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Chainsaw
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 08:03 pm: | 
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Hey Ben...
What was going through your mind whilst you were sliding down they highway?
Just curious... |
Xben9r
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 08:42 pm: |
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First thought... This isn't going to be good...Damn, I'm going to look like a complete fool.. I really wanted to mow the lawn tomorrow... My wife is going to be pissed.... I should be stopped by now... Nope still hear the Joe Rocket dragging.... How am I going to fix that(when I looked up and saw the bike still at full slide)... Damn I hope I don't puke that lunch I just ate.... good Keith got stopped he's ok... Phuk I loved that bike.... Should be stopped by now... nope.... Damn deer... ahhh grass... good I don't feel any wet, no big bleeding... Stopped now? yep, well not yet.... Ewww big sign post... Now I stopped and Keith keeps telling me to stay down... I have never had the wind knocked out of me like that ever.
All of that is the honest truth. I remember every thought.
Ben (has anyone taken the name DeerSlayer yet?) |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 09:04 pm: |
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I had an 80 mph low side once on my X1. Same thoughts. I actually thought I HAD stopped (I could have eaten lunch in the time it took) tried to plant my feet to get up and went ass over tea kettle. I'm sure it was amusing to the onlookers. |
Metalstorm
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 10:15 pm: |
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I was thinking about getting a Joe Rocket Revolution jacket and after seeing those pics I think I will. I'm impressed. For non-leather, it held up really well and did it's job.
I'm so sorry to hear about your accident though  The image of that beautiful Xb lying on the road is going to hurt long after the shoulder heals. . I used to say "the body heals but bike repair is expensive" but I've come to a complete 180 turn. I have since learned that bike repairs are dirt cheap compared to hospital bills. So I'm glad you were able to walk away with out major injury to yourself. It goes to show ya that no matter how prepared you are, there is always a chance that the unexpected will rear it's ugly head. I always wear a leather jacket & helmet but now I'm thinking riding pants might not be such a bad idea. Bluejeans are only good for about a 20 foot slide  |
Fuscat
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 10:56 pm: |
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Sorry about yer bike bro! Glad your safe. Like Metalstorm I now always wear my JR jacket, a helmet, gloves and boots. From the looks of the holes in yours I think I will be going to be considering some riding pants as well. |
Jmonkee
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 11:18 pm: |
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Xben9r, Well if it's any real consolation... You kicked that deer's ass!  |
Timbo
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 11:52 pm: |
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Glad you're ok ben.
Too bad the bike is totalled. You could've called it "deerslayer".
Timbo |
Timbo
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2003 - 11:56 pm: |
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Heck just call the next one deerslayer in honor of the one that was totalled.
Timbo |
R1_rider_ru
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 12:54 am: |
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Ben, Glad to hear your are ok. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with your gear. I for one will be getting riding pants to go along with the jacket. |
Court
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 06:08 am: |
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Ben:
Do you remember the sound of the horn honking?
Generally when Buells are low sided the left bar bends just enough to put the horn button against the tank.
Do NOT ask me how I know this!
Glad you are ok and there is no greater testimony to the value of GEAR.
Court by candlelight |
Cro13
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 08:15 am: |
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Ben,
A quick question about the Phoenix gloves.
I read on another site about a rider who went down and had a bad experience with them.
Obviously, you did well compared to not wearing gloves at all.
From the picture it doesn’t look like they held up well.
If facing the same situation again would you choose the Phoenix gloves again?
I ask because I wear them every time I’m on the bike and I’m wondering if it’s time to choose some better protection.
Carter
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Mikej
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 08:33 am: |
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Delving into dangerous territory here, but last night a thought entered my mind: how would a tube frame Buell have held up in the same collision, and how much does it take to separate the steering head from an XB frame?
Would smacking a 4x4 laying in the road do it? How about hitting a truck muffler laying in the road? How about smacking into the far lip of a huge pothole or sinkhole in the road that isn't enough to flip the bike but is sufficient to impart huge stresses? And how about fatigue life of this steering head? And so on and so forth go the wonderings.
I realize that it is probably designed that way to avoid fuel/gas leakage in a head-on collision or impact. But how much impact will it withstand compared to a tube frame Buell where the tuber would still be somewhat steerable while the XB separates the front fork assembly?
Not looking to start a flame fest nor get assaulted verbally or mathematically, just curious. I sort of put this into the same category as the new Mini Cooper with the breakaway engine mounts, sounds good in theory but not too comforting in novice understanding.
