| Author | Message | ||
     Dynasport |
Well, I was on the way to Lakeland HD this morning for the Buell ride. I was really looking forward to it. I have not been before and was anxious to meet some people and ride with them. So, about 7:40 this morning I was heading east on a two lane road. I think the speed limit there is 55, but it may still be 45. Anyway, it was beautiful out and I was really enjoying the ride. The next thing I know I realize I was closing way too fast on the car in front of me. I realized they had stopped completely, as a car in front of them was turing left and was waiting for oncoming traffic to pass. Time to stop quickly. I grabbed the brakes. Hard, but no harder than I have many times. The pucker factor was climbing, then, suddenly it seemed, my front tire went into a skid and down I went. I honestly don't really know what happened. I am sure it was my fault completely, but I am not sure what happened. I don't know why I didn't realize the car in front of me was stopped before it required me to brake so hard. I wasn't going fast and I thought I was paying attention. I was riding into the sun, but I thought I could still see fine. Besides, if I couldn't I should have accounted for that in my speed. Also, I don't know why I lost control, but I did. I would really like to know so I can learn from my mistake, but I really don't understand what happened exactly. Anyway, as the bike was going down, the best I can tell is that I went over the bike. I landed on my left side and slide probably 20-30 feet. I remember thinking I have to get up and get out of the road, but I was having a hard time getting up. It seemed like immediately someone was standing over me asking me if I was OK. I said I was, but in reality I wasn't sure what was going on. My pinky finger on my left side was really hurting and my left hip was also pretty painful. Still, going through my mind was I have to get up and get out of the road before someone runs over me. I got to my feet and saw my bike on its side in my lane. I was finally able to focus on the guy standing next to me and asked him to help me get my bike out of the road. He did, which wasn't that easy. The forks were stuck in the full left position, but we muscled them straight, pushed the bike off the road, and I got the kickstand down. The guy told me the car I had braked to avoid has sped away after I wrecked. Another guy had also stopped and called 911. I took off my gloves and blood was running down my pinky finger. My nail must have gotten hit. It is still partially attached, but it has been bleeding pretty much all the way around the nail, so I am sure I will lose it. I had on a HD textile jacket, and I had a small scrape just below my elbow than happened through my jacket. I have a similar place on my left calf. My hip is extremely sore, but I only have a small scrape. I was wearing jeans, the textile jacket, leather gloves, and my Shoei full face. The helmet is trashed. I am VERY glad I had it on. It looks like my jaw would have taken a good blow without a full face on. My boots also have some bad wear on them, but kept my feet and ankles safe. All in all, my injuries are very minor. I am in a bit of pain, though. I called a buddy to help me get my bike to the dealership. Probably $4000 worth of damage. Plus, the service guy told me painted HD parts take 6-8 weeks to get from HD. So no bike for that long. I am sick. I have trashed gear, a busted bike, I hurt, and with my deductible and the gear I am going to have to replace, I am broke. Plus, I am not sure what I did wrong to cause this. I am VERY THANKFUL I was not hurt worse, however. I am glad my wife was not on the back. I am glad I am able to type this message out. Even if I can't use one of my fingers. My wife is even more adamant now that our son not get a bike. I see fireworks in the near future. Be careful out there. | ||
| Kyrocket |
Everything can be replaced, glad you're not busted up too awful bad. Still though, hate to hear about the accident. | ||
| Buellerandy |
Glad you came out only slightly scathed! Perhaps the reason you didn't notice them stopped is because they were down shifting and not using the brakes til the last second. Either way, heal well! | ||
| Buellinator |
Thank goodness you had the foresight to wear safety gear and your injuries are minor. Who knows why some accidents happen? It could be a combination of minor factors that add up to one major accident causing factor. All that matters is that you're here to see another day. The bike will get fixed and so will you. Your wife and kids still have a husband and father. That's the important thing. Thanks for sharing your story. Maybe it will help keep one us out of trouble. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
dan,sorry to hear this and sorry i haven't had the chance to meet you anytime that i've been back in town, maybe next time. if you need some body work just to put the bike back on the road, my buddy cheech has parts for god knows what in his garage and maybe i can talk him into letting you borrow something if that's what it takes. he lives up in seffner so it wouldn't be that big of a deal if he would want to do it. and the way i see it is if you don't ask you don't know. i hope your feeling alright and i'm sure you missed out on a good ride with the lakeland bunch. a lot of good people to ride with, even if there are a lot of straight roads. (Message edited by nevrenuf on May 03, 2008) | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Go back to the scene and take a look at the road. was it damp, loose gravel or sand on the road? If not, you may have turned the bars a bit (esp if you were very heavy on the brake), which could have caused the front wheel to turn just enough to lock and slide. just a theory. as far as repairs go, try to get a list of the parts you need, and see if you can find some of them on ebay or the classifieds here, might save you some cash. glad to hear you were able to basically walk away. another example of why we dress for the crash and not the ride. | ||
