| Author | Message | ||
     Samiam |
I didn't think it'd happen to me. Who does? I was going to have a nice fun day on this year's Oyster Run. It was a beautiful day here in Washington, I had a cool group of bikes to ride with (27 of us, Harleys, Jap bikes, you name it!), everything was great. I was on the only Buell in the group and was getting a lot of good comments from the new stuff I added to my bike the day before (was going to surprise BadWeb the day after). We were on our way to Anacortes from Edison (not that far to go) and there was about 15 of us left, I was riding middle of the pack, our group behind a group of choppers. All of a sudden these choppers decided to make a left turn, some of them having to lock up their brakes to do so. Our group not being too far behind had to do the same. Being a little further back in the group I had little warning to hit the brakes, and to make matters worse, there was a little gravel on the right side of the shoulder that I didn't see. We were riding staggered formation and I was in the right hand side of the lane so I was a goner, though I had little time to even think of this as my front tire quickly locked up and almost immediately dropped down and to the right into the ditch. I am sure I hit the road at about 45MPH. I can't be sure what part of me hit first, but judging by my injuries and gear damage I would say it was a combination of my left knee, left shoulder, and both hands. I rolled about four times and slid for a bit before finally coming to a stop. Just like every other biker out there the last thing I was thinking of when I went down was "oh dang, this might hurt". No, no, what went through my head was "MY BIKE!!!!@#$!@!". However, I am glad I have invested in some quality gear, as well as items to protect the more vital areas of my bike (pucks/sliders). By the looks of my gear I believe that had I not been wearing all my gear I would have been seriously hospitalized. I was, and am even more now, a firm believer of AYGATT. At first I didn't think I even got a scratch, that is until I saw the holes and blood seeping through my riding pants. I still think I got off easy. I had a small hole in my left knee that required 5 stitches. I took the ambulance to Skagit Hospital, where 9 out of 10 people there were motorcycle related injuries. Nothing broken, thank God. I am wearing a leg brace and taking a freakin' lot of Motrin for the bruised knee joint. My shoulder is just sore. Nothing else. Total medical cost, $0. Thank you Tricare. I will post pictures of my gear once I get my gear out of my friend's car. I will, however, post pics of my bike and a question. I wasn't planning on reporting this to my insurance company till I saw what lay under my frame puck. It would seem the force of my handlebar being slammed into the puck caused a small dimple in the frame under the puck to form. It does not look like it is damaging the frame structurally, but I wonder if my insurance company would total the bike if they saw the frame (I've heard of this happening)? If so I would definitely buy the bike back salvage. That way I could have the bike paid off MUCH sooner.         Here's a couple pics of the "dimple"       Here's why I have the primary cover off:  and "highlighted"...  <soapbox> I guess the point I would like to put across is EVERYONE MUST, please, wear All Your Gear ALL THE TIME. I see too many stupid people (squids) out there not wearing proper gear, one of my fellow Buell friends just showed me his "new" helmet, a half helmet with less than a half inch of padding all around with a "DOT" sticker on the back. I scolded him for it. Will he change? Who knows? There is a reason we are called "organ donors". </soapbox> And the question I have is: Should I report this to insurance? | ||
| Samiam |
Oh and if anyone was wondering, the '07 translucid Valencia Orange airbox I have here is an ALMOST perfect match for the windscreen. If anything, it's a little darker in color. Oh, and also anyone want to sell me their primary cover from their XB9? I like the black one  | ||
| Skully |
Hey Sam, Glad you are ok. Keith | ||
| Diablobrian |
No one ever plans to have an accident. I'm glad you are an advocate of ATGATT and practice what you preach! It DOES make a difference! | ||
| Prof_stack |
