Bandit Alley
MODEL SPECIFIC => SUZUKI BANDIT 250 & 400 => Topic started by: Coopz on October 31, 2006, 05:24:53 PM
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Thanks to everyone who helped me out with my bike problems, especially Stormi. All of your help is very much appreciated.
But it's useless now.
I smashed my Bandit 400 last night.
:crybaby:
I hit a sheep at about 90-100mph.
I came up over a slight hill round a slight bend, leading onto one of the long straight roads around here. As I say, I was going pretty fast. The road was clear, but next thing I knew a sheep scurried out of the shaddows at the side of the road. I don't think I have ever seen a sheep on the roads around there before, as the fields on either side are fenced off, and the sheep are kept in the field. But I guess this one escaped. I had hardy any time to react. I tried to slow down, I tried to swerve, but the sheep was right in front of me. I slammed into it with intense force, and everything after that seemed to happen all too quickly. Thinking about it, and looking at the marks on my kit, I think I went over the handle bars, and the bike somersaulted over me. I must have landed on my right shoulder, sliding along with my shoulder pad getting scraped away, and my helmet scraping along the ground. There is a big gouge out of the back of my helmet. My jacket must have ridden up at the back, and I have loads of scrapes at the bottom of my spine. I slid for a bit with the bike, and then we parted ways. I heard the bike flipping over, I think it must have been rolling over sideways at this point. The bike stopped and I carried on sliding. I thought I was coming to a stop, but I was actually starting to roll. I don't know what way I rolled, if it was head over heals or sideways, but I think it might have been sideways. Like I say, it all happened too fast. Before I had even stopped, I was wonderng if my mobile phone would still be working so I could phone for help. When I came to a stop, I went to jump up straight away, but stopped myself. I lay back for a second, having a quick mental check to see if any bones were broken or anything. I was really anxious, and got up quickly, limping around, trying to get my gloves off and my phone out. I called my girlfriend's house as she lives about 5 miles from where I crashed. I managed to get my helmet off, though my fingers felt numb and clumbsy. She answered, and I told her where I was, and to come and get me. After hanging up, I just kind of limped around in circles for a minute, moaning in pain and thinking what to do. I walked back to the bike, which was a mess. It was dark though, so I had to use the torch on the camera on my phone to see. The road was covered in bits of smashed bike. So many little bits of plastic, all over the place. A bit further down the road, I found the sheep. It's stomach had been ripped open, and bits were hanging out. I thought for a second I had ripped it's head off, but I think I just broke it's neck. I walked further down still, to see the initial point of impact. There was one little bit of sheep lying in the middle of the road, I think it was it's heart or something. A bit further down there was slime from the sheep smeared accross the road, and a bit past that was the point of impact. A pile of sheep guts, intestines and vital organs. Massive scrape marks on the road leading back in the direction of my bike. I guess when my front wheel hit the sheep, its stomach exploded and dumped all it's insides on the road. The sheep must have flown for about 30 metres before coming to a stop, the bike went about another 40, and then I went 30 metres further than that. I limped around, seeing by the light of my phone, kicking all of the bits of plastic and metal off the road. I went for another look at the bike. The dash fairing had dissapeared, the clocks were smashed and scattered about the place, the side plastics had come off, the tank had been ripped up, the airbox cover had come off, the front seat had come off, and the pillion seat had been pushed up and forward. The exhaust was squashed, and the can had snapped off from the down pipes. The chain had come off the rear sprocket, and the back wheel was buckled extremely badly, and even broken at one point around the rim. The tyre had come off the rim too. The forks were bent, and the mirrors had both snapped off. I carried on clearing the road of debris, and had just about finished, when my girlfriend and her mum showed up in the car. They helped dump the bike off to the side of the road, and move the sheep and its guts off to the grass verge. They took me to hospital, where I spent about 2 hours getting checked over.
