My turn

[n4mwd]

I have over 24K miles on my bile so it was bound to happen. I had just changed my tires from Pirelli sport demons to pirelli diablo scooter. There is nothing wrong with scooters, but they do handle differently. Anyhow, long story short, I low sided in a 40mph turn. I broke my left rearset, brand new turn signals, and now the bike has road rash in several places including a nice ding in the previously shiny muffler.

I could be worse, helmet has a nice scuff at the chin, my jeans are a little bloody but not torn. Somehow I managed to get road rash on my knee without tearing them??? Ankle hurts, sneakers torn and scuffed but still wearable. Leg messed up and makes me limp when I walk. The jacket shoulder padding didn't do that great because now I can't move my shoulder.

I attached some road rash on the knee. More to come later. I hurt too bad right now. Gotta go take a pill or something.

EDIT: Wound @ day 6

[Falcor]

Some anti inflammatory and pain killers will do wonder together for you. How you ding the muffler if it fell on it's left side?

[Motofool]

So sorry, D !!!

Take some anti-inflammatory and anti-pain pills before it feels worse during the night.

Also use some Neosporin for that rash to prevent infection.

[StephenA]

pregen has two pipes...

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Falcor

......How you ding the muffler if it fell on it's left side?

He has two pre-gens: dual exhaust

[Falcor]

Originally Posted by Motofool

He has two pre-gens: dual exhaust

oh! that makes sense then :P

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

Sorry to hear it! If you need anything just shoot me a pm! I just put a new Pirelli on today myself and powerslid a tad. Rest up.

[lgk]

sorry about the wreck.

were the tires slick from not being scrubbed?

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by lgk

sorry about the wreck.

were the tires slick from not being scrubbed?

They only had about 10 miles on them when I wrecked. They still had the little ticks on them. The toradol is kicking in a little bit now. Strange how my shoulder didn't hurt at all right after the accident, but now it hurts worse than anything. I can't really move it.

[Motofool]

Place something cool on the shoulder and keep the arm from moving.

[Jiggles]

Lol what a noob, didn't even hit a car

[Jiggles]

Also, boots

[psych0hans]

Get well bro... Sucks big time...

[n4mwd]

Nope, believe it or not, there was no cager involved - unless you count the one I passed just before the curve.

Today I have less pain and some mobility to my left shoulder has returned. The ankle has healed completely. Road rash is still there, but doesn't hurt much now. Lower left thigh still has a large internal bruise. I can walk in it, but bending the knee is pretty stiff. The nausea from the pain is gone.

I noticed the right knee also has some very minor road rash as well. I didn't notice it before. Again, the jeans were not torn.

Now here is the weird part. My left sneaker has a new hole in it about maybe half inch in diameter, but it doesn't line up with the rash on my foot??? The foot has a small rash next to the big toe and a corresponding rash on the sock. But no hole in the shoe in that area. Very strange.

It happened pretty fast and pretty much all I remember is the front tire getting out from under me and the sound of the rearset grinding and the first image of my face in the asphalt and then my baby sliding off down the road without me.

I guess I was fortunate that the plastics survived without much damage considering. I had some minor scuff damage on the right side too, but that's another mystery. I guess I'm fortunate that I didn't get hurt any worse than I was.

[ninjamunky85]

Looks like you need to invest in some real riding gear. You'd be hurting a lot less if you were wearing something better than jeans and sneakers. Remember ATGATT.

[n4mwd]

I have riding pants, but they aren't practical. They'd be great on the track, but not for everyday riding. The same is true of boots. I'd have to carry a pair of sneakers around with me and change them wherever I went. Motorcycle boots would be great for riding, but a hindrance the other 99% of the time when I'm just walking around. I tried some on at cycle gear. They were extremely uncomfortable and felt like my foot had been wedged into a crack on the sidewalk. The sales guy said it was one side fits all. No thanks. Bad footwear will injure your feet just as fast as an accident.