Dang, what a bad experience! I'm glad you were able to "walk" away. Best wishes in your healing and getting back on the bike again. Your bike will probably be totaled. It will be interesting to see how the "buyback" goes. Keep us informed. Prof in Seattle | ||
| Eboos |
I have always been a gear wienie, but the other day I went for a ride in only my helmet. I was covered in poison ivy, so I didn't want to put on my jacket, gloves, leather pants, ect. I did about 75 miles on mostly back roads, but I noticed how uncomfortable I was doing this. I felt naked, and this was pretty unnerving. Every corner I took really slow, and was pretty much at 90 degrees the whole time. It's funny how this was probably one of the slowest rides that I did all year, but this one scared me the most. When I got home, I told my girlfriend about it, and said that I am never going out like that again. P.S. Ohh how I miss having free medical coverage courtacy of the government and tricare. I would not have lasted very long riding BMX without it. (Message edited by eboos on September 26, 2006) | ||
| Debueller |
Glad to hear your not seriously injured. Looks like your 'bolt suffered quite a lot of road rash, though. I was going to go but at the last minute I decided to go on a dual sport ride on my Uly instead, with a group from soundrider.com Last year there was a pretty bad crash on the hwy just outside Anacortes. I passed it just before they closed the road. That evening I seen it on the news. If I remember right it was pretty bad. This year I didn't hear of any crashes untill now. Must not of been any serious injurys due to crashes this year? (or at least no major road closures due to accidents) Get well, fix your bike, and get back on that horse! | ||
| Lbcalex |
soab!! at least you had pucks and spools on that thing. | ||
| Coturi |
Sam, good to hear you were ok for the most part. You can always fix the bike, and when you do, get down here so we can ride this time. | ||
| Josh_cox |
Nice to see you came out good. It doesn't look like you tore the bike up too badly either. More than likely, the bike won't total. We have done frame replacements on insurance claims on XB's. Buell made the parts cheap and easy to work on. It takes a LOT to total one. Even if you need a new frame (I would want one since even a puck can't hide the dent) I think retail is about $1100. You probably have around $2500 in damage by a rough estimate if a shop did the frame swap. AGATT is definately something I have learned also. I have a Fieldsheer Highland suit coming right now for my winter riding. When you are ready to get parts, shoot me an email at jcox@cycleconnectionh-d.com. We give a 10% discount for BadWebbers. | ||
| Brineusaf |
Sam - this is a sh*tty thread. If you do report it to insurance be sure to state the "road hazard/condition", that is why you pay for (full?) insurance. On the other hand... if this would haver happened a few weeks ago I could have assisted with the primary cover, inspection covers, oilcooler duct, side scoop, and passenger peg/mount, and an airbox. Sorry buddy, but I'm all outa parts in the garage.If I run across something I'll be sure to let you know. (Message edited by brineusaf on September 26, 2006) | ||
| Samiam |
Thanks Josh, I'll keep that in mind. Are you sure the puck won't cover the dent? I didn't even notice it till I took off the rubber part of the puck. And thanks everyone for your support in this, it's taking a little bit (and a bit of money) but I think I'll be back on the road in no time. BTW Josh, Daves, or Al, or whoever, How much would it be for a XB9 (black) primary cover, gasket, clutch inspection cover, and shift assembly? That's about the bare minimum (I think) for me to get back on the road. I've got pegs. Oh yeah and new pucks (they come in pairs right?) Sam | ||
| Bads1 |
Damn I'm glad to hear your ok. | ||
| Samiam |
Ok guys here's the gear, remember folks, this could've been my skin.   keep in mind here the white spots on the leather jacket were already there   this is where my pants (firstgear) didn't hold together as I would've liked  Sam | ||
| Slamber777 |
WOW! Glad to hear your OK! The bike looks the worst for wear. l'll be interested to see your gear pics. l didn't make it over the mountains to the "fest". Would have been a sad day to hear of one of our own in a crash. AYGATT is a good one. Make up some shirts to sell. lt could help fund your rebuild. Ray | ||
| Slamber777 |
