Ducati Monster Forum

I guess its my turn  :'(

I was on my way to work this morning. I was on a cloverleaf freeway onramp that curves to the right. I wasn't going particularly fast. All of the sudden the front end just washed out hard and I slid into the guardrail about 50 feet down the road. The rear of the bike impacted the guardrail. The entire rear end of the frame is bent up. Luckily, I wasn't hurt too bad. A bit of rash and some nasty bruises on my arm. I was dumb and wore my work slacks but my leather jacket did its job perfectly. Special thanks to my leather gloves, which took a lot of abuse and saved my hands from severe damage. The leather pads on my left hand were almost worn down completely.

I'm guessing with the twisted up frame, the bike is a loss. The damage isn't otherwise too terrible; bent bars, broken controls and crg barend mirror, broken rear brake lever, bent rearsets, smashed up beer tray (the horror! Although it was a sweet cf and aluminum Road Racing piece), bent and dented but relatively unscratched tank. I'll probably part it out. No more riding for me for a while (direct mandate from the boss).

Here's the best part. I got a wreckless driving ticket. The officer agreed with my assessment that I wasn't driving fast but said he had to give me a ticket for something. Ack, now I have to go to court. He thought I had locked up my rear brake. I left a 50 ft skidmark. However, I never even use my rear brake. Interestingly, upon getting the bike home I noticed the rear wheel is not moveable. I'll have to investigate that tomorrow. I haven't really looked over the bike at all yet. Just took it easy.

I just want to conclude by saying this is a fantastic site. Although I am not much of a talker, I read the site every day and learn new things all the time. Thanks again DMF!

Ok, here are the pics:

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck1.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck2.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck3.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck4.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck5.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck6.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck7.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck8.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck9.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck10.jpg)

(http://members.cox.net/carl22/pics/wreck11.jpg)

Glad to hear you are ok...

Oh man. This has to have been the worst summer for crashes here. Glad you're relatively ok. Sucks about the bike, though. :-[

I am sorry for your loss.  I am glad you're around to tell the story.

Let us know what you find out about the rear wheel being seized.

Cheers,
Sterling

glad you are ok, but i have to say taht this whole deal of "gotta write you up for something" deal is totally unacceptalbe.

like come on, he agreed you were not going fast and it happens, but uses the same lame excuse of "i have to write you up for something" 

will one of the members of the protected group, explain why this person has to use this lame excuse? its sort of like saying  "i realize you did nothng wrong, but i'm going to waste your time, my time, the court's time and make you pay for an attorney, all because.. well i cant' think of a real reason other than i'm lazy and need to do this"

why didn't he just write you up for not having reflectors on the motorcycle?

i'm sorry there is no way someone of the "protected group" and justify writing someone up for no other reason than "i have no reason to but i have to"

wtf!!!

Just like speedbag.  You both are here posting, thank God (or who ever you choose).

glad you are ok dude.
i also would like to know why the officer "had" to write you a ticket for something???
and if he "HAD" to, wouldnt something less than reckless be in order?

let's not get this locked because of cops talk....

K?

Sorry to hear, and glad you're ok. Rough year for DMFers  :-\

Dang it Shiv... Now everyone here isn't happy with their High Desert Hooligans shirts.

Now they want to add "I'm a D.M.F.er"   [laugh]

Shit, I want one of those  ;D

Sorry about the bike, but, most important, it sounds like you are pretty much OK.

Hopefully your reckless ticket will be reduced when you go to court.  You should check with a lawyer.  This may be one of those things that they automatically reduce if you show up with a lawyer.  Glad you are doing relatively well.

glad to hear you are ok.

if you had a defective rear brake that locked up on you and is still locked... maybea technician looking at it and giving a statement of defect or something. ask all the lawyers on here

^  +1.   A reckless driving ticket is not going to help your insurance rates.  I'd document the teardown with photos and ideally have a tech do it, or do it in his presence so he can sign a statement.

Disclaimer:  I'm not a lawyer.

I don't like  [leo] so let's talk about the bike.  Looks like a survivor to me.  Where's the frame bent (the part that holds up your arse doesn't count)?  Looks like you need a tail chop, tailight, seat, and sporty new rearset.

As far as insurance companies are concerned, most of the time frame bent = total loss...

Thanks everyone.

I felt like crap this morning. Sore as heck. No big deal though. I know if could have been a lot worse.

I dunno about the rear wheel. There is a lot of damage back there. It could be a red herring. I like the idea of having a tech examine it. I don't think the brake locked up. The entire wheel appears to be cocked to the side. I will reserve judgement until I or a tech can look at it.

Unfortunately, I only have liability coverage, so its up to me to fix or not. At first glance, the frame damage appears to be limited to the rear section (the "subframe" area that holds up the seat). It would need to be cut out and replaced. You can see its pushed up pretty severely. The front end didn't hit anything (other than the bars hitting the ground). I would guess the forks and front end of the frame are good.

