It must have been my turn to go down

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:14 pm

Everyone has their first bike accident and my turn came two nights ago. Heading east on IL-136, just outside of Macomb, I ran into my friends rear tire. We were in separate lanes and my friend motioned that he was going to turn into a gas station ahead and signaled before turning into the center turn lane. I veered into the left lane to prepare for the same turn but my buddy had swerved back into the left lane and put on his brakes to avoid something, and I clipped his rear tire without having slowed down. I lost control of the bike instantly, and I think the rear came slightly off the ground before leaving the seat and being dumped flat on my head and shoulder at 45-50mph. My entire left side slapped into the asphalt, shoulder and head sharing the initial impact, with my hip taking the rest. I then rolled along my stomach and onto my right side. I'm not sure how many times I rolled, but by the time I stopped I had gone across the center lane and was lying halfway in gravel on the right hand side of the opposite lane. My bike had slid about 15 yards ahead of me into the left hand side of the that lane.

It was about 8:30 PM and luckily I did not roll through traffic. The oncoming truck ahead which saw my take a dump got out and helped my friend pick up the bike and roll it to safety before traffic came. They were on the spot and had me and the bike completely out of oncoming traffic in a matter of seconds. It was dark, very cool (48 degrees F. plus wind chill) and I was wearing 3 sweaters beneath my leather jacket, an Icon Alliance helmet, ankle length boots, new denim jeans, long johns, and a pair of deerskin gloves. I don't know what the general consensus on Icon helmets is but I'd say mine performed rather well. The direct impact was over the visor hinge, covering an area 3 inches wide, with the gouging vertically along the helmet. This matches what I felt as I was thrown forwards and landed on my left side before skipping onto my right. The left shoulder of my jacket has a spot torn completely off, the left sleeve is ground paper thin in some spots, with plenty of scuffing all around. My left hip took a hard blow beneath all the clothing and the seems were pressed against my bones hard enough to cause bleeding and abrasions. My left elbow is scuffed moderately despite the leather and 3 sweaters on top. Both of my knees are banged up and bloody. The denim helped a little but it sure isn't proper riding gear. They wore through on all impact spots. Even the coins from my left pocket are road rashed. My boots are scuffed all round, very heavy on the toes, and my left boot lace was destroyed and found in a few pieces just beyond my point of impact. My soft deerskin gloves held up better than expected (they're very comfortable but I didn't have a lot of faith in them for abrasion resistance). The wrist and palm are scuffed badly, tearing the seam away from the fingers, and there is also wear along the back of the hand, with much of the lacing being pulled away. These were unlined $40 horseback gloves from a western store.

A cop was on the scene immediately by coincidence. Before I could even check for blood or broken limbs and regain my balance he had a flashlight up to my eyes and a breathalyzer in his hands Rolling Eyes

He gave me a hard time and threatened me with a speeding ticket, but I denied it rightfully because I wasn't speeding, and he had no witnesses to prove it. I am banged up royally but I don't think anything is broken except for a cracked rib or two. It seems a miracle that I was not seriously injured because I'm not a very tough guy, but I feel no serious pain in my back or neck, and my head doesn't hurt at all. There is lots of pain all around but jI denied immediate medical assistance and called in sick for work. Not sure what I was thinking because I hurt like hell and I sure can't work tomorrow either....... Anyhow, my left shoulder, arm, hip, chest, knee, and right side arm, knee, and hands hurt in approximately in that order of pain. I can walk alright but I can't really use my left arm or lay down without hitting a bruise. Coughing and sneezing hurt like hell too. Still, that helmet saved me from a damn good skull slamming!

Now, for the bike......

The damage could have been a lot worse for the both of us. My luggage saved most of the bodywork from taking a single scratch. My softbags are shredded, my windscreen shattered, my front fender broke, and my instrument cluster is trashed. The speedo side was ground against the pavement, the trip meter window shattered against my ignition, the trip mileage can't be reset, and the left turn signal won't work. It just turns off the running light and won't blink, although the right hand signals work perfectly. The speedo light blew out, The left foot peg is bent and torn, the clutch and perch lever are rashed, the points cover is badly rashed, the mirror has minor damage, with some minor damage to the side and centerstand. The center stand is bent and both legs aren't quite even. There was no damage to my aftermarket exhaust and the bike runs straight and true. No damage to wheels, tires, forks, frame, or bodywork. I was heavily loaded with luggage on the seat and the saddlebags were stuffed, and they really saved most of my bike from making contact with the ground, and probably slowed the bike down a lot while skidding down the road. Interestingly, the 4 bags and 2 bedrolls held down against my seat with bungee cords were completely secure and required no attention.

