Crash report - warning: graphic language may be used

[Thug]

Good to see your safe man...but...For fuck's sake can any of you people go the the bloody hospital first just in case!!! It pays believe me....Much mojo going your way Man...

 

[jmdaniel]

Glad to hear you're still with us, Texan. You haven't had the distinct pleasure of meeting me yet, and you don't want to miss out!

 

[Big Shasta]

That just sucks ass....Nice bike, don't sweat the bike, you'll get it back together. Get that shoulder checked out, you don't want to find out later you have something messed up in there.

I'm sure you already know but I'll say it anyway....sliders would have saved a lot of plastic. From the pic, it looks like it may have saved almost all that front damage.....Glad the bike slid and didn't catch and cartwheel.

Good job wearing your gear, I never ride without it.

 

[squeezer]

These ZXer puppies are a handful and will eject you in a weewee momento... most of the time it's a highside. Reasons? Well, cold tyres in cold weather, rainy slick conditions, painted road surfaces, train tracks.... and yes, cattleguards.

Yeah, I'm trying to picture what happened from the description and it sounds like a highside after the rear tire kicked out a bit and then snagged traction on the other side of the cattleguard. Thinking about how to prevent it, the only thing that jumps to mind is to stay off the power as you cross one. On something like the FJR, keeping the power steady is probably fine. Any other thoughts on that?

Texan, glad you're going to get that shoulder checked. There's no reason to let this turn into a serious injury. The check-up is just one more bit of gear. And really, really glad you're walking away with just the shoulder injury.

And I really appreciate the writeup and the photos of your gear. That's helpful to all of us. On the jeans -- are we looking at the Kevlar through the hole in the knee, or did it rub through the Kevlar and we're looking at the kneepad? I often wear Kevlar jeans and kneepads instead of my Cordura pants, and I was wondering how the stuff held up.

 

[Bungie]

'scuse my ingonance, but what exactly is a cattle guard?

Glad to see you came out of that okay!

 

[exskibum]

'scuse my ingonance, but what exactly is a cattle guard?

See posts 17 and 18 above.

What is "ingonance", BTW? Failure to read the whole thread?

 

[cota95]

Glad to see that you rode away from this one. I had my first experience with cattle guards last year on my trip out west. After I hit my first one at 70 and it almost pitched me, I gave them the upmost respect on subsequent encounters.

 

[Patriot]

'scuse my ingonance, but what exactly is a cattle guard?

See posts 17 and 18 above.

What is "ingonance", BTW? Failure to read the whole thread?

ahh, gee, it's Friday...

 

[wfooshee]

He says he was up and straight, but he must have developed some wheelspin as he crossed, then the wheel bit hard on the other side.

There's a railroad crossing here in town where US231 hits US98 at a 45-degree angle, and the track is bounded with steel grate. Very scary stuff in the rain. You have to cross it straight up, and with just enough throttle to not be coasting, not enough to be pulling. And since you're making the 45-degree turn, it gets weird. Turn in, sit up, back off, cross, tip in again and go.

 

[Toecutter]

When you replace your gear, I strongly recommend Cycleport Kevlar (Road tested by yours truly...for the good of the forum).

I can't view the pics, but if you'd been wearing Cycleport, you probably wouldn't have had much to take pics of, besides your helmet.

Some testimonials.

I once had the front end of my Harley sidestep about 18 inches on some damp railroad crossing (wood). Talk about a pucker moment. Glad you faired well....

 

[exskibum]

I can't view the pics, but if you'd been wearing Cycleport, . . .

I'm right on the verge of calling in my order today, Toe. Been meaning to get to this, but too damn much to do!!! Finally got paid yesterday on work I've been doing since January -- it's been really lean, so CyclePort investment now seems doable. Hope I can get it before CFR.

EDIT TO ADD: After wanting one for years, I finally ordered my Cycleport mesh kevlar suit this morning! :thumbsupsmileyanim:

 

[playgtar]

Thanks for sharing. Most people hid their screw ups. Makes me want to buy some more protective gear.

 

[mmonroe]

Man... I hate to say it but I think you gots a lot more damage than just $700..
Depending on your insurance, I have seen bikes get TOTALLED with less damage...

+1 on this one.. I was thinking the exact same thing but wanted to read the entire thread before posting a reply. I was thinking that the exhuast alone was going to be more than $700 even with a discount. Not to mention everything else and then the potential labor to do everything assuming you dont do it yourself. It is often the little parts like gear-shift levers and mirrors that will run up the bill quick.

That being said, glad to hear that you are ok Chief. Be careful out there. ZX-14's are extreme rides and deserve massive amounts of respect.

 

[Philip V]

Dam shame, but your ok and that's what counts. I agree that you should see a doc though and make sure. All of my injuries have been on dirt bikes and as I get older, the injuries that give me the most probs are those that I decided were no big deal.

 

[Cdogman]

Damm Doode..

Glad you had gear on..

Looks about like my bike did when I dumassed myself off.. My Feej needed about 7K in healing..

Of note though.. The ins company gave me 1500 bucks for the gear (was 2 up with SO so her gear was covered too)

Finishing your ride took balls.. Good for you!!

