Posted by tomorrow@erols.com on April 12, 2011, 6:43 pm
> What to do..what to do...
TELL. HER. THE. TRUTH.
It's a partnership, she deserves to know, and her reaction is hers,
and hers alone.
Glad you are okay, glad the bike wasn't damaged too badly.
Thanks for sharing - maybe it'll keep someone else from making the
same mistake!
Posted by saddlebag on April 12, 2011, 6:43 pm
> I was getting on the freeway behind a car, another car was next to the car
> in front of me, and both drivers were showing unusual (for LA) courtesy in
> slowing down to let the other guy go ahead.
> Neither guy went ahead.
> So both cars are slowing to a stop, and, feeling a little too cocky, I
> looked over to check the next lane for a quick pass, and when I turned back,
> both cars were stopped, and I was gaining on them fast.
> I locked up the front brake in a slight panic, I went down to the right just
> as I was about to hit the car in front of me, and slid I think around 10
> feet, though I'm not sure about that. By the time I realized I was sliding,
> I was done sliding. Meanwhile, I believe the car in front of me hit the gas
> as soon as I slid under it, because it was long gone, and there was no
> damage to the front of the bike.
> I stood up, looked to make sure traffic had stopped, made sure I wasn't
> broken, picked up the bike, started it, and rode it to the breakdown lane.
> I was impressed with the number of people who came up to check on me. I
> probably could have gotten help picking up the bike, but with the rush of
> perceived near-death and some really good instructions found on the
> internet, it was no trouble getting it back on the rubber.
> I was also impressed when one of the drivers, a 'mature' lady, pulled over,
> walked back to me, apologized, and made sure I was alright and gearing up to
> go before leaving. What a sweet lady!
> As for damage, it was minimal, I hope. The engine guard did it's job,
> sacrificing a small part of itself but not even deforming. A highway peg
> mount should be able to cover it up...it'll look weird, but not damaged.
> Same goes with the saddlebag guard, which is barely noticeable. I might
> have bent the right foot rest mount...when I'm feeling up to it I'll go
> check it out. No damage to the mirror, fairing, grip, fender, or anything
> else I checked out.
> I'm taking the car tomorrow, allowing the soreness to either heal or get
> worse, and giving me more time to look over the bike for damage.
> Me, I'm good. My fancy jacket did it's job as well, getting scuffed up
> itself instead of my arm, and the padding kept me safe. My pants, BDU pants
> are no longer pretty, and I probably have some abrasion underneath, and my
> right ankle (the one that I had surgery on two years ago) got twisted, so
> it's a bit sore, and my Oakley boot got badly scuffed. My chest and back
> are sore, but not painfully so.
> Not too bad considering this was the 5 freeway in downtown Los Angeles.
> This, of course, was 100% my fault, and I assured the kind lady who stopped
> that this was entirely on me.
> Two screw-ups:
> I was far too cocky, violating my own rules for a bit of fun. This was a
> good reminder that I'm pretty damn vulnerable, and I need to slow the hell
> down and ride defensively.
> My brakes suck. Earlier today I was thinking I should get SS hoses for the
> front, rebuild the master and the calipers. The back brakes were never that
> great, and I already planned on doing those. So now, I'm going to do both.
I wouldn't fault your brakes, I'd fault your tires. If they were
sticky you would have stopped rather than washed the front end. Not
that I'm deterring your from brake maintenance or anything.
I had a very similar incident last year, only I washed the front end
on silt on the shoulder of the road trying to avoid a school bus
driver that slammed on her brakes in the middle of an intersection.
Unfortunately, I did not have the engine guards etc and ended up
scuffing up a lot of expensive pieces. Like you, I did have a padded
jacket and helmet and preserved the most useful part of the
system...ME!
I'll be out to LA in May, so do what you can to keep the loonies civil
for me. And heal well...
