Yeah! I've crashed a few times on a bike.... and I'm not proud of it. but it is a fact... the worst was driving down jones valley road on my 1100cc honda shadow doing 50~60mph through the twisties and all of a sudden the bike just lays over and I am sliding on the ground. it happened so fast I didn't even tighten my grip on the handle bars...one second I'm carving corners the next I am down seperated from the bike and sliding on the pavement... then I started rolling... and as I turned at that speed my hands were slamming into the pavement real hard so I pulled in my arms to my chest and put my legs together and my knees were being hit as well closed my eyes and though this is going to hurt ! my spin spun up and then I tumbled end over end and by now I am stiff as a board.... on the last endo I could tell I was almost stopped
and regained the rolling aspect and then sliding head first i slid into the ditch on the right side of the road and came to rest.... and I opened my eyes
i laid there for a second or two doing a self evaluation and the only thing suspect were my hands they hurt real bad but I think I am fine. so I started looking for my bike..... which was not anywhere to be found, not on the road
not beside the road, then I saw it next to a big pine tree...still running so I got up ran over to it through the hole in the fence it had made and turned the key off. at this point I knew if I didn't get the bike standing upright with all this adrinilin I wouldn't get it upright at all.... so I grabbed it and got it upright with no small effort it's a 800lb machine and it was discombuberated pirty bad....LOL... the roll bar was bent back and in the way handle bars bend way down toward the tank but not bent ! I was suprised !
i think the clutch lever was broken but not sure...just bent if memory serves me well. so there I am under a big pine tree with a 3' base and it's mound at the roots holding this heavy bike trying to find something solid enough to put the kick stand down on.... no luck.... so I wrassel the big pig forward toward level ground and found a rock and set the kickstand down on it and it
stayed... doing all this I was how would you say distracted ? and I hear a woman screaming are you ok ? I look up and some gal is parked in the middle of the road on a blind curve out of her car yelling at me... I opened up my modular helmet and hollered back I'm OK.... and then the pain really hit me.... I had to sit down my hands really hurt.... she hollers an ambulance is coming I said I don't need any help ! but I got it anyway ! soon a ambulance was turned away a california highway patrol showed up and started asking a jillion questions and all I want to do is get out of there.
talking to the cop we figured out what happened.previously the day before I had made some beefy floor boards for the bike..... the right side folded but the left side didn't.... I didn't like that but that was all I could come up with at the time painted them black to match the bike and that was that...
on the road there was a 2' long scratch in the pavement and a scratch mark on the floor board..... I HAD DRUG THE FLOORBOARD ! it didn't fold so the bike just fell over at 50mph ! .....I never hurd the thing scrapeing at all...
the next day after getting home by riding it back to the road and headding home... shifting was a bitch ! but I managed... I fixed the left floor board to fold like I should have....in the first place ! I thought at the time there is no way I'll ever lean the bike that far..... turns out I lean the bike that far routinely ! ...go figure ! that's why my Ninja has frame sliders on it !
I had sore hands for a week and brused knee caps torn pants chewed up wallet and scuffed up leather jacket and gloves.... but I walked away from it
.....all because I made a stupid mistake and welded the floor bord solid to the bike instead of making it fold able..... lesson learned you lean more than you think you do !
.....
did it change me ? not a bit, I still make stupid mistakes and i still ride !
but I will never do a floor board like that again ! LOL
....
I admit it took 3 or 4 rides to take those corners like I always have been
it did slow me down for a few days ! and it made me realise that that bike was just too big.. too big, too heavy, and too fast....so I sold it.
....
Bob......
Now lets hear about your crashes or close calls ! no one is perfect except maybe Gordon ! LOL