My left knee is mangled, so it got an ice pack, got cleaned, and got a dressing put on it. Both my feet were extrememly painful, but were deemed to be ok, just bruised and swolen, with 1 possible fracture in my right foot. My back is all scraped at the bottom, just above my ass. And I have some bruises about my body, like the two on my elbow, and the two tiny ones either side of my crown jewels. A doctor came from another (bigger) hospital to have a look, and make sure I was ok, and then they said I could go. They gave me two boxes of painkillers, diclofenac and co-codamol. I got wheeled out to the car in a wheelchair, with my jeans on with a huge rip up the side, my jacket with sheep guts up the left arm, and no boots or socks on. It was painful getting in to the car, but I managed. This morning when I woke up, flat on my back, I tried to roll onto my side, but couldn't manage it, it was too painful. I had some food so I could take my painkillers, and started to feel slowly better. I had to phone work to tell them I wouldn't be coming in tonight. The hospital had reported the accident to the police, so they came to visit me a few hours ago. They just asked what had happened, and gave me a "producer". I have 7 days to take my documents to the police station, just so they can make sure they are all in order and everything is cool. I am only insured 3rd party, so can't claim my insurance. I wouldn't anyway, as it would bump up my premium for any future insurance policies, and I would lose my 1 year No Claims Discount. My friend from work phoned me earlier, so when he finishes tonight he is going to get his trailer and come and get me, and take the bike away for me.
I am feeling much better than I was this morning, but I think I will be in a bit of pain for a while. But thankfully, there is nothing majorly wrong with me. People keep saying I was lucky, and I agree. I just think I would have been luckier not to have crashed at all! All my friends have been sending me text messages asking what happened and if I'm ok. It's nice that everyone is so concerned about l'il old me!
So yeah, I'll be ok, the bike is ruined, but maybe I will slowly restore it to it's former glory over time, with the skills I'll aquire in my new job. I'll just have to see. Hopefully I will be well enough to start my new job as planned, this coming monday. I have some crappy videos of the bike, which I will post up at some point for you to see. I will try and get some decent pictures in the daylight too, so you can see the total extent of the damage.
:crybaby:
Coopz
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Hope you don’t end up with Silence of the Lambs syndrome.
I was a little skeptical that so much writing could be accomplished after such a tumble but realize later that the medication must have help you put it down on paper, the pictures should be a good addition. Anyway still recovering from a swollen ankle dirt bike tumble, I am sympathetic and hope you recover quickly, get back to work and back on the saddle of another motorcycle (B-a-a-a-a-h).
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sorry to hear that man! The important thing is that you are ok! it could have been a lot worse!
it is surprising that you say 'I will restore my bike'... I would be afraid to even touch it after an accident like that...I guess that's just me
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Good on ya Coopz thats the right attitude! Even though the bikes probably a write off and your in some not surprising form of pain, you still can't wait to get her up and running and be back out on the road!
Sorry to hear that mate, you seemed to be getting on so well with the bike aswell, or at least that's what i have picked up from reading your posts..
Still there are other Bandits out there just waiting for your special touch to spruce them up! Or better still if you can resurrect your current that would be amazing!
If your looking for any kind of Bandit spares i would recommend trying www.banditspares.com he's officially a bike breakers so takes pretty good parts off of already damaged bikes and sells them all, for reasonable prices most of the time.
Hope you get better soon and it all works out OK! Would be great to see some pics, so that the true extent of the damage can be seen..
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Wow.... that is impressing. In the forest where I ride the most I've seen deer cross the road many times but I couldn't really imagine what would happen if I hit one with 160+ km/h, which is quite common for me there. Damn that's heavy :shock:
I wish you the best of luck recovering, yourself and perhaps the bike.
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Holy crap man, that's quite a story. I was just enjoying your You Tube vids the other day. Your bike was really cool looking. Go find yourself another one! Good luck to you, bro.
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Glad you're alright bro, it could have been much worse. You can always buy another bike. Busted bones are never right.