I've deliberately run a bike I was on off into the brush to avoid a collision with another bike that came out of some trees and ended up bounding over chunks of concrete slabs at 60+mph on a dirt bike. Got back onto the track and kept on going and the bike faired fine. When riding I try to keep an eye open for exits from a situation, the M2 I'd feel fine hitting the brush, not sure now about the XB. I do know that riding home is better than walking home, and walking home is better than a ride in an ambulance van, again I'm just wondering.
Thoughts? |
Gravedigger
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 09:16 am: |
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Court,
Not to answer for Ben but, believe it or not, the bars on his bike still appear to be straight. I don't remember hearing the horn going off but wasn't really listening for it. I am sure they are bent just a bit. I think everything on this bike is bent just a bit. The frame has no major dents but has scratches everywhere. I also noticed a couple areas where the paint is now bubbled on the frame so I am guessing that it is also slightly tweaked. The bike is sitting in my garage for the time being, so if you want any specific pics of things please let me know.
Cro13
Once again, I don't want to answer for Ben, but In my opionion they held up very well under the conditions. I personally own AGV Sport gloves which are a bit heavier. I Don't know how much his hands were on the the ground, only he can answer that. He came out of this situation with absolutely no breaks, scratches or burns to his hands. I think that should be somewhat of a testiment to thier quality.
A general note, After this situation and looking this bike over probably 100 times, one thought keeps coming to mind. The rear end of this bike really really doesn't look that bad even though it went end over end once. The frame held up remarkably well except the small tweak that I believe it has. Why can't Buell figure out a way to put frame slider mounts on this bike? I think alot of the rear end damage could have been eliminated with such a device. Guess it is very irrelevent in this particuliar situation, but just a thought that is stuck in the back of my head.
Keith
edited by gravedigger on August 15, 2003 |
Glitch
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 09:27 am: |
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In my opionion they held up very well under the conditions.
Remember, they only have to work once...
And work well they did! |
Steve_a
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 11:05 am: |
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"how would a tube frame Buell have held up in the same collision, and how much does it take to separate the steering head from an XB frame?
Would smacking a 4x4 laying in the road do it? How about hitting a truck muffler laying in the road? How about smacking into the far lip of a huge pothole or sinkhole in the road that isn't enough to flip the bike but is sufficient to impart huge stresses?"
The steering head is designed to be the weak point in massive impacts on the XB, the type that would bend normal frames dramatically and threaten to buckle the side beams on aluminum beam frames, or fracture the steering head -- a fairly common occurence with massively strong aluminum frames in frontal impacts. Buell engineers simply put in some stress risers to guarantee that the latter happens. There's no chance that a load that would break the steering head off an XB wouldn't also leave the front wheel pressed back against the engine of another bike. None of the examples listed above would come close to doing it, or you would be hearing about them. In this case, it took a deer impact at a near triple digit speed, which probably created a 20 g or so deceleration. You don't ride one of those events out. |
Mikej
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 11:14 am: |
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Thanks for the reply Steve, that's the answer I was hoping to hear. |
Mikej
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 11:15 am: |
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Oh, and the triple digit speed must have been 55.0mph, right?  |
Court
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 11:51 am: |
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Mike:
The "crashworthiness" of the XB steering head and triple clamps is one of the most exhaustively engineered features of the bike, hence my interest.
There is a good reason the folks at Buell laughed at the ill informed detractors who, when the bike was introdcued, were automatic nay-sayers.
The thing that amazes me, ala Marty breaking the M-2 motor mount during secret testing of the Showa suspension on the Cyclone in 1996, was how precisely the head section did EXACTLY what it was intended to do. Engineering that would nt have (I stand ready to be corrected) possible in the slide rule days.
On the gloves....stop guessing, bite the bullet, but REAL Held and never look back.
Court
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Phillyblast
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 12:17 pm: |
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I bought an aerostich a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, I look like a blue and yellow powerranger. no, I don't care. I've had several people tell me "you're nuts" for wearing it, especially in 90+ heat. I'm going to email them the pics of the deer, bike, and gear and ask if they still think I'm nuts.
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Buckinfubba
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 01:00 pm: |
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man thats a doosy...glad your ok
Brian
Tilley's |
Gravedigger
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 03:24 pm: |
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Court,
Not to add "what if's" to this situation but in my opinion the steering head did its job on this crash. Had it not broke like it did, the front end could have been bent under the bike. This would have send it tumbling instead of sliding like it did. Just my opinion though.
Keith |
Court
| | Posted on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 03:50 pm: |
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>>>the steering head did its job on this crash.
You got it....Little more to say.
I always laugh about the guy at Lombardi's who laughed at me "you look like you're dressed for winter".
My reply...."I ALWAYS dress for fall."
