Laid my bike down for the first time

[samburger]

I just finished putting in a new battery & was riding around, so happy that everything was working & looking nice on my bike. Then I hit a sharp turn that I take all the time, & there was a nice new patch of gravel waiting there for me. I lost control & straightened the bike up to try to brake. Fortunately for me, it was a left turn so I went off the road into the grass without crossing over the other lane. I hit the ground at probably about 20mph. It was amazing to me how slowly it all seemed to happen. Adrenaline & reflexes are truly amazing. At one point, I was sliding on my head & thought to myself "I'm not going to stop soon. I need to get off my head." So I rolled myself onto my back until I stopped. I got up immediately, which was stupid. I should have looked at my body to make sure everything was okay, since adrenaline numbs the pain of what could be a serious injury. Fortunately I was okay. A nice guy stopped to check if I was okay & helped me get my bike out of the ditch. I rode away with everything mechanically sound. The headlight glass broke. The handlebar & headlight brackets are bent. The gauge housing is cracked. But the headlight bulb still works & the left side of the handlebar is only bent back about 1/4", so it's still rideable to take it to the shop & get it replaced. I was planning on replacing the headlight anyway just to make it look nicer, so this is as good a reason as any to upgrade. My bike is my daily driver so I knew I was bound to lay it down eventually. Statistics are just against me on that one, even if I did take the MSF training course. It was scary enough to humble me, but not so bad that I never want to ride again. I've only been riding for a month & a half so I got that cockiness that many people get of thinking that I'm better than I really am & taking unnecessary risks. So this has taken me down a peg & taught me that I'm still very new to riding, that I'm not ready for an SV650 (had been thinking about getting one since I recently got a LOT more hours at work), & that I still need to be just as careful as the day I started riding. These are all things I would tell myself, but some things don't really influence you until you learn first hand. I'm glad to be okay & not in a hospital, & I'm truly amazed that I was able to walk away from my first motorcycle accident. I hope my first is the last.

[007brendan]

I've got an extra set of gauges and housing from an '89 if you want to buy it.

[tucsondude]

sounds like 2-3 hours to get you bike fixed, just do it yourself. very easy to do headlight, gauges, and handlebars.

get a new lid, relax for a week while you wait on parts and get back on it.

[Anaconda]

do check your forks to see if they are bent or not.  I laid mine down at 10mph and it slid into the side of the hill and bent it.

[Twisted]

A low speed drop is the best reality check you will probably get. Makes you respect your bike, the road and the skills/judgement needed to ride a bike. Well it did for me. Hope you get back in the saddle soon.

[Twism86]

There is no laying a bike down. There is only crashing, you crashed  . Almost everyone does, good think your ok. Just remember to always scan the road ahead for gravel, dirt etc and learn from it. I broke the same things on my bike recently, should be a cheap fix.

And to repeat what was said, your head hit the ground. Throw out your helmet and get a new one!

[scratch]

Glad you're allright.  What did you learn?

[JAY W]

The bit about skidding on your head made me laugh,had lots of spills when i was younger.Take a wide line into corners if poss` to give max` view,and remember you never know whats round the bend.Hope you get fixed up soon,if you tackle the light yourself put a piece of tape on each electrical connection and mark a-a b-b etc and you won`t go wrong.

[elader]

Glad you are OK. Bikes can be replaced, you cannot be.  I am a new rider this year, 6000 miles in 4 months. I watch every turn like it was my first, but I am a realist about it and wear my gear, prepared for the worst.

[Twisted]

How's the bike coming along?

[P1John]

Take the MSF, it won't kill you. Now, the cager next to or behind you might. Better to practice avoidance by proper riding technique than to have some idiot take you out after you "layed it down". The more you learn the better it gets. Glad you are ok. Been there, done that.

[samburger]

I got a new lens for the headlight in yesterday, & got it installed today. Also went ahead & ordered a universal headlight mount to replace the bracket/mount combo that came stock on the bike & got bent to hell. I had my helmet inspected by a friend's dad who's been riding for 50+ years & actually built racing helmets at one point in time, & he said it was fine. Just scratched the shell up very slightly.

Oh, & I already took the MSF course before I even started riding. I know exactly what I did wrong & know how to correct it next time. The reason I hit the gravel in the first place it because I didn't turn my head enough to see what was coming up. If I had seen it, I could have taken the inside of the corner & avoided the gravel completely. But hey, we live & we learn.