Obviously the wife did not kill you or you would not be responding here LMAO

 

[Spook]

These ZXer puppies are a handful and will eject you in a weewee momento... most of the time it's a highside. Reasons? Well, cold tyres in cold weather, rainy slick conditions, painted road surfaces, train tracks.... and yes, cattleguards.

Yeah, I'm trying to picture what happened from the description and it sounds like a highside after the rear tire kicked out a bit and then snagged traction on the other side of the cattleguard. Thinking about how to prevent it, the only thing that jumps to mind is to stay off the power as you cross one. On something like the FJR, keeping the power steady is probably fine. Any other thoughts on that?

Texan, glad you're going to get that shoulder checked. There's no reason to let this turn into a serious injury. The check-up is just one more bit of gear. And really, really glad you're walking away with just the shoulder injury.

And I really appreciate the writeup and the photos of your gear. That's helpful to all of us. On the jeans -- are we looking at the Kevlar through the hole in the knee, or did it rub through the Kevlar and we're looking at the kneepad? I often wear Kevlar jeans and kneepads instead of my Cordura pants, and I was wondering how the stuff held up.

Always hit it straight on and keep off throttle and keep it in a high gear. They are all over up here.

 

[Stephen]

Toe, IMHO, Cycleport stuff is NOT the answer for riding a ZX-14/ 'Busa- type of motorcycle.

Fully CE-armored leathers (or equivalent) are! I know weather is also a key factor when choosing what to wear, but with these bikes, you really don't have much choice. Using base-layering with full and/or vented leathers solves a lot of the heat problems.

Another thing. If someone can grab a handfull of jacket at chest level, you're wearing the wrong size. Your jacket should fit snug and not balloon out when riding. The reason should be obvious. I can't stress this enough.

 

[BwanaDik]

Texan, glad you're OK. I've worn out a couple of Shoei's too, that's why I keep buying them. They've always worked for me.

Any other insight as to why you got off? I've crossed a zillion of those things and it seems, at 50 MPH, you're only on them for a second (Actually, .13 seconds or so, @ 73 ft/sec). Even if it was slimy and you were straight up, it was enough to make your bike skate out from under you (obvious enough) or, in retrospect, do you think something else might have been involved?

Good info for us folks in The Cattle Guard State

 

[exskibum]

Toe, IMHO, Cycleport stuff is NOT the answer for riding a ZX-14/ 'Busa- type of motorcycle.
Fully CE-armored leathers (or equivalent) are! I know weather is also a key factor when choosing what to wear, but with these bikes, you really don't have much choice. Using base-layering with full and/or vented leathers solves a lot of the heat problems.

Another thing. If someone can grab a handfull of jacket at chest level, you're wearing the wrong size. Your jacket should fit snug and not balloon out when riding. The reason should be obvious. I can't stress this enough.

I agree that correctly fitting armored leather is the best material for sliding along the highway. But I sure don't understand what difference the bike you were riding prior to a get off makes in sliding down the highway. My second Blackbird with pipe, PCIII and other mods has power and very twitchy throttle response, but if I'm going to do a get off, what pitched me and is now sliding along nearby isn't particularly germane so far as I can tell.

I note that you're writing from Washington near the coast, so maybe that's why we disagree on the pragmatic question of ambient heat affecting material choice. I have 2 zip together armored leather suits (jacket and pants): one perforated, one not. When the weather is right, I'll always pick one of those to wear. The non-perforated gives me many months of service per year, but the perforated one only allows a few comfortable weeks down here during the shoulder seasons. I'd expect that limitation to be more pronounced in Texas and in the south (which also have high humidity we typically don't see here).

Say what you will, but once we get past about 85 degrees (high 80s today and going higher the next few days), perforated leather is just too hot for me, especially at a standstill or low speeds. Big 4 cyl. bikes make a lot of heat, and with our ambient temps between late spring and mid autumn here, my decision was to order a Cycleport kevlar mesh suit today. (I've seen how well they work after a friend's serious get-off 2 bikes behind me and was very impressed.) Not only does the mesh kevlar allow far better airflow than perforated leather, but with the waterproof liner (and layering if necessary), it's more flexible in dealing with a wider range of climatic conditions. That's important here, because I can and do often ride from summer's 100+ degree heat at less than 500 feet elevation to 8,000 feet and above where it's much cooler, especially in the evenings. Moreover, on a trip like next month's to CFR, which will take us across the Nevada and Utah deserts as well as into the Canadian, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming Rockies, that makes being comfortable a condition that will prevail for a much greater percentage of our riding time. I'm just hoping that Wayne is able to get it to me by then (usually a 6 week wait).

 

[Fastfar]

Welcome to the Crash Club...Good honest and detailed report...it sux that you crashed, you not only walked away, but you rode the bike home...I've been there and done that too, IMO it helps with the after-carnage fallout...I am Rider, I crashed, I rode the bitch home...no excuses!

Cattle guards are something I grew up with, and while I have slid across a few over the years, I've never had one put me down...now about the cows they guard us against...where I ride, the cattle guards often define the boundaries of Open Range, which means cows may be present at any moment and around any blind curve...so where ever there are cattle guards, watch for the damn cows too!