I was able to continue riding the bike home once some coffee and painkillers took affect, although the cold kept me from reaching my destination until 5 AM. That was pretty much the worst ride of my young life. My thanks to the convenience store clerks who were kind enough to brew me fresh coffee, because in my eyes fresh coffee is an important public service, much like crossing guards and sanitation haulers.

I'm still taking inventory on the damage but I definitely need a helmet and a new cluster with working signals before anything cosmetic is replaced. I'll post in the classifieds when it's all figured out. I know that we all go down sometime, but it's still embarrassing when it happens. This accident was my own fault and I don't anyone or anything else for my bad riding. It's going to cost some money but the damage to the bike and I are really far less than expected for hitting the ground at that speed.

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:47 pm

Glad you're (mostly) OK. You should probably have that shoulder X rayed Rolling Eyes

The bike looks like an easy enough fix.

As the old saying goes, there's two kinds of bikers, them thats BEEN down and them thats GOIN' down.

Gord

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:49 pm

At least you walked away from it Very Happy

take your time and heal and get your butt to a doctor now Shocked

send me a list of parts you need, I don't have a speedometer, I think I have most of the other parts, and send me your address

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:59 pm

Holy cow! Glad you came through with out major damage to you or the bike. I need to get me some riding pants too.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:18 am

??? i may have some guage cases around when you get readt. not sure but I'll check. yours if i gotem.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:34 am

Glad your ok.

Im pretty sure I have a left foot peg laying around here

That side cover will clean up also

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:26 am

GET TO THE DR. RIGHT NOW! Idea

Happy your OK as well.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:36 am

I think I have the entire gauge as well. You are welcome to them. I am glad you are doin on. Take the advice and get to the doctor. You might just mend funny.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 2:39 am

Thats bad but good your not too badly injured. Ive seen some seemingly minor collisions that ended tragically.
You are more the wiser now and you wont make that mistake again.
Took about 8 drops to correct most of my bad habbits.
Again I`m glad your OK and the bike doesnt look too bad at all.
Your a lucky man.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:28 am

You should at least get some Xrays to see if anything needs setting. A little medical attention now could save you lots of difficulty for years.

Sorry to hear about this, it happens even to the best of us. Get everything patched up and ride wiser. Wink

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:29 am

I appreciate the support from everyone. I know there are many F'ers here with more falls, greater experience, and worse injuries. Riding as a group, even with one other rider, should not be taken lightly. I have ridden thousands of miles with this friend and after days of watching my six and dodging the usual road hazards I wound up having a collision in the least expected way. I'd feel terrible if I caused him to go down. He heard my head bounce off the asphalt and I still can't convince him to wear a helmet..... Stupid bikers Very Happy

Tomorrow I will see a nurse off the books (friend of the family) for a checkup. I've traced the pain and gone over my bones and cannot detect anything fractured in my arm or shoulder. The pain is only muscular and I have full range of movement as long for as I can stand it. My floating ribs are a different story. There is a definite sharp point of pain exactly where my elbow would have been beneath my side, and it fits all the symptoms of a cracked rib. My sick leave is mostly used up due to some other health problems so I will wrap my ribs and try to stay at work.

Thank you for the part offers. I'd be happy to use parts in any condition, and I will need to contact Ratfink about setting the appropriate mileage on a different cluster. My bike is still keeping accurate mileage but I wouldn't trust it to function for long with everything exposed. Also, I hadn't considered refinishing my points cover. That shouldn't be hard to do since the Honda logo isn't damaged, and it will be a few bucks saved. You can reach me off the forums at grebnaws at gmail dot com. My front fender had already been damaged by the PO's leaky brake resevoir and it was only a rattle can paint job to hide the bubbly silver and blue.

I am already pricing out a new helmet and will probably purchase a Scorpion exo-400/700. I was never in love with my Icon because it felt so bulky but I would probably buy another for the right price. Does anyone have reccomendations for a $150-175 helmet?

