| Author | Message | ||
     Rick_A |
thanks Blake...my first creation is my fave, though   | ||
| Blake |
Dude, your kidneys look swollen. Okay, that's enough man flesh for me. | ||
| Rick_A |
Yeah yeah. No need to get uptight. I don't wear a shirt or shoes unless I have to, see. Sorry. The "swollen kidneys" are a result of years of heavy lifting.  | ||
| Suzypoozie |
That is an awesome tattoo on your back! I don't know how to post pictures, but I have zebra stripes going up mine. I am only about 3/4 the way. One day I will finish them...I know this has nothing to do with crashing. Thankfully I only have dirt bike crashes to add regarding that issue. | ||
| Blake |
Y'all should start a "Skin Art" page on the Quick Board. | ||
| Joey |
I haven't seen my supervisor for a while, until recently. She was on the back of her husband's motorcycle. They were following another. She saw the turn, tapped on his shoulder, and pointed at the turn. He looked to see what she was tapping about. When he looked back, the guy in front had already begun to slow down. He panicked and locked up his brakes (I don't have any details beyond that) and departed controlled riding. He came close to death, but she did much better. She's back to work now. I've been told she has 3 bikes for sale. The bike involved is one, the second is one they had bought a couple weeks before, and her son's bike is the third. The son's bike is a crotch rocket. She tells me that was her last ride. | ||
| Sarodude |
Ya know, there's something I don't understand... When someone gets on a bike, do they think "That'll never happen to me!"? I mean, I feel for anyone with any type of injury. However, when someone decides AFTER an accident that they're not gonna ride anymore, why did it take the ride and accident to make that decision? To me, it seems the ONLY way that could happen is if one were to adopt the mentality that accidents, especially bad ones, only happen to other people. I wonder how many of these same folks compromise on their safety gear. I don't mean to sound like a jerk but there's no other way for me to vent my frustration on this issue. -Saro | ||
| Blake |
And how many have taken a motorcycle safety or rider's edge course. Which reminds me, I need to check on the local Rider's Edge course availability soon. | ||
| Awprior |
I've taken the MSF class, hoping to take the advanced rider one this summer. Wear a helmet and jacket all the time, leather pants or chaps if it's not unbearable. I was in one crash, damn glad I was wearing what I was. Rather have a cow's hide torn up rather than my own. Didn't hit my head, not a mark on the helmet. I'm still glad I had it on. | ||
| Grndskpr |
i have to agree, i think the msf should almost be manditory, i made the wife take it before i let he ride and i also explained that for most motorcycle riders its not a matter if you will crash but when, well on one of her first rides she looked at the curb in a slow speed turn, and wouldnt you know it down she went, i ask her what happened and she said she had no idea, so being the jerk that i am, i said we are not leaving till you figure it out, so she finally fessed up about looking at the curb(some people need to learn from experience) needless to say she no longer looks at the curb, and we even sold the bike, but only to upgrade to a bigger one, i guess its how you look at it, plus we use the gear and have several sets for different temps, like i told the guy who stoped me to ask about my jacket on a 90 plus day, my butt is worth more than the $125 i paid for the jacket JMO Roger | ||
| X1glider |
Blake if you take that Rider's Edge course, you will end up riding the M2 like a softtail! Touche. | ||
| Blastin |
If Blake takes the Rider's Edge Course, he will find out that "IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO GET IT DONE"  That and the Blast is one hell of a great handling motorcycle. Depending what local flavor they add to the course, he will also find out that the Blast will clear a 4"x4" (actual dimensions 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" )piece of lumber with the stock muffler. | ||
| Jim_Sb |
Saro, Your comment has an air of inevitability. If I thought having an accident was imminent, unavoidable or inevitable (at some point in my riding career) I probably wouldn't ride. I believe with the proper attitude, training, practice and judgement accidents are avoidable. My MSF instructor had more than 600,000 miles logged on bikes. He was adamant that if we followed his teachings and practiced them we could ride accident free. Certainly his teachings were quite defensive (like don't pull into an intersection - even if you have the green light - unless you're certain traffic going the other way has stopped or is stopping) but he was proof standing there before us that it can be done... So I wear all the protective gear, even if it is hot and uncomfortable at times. Took the MSF class. And I practice. I even generally avoid riding in town which is convenient because I prefer the twisty, sparsely traveled back roads anyway. And I hope I never need to find out if my gear is any good.... Jim in SB | ||
| Joey |
More details: Turns out he locked up the rear brake, did some wobbling, almost recovered, then high-sided. The MSF course was not something he had yet done. When he realized things were going to be bad, he managed to turn around and wrap himself around his wife, protecting her with himself. She had some bumps and bruises. He was flown by helicopter to a more capable hospital... If (when?) I ever crash, I hope I'm fixable enough to ride again! | ||
| Bad_Bart |
ahemcoughbullshitcough  | ||
| Joey |
Yeah, whatever, Bad Bart. All I know is she had a few bumps and bruises, and he almost died. It's not the first time I've heard of a husband trying to protect his wife. | ||
| Chainsaw |