A local hero hit a deer at 120 km/h and split the facker in two! Survived with only a busted bike and wrecked gear. His internet sign off is "Killing Deer since 2005"... maybe you can do the same with sheep? Doesn't have the same ring does it?
What about save a biker, shoot a sheep... nope doesn't work either.
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"Interesting story" First let me say im glad your alright , next let me LMFAO for the most detailed grewsom(?) story ive heard in a while at first i was like whoa then the sheep and i just couldnt stop laffing!
cheers and a speedy recovery mate :beers:
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Damn!! Thank the stars you're alright! I had a light acident at only 30km/h and that didn't feel good, i don't want to think about having that at 160km/h :sad:
About the sheep, that a little too detailed for my taste but i kept reading on :wink: .
Ahh and about getting back to 'normal' with the bike, i would suggest getting another bike and start overhauling, this seems the cheapest & fastest solution. Repairing a bike with possible frame damage is difficult and potentially dangerous if you've missed a spot when looking for damage. Also, getting OEM parts is soo costly.
I wish you a speedy (ehh, bad choice of words) recovery, bro! First get your body back into decent shape
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"my jacket with sheep guts up the left arm"
Ewwww :shock:
That's a very impressive survival story Coopz, you are indeed fortunate to 'merely' bruised and battered. I hit a car at about 60mph and that fractured my pelvis front and back. I hope your recovery is swift and that you're back riding quickly... er your b4 sounds like a write off. :sad:
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I head on'd on car once at 30 MPH. I can't imagine hitting something that big at 90-100 MPH! Really glad you made it. :congrats:
Now slow down. :wink:
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Glad you're ok! looks like you're in shock with all that typing! I've got to look out for that kind of thing with all the fields in lincolnshire.
Apart from that, on you tube it just looks like your big end came out the side of the engine!!
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So how did it taste? Seems a bit of an extreme way to sort out a sunday roast. Don't they have a Tesco round your way?
Seriously, glad you're ok(-ish). Good luck fixing up the bike. Maybe use the opportunity to put a USD front end on?
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Thanks for all the words of consolation. :grin:
And sorry for grossing some of you out with the description of the sheep, lol, my bad.
Yoda, my youtube video was from the last catastrophe I had with my little bike. The engine blew up a while back, which is what that video was about. But I got a second hand engine from ebay, and got my bike back on the road about a month ago. And now this happened! I have the worst luck.
You think how much I wrote is a sign of my shock, you should have seen me in hospital! I was shaking so much that they had to get another blanket to put over me! (But then they put a huge ice pack on my knee, so I just started shaking even more!) But I think writing it all down helped me sort it out in my head, and put things into order.
I suppose trying to slowly restore my bike to it's former glory is out of the question. It is completely wrecked. I just thought it would be a good project, and it would be nice if I could fix it up. But it's too far gone. I'm not going to get rid of it though, I'm keeping it as a souvenier.
My friend came with his trailer as promised, and we got the bike in and he took it away. He forgot to bring a ramp, so we had to lift the front end and place the front wheel on the trailer, push it forward, and then lift the back end and push the rest on. Not easy with my sore back, but my mate took most of the strain. I'm lucky he's such a strong guy! I got to inspect it some more, and it's not a pretty sight. The levers had come off and everything, and were only held on by the cables, and the brake fluid cover had even popped off!
I was curious, so earlier on I totalled up all of the money I have put into my bandit, with parts, labour, and accessories, and I discovered that to me, it was worth £1829. Add to that the helmet and jeans that were destroyed, and it jumps up to £2109. And that's not including the £430 worth of jacket, boots and gloves, which are still wearable apart from the fact that I don't have a bike to wear them on anymore. :crybaby:
I can't claim my insurance, but I'm starting to look into the possibility of claiming compensation from the farmer. It's going to be difficult, because he had cleared away all traces of the sheep by the time I went back to look at the scene, so I'm going to have a difficult time finding out and proving who owned the sheep. The police advised that I speak to the citizens advice beauro, and see what help they can offer me. If I can find out and prove who's sheep it was, I may be able to claim compensation from him as the sheep shouldn't have been on the road. The field at the side has a fence around it, but I can see a huge hole where the sheep would have escaped from. By law, the sheep should not be on the road if there is a fence between the field and the road. It's obvios the farmer knows he is liable, as he cleared the sheep up so quickly and thoroughly before me or the police had a chance to track him down. I'm not confident that I will be able to accomplish anything, but I have to try.
