So I was over at oreX 's place to wash my bike and clean my rotors since I've still been upset with how weak my front brakes feel. So after we got done washing out bikes, we took them for a spin around the neighbourhood. We were doing about 20 mph, I decided to feel my front brakes. I had been using them a tad here and there before to help them dry off. I put a little weight towards the front of the bike as I grabbed for the brake, and then all of a sudden the rear whipped out on me and down I went. I hit the ground, the bike kept going and I tumbled. Had some serious pain to my left knee and decided to stay down. Paramedics were called and I was taken to the hospital. They checked me out, took some X-Rays and I was discharged a little over an hour ago. I'm sitting here with no broken bones, just a lot of pain. The paramedics and nurse said I'm lucky to be one of the rare people that wears gear.

I'm only going to link the pictures to the damage to my body, in case you are squeemish. Click the links at your own discretion, you've been warned. It's not that bad, but if you're squeemish, think twice or have someone 'preview' it for you.


Knee Pic 1 (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6834670500_315b2b3de3_b.jpg)
Knee Pic 2 (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6834671966_1474e970c8_b.jpg)
Hip (http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6980798857_cd4f13fafb_b.jpg)


As per gear:
Helmet:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6834687772_66ac9d6fc5_z.jpg
Scraped up the visor pretty good.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6834687676_29431a894e_z.jpg
And some gouges to the helmet itself. I don't have the helmet, orex does right now. He said they're pretty gouged though.

Gloves:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6834727256_fb402086f5_z.jpg
Some of the carbon fibre knuckle protection was crushed in on the right glove.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6980854785_4e8c201385_z.jpg
Scuffing to the knuckle protector.

Jacket:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/6834795666_c02e27bafb_z.jpg
Left shoulder of the jacket got most of the damage. I have slight rash on my elbow, but I'm assuming that's from the jacket material, as there is very little damage to the sleeves and no material missing nor holes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6980925777_048ec90570_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6834798360_761dcab686_z.jpg
The back had some small patches of damage. That back protector probably saved me from any damage to my back. I had absolutely no pain in my back. Upgrade your foam back protector to a real back protector. I have the SAS-TEC one in mine.


Trousers: Well, no pic here since they ended up cutting them, but they were kevlar lined riding jeans; Shift Silhouettes, to be specific. They held up perfectly everywhere except the left knee. I'm sure with regular jeans, my left knee would have been way worse off and I would have had rash in plenty more places.


Boots: There's a bit of a scuff on the toe and top of the left boot, I could probably polish most, if not all of it, out. You really can't even tell they've been crashed in.




And the bike:
Right before the ride after we got done washing them
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6833629514_1db42b6722_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6833636172_31d40e2411_b.jpg



And the damage:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6834686170_680862acdc_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6980813917_331326f0ec_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/6980814037_6151eab526_b.jpg

Pretty rashed fairing, ripped the flushmount signal right off.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6980814693_7c6291c762_b.jpg
Bohemian Rearsets, rashed but not broken. The part they mount to got bent though, but the rearsets seem fine (via these pictures Orex sent me)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6980814789_3977d5a9f6_b.jpg
Here you can see that mounting point bending I mentioned.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6980814879_dfa8f45ea4_b.jpg
Tail is rashed, can't tell if there is something up under the rider seat of if it's just the pic. Something under the seat looks odd/off though.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6980815225_ac36ee95be_b.jpg
Driven Bar End ripped off, grip is a bit rashed. ASV levers are a bit rashed, but didn't break, true to their word. Something isn't lining up though according to Orex, he said it didn't feel straight when he pushed it back to his place. Not sure if it's the clipons or the forks.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6980815357_669d665c36_b.jpg
And the mirror is rashed up, but didn't break.

:(

that sucks. Sorry Eric.


btw... you are white as hell. :p

I haven't worn shorts in about 8 years, so my legs don't see sunlight :p

lol wtf? you live in FL?

that does suck though dude. Plans for the bike?

I don't know. Calling insurance and see what they say about it. If it's fixeable, have it fixed. If it's totalled, we'll see what I do.

Also, noticed I didn't have the jacket pics in the original post, so added those.

dont let them total it!! I could have that fixed in a jiff!!

