My turn to go down...

[CHEMIKER]

Since you're ok we can now ask the important question .... repair or "badge of honor" for the fairing & tail ... :Sport:

Good question. Neither!

I really wanted to go naked even before the crash. My plan was to buy a headlight, go naked, and sell the fairing on ebay to offset the cost of the headlight. I was worried about selling the fairing because I'm not 100% sure I will be okay without it and would like the option to switch back. Now that the fairing is damaged, I will get a headlight to convert to naked but keep the fairing. This way I can switch back at any time!!

I have a spare grabhandle from when I purchased the bike. The original had a scuff on it so the dealership gave me a new one. I switched it out but kept the old one. And I already have touch up paint, so I can either repair the damaged one or put the original back on. I can paint over the scuffs on either part.

Whether I keep the fairing and grabhandle or not, I can tell you this: I have some OCD going on and will try my best to eliminate any sign of the crash. I have to. It will bother me until I do something about it. I will probably replace the parts that were abraded or try to make them look like they weren't in an accident.

 

[CHEMIKER]

I was about 30 ft. behind when Chemiker hit the spill. I saw the sheen of the fuel on the road just before Travis' front tire touched it and his front end tucked under instantly. He slowly slid and spun simultaneously, doing a 180° before coming to a halt. His right pant leg made contact with the fluid on the road, allowing it to slide cleanly without shredding the fabric, this is what saved him from a possible nasty leg wound.

I have seen a few crashes before and I am still surprised at the minimal damage to his bike. During the slide along the pavement the slider and center stand must have supported the weight of the bike until the last fraction of a second. Witness the absolute melting of the slider material vs. the token scratches on the front cowl and handrail.

What we have learned today:
- Be prepared to react to something unexpected. We had passed through this same turn, in the same direction, about 1 hour earlier and there was nothing on the road at that time.
- Wear quality riding gear. No need to elaborate.
- Look way ahead on the road. I saw the fuel on the ground before Travis made contact and was able to take corrective action.
- Install frame sliders, they make a difference in a crash.

Oh, thanks again Travis for riding with us!

Thanks John! You're right on many points:

I'm lucky that my leg wasn't injured. I was wearing just Levis but the fuel spill lubricated and kept the material from shredding. I will buy leather pants and wear them all the time.

Lack of experience contributed to this incident in a couple of ways: I took a bad line in the middle of the lane, and I didn't see the spill at all. As John said, he saw the fuel when it appeared and was able to avoid it. If I had been looking through the turn more I would have seen it and been able to react. Also, if I had taken an inside line to begin with I wouldn't have been in the fuel but to the inside of it.

 

[CHEMIKER]

What did the Mrs. have to say about your experience?

My wife was wonderful about it.

My pants were soaked with deisel fuel so there was no hiding the accident. I poked my head around the doorway and said "I'm okay.. but I fell down". I then showed her my pants and described the situation. She was surprisingly cool with it. I think she's more worried about me riding than she lets on but she would never say so because it's something I love.

For my wife and my little girl I promise to continue to ride as safely as possible. That means thinking about what I'm doing, wearing the proper gear, gaining more experience, and learning all I can about riding safely.

 

[DefyInertia]

Do I really need to say I'm glad you're ok??? I'm glad you're ok, man! That's some scary shyt!!! The damage to bike and rider is so far on the minor end of things compared to how it could have been. It sounds like you've got a great attitude towards the whole thing...thanks for sharing.

You're up north and CaliRider is down south, how were you guys riding together? Well, I'm just glad wavex was not with you

EDIT - Santa Cruz...that's not a day trip for you CaliRider, is it?

For my wife and my little girl I promise to continue to ride as safely as possible. That means thinking about what I'm doing, wearing the proper gear, gaining more experience, and learning all I can about riding safely.

...and I'm sure we can all assist you in keeping those promises. :thumbup:

 

[Numpty]

Good to hear you and the fz6 came out with minimal damage.Thanks for sharing with great pics.If only the truck drivers would realize what danger they are causing by filling their tanks right to the top

 

[jsw4178]

Glad you are okay! Those motivation sliders are outstanding! I feel your pain with the OCD thing. She will be good as new again.

 

[jsteinb95]

I'm so glad you are ok!!! and I'm so glad there was no oncoming traffic. That would've been BAD!!!