[JB848]

These stories never cease to amaze me. I am not going to jinx myself. I rode dirt bikes from since I was 6 and that was a long time ago. I guess those of us that were fortunate enough to learn basic skills, habits, natural reactions to situations in the dirt are very lucky. (YES I KNOW THE ROAD IS DIFFERENT BUT IT APPLIES!)

You guys that didn't be careful out there and take nothing for granted and know your limits. It takes time to be a competent rider stay within your abilities and you will have more fun, hurt less, spend less money and hopefully learn at normal natural pace.

[samburger]

Not to stir up trouble here, but that post makes you sound a tad arrogant. I wasn't riding outside my limits, I took a stretch of road that I take every day & this time there was a new patch of gravel from a driveway. It was a mistake & it was an avoidable one had I been paying more attention, but a small lapse in judgment is quite different from riding outside one's abilities.

Example: Say someone makes the mistake of riding down the highway with their face shield up. Then a small bird flies right into their eyes & temporarily blinds them, causing them to hit the car in front who decided to slam on its brakes for whatever reason. It's the riders fault for not being cautious enough by riding with the face shield up, but does that mean they were riding outside their capabilities? I would think not.

I'm not trying to imply that I know anything or that I'm even a remotely skilled rider compared to the majority of this forum, but taking this turn (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&expIds=17259,25907,26425,26637,26661,26993&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=1489+south+ola+rd&cp=17&client=firefox-a&hs=pMD&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl) left at ~35mph is well within my abilities.

[P1John]

Oh, & I already took the MSF course before I even started riding. I know exactly what I did wrong & know how to correct it next time. The reason I hit the gravel in the first place it because I didn't turn my head enough to see what was coming up. If I had seen it, I could have taken the inside of the corner & avoided the gravel completely. But hey, we live & we learn.

I will never forget having the Marine/Instructor yell at me as I took the riding course. "LOOK AT ME!!!" He would stand in the center of a 180 degree turn and watch your eyes as you turned in and rolled through. My Dad was civil service at the time and got me in when I was 22. I still hear that if I catch myself fixated on the pavement. I'm still learning. I'm gratefull I still hear that yell.

Gravel sucks, especially when you don't catch it... and a frigin rude awakening on a road you know well.

[JB848]

samburger... I was doing my best to be nice. If you noticed I precipitated by saying I will not jinx myself.

I am just trying to give guidance to new riders is all and my response to you will be read by many so don' take offense.
I have ridden many roads in many situations and have always did the right thing without thinking and that is what I was trying to get across to you and any one that reads this post. I attribute that to years of riding and instinct. If that comes across as arrogant so be it. If it saves one life it is worth it.

[Twisted]

Glad to hear the bikes getting repaired. You got any shots of the damage?

[JB848]

Of course not like every other story we hear..an imaginary bike at Willie Wonka's factory..so we all feel bad and talk to the lost soul. I get it..er no I don't..er I'm suppossed to feel bad for what I said right..er I don't

[samburger]

samburger... I was doing my best to be nice. If you noticed I precipitated by saying I will not jinx myself.

I am just trying to give guidance to new riders is all and my response to you will be read by many so don' take offense.
I have ridden many roads in many situations and have always did the right thing without thinking and that is what I was trying to get across to you and any one that reads this post. I attribute that to years of riding and instinct. If that comes across as arrogant so be it. If it saves one life it is worth it.

I wasn't trying to be incredibly defensive or overly sensitive. I'm still new to the forum so I was more trying to get an idea of if you were being arrogant, or if you really are just that good. Based on your non-defensive reply, I'll assume it's the latter.

And I've got some pics on the way. The headlight is already re-aligned fairly well compared to right after the wreck so I tried to show the smaller imperfections that are still remaining (& to be fixed when the universal headlight bracket comes in).

The old lens


Notice the front fender & turn signals are bent. The blinkers themselves are fine, it's just the fork bracket that's out of alignment. The front fender makes the wheen look crooked but I've had it checked & it's not.


Gauge housing


Gas tank got a little scuffed up, but the sprocket cover took the real beating


Here the headlight itself is aligned with the wheels, so it shows how the bent bracket is throwing everything a little off.

[redhenracing2]

I laid my GS down once and busted the gauge housing up similar to that. I took a coke can and cut it up such that it fit the profile of the housing, and used electrical tape to hold it in place and seal up the busted area. Worked very well to conceal the damage, most people didn't even notice it.

PS: Don't worry about JB, he's a smartass 

PPS: Welcome to the board