Thanks again for the well wishes. I'll update with more info when I get it.

In the second pic you can see a crease in the frame where it bent up on the right side frame rail. Its where the passenger handhold is welded to the frame, in the middle of the pic.

Glad to hear your okay man. Sucks about the ticket. Without a doubt fight it. See how far you can push it. Local governments are REALLY aching for money and the orders are pretty much the same everywhere. Tickets = Road Tax. Everyone has to pay their share. Its not right.

Good to hear you are ok.  As far as the bike goes if the forward part of the frame is not bent then this could be a candidate for an extreme tail chop with a solo seat.  There are a few people who have done this by choice chopping off far more of the frame then normal.

Sorry to hear the crash, the important thing is that you are ok.

Hope you feel better soon, good luck with the bike. :-\

Tickets are a local thing, you need to talk to a lawyer in your area. 

Here is a list of lawyers in your area:
http://attorney.motorists.org/view_listing.asp?state=VA (http://attorney.motorists.org/view_listing.asp?state=VA)

I'm really glad nothing serious happened to your frame even thought your bike wasn't so lucky.

I took another look at the rear wheel today. I originally thought the wheel was locked due to it being bent or damaged some way, but, indeed, the rear brake is locked up. I haven't touched a nut or bolt yet. I think I do need to get it to a technician and get their written appraisal. I'm not sure why it would have locked up or if it happened before or after the crash. Interesting...

Thanks Howie. I am definitely getting a lawyer for this.

Well, I think the simple answer to the locked up rear brake is that the rearset was bent such that the piston pushed into the master cylinder and engaged the brake. Definitely a factor in the overall accident but not necessarily a first cause. I think I'd have to be pretty low to the ground to cause the footpeg to touch ground.

KEH,

First and foremost, I'm glad you're okay.

Second, I'm sitting here talking to Duck-Stew, who knows his stuff.  He says it is possible for the rear brake to lock up on its own while you are riding.  If the rear brake lever isn't given free travel [pedal at rest], then you are putting pressure on the rear brake pads which pushes them against the rotor.  Over time this causes fluid to expand due to heat which causes more pressure to be applied to the brake pads, generating more heat.  Some people have even gone down the highway and caught their rear brake on fire.  "How's that fo shizzle?" says Stew.

Third, and most disappointing, I've discovered the hard way that often those people "investigating" motorcycle accidents have NEVER ridden a bike, nor do they have ANY clue what they are talking about.  The officers that investigated my husband's death had no experience whatsoever and blamed the whole thing on him, even though his actions were textbook.  There was no why or wherefore in their report, just, "Uh, he screwed up."  He didn't screw up, btw.  I figured it out, but it took me a while.

You may want to get an attorney to help you out, but honestly, don't settle for anything.  A lot can happen on a bike that folks who don't ride have no clue about.  Do a little research and don't sell yourself short.

I'm just sayin'...

All the best to you and yours,
E.

PS--I have a friend who's a motorcycle cop whom I respect greatly, and he agrees that cops with motorcycling experience should investigate motorcylcle accidents.  There just isn't much he can do to change things, but there you have it...

River, excellent post. Thanks for the support! I'm glad we in the motorcycling community can stick together when it seems everyone is out to get us.

 [clap]

No problem.  That's what we're here for...


 8)

Be well.

Well, I posted my accident on a local board, trying to get information on a good lawyer. Turns out, one of the officers at the scene posted on my thread. It was a positive thing, as we were able to discuss the accident in more detail. Its a long read, but here is the link if you're interested.

http://vadriven.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311260 (http://vadriven.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311260)

The cliffs' notes are basically that he thought I had locked up my rear brake and crashed. I told him about the damage my rearset took and thought the brake locked up after I hit the pavement. Based on the pattern of the skidmark he thinks I locked up the brake first, then fell. That just doesn't jive with what I felt happened. I rarely even use my rear brake. I certainly didn't engage it consciously in that turn.

Thanks again for the well wishes,
Karl

THeres only 3 ways the tire can lock up

1) Mechanical Failure
2) Human Error
3) Environmental

If you deny Human error. The only other two are mechanical failure, which is possible, i think a few members here have had that problem. and the other is envrionmental. Aka, you went down and the impact caused it to lock, but not possible because that would require the bike to have crashed, then gotten up and skidded.

Unless the bike crashed and locked up, and the biek skidded on its side with the rubber still on the ground. How far were the skid marks from where the bike stopped? Where are the skid marks on your tire?

I read the other peoples post about not getting a lawyer just yet, the ticket is so ridiculous that it might just get thrown out without you needing to say anything. How wreckless can you get going 20mph, unless you start doing wheelies and stoppies? Its not like you were cutting off cars  and someone hit you since it was a single vehicle accident.

Wow that sucks about the Monster, looks like she was quite a looker. Glad you're okay!  [thumbsup]