| Teddagreek |
Glad your Okay.. I just got home my self from riding this morning.. Have you been to a hospital or doctor Yet.. You might have took a head blow and not even known it, Sounds like you were a bit concuss.. Weird... I locked my rear today for the first time since changing to lyndals because I didn't see a speed hump.. Bike accidents happen so fast.. Figure out as much as you can and move on, don't let it consume you.. Good luck with the bike and getting well.. | ||
| Nb_mitch |
Sorry you went down. Glad it wasn't worse. Depending on your insurance, gear can be covered. What were you riding, your profile says an HD? I wend down in a parking lot at about 15mph in a lowside about a month after I got my blast. I really don't know what happened either, I believe I braked on a paint strip at a slight lean. Front brakes can be nasty if you are perfectly straight. I would assume that was your problem, you weren't completely straight. | ||
| Ftd |
Dan, Sorry to hear of your incident. I wonder if the vehicle in front of you had non operating stop lights. Could explain you not noticing that it had stopped and why they left the scene. FWIW the Lakeland ride was good as usual today. Maybe 14 bikes, good route, good weather. When you and your bike are healed up be sure and make one of them. Frank | ||
| Dtx |
Glad you are ok Dan. Well at least for the most part. Who knows what happened. It just goes to show it only takes a second to lose control on these things. Last night I almost dumped the 1125R at a gas station. This was the closest call I have ever had at tipping a bike over. Of course I was mostly concerned about not damaging my new bike! It was kinda late and I needed gas. I pull into a station only to find that it was closed...but you could still by gas with a card. A few seconds of confusion and I whip a quick U turn in the parking lot to the pump island. This is where I must have touched the front brake as I was doing the U-turn. The front tire locked and stopped immediately. Oh crap...this thing is falling down! I put my right foot down and pulled up on the handle bars with everything I had. I literally caught the bike with the frame/radiators inches from the ground and brought it back vertical. Whew...that was close and made be glad I had been spending some time in the gym. If I were not stronger, it would have went all the way down. I was lucky and it happened so fast. Thankfully, nobody was around to see my error. | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Dyna, Glad to hear you are mostly ok. The bike can be fixed. While out riding today, we had just left Ocala H-D/ Buell headed for Gainesville H-D/Buell and came across a motorcycle crash that had just happened. From the looks of it, an old geezer pulled out in front of a guy on his Harley. The Harley t-boned the car. We offered our assistance the best we could to the guy and the geezer in the car. Unfortunately the Harley rider did not make it... RIP Brother!. | ||
| Prof_stack |
Dan, glad you made it through the accident. Will your Dyna be totaled? +1 to wearing the full-faced helmet (my Shoei, too, was replaced after my incident last year). You can bet you'll be a sore dude over the next week or so. I recommend you let a doctor check you over. Your bell did get rung a little and you'd be wise to get it examined. Best of healing to you. | ||
| Benm2 |
Glad to hear you're okay. The bike can be fixed or replaced, no worries. | ||
| Dynasport |
I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement. I was riding my much loved FXDX, my only bike. And while there are several cars in my family, I don't actually have one. So, while the bike is being repaired it will be a major inconvenience. Not as inconvenient as it would have been if I had ended up in the hospital, though, and I know that. After reading paint_shaker's post I am ashamed to complain about anything. I still don't know exactly what happened to cause the wreck. I did examine the road while I was waiting on my buddy with the trailer to get the bike. I didn't see anything I could blame the accident on. I must have gotten too much front brake, and while I thought I was going straight and straight up, either the force of the braking or my ham handedness, caused the front wheel to turn to such an angle that it couldn't maintain traction. The main lesson I have learned is simply to be even more diligent when riding. While I didn't think I was distracted, I wasn't paying close enough attention to realize how fast I was closing on the car before things were serious. I do think the sun in my eyes contributed to it, but that is no excuse. Another lesson I have learned, that I already actually knew, is the importance of gear. I wore a little skid lid for years. I liked how it looked and I liked how it felt in the Florida sun on cruising on a HD. I don't really like the feel of the full face as