Low sided :(

[michvin]

Evening before had a party that ended about 2am, woke up early and rode out with a friend. Ramapo, Greenwood lake, Tuxedo, Bear mountain; all the motorcycle roads in North New Jersey/ Southern border of New York. Weather was hot, about 90. On the way back my attention started to melt, and I didn't pay close attention to what my friend in the front was doing and noticed that he slowed down too late (I was doing about 40). Instead of going around him, I had space since there were no cars in opposing lane, survival reactions kicked in and I slammed on front brakes and low sided. My gear took all the impact and I got out virtually unscratched apart from the pain in the shoulder. Bike didn't do too well: bent gear shifter, scraped bar end and clutch lever. Turn indicator is gone and fairing is broken. However, we straitened the shifter lever and I rode the bike home.
Take away from this:
- don't go for long rides if tired
- wear the gear
- Practice braking (which I did, but probably not enough)
- My next bike will have ABS

Thanks for listening

[csmith12]

Glad your good though.

[cbinker]

tired or hung over?

[michvin]

Thanks! Bike I will fix
Guess it is a little bit of both: lack of sleep on one hand, but the alcohol effect must be completely gone by the time of the crash, Prolly it wasn't..

[cadd]

[DEFY]

Sorry hear, seems you made it out good so that's the main point. Take your time getting backup, it can shake you up and last thing you want is getting yourself into a worst situation.

[Motofool]

"A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them." - John C. Maxwell

[akima]

Glad you're ok. I like your take away points:

Originally Posted by michvin

- don't go for long rides if tired
- wear the gear
- Practice braking (which I did, but probably not enough)
- My next bike will have ABS

I've been a bit tired recently and even on my commutes to work I've found myself loosing concentration and feeling fatigued at the end of my journey. I've now started to take a short break on the ride in. I just stop for about a minute; stretch, breathe deep and bring my focus back.

Next bike Ninja 300 w ABS?

[greenaero]

I'm very sorry to hear about your crash. I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt and the bike can be repaired or replaced. Our sport is risky and needs our full attention all the time. Your incident further validates the importance of wearing good protective gear.

[adouglas]

If the party ended by 2 am you probably weren't in bed until 3. Woke up "early" could mean anything, but let's say 8 am.

Unless you actually did have only a couple of drinks (not the nudge-nudge wink-wink "couple of drinks" that really means a six-pack), then for sure you were still feeling the effects. Dehydration, fatigue, lack of focus... all the stuff that goes with a hangover, compounded by not enough sleep.

Fun fact... even after the alcohol has left your system and you're technically legal, your body still hasn't fully recovered. Ask anyone dealing with an epic hangover and they'll tell you it's true. Thing is, even if you didn't go overboard the night before and wake up feeling okay, your body is nevertheless still dealing with the aftermath. You may not notice it, but it's true.

You can burn the candle brightly at one end or the other, but burning it at both ends is unwise. Ride hard or party hard... don't try to do both.

You've learned a valuable lesson about life balance and it's great that you survived it. Many do not.

[michvin]

Next bike probably will not be a sport bike: My old body disagree with riding position on a ninja and I put too much weight on my arms. That also contribute to fatigue, I think. Probably some adventure or standard bike with more upright sitting position will be my choice (don't see myself on a cruiser), but this season I'll finish on my ninja: this is one awesome learning tool.
Gear wise (if I'll forget about the shoulder, that is just the result of me landing on it) there are no scratches whatsoever. My pants are torn where the CE armor on the shin is, but I feel nothing and skin is intact.
Later, when I rode home, I saw a lot of guys in t-shirts and ladies in tank tops and shorts on the back seats: gave me chills to think what would happen to them if they were in my position.

[michvin]

Originally Posted by adouglas

If the party ended by 2 am you probably weren't in bed until 3. Woke up "early" could mean anything, but let's say 8 am.

Unless you actually did have only a couple of drinks (not the nudge-nudge wink-wink "couple of drinks" that really means a six-pack), then for sure you were still feeling the effects. Dehydration, fatigue, lack of focus... all the stuff that goes with a hangover, compounded by not enough sleep.

Fun fact... even after the alcohol has left your system and you're technically legal, your body still hasn't fully recovered. Ask anyone dealing with an epic hangover and they'll tell you it's true. Thing is, even if you didn't go overboard the night before and wake up feeling okay, your body is nevertheless still dealing with the aftermath. You may not notice it, but it's true.

You can burn the candle brightly at one end or the other, but burning it at both ends is unwise. Ride hard or party hard... don't try to do both.

You've learned a valuable lesson about life balance and it's great that you survived it. Many do not.

It probably was MUCH more than a six pack.. I counted the bottles when I came home and it was a LOT.
Lesson learned, and I'mm still here to talk about it. That is really good, could be worse indeed...

[michvin]

Oh, a question about the gear: My helmet got some impact: I didn't bang it on the asphalt, but scraped it a little: about 1x1" patch. They say " replace the helmet after accident". Should I?

[xXecuterXx2]

if it is cracked, replacing it would be wise, if just scrapes, you should be fine, also remember this quote

You only have one head
-The top of my head

[crazymadbastard]

Glad you are *OK*!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by michvin

Oh, a question about the gear: My helmet got some impact: I didn't bang it on the asphalt, but scraped it a little: about 1x1" patch. They say " replace the helmet after accident". Should I?

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207260