And that answers your question, El Dopa! I didn't even get to taste it! The only taste I have in my mouth is a bitter one. (Well, that's a lie. It's more of an orangey taste due to the juice I've been drinking)
Oh, and if I can get some money together quickly, I might consider buying a gsxr400, there is one being advertised for sale locally. I might be too late, but it'd be worth considering. But then again, I think I need to have a long think about my next choice of mode of transport. I still love bikes, but I'm thinking maybe next time I might not be so lucky. Maybe I'd be safer (and more bored) with a car. I don't know.
Coopz
-Silencing Lambs Since October 31st 2006
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a. I can't believe you were able to go out and load the bike onto a trailer today. I would've figured you'd be stuck in bed for almost a week after something like that. Impressive sir!
b. You can't go accusing the farmer of cleaning up his lamchop. Maybe a dingo ate the sheep?
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Coopz
-Silencing Lambs Since October 31st 2006
Good one! Are you a writer?? :P
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Good one! Are you a writer?? :P
Lol. :lol: I'm not, I'm afraid, but thanks anyway! I just took your idea and what CWO4GUNNER had said about silence of the lambs and it kind of came to me! lol.
And yeah, I am very surprised myself that I came out of this one so well. I was really lucky, it could have been a lot worse. Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am. Especially the people who drove past the bike when it was at the side of the road. I live in a small place, so most people around here know me, and know my bike. The news travells fast, and everyone seems to know.
I'm not really seriously hurt, just sore muscles in my legs/arms/back, the cuts on my leg and my back, and my right foot is slowly turning blue due to the deep bruising. But I think these painkillers must be really good, as I am coping ok! lol. I guess there's a lot to be said for wearing good kit.
I was able to go with my mate to sort out the bike, but he did most of the work, picking it up, and pushing it in a circle (hard job as the back wheel is all bent and broken) and he pretty much lifted it onto the trailer himself, I just helped a bit. I really just went to have another look at the wreckage. My back gets really sore when I twist it or bend down, or try to sit down or get up from sitting down. But when I'm up, it's only really my feet which are a problem, so I'm having to kind of limp everywhere. lol. I'm a lot better than I was though. The night it happened I could barely stand/walk/sit/get up/lie down or do anything. And the morning after, when I woke up I couldn't move, I had to take my painkillers before anything.
I still can't believe that I didn't at least break a finger or something. My gloves only have a small scuff on one of the carbon fibre knuckles. I had a pair of pliers in my pocket from my underseat tool kit which could have so easily stabbed into my leg. I can't believe the bike didn't land on top of me, cause when I went over the handlebars, the rest of the bike followed me! I am one lucky mofo.
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Sounds like an impressive off coopz. As everyone else has said very very lucky by the sounds of it. U got any photos? I'm very curious to see what damage the sheep did to your bike!
One upside i suppose is that these bikes are worth loads in parts. You could probably get rid of it on ebay in parts. The ones that arent fcuked anyway. Your fully working cdi box would probably sell for £150 on ebay. Or buy a non runner off ebay (mostly cdi bad or blown engine) they keep selling for £150-£300 you'll aready have an engine and cdi from yours. You could probably have one on the road for £400.
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yeah i guess that really is bad luck! i think i'd be at least fairly annoyed if i just put a new engine in just to have the bike trashed, hope everything sorts out soon injury wise.