I might get a pair of knee pads if I can find something that will stay on if I go down again. Clearly some knee protection would be advantageous.

My helmet did do its job because there is a scuff mark on the chin to prove it. The jacket was half successful at protecting me. It protected me from road rash, but I think I might have hit my elbow on the way down which jammed my shoulder. But I shouldn't complain because there was no injury to the elbow and it probably would have been a lot worse without it.

Oh, and my gloves have road rash on them too so they protected me because my hands are free of injury.

In any case, I learned something about new tires yesterday.

Today I'm still limping, just limping a little faster than yesterday.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

.....Now here is the weird part. My left sneaker has a new hole in it about maybe half inch in diameter, but it doesn't line up with the rash on my foot??? The foot has a small rash next to the big toe and a corresponding rash on the sock. But no hole in the shoe in that area. Very strange......

Glad you feel better.

A lot of instant pressure on the skin directly above bones and some sliding movement of the fabrics do the trick of generating heat, friction, burns and rash.

I still have scars on my legs from a jean that survived an old crash intact.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Glad you feel better.

A lot of instant pressure on the skin directly above bones and some sliding movement of the fabrics do the trick of generating heat, friction, burns and rash.

I still have scars on my legs from a jean that survived an old crash intact.

Yes, you're right. The spots on my foot are both over a bony prominence. But how did it cut a hole in my sock?

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

.....But how did it cut a hole in my sock?

That I had never seen before, but it shows how much energy was concentrated in that spot in a fraction of a second.

It also shows that the skin is a marvelous, elastic and resilient organ.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Motofool

That I had never seen before, but it shows how much energy was concentrated in that spot in a fraction of a second.

It also shows that the skin is a marvelous, elastic and resilient organ.

I just found another spot on my right wrist. My motorcycle gloves don't come up on the wrist far enough, but its not too bad, maybe the size of a dime. Doesn't hurt. In fact, nothing except my shoulder still hurts today.

Well, its time to re-bandage the knee. Plenty of gauze pads and duct tape is the only way to get it to stick on there. The thing is still oozing pretty bad right now. I'd post a picture, but it would just gross people out.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

........The thing is still oozing pretty bad right now........

If clear, it may be just lymphatic fluid (lymphatic vessels carry a clear fluid called lymph).

Make avoiding infection a priority:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/i.../abrasions.htm

Best !

[lgk]

use some neosporin, and let the wound breathe after a couple of days.

it'll form a scar you can brag about later on.

[jpbear]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

I have riding pants, but they aren't practical. They'd be great on the track, but not for everyday riding. The same is true of boots. I'd have to carry a pair of sneakers around with me and change them wherever I went. Motorcycle boots would be great for riding, but a hindrance the other 99% of the time when I'm just walking around.

I might get a pair of knee pads if I can find something that will stay on if I go down again. Clearly some knee protection would be advantageous.
.

I would recommend street boots and kneepads.

I stored a pair of shoes at work that I change into once in there. I also wear a pair of kneepads - cheap cyclegear bilt stuff under my trousers. Great protection for commute level speeds.

Speaking from the experiences of two crashes :P)

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by jpbear

......I also wear a pair of kneepads - cheap cyclegear bilt stuff under my trousers. Great protection for commute level speeds.....

Link or pics?

[jpbear]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Link or pics?

These

http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product...rds/web1008837

[choneofakind]

n4mwd - looks like you got lucky and fared pretty well for a 40 mph lowside in sneakers. Glad you're okay. It could have been much worse.

Originally Posted by FvnnyL3tt3r1ng

I just put a new Pirelli on today myself and powerslide a tad

Take it easy on new tires people.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by jpbear

These

http://www.cyclegear.com/eng/product...rds/web1008837

Those look pretty good. I'm going to check them out as soon as I'm able to get around better. I wonder if they have to be worn under the pants as opposed to over. Over is more convenient.