Ride safe, Travis!!!!

 

[Cali rider]

...You're up north and CaliRider is down south, how were you guys riding together?...

I was on one of my week-long California rides (hence my screen name!) and had communicated with Travis about meeting up to ride the hills south of San Fransisco for the day.

When you move out here we will meet up for a bit of fun as well as there are much better rides in the north half of the state.

 

[wrightme43]

Glad your ok man. Really really glad your ok.

 

[Wavex]

Damn Travis! Happy to hear you and the bike are OK!!!

Everytime I crashed on my own, John was there too... I think he is the main reason why we crashed... right? :cheer:

You're up north and CaliRider is down south, how were you guys riding together? Well, I'm just glad wavex was not with you

Thanks for the confidence! LOL :Flip:

 

[boo68]

Glad you are okay. Looks like the framesliders did their job.. and the leather too. Most importantly you are not injured.

Take care,

Deb

 

[bossdoc83]

Good to see minimal damage. If you remember, I went down not too long ago as well and became a walking advertisement for framesliders! LOL Glad to see another member come out ok though. I look at scratches on a bike like scars on your body, just something to remind you or show someone that you have been there, done that and got the t-shirt!

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/7066-so-i-went-down-today.html

Here's the thread from when I went down. I have a couple pics that show the almost same scenario. I have aluminum frame sliders and stand by them. I'm glad I got the longer ones because it not only save my leg but also avoided more damage to the bike. From looking at the pics, do you think the longer slider would have helped prevent some of the damage to the peg, motor and fairing?

Again, I'm very glad to hear all is well. Like my dad always told me: There are those that have gone down and those that will...

 

[4fun]

Glad to hear your OK, and that you suffered relatively little damge and injury. :cheer::cheer::cheer:

 

[DefyInertia]

Thanks for the confidence! LOL :Flip:

I'm glad I was not their either! Know what I'm saying....?

 

[agmom98]

My frame sliders did exactly what they should have done; saved me lots of money.

Your experience has convinced me! I just got onto Motovation and ordered frame sliders.

BTW, gotta love the red FZ's!

 

[Hellgate]

Oh man Travis, I'm glad you are okay! How did I miss this thread all weekend???

Yes, buy the leather pants for sporty rides, you never know. I'm glad you and the FZ are more or less fine. Sure scares the heck out of you huh?

For those of you how haven't met Travis, he is the nicest guy in the world and his FZ is the cleanest bike in the world. This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Is that good???

Were you on the 17? That is a very scary road. A friend of mine on a Moto Guzzi hit a guy on a BMW going the other way on the 17. My friend's left arm is paralized from the shoulder down. Please be careful.

Get her cleaned up, get your leathers and get back at it.

 

[CHEMIKER]

Oh man Travis, I'm glad you are okay! How did I miss this thread all weekend???

Yes, buy the leather pants for sporty rides, you never know. I'm glad you and the FZ are more or less fine. Sure scares the heck out of you huh?

For those of you how haven't met Travis, he is the nicest guy in the world and his FZ is the cleanest bike in the world. This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Is that good???

Were you on the 17? That is a very scary road. A friend of mine on a Moto Guzzi hit a guy on a BMW going the other way on the 17. My friend's left arm is paralized from the shoulder down. Please be careful.

Get her cleaned up, get your leathers and get back at it.

Wow, thanks Pete!!

We weren't on 17 fortunately. I used to commute on 17 and saw lots of fatalities. They have improved it; now it has a divider the whole length and new paving but it still gets people, especially when it rains. We ended up on 17 later that day without incident.

 

[dankatz]

Were you on route 9? I am glad you are not hurt. Those are very nice roads and you can do a fair amount of damage to yourself at 30-35mph, so glad you and bike are relatively unhurt.

 

[rubbersidedown]

I have had more spills over diesel than from any other cause. Sucks when you see those trucks that don't have their fuel tank caps properly screwed down.

 

[Tailgate]

Geesh, yeah damn diesel spills. Just think if you had been riding at night, I wonder if one could have even seen the spill coming up. Great pictures. Glad to hear that you're not banged up bad. Looks like you and I, both, went down during month of August. My faring scraped in the same area except on other side. I, too, had frame sliders (whew!)