I took the MSF course before I got my Harley. Worth every penny, and I tell everyone I know that rides or is thinking about riding to take it. I always wear a helmet, jacket if it is under 80 degrees, gloves always. I don't own chaps, just cheap raingear pants. (Can't bring myself to wear chaps, I feel like one of the Village People). In the past 15 months, I have logged 20,600 miles in 14 states, Canada and Mexico. I have had several close calls, all in in-town traffic near home. Gone down 3 times. All while parked or attempting to park (have to drop the bike to make it feel properly broken in) Moral to the story...well NONE! 'cept maybe CARS SUCK! | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Jim, Good luck to you, keep practicing and watch everywhere. I teach the msf brc and wish my record were as good as your instructor's! I can say that the things I learned in the classes I took and now teach have saved my hide several times over. Being in the classroom and on the range helped prepare me for the mistakes of others and to minimize my mistakes as well. It is surprising the mistakes we can make with the engine of or at exceptionally low speeds though  My pride makes me wish I had actually gone down at speed, however I am consoled that I have never fallen down in the parking lot for the same reason more than once - so I do learn  | ||
| Suzypoozie |
I have new Metzler tires on my bike so I was pushing it a bit harder than usual,thinking I was invincible...and came into a turn too hot in Golden Gate Canyon. I panicked, locked up my brakes and crossed my fingers to stop before going over the guard rail, and went down in the gravel right before it. The bike needs new bars, possibly forks, signals, mirror, front fender, headlight lens, touch up paint, and some major buffing. I had to ride home with the bars all jacked up and no taillight or brake light. I was wearing leather so I saved myself the skin rash but not the bruises. So much for my modeling career! | ||
| Road_Thing |
News Flash: Houston weather is hot and humid enough to grow green slime algae on roads that are subjected to constant runoff from leaky water pipes. This slime is slick enough to put a large motorcycle and its rider and passenger on their butts with no warning. Want to know how I know this? Glad you asked. The wife and I were returning home from an all day Labor Day cruise in the country on the Road Sofa (which, incidentally turned over 60,000 miles just before breakfast). Five miles from the house, we were on a straight and level concrete 4-lane. On the median strip is a leaking sprinkler valve that has soaked a 25 or 30 foot stretch of both the eastbound lanes. It's been that way for weeks, and I have ridden through it a half a dozen times with no problems. Yesterday, though, as I attempted to traverse the wet pavement in the company of the surrounding car traffic and at a very mellow 30 mph or so, with no brakes, no throttle, and no steering input from me, the rear wheel slipped suddenly to the right and the Sofa disappeared from beneath me, falling on its left side and plowing great sparking furrows in the nasty green muck. There was no warning, no gradual breaking loose of the tires, no chance to catch it. Mr. and Mrs. Thing hit the pavement and slid to a stop in the gunk, while the bike went another ten feet or so then did a graceful pirouette onto its right side, just in case there were any undamaged parts over on that side. For the record, we were wearing helmets, jeans and boots, and T-shirts (it's in the high 90's, too hot for leather). I was wearing gloves, too. Mrs. Thing suffered a scrape on her left elbow and assorted bumps and bruises. Mr. Thing is unscathed. The bike has damage to the parts you'd expect: footboards, crash bars, front fender, exhaust pipe. Nothing serious, in fact we rode it home, but I'm sure the replacement parts will run a grand or better. So, what happened? Both tires on the Sofa were in good shape with lots of tread. I saw the wet spot and was consciously trying to roll gently through it. Nothing helped. Several car drivers stopped to offer help (thank you!) and a couple volunteered that they were aware of similar bike accidents at that spot in the last week or so. My speculation is that the road has just enough "crown" to lure a rear wheel into slipping to right, and that the coefficient of friction of the algae-coated concrete is insufficient to persuade it to do otherwise. Lessons learned: >Don't trust wet pavement, especially in a hot climate. >Do follow in the tracks of preceding traffic to reduce the chance of encountering slippery stuff. >Don't try to stand up until you've stopped sliding. You'd think I would have learned this after 35 years in the saddle! We're lucky, Mrs. Thing will heal. Take care and you won't have to. Sincere thanks to the motorists who stopped to offer assistance, and to HFD Ambulance #69 who checked Mrs. Thing's injuries at the scene. r-t | ||
| Awprior |
R-T, Glad to hear you're ok. | ||
| Hootowl |
Yeah, me too. Somebody should go thump the guy who has let the sprinkler leak for that long. Trying to stand up before you stop sliding is just something you do. Don't fight it. | ||
| Blake |
Hire an attorney. Sue the shit out of the negligent party responsible for the sprinkler gone awry. I would. | ||
| Loki |
What sue the city? the county? heaven forbid the state? R-T, good to hear yours and the ladies damage were at a minimum. | ||
| Court |
Tom: Glad you and your Significant Other Thing are ok. Wash the slime off before you come to Bonneville. Seriousy, glad you came through well. Court | ||
| Road_Thing |
Friends: Thanks for the kind words. The thought of suing somebody loomed large on my screen for a while, but in the absence of serious injury or major financial trauma I've decided it would be an exercise in frustration with no real prize on the upside. I'm really more of a thumping kind of guy, anyway  . I did have a pointed conversation with the Houston public works dept. I was prepared to put a serious mad on at them, but the lady was so charming and nice that I just couldn't get my blood pressure up. I'll save the adrenaline for my insurance company! r-t | ||
| Jmartz |
RT: Bet you're glad you weren't on the Hellcat... jose | ||
| Road_Thing |
es verdad... | ||
| X1glider |
R-T, call Marvin Zindler about the slime on the road! At least yous guys are ok. I'm with Blake. If you are not the first biker to go down there and others know about it, chances are there are police reports from the others. That would dictate negligence on someone's part for not fixing the problem. An attorney would have fun with an established pattern like that. Let your insurance company's attorney do the work. They won't want to make that kind of effort, but that's what you pay them for and make sure they know it. You want to retire early don't you? | ||
| Road_Thing |
X1G, it would be poetic justice, wouldn't it? I can just hear Marvin now: "SLIME ON RICHMOND AVENUE!!!!!" r-t |
