...those that have gone down and those that will. Is that how that saying goes? After 7 years of riding, I have had my first pavement wreck. I was coming to a stop and my front tube failed. The bike washed out from under me. I was going about 45 mph. Yesterday, riding to work, I had to get on the brakes kind of hard. When I got to the office, I noticed that my front tire had rotated on the rim a little bit, making the valve stem crooked. Right away, I started considering picking up some rimlocks. On the way home for lunch today, I was coming to a 4-way stop. As soon as I hit the brakes, my front end washed out and sent both me and the bike sliding. I was wearing a helmet, jacket, gloves, heavy workboots, and cargo pants. My gear saved my skin, literally. I have a dime-sized scrape on my knee, as far as road rash is concerned. I probably would have done more damage if I was walking along the sidewalk and fell. My right shoulder and right hip are pretty bruised. That's what took the brunt of the impact. My left thumb feels jammed; not sure how that happened. My jacket and pants are shredded, the knuckles on one glove are pretty ground down, and my helmet has scratches on the visor and face shield (Shoei Hornet DS helmet). My right handguard and rear axle & nut are pretty ground down, as is my right footpeg. The footpeg is jammed up into the stop. I'll have to take a hammer to it to get it back down. I'm pretty sure the only part I'll have to replace on the bike is the front tube. I weight train pretty religiously. This is probably going to keep me out of the gym for a few days.
dad times but at least you didnt sling it under a truck, what bike was it? i have major front end judder from i assume an out of balance front wheel due to the rim lock in it but touch wood (pats head) no front blow out or slippage yet. rest easy .
Money well spent! I do consider myself lucky as far as the pants go. They're just thin ripstop cargo pants. They held up surprisingly well, but nothing like real riding pants would have. Suiting up in a full suit for an 8 mile commute is pretty prohibitive, though.
I wonder what the best solution would be to prevent this, Tubliss or a rim lock. With Tubliss, if that bead lets go, the end result would be the same. But, I hear about people running ultra low tire pressures with them and there is no tire movement at all.
Tubliss are not rated for the street, Im asking in another thread if they dangerous or just not tested.
No. Sure do need one though, huh? Lesson learned. Gear pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/jesse.temple/20120508MotorcycleCrash
Glad to hear you're ok, J! Falling off is never fun but sounds like you came out of it better than most. I commute 12 miles into San Francisco every day...takes me 18 minutes door-to-door in the wee hours of the morning, the afternoon ride home is a crapshoot as far as time goes. Every day, without fail, I wear a full 2-piece riding suit with Forcefield Armor (like it better than what the suit originally came with) Racer gloves made of kangaroo leather and my trusty Alpinestar MX boots in a kids size (more streamlined for the street and they fit in my locker way better.) I feel buck naked if I swing a leg over without any of that stuff on. If I'm going on a more spirited ride I wear my one-piece leathers. I've been pretty beat up in the past so I do whatever I can to minimize the damage should the unpleasant occur. The time it takes to suit up is worth it to me.
Good to see and hear you are ok. My commute "when I do" is 17 miles one way and I do the same as you basically. Levies 501, steel toe work boots, Shift jacket, Shoi, helmet, and Fox Gloves with the knuckle savers.
Glad to hear you are Ok ... Helmet, boots, long sleeve shirt and pants, gloves is about the minimum for any ride ... What bike and what front tire was on the bike?
Funny that you came off at almost the same time as me! And with almost the same results ... The only damage to my 630 was the bar clamp. Any real damage to your bike? As my old East German mentor always tells me: Get up immediately, lick your wounds and then ... back on the bike!
TE630, Pirelli MT21. Pretty sure I sheared off the valve stem when I hit the brakes. Tire was at 20 PSI. Damage was mostly cosmetic. At first, I was kind of freaked out about the bike, as it was spewing oil when I picked it up. Turns out it was burping oil out of the breather hose while it was running and sliding on its right side. Damage: The front tube is toast. HDB Handguards are scratched on the right side. The right footpeg has been jammed into the stops and ground down. I can probably tap it back into place. I may have to replace the footpeg bracket, but the footpeg itself is fine. The rear axle and nut have been ground down some on the right side, but should still be usable. I probably won't get a closer look at it until this weekend. Hopefully my shoulder doesn't hurt too bad to do some wrenching. I was pretty stiff this morning. My right knee has a couple of very minor scrapes; can't even feel them. My left thumb is pretty swollen at the base and only has about 50% range of motion. I think it's just jammed pretty good. My right shoulder and hip to the brunt of the impact. I have a pretty big lump on my hip and the top of my shoulder is pretty sore. I have no visible bruising. The funny part is that I've been battling some heel tendinitis, tennis elbow in both arms, and some sore and stiff knee joints (cartilage damage), with a Bakers Cyst on one knee. None of that stuff hurts any more. Embedded gear pics:
Any idea what size rim locks I need? I'm sitting at work and want to order up some stuff. Are the Motion Pro lite rim locks durable? EDIT: I think I found it. 1.6" front, 2.15" rear.
Just two weeks ago I had my rear tube blowout doing 75mph on the freeway. Rim lock kept the tire from spinning and Michelin T63 sidewall was strong enough not to shread so I was able to get the bike stopped without incident. Without the rim lock installed I imagine the tire would have spun and/or jumped the rim and possibly jammed into the swingarm causing lockup and a ugly situation. I know many people that use Tubliss setup on the highway. I think Tubliss states "off highway use only" so they don't have to be pay for DOT testing, certification and incure liability for road use. _
Yep very durable, those are the ones and sizes I use. Stronger, lighter and last longer than standard rim locks. _
