Went on a protest against the wind and rain today!

[zmeiaspas]

And had my first spill

So I decided to go for a ride and test my brand new GPS mount in the rain (I made the unit waterproof by putting it in a plastic bag ). After the first 50 miles I was already soaked and shivering so I thought I'd better head home. About 10 miles from home I was riding down in a straight line when the traffic light that was about 300ft away turned red. I had plenty of time and was going around 30mph so I barely got on the brakes when the front tire just gave up on me and down I went. As I was sliding I first of all couldn't believe this just happened to me and second I couldn't understand what the hell just happened

I got right back up and immediately ran to the bike to make sure she was turned off. I then got her by the handlebars and lifted her right up (I was surprised at how easy it felt) and pushed her to the side of the road. I tried starting her up a couple of times but heard no sound whatsoever so I began contemplating what to do now. I was more pissed than anything as it was raining and I was FREEZING on the side of the road all soaked with nowhere to hide.

So 5 minutes later I got my mind together and realized the kick stand is down and the bike won't start up in gear even if I'm holding the clutch in ... doh ...
I tried to get her in neutral but the green light never lit up so I finally sat on the seat, got the stand up, turned the key off and on, got her in first and then neutral and this time the light lit up and a second later she was purring once again! To say I was happy would be an understatement!! I got my wet gear back on, totally ignored the bent shifter and just headed home as I was freezing.

Here are a few pics of the damage ... it's mostly plastic and since I don't care about plastics at all I'll just leave the battle scars on there All I have to do is bend my shifter in its original position (although it's pretty comfortable shifting as it is )

I was wearing jacket, pants, gloves, helmet, boots and a backprotector and nothing of my gear got damaged. The only damage on me is my now swollen scraped knee but it's no big deal.

As for what caused the crash: I really don't know. I was going slow, I was completely upright, I was hardly on the brakes and all of a sudden I just lost the front wheel and fell down.

Here are the pics ... in the first few pics you can see where the handlebar/engine cover left a mark on the pavement. I'd appreciate if you guys let me know what was the noob mistake that I made to hit the ground The only explanation I have is I might have decided to veer a tad to the left when I hit the patch on the road. I just don't understand how can I lose traction with so little brakes and so minimal (if any) change in direction. I don't think I hydroplaned @ 30mph and I didn't see any oil spills. Once thing is certain - I should learn a lesson but I'm not quite sure what is it

Anyway - here's the fun part - pics :cheer:

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All I know is this: raining or not I'm out on her again tomorrow

 

[b.oryan]

Well be happy your tank didn't get scratched. I'm pretty sure that's the most expensive part on the bike as far as crashing goes..

 

[oldfast007]

First,glad you are generally OK, good for you for gearing up! Second, not sure what caused the tip over, could be several factors, I do think you could have grabbed a little more brake than you thought you had, or hit some hidden oil patch, possibly a cut or groove?? who knows.

Stay safe and keep on riding:thumbup:

 

[bcityroller]

Sorry to hear about the fall - especially in the crappy weather today. Glad you're essentially ok.

On possible lessons - you didn't happen to start doing your braking on one of the small metal covers in that patch did you? Would be bad coincidental timing and all that but that looks like the most slick part of the photos you posted.

The other thing is that sounds like you were already cold - it's possible that your hands weren't squeezing the lever as gently as you thought. Rain gear that keeps you dry and warm is key if you want full dexterity.

 

[Dennis in NH]

First of all -- glad you're ok. I feel for ya -- a fall sucks and I understand the "I can't believe this is happening". It feels like a really bad dream and you just want to wake up -- only to realize it's real and you have to deal with it. I bet you had so much adrenaline cruising through your veins that picking up the bike was easy. Take care of the knee quickly and keep at it so it doesn't get infected or any permanent issues.

What kind of tires are you running? I'm on RoadSmarts from Dunlop.

I rode almost exclusively in rain in June and a lot in July. A lot of highway (over 80mph in places while it was raining) and on the backroads, etc. My bike felt really planted and the feedback felt good. The rain was good and steady but not torrential downpour. I've done torrential downpour once for .25 miles and although the bike was fine, I hated it and found out that my apparel was not completely waterproof in that kind of rain.

Anyway, did your front skid? I've never experienced that in rain -- but I think I have in dry.

Again, glad your ok and I hope you and your bike get better soon.

Dennis

 

[Moses195]

Glad your OK. The pic's just make sick to my gut!! Terrible.

 

[Ghost Weim]

:thumbup: on you being ok after the fall.
on the bike. Sorry to hear about it. I just hate riding in the rain. We don't do enough of it for me to feel comfortable at all.