They'll probably only deem it totalled if the frame is bent. Orex says he has a suspicion the frame may be bent. We'll see what happens.

That really sucks man! I am glad you are mostly alright. Knee looks kinda nasty! I would have taken off the pants instead of them cutting them off. Haha.

Bike looks rough. :( Be sure to check the steering head for any bends since you said it didn't seem straight. I learned that these bikes have pretty weak frames. Well from my experience with my pregen that is. I don't know how mine ended up getting bent when I crashed but it did. Sucks. Yours is probably just the clip on. But the frame near your rearset looks bent in. Is it?

I am surprised you didn't have frame sliders with all those cosmetic mods you have done on that bike.

Oh well. I am glad you are okay! The bike can be fixed. Crashes happen.

The paramedics cut the left pant leg at the knee at the crash site.

I don't have the bike in my possession, so can't go out and look or anything. I got off the phone with insurance, claims adjuster will contact me tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

Sorry to hear about the crash, Eric. Not coincidence that your upper body in good shape with your great gear. :thumbup: Your (whiter than white) knee photo is going to make me think twice about wearing my kevlar jeans without my knee/shin guards underneath for the near future. Yikes that looks painful.

Maybe too soon, but have you really worked through the accident and figured out what really happened? With very little upside to a crash, it is about the only thing positive to take out of it and share with others who might otherwise be in the same spot sometime. What caused the rear wheel to go?

I lost my rear tire over a patch of moss in a corner at 20mph (totally my fault for not seeing it), and my bike was nowhere near that messed up. Gear lever scratch, turn signal scratch, very slight fairing scratch. Did I get really lucky, was your street super gravelly, or were you maybe going a bit faster than 20?)

I was going max of 25mph. The bike did slide for quite a while, I was surprised how far away it was from where I was lying for the speed I was going.

As for what I learned. I'm not going to ride in my jeans without my knee guards again? It was very painful. It's basically impossible to see in the pictures, but when the nurse cleaned it, she said it's surprising that nothing is broken, as the rash on my knee was down to the bone.

That sucks. Good to see your pretty much unscathed. Hopefully the frame isn't bent and it won't be totaled.
Padded shorts and full length knee/shin guards are part of my gear whenever I ride.

Sorry I missed the text explaining your knee last night, I was already knocked out. I'm not sure what I was more squeemish about, the knee pics or the bike pics lol. I was completely wondering how your knee got so messed up and was wondering if you were wearing your riding gear fully, guess this thread answers that question.

Did the doctors say how long you have to wait till riding again? With that knee, it looks like a while. Sucks bro, but atleast it wasn't worst.

Since nothing is actually broken, I wasn't told I couldn't ride for the next _____.

Damn that's such a good looking bike too, sorry to hear that. Glad you're relatively okay. I would bet they're going to total out the bike unless you request the adjuster to work with you so that doesn't happen. Damages total up fast on these 250s.

Worst case scenario the bike is totalled, you should still be able to buy the wreck at a knock down price & salvage any mods from it, and part out anything that's working.

I presume that's a one off fairing, so that's probably not partable, but the right side didn't take any knocks & the internals are probably good.

the helmet is for the bin, it's been down the road & looks like it bounced rather than just slid

Man that sucks! Glad to hear you're okay and the gear did what it was supposed to do! Especially since I have those same gloves, but in red/black! LOL!

I hope you find out from the insurance company soon, either way, so you can either start looking to fix it up or start looking for another bike!

My insurance policy covers protective gear, so the helmet, gloves and riding jeans will be replaced. They may even replace the jacket.

They picked up the bike earlier this evening. It'll be in the tow place's storage until the morning when they drop it off at the shop to do the estimation and appraisal. I'm also taking my gear down to the shop tomorrow for them to look at and assess for replacement.

So very sorry to read about what happened bro.I wish you a quick recovery.
I've been riding without my knee/shin guards for the past months...this has been quite a rude awakening for me, thanks for that.

I've been riding without my knee/shin guards for the past months...this has been quite a rude awakening for me, thanks for that.

You're welcome. Wear those knee/shin guards mate.

