| Author | Message | ||
     Captain_mark |
I had another accident, this time totally my fault. I went for a ride with ta Central Florida sport biike group. It turns out that they are truly exceptional sport bike riders that have track training and experience. Their leader told us to follow them at our own pace and they would wait at any change of direction or road. They all had leathers with well used knee sliders and full gloves, etc. I followed and was doing well keeping up for the first 30 minutes or so. Jason had a sport bike and followed me. The sport bike guys were getting their knees down and were really amazing to watch. Anyway, I got a little behind but found I could catch up on the straightaways. That was my first mistake. I entered what seemed to be a relatively gentle curve carrying too much speed, 80+mph is my guess, the guys ahead said they were doing 85 mph through the turn. When I realized that I was not going to make the arc, I made my second mistake, apparently, when taking high speed curves you don't use your rear break first, if at all. Well, I tapped on the rear break to slow down and the wheel slid, then I made my third mistake, instead of counter steering, I hit the front break, and that was all it took to throw me head first into the pavement. Didn't hurt as much as I thought it would at the time. My recently restored Uly and I exchanged positions, me on the bottom, it on the top and slid 40 feet, first on the pavement then about 15 feet of grass and then across a paved driveway and then 20 more feet into a vine covered bob-wired fence, disappearing from sight, or so I am told. Jason, a friend, was first on the scene and expected to find a cadaver. I started to get up when Carlos, another bud, arrived and told me to lay down. I actually felt amazingly exhilarated just to be alive. I remember every detail, sounds, thoughts, pain, etc. My hands were bleeding, but other than that, I just felt a little beat up, left shoulder, re-injured right ribs, newly injured left ribs, banged up left shoulder, road rash on both knees and left hip, my jeans were pretty tore up and my Buell body armor a bit shredded of the left side. My helmet is toast, I left a pretty good skid mark with it on the pavement. One of the guys girl friend apparently, is the designated salvage driver. They called her like this happens all the time, and apparently it does. They said they have had three crashes at that corner since January and more on the next set of s-turns. This is when they tell me they have all been track trained, they have all crashed on this route, they have done the road at least 2-dozen times and I should have had full gloves and the matching body armor pants. They all came up with great excuses to tell my wife, Louise, but when she called me I could not lie and told her the truth, I was riding way above my skill set. The boys suggested that we all go up to Jennings GP race track and arrange for a group ride/lessons and that I should consider track school. I suggested, maybe, I should slow down. Louise has banned me from riding for at least a month, I cannot blame her. I cannot start repairs until she says so and I will be doing the repair myself as a form of penance. She suggested that I trade the Uly in for a V-Rod or a more cruising-style bike. I told her it was not the bike, it was the rider. I am attaching some photos. They were taken after the bike was pulled out of the fence and vines. Since the kickstand was no longer a part of the bike, they moved it to the paved driveway and leaned it up against a fence post, about half way back from where the bike and I landed. "image_004" shows the skid marks on the road. "image_005"shows just where the rear tire began to let go. "image_006 shows the damaged side. Note the absence of pegs and where the lower body work broke off, missing frame puck and tore up hand grip. "image_007 and 008" show the helmet that protected the pea brain that was encased within. It was also scuffed up on the other side, just not as bad. The rest of the pictures show details of the damaged bike. Today I am really sore and very stiff. Thank goodness I have pain medicine from my last go-round. My fingers are all in bandages, knees and hip hurt. However, the worst is the blow to my ego. Although it was quite exciting and life-affirming event, I am a little reluctant to repeat the experience. I will probably need some encouragement and time to get my head straight before getting back in the saddle. Fortunately, I will have the time while I heal and repair the object of my passion and peril.          | ||
| Djkaplan |
"I had another accident, this time totally my fault." I've always been impressed by any man who takes it on the chin when he makes a mistake. And mistakes are worthless if you don't take something from it. Great post... glad you are alright. Take the time to get your head right along with the bike. | ||
| Glitch |
The boys suggested that we all go up to Jennings GP race track and arrange for a group ride/lessons and that I should consider track school. Smart. I've always been impressed by any man who takes it on the chin when he makes a mistake. And mistakes are worthless if you don't take something from it. I'm with you on that. | ||