 

[chimneydoc]

First things first. Glad to hear that you are ok, now sorry to see your bike with a few boo boo's. Money is a bit tight right now, I'd hate to have to ride my love around for a month untill I could get it fixed. Good luck and thanks for the photo's.

Doc

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Part of your problem was your gear. From your description, you didn't have the proper riding gear for riding in the rain. Proper gear in wet conditions should keep you dry and warm. Not wet and cold. Otherwise you will be worrying about how cold and wet you are and not enjoying or concentrating on your ride.

Heal up quick and thanks for posting.

 

[dturpen]

Sucks to go down, doesn't it? I have almost the same damage on my bike and it really isn't that bad. Glad to hear you were wearing your gear and that you didn't get hurt very badly. My knees are still scraped up from my accident, but that's a small price to pay, and it could have been much worse. Heal up quickly, and be careful in the rain. (Although it sounds like you were already :thumbup: )

 

[zmeiaspas]

Thanks for the good wishes guys! Grabbing a little too much front brake on slippery surface seems like the logical reason. I think I fell down the moment I hit the patch of new asphalt which might mean as I was already on the brakes (lightly) it probably had less traction and thus locked the wheel. I always look for oil and debris, avoid manhole or any metal covers, always get the bike upright when passing over painted surface, if in a corner I'd sharpen my turn to afford to get the bike upright while passing over the slippery surface, ride slowly over tar snakes and keep the leaning to an absolute minimum, etc. I got the basics covered up and that's why I was so surprised when I suddenly found myself sliding down the road with a very confused look on my face

As for the gear - yes you are right. I'm a dumb ass and decided to save on money for now and deal with being uncomfortable on the fly. You are totally right that being freezing and miserable made my ride times less enjoyable and also less safe :spank: Next paycheck goes for some good rain gear - that's for sure.

Well be happy your tank didn't get scratched. I'm pretty sure that's the most expensive part on the bike as far as crashing goes..

The tank is already scratched and repainted in a different shade of blue by the previous owner I love my bike for the sensation it gives me - as long as she is mechanically sound I couldn't care less if she's rashed up or she's got some dings here and there - hell I haven't even washed her

:thumbup: on you being ok after the fall.
on the bike. Sorry to hear about it. I just hate riding in the rain. We don't do enough of it for me to feel comfortable at all.

I was kind of fearful from the rain myself (and now even got a reason for that) but for some reason I am dead set on always confronting myself with all those things I wanna avoid. And as you can see I usually pay for it but what the hell ... better now than later Important thing is I learned 2 things: (1) Allow myself extra braking space in wet conditions (2) Watch out for different asphalt surfaces and bumps especially when applying brakes (even slightly).

dturpen: how did your fall happen? It kind of sux but the fact that I went on a "protest ride against the rain" and fell down, got soaked and miserable, came back home with a rashed up bike and a swollen knee puts a HUGE smile on my face :rockon:

 

[zmeiaspas]

First of all -- glad you're ok. I feel for ya -- a fall sucks and I understand the "I can't believe this is happening". It feels like a really bad dream and you just want to wake up -- only to realize it's real and you have to deal with it. I bet you had so much adrenaline cruising through your veins that picking up the bike was easy. Take care of the knee quickly and keep at it so it doesn't get infected or any permanent issues.

What kind of tires are you running? I'm on RoadSmarts from Dunlop.

I rode almost exclusively in rain in June and a lot in July. A lot of highway (over 80mph in places while it was raining) and on the backroads, etc. My bike felt really planted and the feedback felt good. The rain was good and steady but not torrential downpour. I've done torrential downpour once for .25 miles and although the bike was fine, I hated it and found out that my apparel was not completely waterproof in that kind of rain.

Anyway, did your front skid? I've never experienced that in rain -- but I think I have in dry.

Again, glad your ok and I hope you and your bike get better soon.

Dennis

Thanks for the info Dennis. I'll keep that in mind when picking up my next pair. I don't quite know what tires I have at the moment. I bought the bike from the previous owner who only put 2000 miles on her so I'm guessing I'm still running stock tires. I put 1500 miles in the past couple of weeks and the back tire still looks fine but to tell you the truth I haven't taken a detailed look at the front one :spank: (will do that tomorrow morning).

 

[afpreppie04]

Sorry about the fall, never fun. On the other hand now your bike looks like mine, I have the same corner of the fairing broken off Mine was from ice in a turn. I got much of the same damage, but no damage at all to my shift lever (free marketing point for OSO2k's setback plates:rockon Heal up quick with the knee!