kevlar's first crash!

[kevlarorc]

I was planning to ride some Lime Creek Rd today but I got about 2 miles into it before it was over.
I was planning on doing a motovlog today and I got onto Lime Creek Rd. There was a guy pushing up a little bit behind me so I took off and left him in the dust for a minute so I could make space for me to slow down and pull off. I passed a couple potential driveway turnoffs but was going too fast to slow down in time as they were all appearing from around corners. I got to one section where I remembered seeing a driveway that goes at an angle to the road so I wouldn't have to slow down too much ( like a V shape with it branching off the main road). I approached it and started braking and right as I hit the transition between the road and the pavement I bit the dust...or mud and slid for about 10 to 15 feet. I don't even know if my eyes were open at this point but it felt like my right leg was stuck under the bike and I was scared that if I stopped rolling and the bike kept going that it would just twist my leg and snap it. Luckily this didn't happen and my leg came free.

I lay there for a minute and the guy who had been behind me pulled up and checked on me. My right foot and knee were aching like crazy at first but I got up and he helped me pick the bike up before the engine got flooded. My camera was actually on my helmet at the time but wasn't running (DAMNIT! ) and it snapped off as I skidded across the ground. I think it actually took the brunt of any hit that I may have taken to the head because my helmet only has a few scratches on the visor and the camera just has a few scratches on the front near the lens.

My bike wouldn't start at first so I thought the engine might have flooded. Oh yeah, somehow the killswitch had been knocked or something so the engine wasn't running after I crashed. I don't really know much about engines and I'm still learning alot of this bike stuff so I figured I'd try to do a rolling start. Patrick (the guy who stopped) helped me push the bike up the driveway and I rolled it down while squeezing the clutch in and back out and hitting the ignition. It started right as I reached the road again.

Patrick told me he lived close and if I needed help he was right around the corner and then he left. I got my things together, picked up pieces of the bike, and then tried to head home. Right as I shifted into first gear the bike just shut off as if I didn't have the clutch in. I could swear I did but maybe with all the confusion I wasn't paying attention. It didn't lurch forward or anything like it would if I let go of the clutch in first. I got off the bike and listened to the engine and it was making a "wishing" sound sort of like wind going through a screen, this was with the ignition off. I thought maybe something was overheated because it kinda sounded like steam but not quite that harsh of a sizzle. Anybody know?
Anywho, the "wishing" sound died down so I tried to start up again and it started up. Then I just took it slow home.

My pants (Alpinestars Urban DNS) are all ripped up on the right knee and my knee is scraped up. My leather boot is scraped up really bad on the toe but it held up OK. My jacket is a little scuffed on the shoulder but not bad really.
I will definitely be investing in some leather riding pants, I don't trust these textile ones now. My right rear faring is cracked pretty badly so I'll have to replace it, the right faring is really scuffed as well, the right turn signal is snapped off, the mirror is a little scuffed but not enough to warrant replacing, the muffler obviously is scuffed, and my front brake lever is ground way down on the ball but somehow not bent haha.

Can anyone give me advice on the whishing sound? Also, what should I do about the right fairing? Does it need to be replaced or is this something I should sand down and have repainted? I don't think it has cracks in it but I haven't inspected thoroughly yet.

Sorry for the wall of text. Video of the aftermath forthcoming.

Update with video

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Betlog]

Dang, sorry to hear bro. I don't have any suggestions about the sound you are hearing as I am not mechanically inclined either. I'm glad you are ok though.

[Snake]

Sorry to hear about the crash. Glad to hear you are doing allright.

[ninja250]

Oh no! Major bummer!
It has been a long few days for the Ninjettes.
Sorry to hear about the accident man! Glad to hear you are OK though!

[Slabrocks]

glad to hear you are doing well.
as for the body work, you will have to inspect the parts and decide if they are worth repair or replacement.

[lockie]

Bad News. But glad you're okay. Take a day or so to check out the bike mechanically. Make sure it's all working well. The body work is mostly cosmetic and can wait, although it may damage your pride to see all the scratches.

Take Care. And get some new riding gear to replace the damaged pieces.

[austexjg]

Damn - I went down on Lime Creek road on 12/31/09 on my black Ninja 250r. My brother, on his '01 ninja 250, was in front of me - we were doggin' it since we watch too much Isle of Man TT - we headed to a kinda of blind left hander, that looks like less of a turn as you approach, and heads down hill - he went wide and had to hit the brakes and reduce speed, this caused me to react to the "red light", the rear tire hit some loose gravel, the rear tire goes off the road with front tire still on (50/50 grind). The side of the road was nothing but gravel and it was lower than the road, which only got steeper as the road went down the hill, I tried to stay on top, but the kickstand hit the road and bucked me off, but not before I turned the bike on to the right side - I remembered someone on one of the forums talking about laying it down on the left side and causing tranny damage. There was a guardrail that I was also trying to avoid to my right.
The right side fairing was really scratched, the brake pedal bent and bracket cracked, the front cowling had some scuffs, the exhaust had minor scratches and a small dent from a rock, the kickstand and kill switch are scratched, and the windscreen has a scuff mark from stopping against the guardrail.

My back was a little sore and my knees were battered and bleeding (only wearing jeans, no tears - thank you Levi). I managed to find all the repalcement parts on this forum or ebay and I am currently having my fairings repaired and repainted - figured I would see how they turn out before I buy brand new ones.

I am glad that I went with the 250r over the '06 636 I was going to buy. I truly feel the wreck would have been a lot worse if I had a bigger, faster bike - even at 36 years old.
I now know why there are no lights on the track, you instinctively react to the red light without thought.

I now need to remember that I am no Joey Dunlop or John McGuinness.

[Snake]

Sounds like a bad stretch of road in that area.

[rockNroll]

Potty mouth.

[jcgirl]

Sorry to hear about the bike. I'm glad your alright, bikes are easier to fix than people.

[fujimumu]

The "wishing" sound may have been the fan of the radiator cooling down the engine from the ride before you went down, it shuts off after the engine hits a certain temperature.

Glad to see you are okay and the bike is only cosmetically damaged.

[kevlarorc]

Originally Posted by fujimumu

The "wishing" sound may have been the fan of the radiator cooling down the engine from the ride before you went down, it shuts off after the engine hits a certain temperature.

Glad to see you are okay and the bike is only cosmetically damaged.

But would the fan still run even with the ignition off? I had the bike off after I crashed for probably 2 or 3 minutes. Maybe it was still just really hot and the fan started up going really fast and after I shut off the motorcycle it just took a few seconds to spool back down.

[Cedilla]

Originally Posted by kevlarorc

But would the fan still run even with the ignition off? I had the bike off after I crashed for probably 2 or 3 minutes. Maybe it was still just really hot and the fan started up going really fast and after I shut off the motorcycle it just took a few seconds to spool back down.

I think it does. I'm pretty sure I have shut my bike off before and the fan was still going for a minute or so.

[ninja250]

Yup the fan is needed to cool the bike off when you aren't moving. Mine has run for about 30 seconds or so after the key was pulled from the ignition before. The radiator is the "screen" you heard the wind going through. Quite literally.