Originally Posted by choneofakind

n4mwd - looks like you got lucky and fared pretty well for a 40 mph lowside in sneakers. Glad you're okay. It could have been much worse.

Take it easy on new tires people.

I'm hoping someone will come out with motorcycle sneakers. They could stand a little reinforcement here and there, but at the same time not sacrifice comfort.

[choneofakind]

There's already plenty of sneakers made by gear companies. But I wouldn't even worry about them. Just wear boots. Not race boots necessarily. Just not sneakers.

Even a pair of decent work boots wouldn't have worn through like your sneakers. Besides, there's much more comfortable shoes than New Balance shoes with velcro Boots + backpack for carrying shoes is the way to go. Or leave shoes at work or whatever.

I don't mean to bash on gear because I'm not the best example of perfect gear either (read: jeans and not visible gear) but it makes me cringe when I see someone go down in sneakers because boots aren't convenient.

For fun/long rides, I wear a casual race boot. For commuting/running errands, I wear Wolverine work boots, laced up properly so my ankle can't flop around.

[ninjamunky85]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

Those look pretty good. I'm going to check them out as soon as I'm able to get around better. I wonder if they have to be worn under the pants as opposed to over. Over is more convenient.

It looks like you can wear them over your pants since they are an off road knee pad.

Originally Posted by n4mwd

I'm hoping someone will come out with motorcycle sneakers. They could stand a little reinforcement here and there, but at the same time not sacrifice comfort.

Seriously, just about every brand makes a motorcycle sneaker. You would be better off going with a boot and changing into sneakers, but something is better than nothing.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...0-0-0-24-1-1-1


Maybe you should check out this site as well. http://rockthegear.org/

[n4mwd]

Well I'm definitely anti-lace. But zippers and/or velcro are OK. Lace can come undone and get tangled in the sprocket. Not good.

I still have a pair of work boots that I had to buy for my MSF class two years ago. They worked OK for the little cruisers we were on, but they just don't fit right on the ninja. I need a really flexible ankle so it doesn't interfere with my shifting and braking.

I'll ask at cycle gear to see if they have any reinforced sneakers. I won't buy online because its far too likely I'll be sent something that wont fit. Sometimes they pay return shipping and sometimes they don't. Either way, its a hassle.

If cycle gear or the local stores don't have them, then I'll probably just go get a new pair of New Balance ones.

However, in my case, the sneaker wasn't penetrated, it appears that the skin break on my foot were impact generated. And I'm still confused by that because the foot injury was on the inside of my foot and not the outside where it would have impacted. Its possible that the bike ran me over. Like I said it happened really fast. Its possible that I was out for a few seconds because there were people all around me that weren't there when I went down.

[choneofakind]

I doubt the shoe stayed perfectly on your foot. Shoes are one of the first things lost in accidents. They twist around and/or come off. Looking at the shoe and comparing the location of where your injury "should have been" and where the hole actually is doesn't do much.

Originally Posted by n4mwd

I need a really flexible ankle so it doesn't interfere with my shifting and braking.

Motorcycle specific boots don't interfere with motorcycle riding. The point is to allow you to have a flexible ankle to shift with, without having a floppy and unsupported ankle. There are plenty of options that are comfy to walk in, but are better than sneakers while riding.

[jpbear]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

Those look pretty good. I'm going to check them out as soon as I'm able to get around better. I wonder if they have to be worn under the pants as opposed to over. Over is more convenient.

I wear them inside formal trousers (and nowadays over the freezeout pants). very discreet and the trousers hold them in place . No one ever noticed them.

Plus i can get away with the occasional joke trick where i bang my knee against a wall hard to impress people

[n4mwd]

Well all I can say is that riding them is a lot more fun than crashing them.

[n4mwd]

Here are a few more photos of my baby's injuries. Not shown is my new clutch lever that got ground down on the end. Also, I had a camera mount that was destroyed. No camera running at the time.

I'm going to try riding again today. Hopefully my shoulder wont cause any problems.

