ju311
Junior Member
I have been riding for a little over a year now and I had my first crash almost 2 weeks ago. The biggest lessons learned: SLOW DOWN AND ALWAYS WEAR ALL YOUR GEAR.
It was a hot Sunday and I was on a spirited ride with a friend through the local twisties. After 2 hours we were nearly home and were on a well paved country road. I got a little overconfident and entered the turn too fast (50 mph??) :spank:. The turn was tighter than I expected and I started swinging wide. There was no shoulder, and I realized that there was no way I was going to save this turn. I glanced at the side of the road and - uh oh - a ditch and then a barbed wire fence.
In that split second I had to decide what to do. My instinct was to let the bike low side, but with the size of the ditch I didn't think it was a good idea. I thought maybe I could ride off the road through the fence and ride it out - letting the bike break the fence instead of my body. I straightened the bike up as I left the road and aimed for the wire between the fence posts. I cleared the ditch and slammed into the fence.
It happened so fast that all I remember after going off the road was tumbling through the field. From looking at the bike and fence, I think I hit the fence and the wire didn't break. I think I got launched into the field and my bike slid under the fence on its left side.
Several of the fence posts broke, but the wire never snapped! I couldn't believe how strong that stuff was. It broke my front forks and tore the bike up horribly.
I went to the hospital in an ambulance and spent 4 days there before I transferred to a rehab facility for another 7. I sustained a fractured left collar bone, 3 fractures in my pelvis, a fractured sacrum, a sprained left ankle and right hand, and I hit the ground so hard that my ribs punched a hole in my left lung.
Despite the laundry list of injuries, my gear saved me from any head or spine injuries and I only got some small scrapes from the barbed wire where my jacket was pulled up. I've had no surguries and I should make a full recovery, but I'll be on crutches for a few months.
The icing on the cake: my 2 month old FZ6 is totalled :banghead:. I bought it with 0 miles and it's gone after only 1400 . I loved that bike, but ultimately the only important thing is that I'm alive and I owe a lot of that to my riding gear.
I'll post pics soon
It was a hot Sunday and I was on a spirited ride with a friend through the local twisties. After 2 hours we were nearly home and were on a well paved country road. I got a little overconfident and entered the turn too fast (50 mph??) :spank:. The turn was tighter than I expected and I started swinging wide. There was no shoulder, and I realized that there was no way I was going to save this turn. I glanced at the side of the road and - uh oh - a ditch and then a barbed wire fence.
In that split second I had to decide what to do. My instinct was to let the bike low side, but with the size of the ditch I didn't think it was a good idea. I thought maybe I could ride off the road through the fence and ride it out - letting the bike break the fence instead of my body. I straightened the bike up as I left the road and aimed for the wire between the fence posts. I cleared the ditch and slammed into the fence.
It happened so fast that all I remember after going off the road was tumbling through the field. From looking at the bike and fence, I think I hit the fence and the wire didn't break. I think I got launched into the field and my bike slid under the fence on its left side.
Several of the fence posts broke, but the wire never snapped! I couldn't believe how strong that stuff was. It broke my front forks and tore the bike up horribly.
I went to the hospital in an ambulance and spent 4 days there before I transferred to a rehab facility for another 7. I sustained a fractured left collar bone, 3 fractures in my pelvis, a fractured sacrum, a sprained left ankle and right hand, and I hit the ground so hard that my ribs punched a hole in my left lung.
Despite the laundry list of injuries, my gear saved me from any head or spine injuries and I only got some small scrapes from the barbed wire where my jacket was pulled up. I've had no surguries and I should make a full recovery, but I'll be on crutches for a few months.
The icing on the cake: my 2 month old FZ6 is totalled :banghead:. I bought it with 0 miles and it's gone after only 1400 . I loved that bike, but ultimately the only important thing is that I'm alive and I owe a lot of that to my riding gear.
I'll post pics soon