Sorry to hear that ............and as for your bike so sad to see


hope all works well

Damn, :( Glad you're ok

And just saying you must have been going faster then 20.. I kick flipped the 636 at 60mph and the body took far less damage then your bike

I was going a max of 25 when I went down. It was in a residential neighbourhood, so speed limit was 25 and I wasn't speeding.

ERIC wasn't speeding?!?!? I think that's the cause of the crash right there!

Haha...just kidding

aw man D: that sucks, Glad you're okay. Question tho, no knee pads?

Knee pads saved my legs before. I would never leave w/o them. (Imagine going 60 - 70 mph then your bike decided to throw you up into to the air because the kick stand gets caught, ouch...)

I have Dianese V-Knee /shin guards. I wasn't wearing them unfortunately.

Good thing your knees weren't messed up (: you were lucky. Ride safe.

I was going max of 25mph. The bike did slide for quite a while, I was surprised how far away it was from where I was lying for the speed I was going.

As for what I learned. I'm not going to ride in my jeans without my knee guards again? It was very painful. It's basically impossible to see in the pictures, but when the nurse cleaned it, she said it's surprising that nothing is broken, as the rash on my knee was down to the bone.

I am curious about one thing: What did you learn about your braking skills? You stated that you weighted the front wheel with your body weight prior to braking. Am I misunderstanding this?

I put a little weight towards the front of the bike as I grabbed for the brake

If you over weigh the front end and apply too much brake too quickly (grabbing) you will overwhelm front tire traction and lock up.

Glad you are ok and get that bike patched up soon.

Jeff

And thus, tears from my eyes were born after seeing that baby all scratched up

Ouch! Sorry to hear about the crash.

Padded shorts and full length knee/shin guards are part of my gear whenever I ride.

I've been riding without my knee/shin guards for the past months...this has been quite a rude awakening for me, thanks for that.I really need to get some leg protection. The most I've been wearing has been jeans, and I know they won't hold up in a crash. I've tried two different pairs of riding pants so far and neither of them worked.

Added to the list: knee/shin guards...

Since nothing is actually broken, I wasn't told I couldn't ride for the next _____.With your knee torn up like that - can you still walk alright at the moment?

Walk? No.
Hobble slowly? Yes.

I went to class today, had a friend pick me up in his car and take me home after.
I hobble around the house to the kitchen to make food and such. I don't go for a casual stroll around the park though at the moment or anything. Sometimes it's super painful to move, other times it's just awkward.

Walk? No.
Hobble slowly? Yes.

I went to class today, had a friend pick me up in his car and take me home after.
I hobble around the house to the kitchen to make food and such. I don't go for a casual stroll around the park though at the moment or anything. Sometimes it's super painful to move, other times it's just awkward.

Good to hear you are up and around, even if it's just a hobble.

I really need to get some leg protection. The most I've been wearing has been jeans, and I know they won't hold up in a crash. I've tried two different pairs of riding pants so far and neither of them worked.

Added to the list: knee/shin guards...


Knee/shin guards are good, but even better would be something with abrasion resistance. Jeans slide less than four feet before wearing your skin down to bone. Guards will help on your knees, but your hips, ass, etc. will find that small comfort.

Also, knee/shin guards aren't nearly as comfortable as one might hope. I have a pair (Icon Field Armor) that don't stay on well and are really hard to walk in. My overpants are much more comfortable, in addition to having better overall protection.

Here is what I have for knee/shin protection
knee-v-guard (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-knee-v-guard)
Here is what I have for armored shorts
hard-shorts (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-hard-shorts)

Normal pants are 5.11/BDU style rip-stop or some heavy denim Dickies.

I find my gear to be comfortable and it stays in place all day long when riding, walking, or sitting. The straps on the knee guards do not irritate me at all even in the middle of summer here in SE/Eastern New Mexico.

I do have overpants on my list of gear I would like to have but a leather jacket and different boots are more of a priority for me at this time.

Those are the knee guards I have. Wasn't wearing them that day though.

saxnbass, what actually caused you to go down? bikes don't just drop and slide on their own.

Combination of breaking and **** on the road.

Eeep. Sorry to hear about your accident. You had one of the most customised and styled bikes here. I hope your knee returns to it's former pasty-white glory!

