So I had my first get off last night so I have to share, ironically it came just miles after completing the Total Control class. In short, I was riding inspired and a little too aggressive with some new found skills, a bit overconfident when I took the freeway on ramp a little too hot, heading wide I decided I would rather take my chances standing it up and running off into the grass median than lay it down and I hit the curb at almost head on at maybe 50 miles per hour. Luckily I was wearing all my protective gear, including armored pants, and where I went off it was soft wet grass from the days rains, so despite getting tossed over the bars and tumbling like a sack of potatoes, I was able to get right up with no real injuries except a bruised ego (got a bruised knee too but nothing serious). Damage to the bike was pretty minor, bent handlebars, a scuff on my front rim and broken left rear blinker, I was really surprised that the rim was not at all bent or that nothing else was damaged but again the soft grass was forgiving. So I picked the bike up and concluded I could ride it home the 60 miles, both of us covered in mud and grass, like a Chiapet of sorts, and with a dangling rear tail light, I rode the wounded duc home hanging off ever so slightly the whole way to compensate for the bend in the handlebars, left grip offset about four inches back from the right. Anyhow, I knew I would be going down eventually so this was a pretty good way to go all things considered, and I feeling pretty lucky and humbled after the experience.
Tough way to learn that lessoon - but good to hear you're not injured. There's been a little too much of that in the general area recently.
Guess it's time to research some after market bars... or do I hear c c c clip-ons!?
Glad you are OK. That's rather ironic it happened on the way home from that class.
Damn Scott. I'm very glad to hear that only your ego and knee are bruised. That it happened just after completing the Total Control class is truly ironic .
Heal up soon and as Ian said, just another good reason to make some mods to the Monster.
//tb
Quote from: topspin_flyer on June 01, 2008, 07:24:35 AM
...a little too hot, heading wide I decided I would rather take my chances standing it up and running off... Luckily I was wearing all my protective gear... and feeling pretty lucky and humbled after the experience.
Hmmmm...that sounds familiar. And aren't you the one that was right behind me last week? I know it must have looked like I was having a lot of fun being tossed around like a rag doll, but you weren't supposed to try it out yourself. Glad you're ok. Sounds like your grassy landing was a bit more forgiving than my rocky one. Wanna take the ERC at the end of August :)
Well, theoretically, you can use a pipe to bend your bar back if you don't want to drop the cash right now.
Glad that you are mostly ok...tough way to learn a lesson. [moto]
Quote from: yuu on June 01, 2008, 08:12:32 AM
Tough way to learn that lessoon - but good to hear you're not injured. There's been a little too much of that in the general area recently.
Sounds like you pulled off a pretty good PLF...Great to hear that you are Ok!
Be safe all!
I hate to say it but I don't think I learned much from this mishap, except that I need to stay focused and be fully commited to the turn. I think my real problem is I got distracted from the task at hand and then suddenly I found myself in trouble. Too much on my mind I suppose, need to work new stuff in slowly. I should realy take a meditation class I think, would help my tennis game too if I could be more focused.
I wasn't going to fast "I was riding inspired" officer [thumbsup]
Glad your ok.
Quote from: Ducatista on June 01, 2008, 07:53:16 PM
Well, theoretically, you can use a pipe to bend your bar back if you don't want to drop the cash right now.
yes...I've done this many times in the past for folks and once for myself even....take a piece of straight exhaust pipe of at least 3 feet in length and slide it over the handgrip and use the force!....
Quote from: topspin_flyer on June 01, 2008, 07:24:35 AM
Damage to the bike was pretty minor, bent handlebars, a scuff on my front rim and broken left rear blinker, and with a dangling rear tail light, I rode the wounded duc home hanging off ever so slightly the whole way to compensate for the bend in the handlebars,
when I get my blinkers back from Ryan and Erin that I loaned for their DC Inspection fiasco....I can certainly help you out with a blinker if you'de need....glad you are okay Scott!....lesson learned here was this...you fell...you got up...you got back on and are going again!....alot of people can't learn that lesson!....
Thanks Zoom for offering up your blinkers, I appreciate the offer but I have already fixed that so I won't need it. The blinker part that was dangling slips onto another plastic piece which had partly broke off so just glued it back and it looks good as new. As for the handle bars, they have an indentation from the bend which I won't be able to pop out but Tim hooked me up with his old Monster 900 bars so I put those on last night, but I have to figure a work around for the bar end mirrors since the end holes are smaller on these bars. Let me just say putting on new grips was a [pregnant dog]. Also, been thinking about putting on some clip-ons, taking this opportunity as an excuse to upgrade as some have suggested, but I need to take time to research them, but right now I do like the Rizomas though they are kinda pricey at $400+
I didn't say pregnant dog by the way, I said b*i* t* c* h. The website sensored me.
Glad you're alright!
We all need to work on staying upright. ;D
Quote from: topspin_flyer on June 03, 2008, 07:34:39 AM
Thanks Zoom for offering up your blinkers, I appreciate the offer but I have already fixed that so I won't need it. The blinker part that was dangling slips onto another plastic piece which had partly broke off so just glued it back and it looks good as new. Tim hooked me up with his old Monster 900 bars so I put those on last night, but I have to figure a work around for the bar end mirrors since the end holes are smaller on these bars. Let me just say putting on new grips was a "fill_in_the_blank_here"
no problem on the offer...
glad to har ya got bars....as far as the ends for the mirrors...is it a 7/8th or 5/16th opening?....I assume the 5/16ths...if you can still get a nut on the bolt that tightens it without using the metal split wedges that come with it...you can use a piece of 3 layer fuel hose of the 5/16ths variety or whatever size it ends up being...you put the bolt through the hose with the flanged nut on the end with a dab of something to keep the nut attached to the hose for intial tightening...a lil dab of silicone on the outside of the hose to allow it to slide easily into the barend and then tighten it as the hose will mushroom and lock everything down into place....
for future reference...on grips..if you have an air compressor...to get them on or off...you take your general air blower nipple and insert a bed of air between the bar and the rubber and they'll glide on and off like a hovercraft across the ground easy as pie!
Also, with grips, if you are able to roll just the first little bit back, often a line of Vaseline all the way around will help tremendously.
I was trying to use the grip glue as the lube and have piece of mind it would dry as an adhesive but I ended up using WD-40 after wrestling too long with those grips and getting blisters on both palms.. Vasilne is a great suggestion (Ha! this is all so ripe for a joke but I will hold back). I am going to stop by the Home Depot after work today and try what Zoom suggested with the 5/16 fuel hose, also need to pick up a small drill bit to drill the hole in the handle bar where the throttle body mount bracket protrusion goes. A lot more work than I would have thought, but good stuff.
hi Scott,
get offs aren't supposed to be contagious...
sounds like a nice tryout for the chia pet - moto racer edition
seriously though, i'm so glad you're all right.
thanks for sharing - it's a good lesson for us all.