much when I am just cruising around, but I switched to it full time about a year ago. Today, I am glad I did. I will be coughing up the coin for another nice full face before I get my bike back. I will probably get another Shoei RF-1000 like I had, as I have been happy with the one I had. I also want a new jacket with some armor. My HD jacket is lacking in that aspect. Some pants too I think. I have never worn riding pants, but I think they might have helped today. As far as the bike goes, I don't think they will total it, but I am not positive. I have Allstate insurance so we will see what they say. As minor as the accident was, there were many parts that are damaged. I love my FXDX and want it back. If it is totaled, I am sure the insurance company won't give me what I think it is worth. I would probably end up with a Buell if that happens, but like I said, I don't think it is totaled. I am dying that it will take 6-8 weeks for the tank and possibly fender to be painted and shipped from the factory. I know someone who does custom paint. I might talk to them and see if I can just get bare parts and have him paint them if it does not cost too much. Sorry I missed the ride. It looks like it will be a few months before I can make one now. I do wonder if I should get checked out by a doctor. I have several friends who are doctors and nurses. I will see them tomorrow and get their advice. Be safe. Dan | ||
| Danger_dave |
Welcome to the crash club! Don't stress on the bike - machines can be fixed. Look after yourself. 2 months on from my stack I still have new bruising coming out above my knee. As for gear - I never ride in plain jeans any more - Draggins at the very minimum and leather jeans mostly. Interestingly my helmet didn't get a scratch when I end-overed - all the impact and injury was to legs and back which would have been far more serious without the lower leather. Anyways - Get well soon. | ||
| Naustin |
I'll wager the cager in front of you didn't see the car turning left and executed a panic stop. You would only have had to have taken your eyes away for an instant and when the car in front stopped fast, the distance was already closing fast by the time you looked back. Glad it wasn't worse. Hope you and the bike heal quickly... | ||
| Firebolt32 |
Sorry to hear about what happened Dyna. I live in Lakeland. Not too many people pay attention to their surroundings. I've had people dart out from all corners. Glad to hear your ok. As for shakers post...that same exact thing happen to a cop in the tampa bay area. A county worker pulled right if front of the cop...who was enjoying his day off on his Harley. He was a 20 some odd yr. vet on the force and now can't be a father to his 6 kids because some dumb ass couldn't wait 10 seconds until he passed. | ||
| Bad_karma |
Dyna Glad you are OK, the bike can be fixed or upgraded. Glad you had protective gear, but you have learned as I did jeans are not enough. If you continue to ride you will fall again, forewarned is forearmed, start your son out with a dirt bike and look forward to the days that you will share rides. Joe | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Dan, Glad to hear that you walked away from that one, even though horse and rider were both somewhat bruised. Just a couple of thoughts.......... 1. If you were riding on Dunlops, instead of Metzler tires, that doesn't help. The Metzlers have a lot more grip, it seems to me. 2. I was able to buy a set of used tins on eBay for $400. Saved a lot of time and money. As I am sure you know by now, the tasteful Harley graphics on the tank must be silk screened on by the factory. There is no such decal, although some air brush artists can duplicate it, or so I was told. 3. You might want to think about upgrading the front end. The adjustable forks that came with the Sport were good when the bike was introduced, but I have been told by a Harley suspension engineer that the new forks are better. I have been thinking about fitting a Ulysses front end to my bike: better looks, damping and brakes. The sport forks from Harley are pretty expensive. I saw a pair on eBay the other day for $380. The don't come up very often. 4. You can save a little money by fitting a Buell XB front fender, and I think it looks nice. 5. I wear leather pants most of the time, so even when going around the corner, all I need is a casual leather jacket and my flip open helmet to get pretty good protection, without "gearing up" for a short ride. 6. The action of the brakes can be improved by fitting floating rotors, although this sounds like it was a traction problem. 7. While your beloved FXDX is off the road, you can plan a big old list of mods. Here is what has been done to my Sport, perhaps you will get one or two ideas from the list: Motor 1.S&S 95" piston kit, 10.3:1 compression 2.Bored out Harley cylinders 3.S&S heads, custom ported 4.S&S rocker boxes/ powder coated wrinkle black 5.Screaming Eagle roller rocker arms 6.S&S adj. push rods 7.Feulin high output oil pump 8.S&S 585 gear driven cams 9.S&S air cleaner 10.S&S super E carburetor, modified with DaVinci jets. 11.Crane adjustable ignition 12.Screaming Eagle heavy duty starter 13.Screaming Eagle coil spring competition clutch 14.Hayden hydraulic primary chain adjuster 15 New HD battery 2007 16. Lubricant: Mobil 1 Vee Twin. Changed at 9225/March 2008 17. Exhaust: custom made two into one 18. Pringle Petcock 19. Harley Dyna Oil cooler 20. S&S Air cleaner cover, painted black with pinstripe flames Running gear: 1. Wheels: rear: Deuce 17” disk 4.5 x 17 36 lb front: SE 19” five spoke rim 2.5 x 19? 