In retrospect, he should have. |
Docrecon
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 05:13 am: |
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I'm tellin' ya, guys (& ladies...), I'm gettin' goose bumps readin' this - I am SO DAMN GLAD that a lot of you guys are wearin' gear!!!!
Sure, full leathers & Held gloves are the maximum way to go - but from experience I can understand that when yr. ridin' in 106 degree heat like I've been, it's tempting to cut back a bit; my philosophy is that somethin's better than nuthin'.
So I'm usually wearin' a Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket (anyone here been down on one of those?), the bottom half of a set of 2-piece leathers, Prexport boots, and various gloves, was wearing V&H but now sometimes cheat & wear a pair o' lightweight dirt gloves - they're cool & cool (i.e, colors match my bike.) And a full-face helmet of course, either HJC LT-12 or KBC VR-1.
If you're not wearing any gear, please read these posts (and Don's post, he went down a week or so ago on some liquid asphalt) & consider getting some - if you're on a tight budget don't assume it's out of reach, get creative - New Enough Leathers has already been mentioned (they sell new stuff too, and frequently have some great prices on closeout gear), also I've found some great stuff at Motorcycle Closeouts, http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/; I've only ordered from 'em once, had a return and the guy I dealt with was more than fair about it.
Using the heat as an excuse, I've substituted a pair of dirt pants for the leathers on occasion; they can be had for $30-$40 on Closeouts, they fit great & are fairly cool even when you're not moving. I'm not RECOMMENDING this now - full-on leathers are always gonna be a lot better - but hey, they beat shorts! (I'm also looking at adapting some Joe Rocket armor to fit in 'em.)
I understand it's great to be cruising along on a hot day with the wind blowing thru your hair - a man can fell downright Immortal -- but the pleasant Dream can turn into a hellish Nightmare much, MUCH faster than a blink of an eye...
edited by docrecon on August 16, 2003 |
Darthane
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 07:01 am: |
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Ben,
Great that you're up and running still. The pics of your poor Firebolt are heart-wrenching, though...
As to my comment regarding people and their choice of (or lack of) riding gear - yeah, it's callous of me. I just don't understand how poorly a brain can be functioning that they have no wish to protect themselves as well as possible (ESPECIALLY those who go without helmets - the absolute height of vehicular suicide). The people who're important to me all wear their gear, and frankly I've given up on the squids. They ride like idiots, force my insurance up when they wreck their bikes doing 95mph wheelies, so frankly I find it a little difficult to get all teared up when they remove themselves from the already shallow end of the gene pool that they inhabit.
Me? I've got three different jackets, four pairs of gloves, two sets of boots, ballistic pants, a full set of leathers and two full faces. Even though some of them are lightweight for summer riding, most often I opt for the heavier Vanson or Joe Rocket leather jackets. The only thing that doesn't get worn 100% of the time are the pants. I prefer to keep my skin where it is - the bike can be repaired.
Has anybody gotten a pair of these 'armored jeans' they sell now? I was thinking of picking some of those up. I'm not too big on popping on leather pants just to tool around town, so these would 'look normal' and still provide some better slide protection.
Bryan
edited by darthane on August 16, 2003 |
Bluzm2
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 10:27 am: |
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Holy shit Ben!!!
I'm a little slow on the uptake lately.
I've been reading the XB vs Deer thread from the start.
What a dumb shit I am!!!
I didn't put 1 and 1 together and come up with anything but zero!
I didn't realize the "Ben" in the story was you!
Damn glad to hear you are OK. I've already showed the thread to a number of rider friends.
Some get it, some don't. Some still give me shit for wearing my Vanson jacket ALL the time.
I tell them "I'd rather sweat than bleed".
Had this occurred a month ago, the above scenario could well have occurred.
It is an academic argument but I wonder how the S2 would have faired.
For those of you that don't remember or know, I'm the one that bought Ben's "totaled" S2 last month.
I do believe Ben now has the unofficial Bad Web bikes totaled in the shortest amount of time award..
Totaling 2 bikes in less than 1 1/2 months.
Really glad you walked away from the incident.
I'll bet you hugged your wife and kids with a bit more emotion that evening.
Wow!
Brad |
Court
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 10:43 am: |
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Ben:
Not for nothing....but would you come to East Troy to lead a parade next week?
You, single handedly, have turned Buell sales around!
Egads man!
Court |
Gravedigger
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 02:17 pm: |
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Just so people don't get the wrong idea on this one. Ben's S2 was totaled while not moving. Someone hit it with a car while he was not even on it.
To say he is having a run of bad luck is an understatement.
Keith |
Bluzm2
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 03:49 pm: |
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Comeon Keith!