| Mudshuvel319 |
Ouch. Hopefully you can learn from your next mistake with less pain. Is the bike damage mostly cosmetic? The swingarm looks OK, but the bars could certainly be bent. It's tough to tell from the pictures. | ||
| Bcordb3 |
Not bad, the first thing I would get is a new helmet and go from there. | ||
| Igneroid |
Heya Captain. No plaster, or even worse,a toe tag is a good thing after an accident. While you may bite it again sometime,it guaranteed it wont be the same scenario as this one. Admitting your mistakes/weakness.....admirably priceless... | ||
| Hughlysses |
It can be very hard to tell yourself to "back off" even when the group says it's OK. Glad you're reasonably OK- that could have turned out much worse. Mark- have you taken the MSF beginner course? If not, that'd be a good way to start, or start over. | ||
| Nevrenuf |
any wreck that you can walk away from is a good one. my wife didn't take it so good either when i wrecked her scg. pretty much same scenario, different road. of course the uly makes a better bike anyhow. | ||
| Dynasport |
Glad you are well enough to be posting messages here. Wrecks suck. | ||
| Teddagreek |
Get well man... Have you seen a Doc? looks like you took it pretty good on the noggin... How long had you been riding since your last accident? Starting over with a MSF class sounds like a Good Idea.. A lot of good books out there as well.. Twist of the wrist I & II etc... I also have Twist of wrist on DVD its kinda dated and cheesy but its a good Vid.. List of Schools.... http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-training/ | ||
| Deadduck |
+1 on the twist of the wrist books. Glad you're okay first of all, and its good that you know what happened so that you can correct it in the future. I too had a little out of brain experience up on hwy. 60 in Ga. I, like you was following a guy that was a little beyond my experience level on that road, I came in a little too hot on a corner I didn't remember, and off the side of the road, and down an embankment I went. I, fortunately was dressed for the crash, full leathers, and spine protector, and was able to ride my beat up bolt back to the local hangout 8 miles away. The folks I was with were surprised at the little bit of damage me and the bike got, I strained my right arm picking the bike up uphill, and busted up my primary cover. Over the course of the following month of the crash, I read those 2 books and logged a few more trips up and down that road memorizing the corners and getting my confidence back up. I have learned, just as you probably will, if you don't know the road, keep the speeds down until you do know it. On a lighter note, get well, get your bike well, and come on up for Buelltoberfest. After riding up here for a few days you'll be able to take that curve sitting on redline in 5th gear. | ||
| Slaughter |
Glad you're out of it OK!!!!! (lecture alert... lecture alert... lecture alert...) I wouldn't encourage street racing... spirited riding? - you betchya! Riding with a group that willingly admits to knocking a rider's dick in the dirt pretty regularly isn't really a great group by the sound of it. Ride on the street, race on the track. There IS a difference. Glad you came out of it OK but don't take any injuries for granted - see your orthopedic specialist for an expert going-over. (geez, I keep trying not to lecture but we're ALWAYS reading about the new rider in a group who hurries to catch up and then bins it - hate to say how predictable this is) - another reason I really don't like group rides as a rule. I've been first on the scene of too many accidents over the years. (Message edited by slaughter on May 27, 2008) | ||
| Captain_mark |
Thanks all for your kind support. After almost 30+ years of riding as a form of transport/entertainment, I had no idea the level of skills it takes to ride like the guys I followed. It was like the first time I saw Kelly Slater (8 time world champion) surf, I was then a 35 year old sponsored surfer and thought I was pretty good, and realized there is a whole new realm of ability that I have never even considered much less achieved, or having been a 60's & 70's pioneer of skateboarding, seeing what modern skateboarding has become. It is amazing to see where the sport of motorcycle riding has evolved to. After 53 years of experiences, good and bad, I am not quite ready to throw in the towel. Although I conceed that I will never be the best or even particularly good at any of my passions, boating, motorcycling or surfing, (B3, Bikes, Boats, Boards) I can still learn and become better at what I am passionate about. As a 74 year old boat captain and author once told me, "the day I go out on a boat and don't learn something, is the day I stop captaining." My mother taught me "life is a continuous lesson in humility," and "if you are green you are growing, if you are ripe you are rotting." She is 78 and still green. be good, | ||
| Diablobrian |