Amazing that the only place you didn't have protective gear got messed up. Goes to show how essential the gear is.


The paramedics and nurse said I'm lucky to be one of the rare people that wears gear.


:headshake: I hope this nurse never rides with that attitude! There's no luck involved in the act of choosing to wear gear.


The back had some small patches of damage. That back protector probably saved me from any damage to my back. I had absolutely no pain in my back. Upgrade your foam back protector to a real back protector. I have the SAS-TEC one in mine.



... and this is where I need to sort out my gear. I currently don't have a back protector. I'm going to buy one next Saturday now. Thanks :thumbup:

Combination of breaking and **** on the road.

Whut? That's not an explanation. You can brake ontop of random-sh*t on the road and not wipeout. What did you do wrong specifically? What was on the road? Were you turning at all? How hard did you apply your brake[s]? What did you do when you felt the tail going out?

What are you going to do next time you're approaching a dodgy road surface at ~25mph and you need to brake?

I brake on gravel 10+ times a week. I've never wiped out. I make sure my speed, braking force and lean angles are all [what I believe to be] correct. I'm not perfect at braking on a dodgy surface. It would be nice to know more about your exact situation so I can think about what I would do if that specific situation happened to me.

Noooooes. Glad you are mostly okay. Even if you get a new bike, I think you should leave your avatar as-is to memorialize your sweet graphics. I am now officially terrified of not wearing knee armor. Get well soon!

Combination of breaking and **** on the road.

aka, braking too aggressively for the road surface :rolleyes:

just glad you're ok

Ahh those scratches will buff right out!

so in another thread it was mentioned that eric "learned from his mistakes" and is therefore a better rider and should be ready to handle a faster bike. but on rereading this thread i'm convinced that's completely untrue especially after two questions about what he actually did wrong outside of "**** in the road". if "**** in the road" caused you to crash, noone would ride dirtbikes. so... not trying to be a dick (well, yeah i am, but) it sounds like you really did not learn anything from the crash besides what a crash feels like.

so in another thread it was mentioned that eric "learned from his mistakes" and is therefore a better rider and should be ready to handle a faster bike. but on rereading this thread i'm convinced that's completely untrue especially after two questions about what he actually did wrong outside of "**** in the road". if "**** in the road" caused you to crash, noone would ride dirtbikes. so... not trying to be a dick (well, yeah i am, but) it sounds like you really did not learn anything from the crash besides what a crash feels like.

Exactly, I off road the ZX when I can, its fun and havent crashed yet. grass, rocks, dirts, no problem :thumbup: **** in the road too, sure I've lost the rear before (even the front) but I know how to save it when it happens

After going through it over and over in my head about a week after the crash, I realised that I didn't close the throttle right when I grabbed the front break. However, I didn't want to reopen this hell hole of a thread, therefore didn't post.

... and this is where I need to sort out my gear. I currently don't have a back protector. I'm going to buy one next Saturday now. Thanks :thumbup:


I dropped £100 on a new back protector today.
I got this one: Forcefield Pro L2K (http://www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com/product/pro-l2k-back-protector/2382). Seems to have had lots of good reviews and fits me well. Was pleased to find that they do a women's version and it's not just the same shape as the men's version but coloured pink lol. :rolleyes:

I feel safer than I did before now. Thanks saxnbass ;)

the only thing i need now is some protective pants..i ride in jeans and i know I got extremely lucky in my slide (on my back and boots, both thoroughly protected). I want to get some really nice leather pants with armor but I sadly don't have Mr. Franklins lying around. I need to hit up a casino or something lol

the only thing i need now is some protective pants..i ride in jeans and i know I got extremely lucky in my slide (on my back and boots, both thoroughly protected). I want to get some really nice leather pants with armor but I sadly don't have Mr. Franklins lying around. I need to hit up a casino or something lol

I wear these over or under my riding jeans (depending on which ones I'm wearing). (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-knee-v-guard)

those will do until i can get some pants i suppose, then i can wear both lol

I wear those same knee/shin guards. I find them to be comfortable and forget I am even wearing them.

Add a set of armored/padded shorts like these dainese (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-hard-shorts) and you have a decent amount of protection until riding pants are purchased.