At this moment, I am typing with only one hand. Yesterday, I decided to take out the hawk to go to work since it was going to be a beautiful (ottawa region) riding day. It was relatively cold morning and I have not ridden for about a month and a half so I was looking forward to it. Warmed her up, got my gears on and put on an extra windbreaker over the leathers. Backed her out and shift into 1st while testing the steering. Moved it back and forth and felt a little weird. Didn't think much of it....Looking back, it should have given me a clue. The unfamiliarity of it should have clued me in to be extra careful.

Decided to head across the parking lot and was about to make a turn toward the exit when another car approached. She signaled me forward and at about 10 kph, I turned and rolled on. Tire gripped, lost traction and gripped again. I am off and the hawk is sliding on it's left hand side. Rear set goes flying and I hopped up. She shut herself down. I stared at it for a brief moment, walked to the dividing grassy sidewalk, pulled my lid off and threw my gloves onto the grass.

Walked towards the bike and I can hear

hot chick: "Hey, you're alright?"
me: "Yeah"

I grabbed the front brake and lifted her up, put her on the stand and surveyed the damage.

hot chick: "Do you need help? is there anything I can do?"
me:"Nah but thanks." I should have said; "a little sympathy blow job would be great right now"..but I was too pissed off to utter those words.

Hot chick puttered pass me in her Cavalier thinking "Maybe I should stop and give him a sympathy blow just to make it better. Too bad he didn't ask"

My rear set has broken off. The shifter is bent. My clutch is contorted. The mirror is scratched. My fairings are scratched. The left D and D has some rash. Not bad, but not rideable so I pushed her back into the parking space, grabbed my lid and walked back into the house.

Inside the house, I took off the remaining gear and got dressed for work. Went to work and the pain started to show itself. A colleague took a look at me and my wrist and says."That looks broken".

So off to the hospital I went. Spent 4 hours at the hospital where they put me in a cast and sent me on my way. I went back to work only two hours later, I was in so much pain, I had to head home.

Anyway here are the outcome:

Body:

hair line fractured wrist - originally thought to be broken but it ain't...This is the last time I trust a medical person who is also blonde.


rashes on the forearm, hip x 2 and left angle


Sore shoulder
bruised ego

Gear:

scratched lid and visor


workshoes are fucked (didn't wear my boots)
windbreaker in the garbage
leathers small rash

Hawk:

left bar end
left signal

Notice I also crack the plastic protector for the forks. Not sure but I assume it was because the fairing hitting it when it landed on the left hand side. Fork looks straight and I assume it as such since it never hit anything directly.

clutch lever


left fairing


shifter and peg


left mirrors


left exhaust


It doesn't appear too bad. Basically, I just need left side fairing (not sure now much), peg (got one), shifter (perhalps can be fixed) signal($30), mirror ($30), fork protector (Crazy glue), rash on can (sand and polish), bar ends ($20) and clutch lever ($20). Stays and everything is straight.

For now, I will plan to seek some sympathy from this hotty at work.........results since

Her: "I am not doing any favors unless I get some in return. You need both hands for me babe. I don't do cripple"

Ouch ...

Me:" I don't need digits to make you move"
Her: "oh really?"
Me: "Your intrique warrants you go first"
Her: "I don't think so"
Me: " I know so"

I walked away.

That was Friday....

BTW I am still leaning towards ebay the thing. So when my wrist is better, I might start taking thing apart. PM me for what you need.

 

glad your ok, and I think it is reasonable in that situation to ask for a *******, I mean it would have helped me...:-D

 

Ouch! Hope you heal well.

 

This is the bike.

 

still looks like that if you take the picture from that side..:-)

 

All things considered, you got off easy from a high-side.

 

**** Lou! So sorry to hear you got hurt. Forget the bruised ego because it's happened to all of us. Trust me I know a thing a two about bruising the ego. I know it doesn't make you feel any better but I'm glad you didn't get hurt worse.

 

Thanks beau. **** happens. Another lesson learned. As per feeling better, I will milk this for a while. Hopefully the hotty at work will feel extra sympathetic.

 

Tell her you'd appreciate it if she could give you a hand.

Wink wink, nudge nudge. Say n'more.

 

See that's the spirit! Let us know how it goes (and lie even if it doesn't)

 

That sucks. Where in the ottawa region are you from?

If you are in Ottawa, and you need parts or work, check out MD Motorcycles.

 

Kanata

 

thanks and yeah fortunately it was low speed high side. Suprised the hell out off me.

 

good luck with both you and your bike's recovery! I have been riding in sub 0C weather all week, and every time I turn or accelerate the back will twitch or slide....hard to get used to the drastic difference in traction.

Here's hoping it doesn't happen to me!

 

Yeah, motorcycle tires, especially sportier ones, go through what's called a "glass transition" at lower temperatures. The molecules of the rubber actually begin to form a more crystalline shape...and as you now know that ain't good for traction.

Sorry about the wreck. Good luck on the BJ though. ....and don't ask me to help you out there cuz it just won't happen.