I'm really glad you're OK, but you really should invest in full gear. I know it appears expensive initially, but it is far cheaper than the cost of a single skin graft or emergency surgery. The other guys already covered what needed to be said about working on the skill set needed for spirited riding, no need to drive it into the ground. ATGATT: All The Gear All The Time. Your friends and family will be glad you did. | ||
| Bad_karma |
Get back on a bike as soon as you can. Joe | ||
| Irideabuell |
Mark, I'm glad you're OK. I saw that post on Storm Fronts, but thought it had to do with the last incident. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure any of us would be willing to help repair your bike when the time comes. Paul | ||
| Benm2 |
First off, glad you are okay! Street riding/crashing carries so much extra risk, you are a lucky man! Next -- IMHO -- knee down on the street is for picking up your newspaper from the driveway. If you want to get a knee down while riding, go to a trackday. The risks are much more controlled. If you think you can't reign yourself in on the street on a Uly, then I agree with your wife: get a cruiser. Pick up a Sporty, throw on some forward controls, and enjoy the views. That way you can get a dedicated trackbike.... | ||
| Ftd |
Dang, I am sorry to read of your latest adventure Mark. Ditto what Paul mentioned regarding helping repair the ULY. The group will help out however we can. First get healed though. Frank | ||
| Glitch |
  Not trying to be totally insensitive... Was this from panic? Target fixation? Looks like you started to slide/brake a bit early. I realize you say you were going 80ish, you seemed to start off with a good line before the skid. Maybe I'm just used to more of a twist in the road, I don't know. I'm not trying to be crass, just trying to understand exactly what went wrong, and with your near total recall, and good attitude, I figured I could ask without you getting the wrong idea. I am a little reluctant to repeat the experience. I will probably need some encouragement and time to get my head straight before getting back in the saddle. I hear ya. Just before MB-5 I laid it down in some gravel on HWY60. I had no idea how spooked I was until I went back up to ride in the mountains. I caught myself "thinking slow" on some of the most familiar roads. | ||
| Captain_mark |
Glitch, No panic and no real fear, I recall just thinking, I really don't think I am going to make this turn without going off the road, so I hit the rear break first and began to slide, then I clearly remember thinking about just letting the bike go off road or breaking harder adding the front break (it is interesting that these thoughts can occur in nanoseconds), right or wrong I chose to break harder and before I could have any real fear, I thought "this is going to be bad," and then I hit, mostly head and left shoulder first and I remember thinking "that was not so bad." Then all the sliding, I remember going through the grass and then over some pavement and thinking "how did I get back on the street," of course it was a paved driveway. Finally, more grass and then a relatively easy stop against a vine covered bob-wired fence. Before anyone even had time to stop and help, I was doing the self-check and was amazed at how little pain I was feeling. Of course, two days later and I am a hurtin' puppy. But I am not complaining. This was a case of a over inflated ego making really bad choices. After 30 years of riding, off and on, I am seriously considering taking the MSF course. When I decided to get my Captain's license I thought I knew quite a bit about navigating, safety and boat operation skills - I learned so much and followed up by getting a Master's license which taught me even more. I am sure I can improve my riding skills and knowledge with the MSF course and maybe it will encourage Louise that I am committed to not making her a widow. Thanks again for all the support from everyone. This is what makes BadWeb such a great community. be good, | ||
| Glitch |
After 30 years of riding, off and on, I am seriously considering taking the MSF course. Best thing you can do, or since you have been riding a while, you could do the MSF Advanced course. Better yet do them both! Your clean thinking and near total recall really impresses me, hence the questions. Too many times you hear something like, I saw this turn coming up, and the next thing I know I'm picking myself up..." Thanks for the candor! | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Captain Mark, Glad to hear you are ok. Hope you get well soon and are able to get back on the bike! | ||
| Captain_mark |
Your clean thinking and near total recall really impresses me, hence the questions. Glitch, I don't know why, but whenever I ride my thoughts get so much more crystalized. It is the same with surfing. It is as if I am seeing the world in slow motion. Information is pouring into my pea brain and the memory bank is storing as fast as it can for future play-back. The bad thing is the playback button is stuck on "on." I need to get that fixed. Took myself off the pain medicine today, seem to be doing o.k. Sleeping is still an issue, but I will get over that. Now it is time to start thinking about how to get the old Uly back on the road. be good, |