OK, l just saw your gear pics. lt definitely would have been a different situation if you hadn't had it on. As an EMT l'd rather see bumps and bruises then potential skin graphs at a scene. Good job! Ray | ||
| Blake |
Tough guy on a tough bike wearing tough gear.  | ||
| Thespive |
Godspeed brother! Glad you are okay, thank your guardian Angel tonight. --Sean | ||
| Diablobrian |
Those pics look like a pretty serious endorsement for leather over nylon! Just something to think about when trying to decide which to wear, or buy. I have a stock black clutch inspection cover (not the primary cover) if you want it. I don't have any of the other parts on hand, but I do have that for the asking. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
After speaking to you earlier about this, I didn't think the damage was too bad. The photos make it look really horrific. The fortunate part (at least for me) If I hadn't been out of town (more on that later) I most likely would have been right there with you... Let me know if you need any help | ||
| Alcino |
Glad you are ok. Can someone explain this "AYGATT" term. Looked around but can't find anything to explain it. Is it an acronym for something? I feel it has something to do with wearing safety gear. Thanks alcino | ||
| Eboos |
All Your Gear All The Time It's a variation of ATGATT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATGATT (Message edited by eboos on September 27, 2006) | ||
| Firebolteric_ma |
Glad you are A.O.K.! I also thought I wouldn't go down anytime soon and just recently bought some "real gear". Good thing too cuz not 2 weeks after getting the gear I went down. Not as hard as you but it could easily have been worse. I too am a believer in wearing all your gear all the time. | ||
| Samiam |
DiabloBrian, I will definitely take you up on your offer! Anything at all helps! BTW you have mail! And if anyone was wondering, miraculously, my helmet wasn't touched. That at least saved me $~250. Thanks for all the comments guys! Sam | ||
| Ulywife |
Gear is so important. Glad you were wearing yours. While gear is expensive, it's well worth the investment. We have as much invested in our 11 year old daughter's gear as we do for ourselves. Just picked up a perforated leather Icon jacket for her for $94! Love a good sale on gear! Good luck with the bike and hope you feel better soon. | ||
| Irideabuell |
Agree whole-heartedly with the insistence on wearing all your gear all the time. My 7 year old son gets mad when I won't let him ride around in front of the house on his Suzuki JR 50 without his gear. My saying to him is always "NGNR" (no gear, no ride). I always ask him if he's ever seen me ride without a helmet, gloves, jacket, pants and boots. He then rolls his eyes and heads in the garage to get his gear bag out. | ||
| Eor |
Glad you came out as well as you did. If I had to venture a guess...I'll bet the bikes riding in staggered formation didn't have adequate spacing. They rarely do. I rode in a group one time and was criticized for allowing a 4 second space between me and the rider in front of me. Like I said..I rode in a group one time. | ||
| Macbuell |
Glad you're ok and I try to always follow the ATGATT rule myself. You don't have to be traveling far distances or riding agresively for something bad to happen. I have to say this, I'm surprised no one has called out the ride leader. Sudden stops and turns are a no no in group rides. | ||
| Acejay |
ouch, sounds like you came out of it pretty well which is lucky. the bike has copped a bit of a hiding though, i bet you're glad you had those axle sliders on. Good to see those beautiful micron pipes came out unscathed. ajay | ||
| Diablobrian |
ATGATT becomes almost a religion for those that have been down hard, although I was already preaching the virtues before I had my tumble. Remember the shortest rides, where your guard is down, are where you are MOST at risk. The statistics back that up. The thought "I don't really need to wear a jacket for no further than I'm going" should set off alarm bells in your head. Just like your mind wandering because you are almost to your destination should. For the engineers this may help ((FxC)/2)/d = PFD ((Familiarity x Complacency)/2)/distance = Potential For Damage in layman's terms: the average of your complacency and familiarity divided by the distance to be traveled is how the odds for trouble can be calculated. Do the math, it works out!   |