 

I don't switch hit unless you are really really really good, I am drugged, tided down and world peace is at stake.

 

Lou, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I've got you beat here (you can tell how proud I am). Here's a couple of shitty pics of what was left of mine after a wreck a few years back. Can you say t-bone an out of control taurus at 90mph and rip the frame in half? I'll spare you the pics of what my leg and foot looked like...

 

yipe you got me....

post your foot pics

 

How did I know you'd go there? Does everyone really want to see that?

 

Sure why not! If you can still walk on it that's what's important. I broke my foot up pretty badly coming down from the roof of a two story house - the fast way. But I don't have any pictures of it. I still walk on it. Some days are more managable than others. Into each life a little rain must fall.

 

Okay, here's a taste since you asked for it. These are pics of pics so they're not the best...Who do you think wears a pair of alpinestars and mountainbike knee/shinguards now? Five broken toes, leg broke in two places, all the assorted torn & ripped this and that inside my knee and ankle and foot, and four months for the 2 holes in my leg, hole in my ankle and hole in my foot where they basically sewed two of my toes back on/together to close up. And of course a year 'till I could run on it again. Oh and these were taken by the insurance at home after a week in the hospital so this is after it was cleaned up...

 

And here's a couple better pics of what was left of my bike. Like the mechanic at the dealer when it was new said- "Remember it's only new once!" You ain't kidding...

 

I use every excuse in the book to ride my bike. As long as I don't have to carry much and it's not raining - I'm going out on the Hawk. I go to the bank, I go see properties or clients, whatever. My leather jacket is good and my boots are good but I think about legs that look like this everytime I go out. It's amazing you didn't bleed to death right off the bat. You can be proud of yourself because at that very last second you did something that saved your life. The Superhawk is almost as amazing. I would think a bike hit as you describe would be more shredded. Instead the frame is clearly (bent as hell but) intact. That really surprised me when I first saw the shots. I clearly expected the bike to show broken welds, a high degree of tearing, and more broken parts in general. Instead that's the way you look. It's obvious that this event has not dampened your spirits. Oops - I stand corrected - damped. Thanks for the photos - I'm going to show them to my kid who is always riding his CBR in a tshirt and sneakers. The only time he uses his gear is when we ride together or it's cold. I beg and plead but it doesn't go far. He does wear his helmet so I'm glad of that. Glad you're healed. As a matter of fact, due your sacrafice to the cause, I move that you be elevated to rank of General. We could call you Chaos in General.

 

Having a broken wrist sucks, I know from personal experience. (It was a mountian bike get off though). Hope you heal quick.

 

I am accident prone so that sounds about right. I don't know how "intact" I would call it. The front end and a few inches of the frame completely ripped off the rest of the bike and were laying on opposite sides of the highway. I was told that basically the only good parts left on that thing were the calipers. The front cylinder head was smashed, the carbs ripped off, the back wheel peeled like an orange. There's a place in Miami called motoconnection and they're a huge warehouse filled with wrecked bikes. Kinda spooky/scary/sad because I've gone in there and recognized bikes that the last time I saw them I was talking to the owner while they were sitting on it. Some really nasty wrecks and not one of them was as messed up as this was. I've never seen a bike frame rip in half (nor do I ever want to).

 

I need to correct....misdiagnosis----it turns out it is only hair line fracture and I am healing quite nicely.

 

I haven't really heard of any other 12mph highsides. That's pretty radical.

Good advertisment for concentrating on one mistress at a time.

 

yikes.....I'd bet you got a whole months worth of blow jobs from nurses to young interns to the dying cancer patient down the hall for those.....

 

The separation of the front doesn't really show in the photos but is consistent with what I would assume would happen in this kind of wreck. I'll bet a bone yard visit would be unsettling and eye opening. I must admit that I ordered some Icon knee and shin armor just this morning. It just seems like the best alternative. I can always close my office door, drop trou, put them on and then go out on my run. When I get back - I just take them off. I've got Draggin' Jeans but they don't do much in the impact resistance category. I don't think I could bust up my left leg again and expect to walk. Wearing leathers all day is not an option nor is changing in and out. This just seems like the best approach.

 

Yeah if you look at what's laying in back of the pickup the front wheel is where the neck of the frame is behind it-the front end is completely ripped off. You can see where the frame is ripped apart in the close up-that twisted ripped metal is the neck of the frame. LOL thats the same ritual I do-go to bathroom, drop trou, pull my guards on. I'll tell you I feel SO much better riding with them and a HUGE added benefit is for all of you who ride in cool/cold weather is they completely block the wind. I actually have two different pairs-both used Fox mountainbike knee/shinguards and they both fit under my jeans and into my Alpinestars perfect. One pair has velcro straps and the others are the older kind which are like stockings. You pull them on- but both pairs fit great. They've already been battletested in a lowside up an onramp and they really saved my *** and allowed me to get up and jump up and down in anger. I tell you my right knee would have been TOASTED-not bad for $35. While there are no sure things if our luck runs out we can at least do our best to put the odds into our favor.