2. Brakes: Floating rotors by HD 3. Tires: replaced a. Metzler 100/90/ 19 Overall diameter 26.54 mfr.tp: 38/42 b. Metzler 160/70b/17 Overall diameter 25.75 mfr.tp: 44/50 Note : both Metzlers are proportionally taller than the Dunlops so attitude doesn’t change, and bike is about 1/4” higher than stock. 4. Custom billet front fork brace. 5. Suspension Details a. Travel Front: 6.1” HD recommended rider sag = 1/2” to 1” b. Travel Rear: 4.3 HD recommended rider sag = 1/2” to 1” c. Recommended damping settings; Front c= 10 r = 8 Front Preload: on fifth line, 4 lines showing. Rear r = 3 Rear preload: step 3 6. Stock gearing: 60 mph = 2500 rpm. Theoretical top speed 6200 rpm = 148mph 3000 rpm = 71 mph. Other: 1. Harley Police seat 2. Blinkers a. front: relocated to front fork b. rear: relocated to fender, power coated black 3. Chrome horn cover 4. Points cover: refinished black wrinkle 5. Olins Steering Damper 6. New body work: a. Buell Black front fender on Ducati fork clips b. Harley Concord Purple Sport tank c. Harley Concord purple sport rear fender 7. Black powder coated brake and clutch levers. Hope you get fit and back on the road as soon as possible.  (Message edited by gentleman_jon on May 04, 2008) | ||
| Fast1075 |
Hate to hear any time somebody falls...I have been down in a very similar fashion..as well as I can figure it, the sun on the tail lights masked the brake lights and 1 second slow eats up a lot of space. I think the tire advice is very good..new Pirellis should stick a lot better than the old Dunlops. Heal up, get your bike back in shape...hope to ride with you one day! Good Luck, Harry | ||
| Reepicheep |
The clarification on bikes helps explain a lot... Were you on a Buell, in a straight line, on a road in reasonable condition, and you gradually applied the brakes like you did (rather then just mashing them all at once), you would have looped the bike over the front wheel before you lost traction. So it was a mystery to me how you tucked the front. (Turns are different of course, you can tuck the front of anything in a turn). But a cruiser has a far different weight distribution... so it probably is possible that you just ate your traction pie  Glad you are generally OK! Stuff happens, and stuff that you walk away from (even if you are leaving a *little* trail of blood) is ultimately small stuff in the grand scheme of things. I haven't taken it, but the MSF advanced course, particularly the drills done on *your* bike, would probably be a good way to build in more margin. I had an accident just like that in my Saturn... Going into a construction zone in heavy traffic... look ahead of me... 4 car lengths and no brake lights or turn signals, look over at an accident to my right for just a moment, look back forward and *zero* car lengths and brake lights. Crunch. $2000 to the Saturn (they crash pretty well) and one less Geo Metro on the road forever (my public service act for the year). Before the Geo even rolled to a stop, the driver and passenger were climbing over each other to switch positions. Ummm, that ain't good. They lied to the cop about who was driving (I didn't). That was an awkard moment with us both locked in the back seat of the cruiser filling out the accident report... me telling the truth and taking my lumps, him writing who knows what. I think what happend was that at the moment I looked over, at least one and probably two cars shot over to fill the assured clear distance I was trying to maintain, no signal. I know the metro I hit was not there before I looked away, and I dont think the Civic in front of him was either, and neither of them used turn signals (or I would not have looked away). Adding insult to injury, I think the Metro (now mortally wounded) was also impounded because they found drugs in it. The driver was no doubt high as well, explaining the "switch to the drivers seat" gymnastics. The insurance companies took care of it. I hit somebody from behind, so regardless of their stupidity and carelessness contributing to the bad situation, I still said I thought the accident was my own fault (and put that in the police report right before I wrote that the driver was not the person who told the cop that she was the driver). Anyway, stuff happens... glad it'll be OK! | ||
| Bobr |
Glad to hear you're mostly OK and sorry about your FXDX. The FXDX series are great machines. These things happen really fast. Even when you're doing your best to be safe it's easy to make a mistake. Did a head check before passing a semi on I-75 the other day and by the time I turned back the semi was nearly at a dead stop. Fortunately the outside lane was clear. A cheap lesson for me in allowing plenty of space. Your spill may have less to do with what you did or didn't do than something as simple as a bit of debris or oil on the road surface. Hope you're back up and riding soon. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Any landing you can walk away from is a good one. I did mine last year, Mr Shoei & several anonymous cows did their job, I thank them all. Heal soon, it's rough about the bike, but when all's said & done it's just a pile of parts. | ||
| Dynasport |
Well, I finally got my bike back yesterday. It felt like forever. I was a bit concerned it would feel strange getting back on after the wreck. But nope, it felt great! See you on the road. |
