SpacemanSpiff0x0
Member
Ok...so I wanted to share a story about my recent spill.
First things first...I am 100% ok. I think I have a slightly tweaked right ankle, but thats it.
I was on a local road that I know very well riding in front of my younger cousin who just bought his first bike (watching me wreck will hopefully keep him cautious). We were going at a decent pace, but nothing out of control. The trouble started with simple confusion on my part. :Im With Stupid: I was cresting a slight hill and thought I was coming up on a big left handed sweeper...but it was really a flat 90-degree hard left that caught me off guard. I was at about 55 when I crested the hill and had the time to slow down for the turn. My inexperience is what burned me here. When I saw a turn I was not expecting the instinct of a dirt rider kicked in and I went heavy on the back brake...opposite of what I should have done. The back wheel locked and got squirly. I realized what I did and saved the bike, but at that point I was pointing off of the road and still had roughly 20mph left to burn. I straightened it up in hopes of keeping it up on the grass but the bank away from the road was just too steep and the bike slid out on the right side. I hopped off onto my right knee and popped up onto my feet (a credit to the countless similar wrecks I had on a dirtbike). After a few choice words I lifted the bike to inspect the damage.
Luckily the grass was kind and there are no major broken parts. Mechanically the bike is untouched. The front right case cover and right fork bottom took some dirt on and I am hoping that after a cleaning tomorrow they won't have any ugly scrapes. If not I'll have to touch them up or something. The rear brake lever is bent like a pretzel and there are light scratches on the right rear fender thing. The scratches, thankfully, look like they will buff right out.
I was wearing an HJC helmet, Alpinestars jacket, Scorpion gloves, and Icon ARC overpants with the kneepads in. None of my gear took a hit besides some ground in dirt on the knee of the pants.
I feel stupid. This was a mistake that a seasoned rider could have easily avoided but I suppose it will take a while to train the unhelpful dirt reflexes out of me when I am on the road. I am just glad that this lesson was easy on me and my bike.
Can someone point me to a good place to get a replacement rear brake lever as well as a good source for reasonably priced OEM parts? I fear I may have to replace the front right case cover and am hoping it is not absurdly expensive.
I would appreciate any advice you may have on how to avoid these problems or things to practice to keep myself from reacting improperly on the road vs dirt.
Humbled and thankful,
JW
First things first...I am 100% ok. I think I have a slightly tweaked right ankle, but thats it.
I was on a local road that I know very well riding in front of my younger cousin who just bought his first bike (watching me wreck will hopefully keep him cautious). We were going at a decent pace, but nothing out of control. The trouble started with simple confusion on my part. :Im With Stupid: I was cresting a slight hill and thought I was coming up on a big left handed sweeper...but it was really a flat 90-degree hard left that caught me off guard. I was at about 55 when I crested the hill and had the time to slow down for the turn. My inexperience is what burned me here. When I saw a turn I was not expecting the instinct of a dirt rider kicked in and I went heavy on the back brake...opposite of what I should have done. The back wheel locked and got squirly. I realized what I did and saved the bike, but at that point I was pointing off of the road and still had roughly 20mph left to burn. I straightened it up in hopes of keeping it up on the grass but the bank away from the road was just too steep and the bike slid out on the right side. I hopped off onto my right knee and popped up onto my feet (a credit to the countless similar wrecks I had on a dirtbike). After a few choice words I lifted the bike to inspect the damage.
Luckily the grass was kind and there are no major broken parts. Mechanically the bike is untouched. The front right case cover and right fork bottom took some dirt on and I am hoping that after a cleaning tomorrow they won't have any ugly scrapes. If not I'll have to touch them up or something. The rear brake lever is bent like a pretzel and there are light scratches on the right rear fender thing. The scratches, thankfully, look like they will buff right out.
I was wearing an HJC helmet, Alpinestars jacket, Scorpion gloves, and Icon ARC overpants with the kneepads in. None of my gear took a hit besides some ground in dirt on the knee of the pants.
I feel stupid. This was a mistake that a seasoned rider could have easily avoided but I suppose it will take a while to train the unhelpful dirt reflexes out of me when I am on the road. I am just glad that this lesson was easy on me and my bike.
Can someone point me to a good place to get a replacement rear brake lever as well as a good source for reasonably priced OEM parts? I fear I may have to replace the front right case cover and am hoping it is not absurdly expensive.
I would appreciate any advice you may have on how to avoid these problems or things to practice to keep myself from reacting improperly on the road vs dirt.
Humbled and thankful,
JW
