it can't really see any new damage to it. Wrangler Blue jeans tucked into Alpinstars boots. The jeans did not quite wear through on the hip. Vemar helmet never touched the ground. Joe rocket gloves with padded knuckles. They did well not a mark on my hand and no spots worn through. Damage to bike: Right clip-on, brake lever, turn signal, frame puck, handgrip, bar end and some scrathes on the swingarm (they detract from the existing ones). Damage to body: Quarter size road rash on elbow. To shallow to care about, Dime size rash on hip to shallow to care about. A little body soreness today. Damage to ego: HUGE!!! Going down is part of the game and I know this. I had told myself "No crashing on highway 18". Way to many cars driving way to fast. So I am a little upset with myself. I also had a what seems to have been a precognitive vivid dream two nights before. In the dream I lowsided exactly as it happened. Weird. Alls well that ends well. That damm Buell is one tough machine and despite the problems I have had how many bike out there can handle a 50mph lowside with less than $100.00 in damage? Although I may be vocal about the problems with my bike and my dislike of H-D, I have to toss out big Kudos out to Erik Buell for designing an awesome real world street bike. | ||
| Brineusaf |
Glad to hear nothing was serious regarding your condition. At least you realise its part of the game. In addition, at least damage was kept minimal. Ride on! BE SAFE! | ||
| Spectrum |
Glad to hear your ok. Sounds like the gear did its job. I've always felt it was important to listen to your intuition. The mind and spirit have a lot more going on than we are often aware of. | ||
| Old_man |
Glad you're not seriously injured. Years back, while working as a motorcycle police officer, a motorist informed me that two girls were having a problem at the top of this long winding hill. I sped toward the top. The reason they had a problem was that they lost all their transmission oil in a bend going up the hill. I hit the spot at speed. I thought I was sure to go down, as the Harley began to slide. I did the best thing, nothing. I didn't touch the brakes, change the lean or get off the throttle much. I made it through upright. I got off the bike and sat on the curb awhile and thought about it. I learned to get all the information possible before going to help someone. | ||
| Skyguy |
Thanks Old_man, had I been going the posted speed in that turn I probaly would not have gone down. I was leaned over with only about a third of an inch of front tire left......... My bad. Price of play was cheap, this time........... | ||
| Diablobrian |
I'm glad you and the bike came out of it with minimal damage! | ||
| Marhaba |
Good to hear that you weren't seriously hurt Skyguy! I'm also glad you didn't have a seriously hurt bike either. Ride safely! | ||
| Skyguy |
Got to thinking about the entire scenario last night and it is likely that being leaned way over saved my life. Had I been more upright it may have been difficult to stay in my lane after greasing the tires with anti-freeze. There was lots of traffic in the two oncoming lanes. Sometimes we get lucky...... | ||
| Ulywife |
Skyguy - glad you are OK, wearing gear and that the bike can be fixed with little $$. Maybe this was a reminder to be careful on the roads and in the sky. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"I picked up the bike gave it a quick visual and left with-in 45 seconds of going down. " My first lowside, I went into a patch of brambles down a hill. It took me an hour and half to get bike my bike up to the road. | ||
| Indy_bueller |
Tim, I'm glad you are ok. Just promise you won't fly your balloon like you ride your bike!  On second thought, getting a knee down while flying a balloon might be kinda cool...... | ||
| Toona |
Sky, I have an extra right side frame puck, you can have it. With all your parts failures, you need a break. Others on the BadWeB helped me out after my lowside, my turn to return the favor. PM an addy and I'll get it out to you on Monday. | ||
| Crashm1 |
"how many bike out there can handle a 50mph lowside with less than $100.00 in damage?" My wifes 98 Ducati 900SSFE well at least as long as we don't replace the scuffed up fairings. Boy I wish she would quit crashing, it freaks me out. | ||
| Nitsebes |
Great documentation! I tend to slow down after I read a report like this. | ||
| Skyguy |
Thanks for all the kind words. Toona extra thanks pm sent!! Way to cool (: Oh I was out flying the balloon this morning and was so sore that I could barely climb in the basket. Dragging kness with the balloon is easy (: I am not at all upset about the money spent on fixing the bike. I lived so everything else is a bonus. The road was very busy and I am glad I did not get hit. Sadly I had prerun the road 30 minutes before as it is in my backyard. After 25 years of playing motorcycle the one thing I have learned? Getting of sucks. Oh and my first lowside? Huge cliff, I went off the side and ended up sitting on a rock face about 60 feet down a 800 foot face. Bike was recovered by tow truck and some scary climbing around in the dark some five hours later. Broke my hand and ribs. long night there also. That was a long time and many bikes ago. I sought prefessional help after that one. | ||
| Lady_asb |
Tim, Glad to hear that you, your bike and your gear did pretty well. Good instincts as you went down; weird about the dream... Maybe that rehearsal helped you? Take care, Joanne | ||
| Oldog |
OMG Glad that you are none the worse for wear! Thanks for sharing! | ||
| Buellgirlie |
you got lucky, and i'm glad to hear it. please take it easy....... D | ||
| Interex2050 |
Glad you are alright ride safe... |
