- This topic has 12 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 5 months ago by Jim.
Wet leaves are evil
-
AuthorPosts
-
November 16, 2008 at 2:24 am #2354dcJohnParticipant
Well, I think this tells most of the shameful story:
I knew wet leaves are a serious traction problem, but I didn’t realize just how bad it it could get. In this case, it was a layer of leaves resting on hidden mud, and the result was dumping the bike.
Roads until this point in my ride were in great shape–three days of rain had washed things clean. But this was a heavily tree-lined back road, and the rain, leaves, and dirt on the side of the road had instead added up to a mess. I slowed way down… about 10mph before I hit this in a turn. As soon as I hit the leaves the bike started washing around and clearly wasn’t about to hold the turn. I straightened the bike and braked as absolutely slowly as I could without going into the oncoming lane (classic MSF mid-turn stopping). No luck. Just a woosh and out it went. Again, felt just like ice with the leaves and mud, and I even had a tough time getting enough traction just to lift the bike up.
Thankfully, the bike started right back up and was rideable. Most thankfully, other than a slightly bruised tailbone, I’m totally uninjured. I was wearing full gear that isn’t even scuffed (but I think I’d have had more bruises and a little road-rash without it) , Head never touched the ground, so helmet is fine. Like I said, I was being very cautious and had slowed way down before reaching this turn.
I’m waiting for the final estimate on the bike, but went over it with the mechanic and it doesn’t look all that bad. Side plastic to replace, bar-end, right peg and brake arm, and I should be back on the road in a week.
I’ve been going over what I could do differently. I got the important stuff right to avoid this being serious–slowed way down before the questionable road condition, wearing all my gear, and when I had to resort to braking I did it straightened up and gradually. In retrospect, it was simply a bad road to be going down. As soon as I saw all the leaves on a wet backroad, I should have stopped and found a different route.
Anyway, I thought I’d share my rotten day so others might avoid the same mess.
November 16, 2008 at 2:58 am #14842MunchParticipantNot really anything you could have or would have done differently… if it wasn’t that road it would have been another in some other situation. Take it for what it is .. .a lesson learned… should you avoid another road that has leaves on it…. nope. Just ne wary of what you can face and becareful. Which sounds like you learned and actually knew. Shit Happens… Cowboy up and go at it again with a twist.
OH YEA……scratches = character ;^)Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a prediction, but today…… is a Bi**h
November 16, 2008 at 7:27 am #14845supermedicParticipantHey man look at it this way, it makes your Kawasaki logo look much more rugged. It’s like a pair of ripped jeans, it just makes you that much cooler
November 16, 2008 at 1:26 pm #14847Sangria7ParticipantDropping a bike always suck…sorry to hear man!
November 16, 2008 at 1:26 pm #14848Sangria7ParticipantNovember 16, 2008 at 5:05 pm #14852JimParticipantAwww that sucks, sorry about you messing up your pretty bike, Glad it was relatively minor mishap for you and your baby.
November 16, 2008 at 5:52 pm #14855MunchParticipantJust hit me…… betcha the “my bike got wet post” seems a tad un-important now huh….. j/k.
It definitely does not apply to bikes but the only hint I ever got from granddaddy was “If you buy a new car, taker her out and back into the mail box. Once she gets her first scratch you won’t be scared to drive her” .
Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a prediction, but today…… is a Bi**h
November 16, 2008 at 10:37 pm #14860AnonymousGuestWhat I did when I scratched-up my bike was to buy the new fairing panels but not put them on.
I put them on just before selling the bike and it made it look like new which helped it to sell. Who knows, you might drop it again (‘ hope note).
November 16, 2008 at 10:39 pm #14861AnonymousGuestDry leaves, while slippery themselves, often hide mud or wet leaves underneath them and are also to be avoided.
November 17, 2008 at 12:40 am #14862dcJohnParticipantOh, I just remembered one bit learned from the crash: spools are good. Just the other day I put spools on the bike to make it easy to use a stand, jack up the rear wheel, and oil the chain. Sure enough, the right spool doubled as a guard in the fall and prevented my swingarm from getting seriously scratched up. It has a couple of nicks, but thanks to the spool on that side the minor cosmetic damage was not enough to warrant replacing the swingarm ($20 to save a >$500 part). So… cheap, helpful for maintenance (assuming you don’t have a center stand), and good protection.
November 17, 2008 at 12:41 am #14859dcJohnParticipantWell, I dunno, now that she has a few scrapes, keeping rust back is an even bigger issue. I guess I’ll need to redouble my efforts at working on that motorcycle oil jacuzzi for the backyard.
I haven’t gotten the final repair estimate yet, but I’ve already decided not to do every little thing to bring the bike back to showroom-new condition. All mechanical and the major cosmetic stuff is going to get fixed, but the bike is still going to have some permanent scuffs and character from the wipeout.
A day later I’m in much better spirits about it. I was skittish when first hoping back on the bike to ride it to the shop (having only one peg, no access to the rear brake, and a big rainstorm starting on the ride didn’t help). But now I’m actually just laughing about the whole thing. Lots of old riders I’ve talked too in the meantime have had “and then I bit it in the leaves” stories. And now crashing the bike isn’t some abstract concern, and I know from first-hand experience that it’s not fun, but it ain’t (or at least doesn’t have to be) the end of the world.
November 17, 2008 at 1:43 am #14863LokiParticipanthappens to all of us, ive dumped my bike 3 times now. Mainly cause of my gravel (Loose gravel) hill, yes i have to ride up and down a loose gravel hill. My dad put in new gravel so its even harder for me and ive dumped it going down twice.
November 17, 2008 at 9:51 pm #14876JimParticipanthush you…I’ve not dumped it yet…now you went and jinxed me…oh snap.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.