Posted by CS on April 12, 2011, 9:22 pm
"saddlebag" wrote in message
<snip>
I wouldn't fault your brakes, I'd fault your tires. If they were
sticky you would have stopped rather than washed the front end. Not
that I'm deterring your from brake maintenance or anything.
I had a very similar incident last year, only I washed the front end
on silt on the shoulder of the road trying to avoid a school bus
driver that slammed on her brakes in the middle of an intersection.
Unfortunately, I did not have the engine guards etc and ended up
scuffing up a lot of expensive pieces. Like you, I did have a padded
jacket and helmet and preserved the most useful part of the
system...ME!
I'll be out to LA in May, so do what you can to keep the loonies civil
for me. And heal well...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
Unfortunately my choice of tires is limited, but it was indeed the brakes
that were a big culprit. The rear was never that good, and the front was
somewhat less than great. In fact, just an hour before taking this
more-exciting-than-planned ride I was considering doing the brakes before
going to Laughlin. The bike is going into time-out until I get the brakes
done.
I ride before the sun comes up, and if I needed to stop quickly with even
less notice, I'd really be screwed.
I owe myself another kick in the pants for not doing them when I first got
the bike. That'll have to wait until I'm not sore anymore.
Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure I locked up the front. I might
have swiped the handlebars to the left. I really don't know. All I
remember is, trying to slow down, seeing that bumper approach my fender,
some intimate quality time with the pavement, then standing there looking
for onrushing cars. I don't even remember getting up.
I'm VERY glad I splurged on that jacket. It's scuffed pretty good, and I'm
hoping I can fix it, but from my sore
back/chest/various-innards-I-didn't-know-could-be-sore, I can tell I hit the
road pretty hard. Without that thick leather and padding, I certainly would
have broken something handy.
This bike came with guards, but my first one, the Royal Star, didn't. The
seller said it looked a lot better without them. I added them anyway, and
though I never needed them, I never felt the money was wasted. Not only
that, they looked wicked. (Lindby bars)
Let me know when you come out. It's my anniversary, so I need an excuse to
have fun..."Sorry honey, a friend is here from out of town..."
CS
Posted by CS on April 12, 2011, 8:32 pm
"tomorrow@erols.com" wrote in message
> What to do..what to do...
TELL. HER. THE. TRUTH.
It's a partnership, she deserves to know, and her reaction is hers,
and hers alone.
Glad you are okay, glad the bike wasn't damaged too badly.
Thanks for sharing - maybe it'll keep someone else from making the
same mistake!
~~~~~~~~~~~
I did. Had no choice. Looking back, it was silly of me to think I could
keep it from her.
She's like the Asian KGB when she wants answers. My resistance may amuse or
annoy her, but it will never slow her down.
I'm glad the bike's OK too, though I've made up my mind not to ride it again
until after the brakes are done.
CS
Posted by Rob Kleinschmidt on April 12, 2011, 10:48 pm
> I was impressed with the number of people who came up to check on me. I
> probably could have gotten help picking up the bike, but with the rush of
> perceived near-death and some really good instructions found on the
> internet, it was no trouble getting it back on the rubber.
You want to be careful about picking up a bike after you've
just gone down. With a good shot of adrenaline going through
your system, there's a good chance that you won't be aware
of an injury and could be doing yourself real damage.
If you just took a good spill and somebody offers to help you
pick a bike up, you say thank you and take them up on it.
> I was far too cocky, violating my own rules for a bit of fun. This was a
> good reminder that I'm pretty damn vulnerable, and I need to slow the hell
> down and ride defensively.
> My brakes suck. Earlier today I was thinking I should get SS hoses for the
> front, rebuild the master and the calipers. The back brakes were never that
> great, and I already planned on doing those. So now, I'm going to do both.
If you managed to lock the wheel(s) up, I don't think the brakes were
the problem.
> I'm not going to lay this on the brakes, however. I should have been paying
> closer attention, and I shouldn't be riding like a fool kid.
> Lesson learned.
Glad you're OK. Thanks for sharing.
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