He bailed before the truck ran over him!
But, he was standing still.....
Brad |
Gravedigger
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 04:58 pm: |
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Brad,
You know the details of that situation better than I do. Just don't want people to get the idea he was an overall reckless rider. He is actaully quite reserved.
Keith
edited by gravedigger on August 16, 2003 |
Bluzm2
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 07:10 pm: |
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Keith,
Man, I hope it didn't come across that way!
That's not at all how I intended it to come out.
I was just making a feeble attempt to inject a bit of humor into what could have been a very different story.
I still can't believe how long it took me to figure out it was "that" Ben.
I feel sooo stupid!
It's been a very long week...
Brad
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Xben9r
| | Posted on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 09:16 pm: |
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Brad, don't feel stupid, I just loved that bike so much I had to change my name to this new one. My thoughts on how the S2 would have fared? I don't know, I really hope no one finds out.
Keith, You have answered just how I would have, sorry I haven't been on here. Had to make some more cans. I will give you a shout tomorrow.
Court, I would be more than happy to lead a parade. Will I need Deer tags? Anything to get around more Buells, I miss mine already. By the way, I guess nobody told you what could happen when you plug too many things into one outlet?
Ben
edited by xben9r on August 16, 2003 |
Daves
| | Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 04:51 am: |
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Ben,
Are you going to the 20th?
If you are serious about the parade, I know a certain Buell guy(OK,it's me) that could probably arrange to have an extra bike for you to use on the ride out to East Troy. Let me know.
Ride to the edge!
Dave |
Gravedigger
| | Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 10:45 am: |
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Brad,
No offense taken. I just didn't want people to get the wrong idea about Ben. When most people (including myself) hear that someone has had two bikes totaled within a month and a half they naturally think "WOW, What a squid!" This has probably been the exception to that thought process. It's more like "Man, that guys having a real run of bad luck!"
PLUS I feel really, really bad for Ben on this one!!! We ride this road all the time and I usually lead. We made a run down it and a couple other roads that day on the way to lunch with no problems, but I was feeling kind of unfocused and complacent. We ate lunch and I told Ben this. I said "Why don't you lead on the way back so you can have some fun and not worry about the crappy lines I am carrying. He did, and we all know how it ended. So I kind of have that stuck in the back of my head on this one.
Keith
p.s. no problem with trying to inject a bit of humor in this situation. I have been teasing Ben about having to ride "Bitch" on the back of my X1!!
(Sorry Ben, couldn't resist again!) |
Xben9r
| | Posted on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 01:05 pm: |
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Daves, I would love to go, just need to get some exact details on when, where and how much time I would need from work if any. As long as it is after this week. I'm not sure if I can get away till 3:00 pm Friday the 22nd.
Ben |
Daves
| | Posted on Monday, August 18, 2003 - 06:47 am: |
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The ride out to the factory is on Weds morning.
All the details are in the 20th ann thread.
Dave |
Xben9r
| | Posted on Monday, August 18, 2003 - 07:07 am: |
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Dave, Looking back my last 2 posts are under heavy sedation. I'm going to see what I can find out from the boss types today. I'll give you a ring today.
Ben |
Smitty
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 07:46 pm: |
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Ben/Keith.
I’m glad you are doing well, your quick and full recovery is in my prayers.
A friend of mine after seeing the pictures of your accident told me to look at the first picture again and you can see why this happened. Can you guys figure it out? He told me and it is kinda ery.
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Xben9r
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 08:29 pm: |
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lol, Keith, I think he's jabbing at your yard. Thanks Smitty, the recovery for me is going to be simple as soon as I get back on 2 wheels. The worst pain is not having my XB here to ride. I'm thinking maybe an XB chopper... Half the work is done. Couple car batteries, some jumper cables, and a coat hanger and I'm in business.
Ben |
Smitty
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2003 - 09:04 pm: |
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Ben:
My friend said his mom told him never have your picture taken in a graveyard It means death. Well the Xb was taken with grave markers in the background and it died Ben you weren’t in the picture and were spared. Creepy huh?
After being in 2 bike accidents some things cannot be explained. One I was hit by a new driver (2weeks) destroying my RZ350 and the other one was my stupidity grabbing a fist full of brake on a familiar road .(Damp and newly asphalted)I was tossed in the air from bike snapping up like a high side at about 45-50 mph. I had no equipment on ,no helmet boots or jacket. Just going up the road to warm up the bike. I should have been killed. You never know. The bike sat for over 13 years just got it running. Looking at the Xb Thanks for sharing the photos .The pictures speak volumes of the necessity for the correct equipment.
Tim
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