[n4mwd]

I did a few things wrong that caused my accident. I can't blame the cager this time. I am enumerating them with the hopes that it will help other people avoid the same problem.

1. Riding tired. Being tired decreases your skill level.
2. Went too fast. I hit the curve a bit too fast. 40mph is too fast for a 35' radius curve.
3. Riding with new tires. I am told by several people that new bike tires are a bit slick for various reasons. They should not be trusted until the ticks have worn off the bottom.
4. Riding with a different brand tires. Different tires handle differently.
5. Distracted by traffic and other things. Riding requires one's full attention.

The above were all factors in what caused me to go down.

Any any event, I'm able to move my arm a bit more now. I had to get on the bike and ride to the local drug store this morning to get some bandages. That was literally a pain. I had a serious problem bending my knee because its pretty stiff from the road rash and bruising. I didn't realize how much it had to bend to get on the bike until now.

That said, the next time I need tires I'm going back to the Pirelli Sport Demons and sticking with them.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

.....2. Went too fast. I hit the curve a bit too fast. 40mph is too fast for a 35' radius curve......

Around 23 mph is the max speed for that curve:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showp...1&postcount=18

V max = 0.68 sqrt (35 * 32.2)

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

3. Riding with new tires. I am told by several people that new bike tires are a bit slick for various reasons. They should not be trusted until the ticks have worn off the bottom.
4. Riding with a different brand tires. Different tires handle differently.

...

That said, the next time I need tires I'm going back to the Pirelli Sport Demons and sticking with them.

Dude. You said you had 10 miles on those tires and you were already taking hot turns. 10 miles. That's barely enough to get them up to a consistent temp, much less break them in. Don't forget that the edges of a tire are always the last thing to warm up to a consistent temp. You'll have a bad experience on any tire if you treat them like that. They need to get the shiny stuff worm off and go through a few complete heat cycles before they really start sticking. That goes for any street tire.

I took Diablo Scoots to a track day with only 50 miles (that's 2 rides) on them. They stuck like glue the whole day; my knee was 3" off the ground through the back half of Mid-Ohio all afternoon, at way faster than 40 mph. It's not the tires' fault.

Your number three should say, "3. Riding too hard on brand new tires that weren't broken in yet". Number four should say, "4. Riding hard on tires before I was accustomed to their turn-in and handling characteristics".

Know your limits; never push a new piece of hardware until you know how it responds at its limits. This means suspension changes, jetting changes, tire changes, etc. This is the same idea behind starting on a 250 vs starting on a 600; self preservation. As you learned, if you push brand new tires that you don't know, bad things can happen. Maybe I'm just a cautious risk taker, idk.

[n4mwd]

Well I have probably been pushing the envelope for so long that it finally caught up to me. Plus #6 might be bad posture. IDK, I don't remember a lot of it.

[n4mwd]

Here is a diagrammed map of the area.

As for the tires, I'm not blaming them at all, I have ridden on scoots before with no problem. It was not my intention to be mean to them. But having ridden on both scoots and demons, I have to say that the demons are simply better.

PS - When I say I have ridden on both tires, I mean that I rode out both tires. This is my second set of scoots and I just replaced my first set of demons. Again, I never had any problem with my first set of scooters, but I was a lot less aggressive back then.

BTW, as a side note, I ordered a new rearset for $25 on ebay. Some of those ebay dealers are smoking illegal things and were asking $100 for a used slightly bent rearset. RonAyers = $60 brand new.

[choneofakind]

Understandable. As long as you aren't being a noob and blaming the tires.

Looks like you picked a nice spot to wreck. It could have been a lot worse. Nothing slid off the edge of a ravine/mountain/whatever and you were near help the whole time.


I've never ridden SD tires. But I do prefer the turn-in/mid-turn feeling of the 80 profile diablo to the 90 profile BT45 that I used to have. It feels more neutral while leaned over and lighter when I change directions.