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:40 am

sorry to hear about your accident, get well, and listen to the experienced guys around here

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 3:48 pm

If we are lucky and pay attention we can always learn something from our accidents. Get well soon.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 4:28 pm

Man do I know how you feel, I am sorry for you and hope all is well again soon.

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:32 pm

Very sorry to hear about your accident. I sure hope you start feeling better soon. Make sure to get medical attention to be sure you have no injuries which will end up being prolonged or a problem in the future without proper care.

My riding buddy went down yesterday and his saddle bags saved him and his bike from serious injury. Nothing like having the proper riding gear too.

Good luck on repairing your bike.

Dave

CB1100F Joined: Mar 03, 2004 Posts: 3278 Location: Seattle

I should have some spare speedo/tach bezels lying around as well as stock pegs.... maybe even a fender or 2 ..Let me know.....

When I wrecked mine a few years back, virtigo showed up 2 days later, so TAKE IT EASY for a while..

CB1100F Joined: Jul 02, 2003 Posts: 3189 Location: Phoenix

Tell me what size you need in either a Scorpion or HJC and I may be able to get you one for less than a $100. There is a shop here that has them consistently on clearance for less than a $100. I have seen them as low as $67.

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:15 am

Solman, $100 would be a good price. They're nearly double that price locally. I'm looking for a medium sized Scorpion. I don't love the HJC helmets, they just don't feel great on my head. Any shade of black preferred, but grey and red would do nicely as well Very Happy

CB1100F Joined: Jul 02, 2003 Posts: 3189 Location: Phoenix

I'll take a ride up to the shop and see what they have.

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:25 pm

Sean glad you are ok I know we talked the other day but I was still worried. Like I told you my shop and tools and my help is always available. Fred

CB1100F Joined: Mar 03, 2004 Posts: 3278 Location: Seattle

Fender and peg should go out Saturday. PM me your address...

CB1100F Joined: Jul 02, 2003 Posts: 3189 Location: Phoenix

I looked at the helmets in stock. For Scorpions, all they have left in med and large is the yellow design helmets. They have an assortment of HJC's, but you said that you didn't want the HJC.

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:33 pm

Thanks for looking Solman. Today I checked at the only dealer in town which sells Scorpions, and they only had a single exo-400 in medium for $180. Exo-700's were even more. As much as I like to support local business that seems like too much too pay. Suppose I'll keep wearing my once-dropped Icon for a few more weeks.....

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 7:49 pm

How is your body feeling??

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 1:22 am

I actually went to convenient care a few days ago to have a checkup and my ribs x-rayed. My ribs were busted sure enough, and they were not concerned with the rest of my injuries. There still hasn't been any sign of head or neck injury, and I have an uncanny ability to show a very minimal amount of bruising whenever injured, so as bad as my shoulder, hip, and knees hurt, there is very little evidence to go on. Just some minimal rash because the swelling has reduced severely.

The Doc sent me home with a bottle of vicodin and told me to take it easy. I rarely touch the vicodin and naproxen on hand to be used for another problem, and I'll probably keep it handy for other emergencies. As lucky as I am to come out of this without a major injury, if I were given a choice between a minor bike wreck and 10 days spent passing a stone, I'll take the bike wreck. Hell, I'd rather take a bullet Shocked

Anyhow.... I'm doing fine and am back at work. It's amazing how everything in the kitchen seems ergonomically designed to bash me in the bruised hip or bang into my knees. Just grazing my side against a table while walking feels like a hammer blow to the bones. The worst part is that I used vacation days in order to take this bike trip, and I ended up using the days I took off to recuperate on a couch in my friends apartment.

All I need to get for the bike is an instrument cluster and new turn signals, and a new windscreen in time for winter. Does anyone have experience with the cafe style viper fairings on these bikes? They look small (like my windscreen was) but they're pretty cheap too.

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 3:54 am

Glad to hear you made out ok.

Check Ebay for helmets. I was looking for an Icon Carbon fiber helmet that was going for $390, on ebay it was only $250 with free shipping.

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 5:44 pm

Its good you saw a DR! And I agree, take it easy with the pain meds... They only mask the pain anyway. Sounds like you will be fine. Very Happy

Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 6:02 pm

Dude,

Thats a lot of mishaps on the board this week.I have a few extra pieces and access to a good bike wrecker. Good luck.

Grant.