dive2277

After more than 100,000 street miles since I was 16, I finally went down hard while riding in the beautiful hill country around Kerrville, TX.

I was riding with the Texas Sport Riders out of Grapevine, TX in and around Kerrville, TX area (The best and most beautiful riding in TX). We started riding at 9 AM and rode through lunch (will not ride through lunch again, not smart!) we were riding hard and fast all morning at around 2 PM. We were taking it easy for the next 50 miles and doing some slow scenic riding like the cruisers do (from one bar to the other, he he) and it happened a Bicyclist came around the 10 MPH sharp curve, wide. To the left, a 500 foot drop to your death and to the right a rock wall. It was a right hand turn and the Bicyclist was on coming…. So, no big deal I went right, wide into the corner 12” from the roads edge, no bigge right? After the turn in the strait I am still at the edge of the road and it happened, I went down at about 15 MPH in some color matched gravel that had accumulated over the years at the exit of that corner. Not dirt gravel but bleached gray asphalt about 1 ˝ to 2” deep and 8 to 9 inches wide. I did not see it and went down hard on the right side mostly in the dirt and softball sized rocks (ouch!!) I went down on my right hip and left shoulder, dislocating it (thank God for my safety gear, but I will have riding pants with padding next time) The SH got scratched up pretty good, the tank, right side lever and pipe are ok, put a small hole in the crankcase cover and bent the rear brake pedal in a backwards U. I ordered the parts from Ron Ayers for $493.00 (stupid Tax) for the right side faring, crankcase cover and brake pedal to my door. The right side blinker got cracked as well.

The bike was ride-able, the crack was high on the crankcase. I tried to get one of the guys to help me reset my arm but after a few pulls and seeing his face in horror, at what I was asking him to do, I told him not to worry, Id get it fixed at the hospital when I got back to the hotel to secure the SH and would have someone drive me to the hospital.

I could not lift my left arm at all, so climbing on the SH and using my right hand to place my left arm on the handlebars I rode 79 miles back to the hotel in Kerrville, Tx…. (In the most pain I have ever experienced in my life so far.) The ride took over two hours to make it and all I could think about is getting to the Doctor and resetting my arm. When I got in the hotel, I placed my left arm on the top of the microwave at chest level to gently remove my jacket and the son of a bitch reset itself and 95% of the pain went away just like that!

I rode home the next day.

Moral of the story, take care of yourself just as good as your motorcycle and don’t skip meals even when you’re having fun. If the leader wants you and everyone else to skip lunch to fit in more riding, speak up and explain respectfully that, that’s not a good idea.

I hope it’s at least another 100,000 miles before I go down again (or never would be fine with me!).

Photos to follow, soon.

nineighthawk