Crashed bike

[Rocket_Rider]

Hi all,

sad to sad I crashed the bike, but it looks like we will both live to ride another day!!

I've attached some images as Im interested in hearing opinions, I always try to learn from an off but Im not sure what I could have done. Was leaving home for work, travelling along a well known route, doing probably about 40kms/hr (i had been accelerating having just passed over a speed hump at very low speed).

My experience was I was upright and slowly gaining speed, felt the rear wheel move and the bike started to slide, next thing I know I've high sided and hit my right shoulder and head against the roadway and it was all over - it was reasonably violent - had to go to hospital in ambulance as I wasn't with it apparently - I have a fine fracture to my T2 vertebrae and soft tissue damage to right shoulder but should recover fully within a month or two and will be back on the bike.

I was wearing all the gear, leather jacket is a fair bit thinner on right arm and eps liner on helmet has compressed at point of impact so I guess i'll be going helmet and jacket shopping (never a bad thing). Kevlar jeans held up well with minimal wear and boots were undamaged. Emergency services seemed impressed with the armor in my jacket - i guess a lot of riders don't wear it?

I do recall the bike starting to slide, i went with it and didn't do anything with the throttle or brakes before coming off but to be honest it was soo quick I'm not sure how else i could have reacted. Ive been daily commuting for many years and at 42 I haven't had an off since i was a teenager so i think I'm a competent rider.

The main damage to bike is a snapped off brake lever, scuffed right mirror and master brake reservoir cover, scuffed right floorboard, and scuffed right saddle bag, there is denting and scratching to the right silencer underneath not visible in pic of bike, there is also a bit of damage to the right highway peg and the crash bars front and rear on the right are more scratched than the pic shows.

There was an accident on the road 5hrs before. The sand visible on the roadway before the actual of point of coming off was not there and the it was not so visible early in morning. its since been cleaned and sand put down but the oil is still obvious on the roadway and the surface still felt slippery in sneakers many days later.

I am thinking i was unfortunate enough to come along before the road was cleaned, picked up oil and the rear wheel lost and regained traction and I high sided.

does anything else stand out to anyone in the pics that I might learn from? should i have reacted more quickly instead of going with the slide, would it likely have changed anything (Ive always been told not to shut off the throttle or hit the brake)?

thanks...

 

[atlsrt44]

Just glad you came thru ok. I'm thinking you are correct and your rear wheel snagged some oil,diesel, something slick.

 

[Rocket_Rider]

Roadway just before roundabout.... definitely something on road

 

[Joesmoe]

Really glad you are ok, and thank you so much for sharing.

There are a few folks here who really know their two wheel drive dynamics, and I hope they will come along presently and offer you something useful out of the experience.

I dare say I don't know what I would have done that would have been any different, so I too am interested in learning more.

 

[TXtriple]

Bummer Dude! Glad you're doing well! You said there was an accident previously...there is definitely something on the roadway. Oil, diesel, trans and power steering fluid are all slippery on their own...add condensation or antifreeze and you might as well be ice skating. Cold tires? What was the road temp? Humidity? Lots of variables.

From now on do a decent burnout before heading off to work every morning. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Kevin frazier]

many

Hi all,

sad to sad I crashed the bike, but it looks like we will both live to ride another day!!

I've attached some images as Im interested in hearing opinions, I always try to learn from an off but Im not sure what I could have done. Was leaving home for work, travelling along a well known route, doing probably about 40kms/hr (i had been accelerating having just passed over a speed hump at very low speed).

My experience was I was upright and slowly gaining speed, felt the rear wheel move and the bike started to slide, next thing I know I've high sided and hit my right shoulder and head against the roadway and it was all over - it was reasonably violent - had to go to hospital in ambulance as I wasn't with it apparently - I have a fine fracture to my T2 vertebrae and soft tissue damage to right shoulder but should recover fully within a month or two and will be back on the bike.

I was wearing all the gear, leather jacket is a fair bit thinner on right arm and eps liner on helmet has compressed at point of impact so I guess i'll be going helmet and jacket shopping (never a bad thing). Kevlar jeans held up well with minimal wear and boots were undamaged. Emergency services seemed impressed with the armor in my jacket - i guess a lot of riders don't wear it?

I do recall the bike starting to slide, i went with it and didn't do anything with the throttle or brakes before coming off but to be honest it was soo quick I'm not sure how else i could have reacted. Ive been daily commuting for many years and at 42 I haven't had an off since i was a teenager so i think I'm a competent rider.

The main damage to bike is a snapped off brake lever, scuffed right mirror and master brake reservoir cover, scuffed right floorboard, and scuffed right saddle bag, there is denting and scratching to the right silencer underneath not visible in pic of bike, there is also a bit of damage to the right highway peg and the crash bars front and rear on the right are more scratched than the pic shows.

There was an accident on the road 5hrs before. The sand visible on the roadway before the actual of point of coming off was not there and the it was not so visible early in morning. its since been cleaned and sand put down but the oil is still obvious on the roadway and the surface still felt slippery in sneakers many days later.

I am thinking i was unfortunate enough to come along before the road was cleaned, picked up oil and the rear wheel lost and regained traction and I high sided.

does anything else stand out to anyone in the pics that I might learn from? should i have reacted more quickly instead of going with the slide, would it likely have changed anything (Ive always been told not to shut off the throttle or hit the brake)?

thanks...

Glad you’re ok for the most part, out of curiosity what is the age of those tires date of manufacture and what are the pressures in each ? It looks like you definitely ran through a wreck clean up site, that stuff on road is definitely ugly.

 

[Rocket_Rider]

Glad you’re ok for the most part, out of curiosity what is the age of those tires date of manufacture and what are the pressures in each ? It looks like you definitely ran through a wreck clean up site, that stuff on road is definitely ugly.

Tyre pressures were to spec.... I’d have to check the date of manufacture, they’re Metzelers... came with the bike, tyres have 2790kms on them and look to be in near new condition.

 

[Rocket_Rider]

Bummer Dude! Glad you're doing well! You said there was an accident previously...there is definitely something on the roadway. Oil, diesel, trans and power steering fluid are all slippery on their own...add condensation or antifreeze and you might as well be ice skating. Cold tires? What was the road temp? Humidity? Lots of variables.

From now on do a decent burnout before heading off to work every morning. Better safe than sorry.

Dry day, air temp was about 23 degrees Celsius, tyres were coldish, accident occurred 1300metres from my home

 

[1olbull]

Not much to go on here, but clearly you were traversing through an "S" curve and the rear tire lost traction.
This caused it to come around the front. When the bike had slowed enough for the rear tire to regain traction, you were cross-ways and it high sided, catapulting you off in the worst way.
Sand or wet on road surface likely would have alerted you to impending danger and result in sudden application of the rear brake.
This would result in the rear tire breaking traction and subsequently kick out the rear wheel.
Due to serious lack of data, I offer this only as a likely scenario based upon your photos, comments, human factors and my experience.
This is NOT offered to the legal level of more probable that not basis.
Best fortune for your recovery, both physical and motor.

 

[barbagris]

It is hard to tell - but acceleration plus torque plus loose sandy stuff CAN get the rear end to be lively.

If you feel up to it: walk about and look for anything like and old nut or odd size stone. I lost a Guzzi once in a roundabout : there was a bit of rubber cush drive right in "the line".