I guess you didn't have chance to take any mobile phone shots of sheep carcass? not for my own pleasure like! just thinking of the compo. A lad I worked with was successful getting the council for not putting a sign up for fresh gravel that chucked him off. Try the legal assistance from your bike insurance if you took it out, you may even be covered under your house insurance, then they do the claim for you. You should be able to get something, I also know of a farmer who let a horse on to the road with bad fencing, and that killed a guy in his car, he got done as well. So i think you should be on to a winner.
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Holy Sh!t. You hit something at 160kph, and you're only bruised and scraped up?
You're very lucky Iain. I'm glad you're ok. It's a real shame about the bike, especially since you were starting to learn so much about it. The good thing is that you still retain everything you learned and can use it for your next bike, whether that's another B4 or a bigger bike like you were mentioning.
That said, like DA said, SLOW DOWN. This one was a warning, the next one may not be so gentle a reminder that stuff happens really fast at high speeds, especially at night. Animals regularly break their confines. Even if you've never seen them before, you know now that it doesn't mean that they'll never be there.
I think that the reason you weren't hurt worse is because it sounds like you didn't have time to tense up, and it sounds like you didn't have anything else to hit, other than pavement, since the bike didn't want to hit you. Accidents at 1/3 that speed can and have been fatal. All it takes is something to break your fall/slide prematurely. It's usually not the get off that gets us, it's the tree, fence, bike, curb, car, sheep, etc that stops us prematurely that does the major damage.
I may seem like I'm being an @sshole, saying this, but we'd rather keep you around, than have you become a statistic.
Ok,.. I'll get of my :soapbox: now.
As for the farmer and his liability: If you're pretty sure of where the sheep came from, many counties, and even realtors have maps of the county. These maps are divided up by sections and 1/4 sections, and are labelled with the name of the owner of the land. This may be a starting place for you if you're going to try to get compensation.
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Well, glad you're in one piece. Curious, tho, what kind of gear were you wearing? You mentioned having regular jeans, do you think you would've had better protection if you would've worn motorcycle pants (synthertic or leathered, armored, etc.)? Boots? How do you feel about the level of protection you got from the various gear you were wearing (assuming you were wearing any "proper" riding gear)?
While one can only expect so much from such gear in an accident, it's always interesting to see how this stuff actually holds up and (tries to) protects you.
Hope you're feeling better. :beers:
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I'm afraid I didn't manage to get any photos of the sheep, as it was too dark at them time, and when I went back it was gone. It was greusome though!
Good thought about buying a non runner from ebay, or selling on my parts. I'd just spent £111 getting my own CDI box repaired, so I suppose I could make back my money on that. I could try getting a non runner and fixing it up, but I'd need to sort out my money first, and I'll have to consider wether getting another motorcycle is a good idea. (I'd like to get another one, but as Stormi says, I might not be so lucky next time.)
Yoda - Good to hear succesfull stories of people getting compensation, hopefully I will be successful too. Funnily enough, I only realised earlier on that I had Legal Expence Insurance when I went to my insurers website to CANCEL my policy! The legal expence insurance is a free package they give with every policy. Needless to say, I didn't cancel my policy, as I think that may come in very handy.
Stormi - Don't worry, I don't think you're being an asshole! You're just voicing what I've been thinking. I was very lucky with this one, but I might not be so lucky next time. I've definately got a lot to think about and consider. It really brings it home to you when you think about how close you came to being killed.
I have had a couple of people mention to me the name of one guy who seems to own all the land around there, and he keeps his sheep on it. I will look into it further, but I think I will have trouble trying to prove that it was his sheep. Hopefully, if I confront him he will admit that it's his sheep, but as he has allready cleared any evidence connecting him to it, he may try and deny that it was his sheep.
I have e-mailed White Dalton Motorcycle solicitors, who do the Legal masterclass Q&A in FastBikes magazine, outlinging the circumstances, and asking their advice and opinions. Look out, my letter might appear in next months Fast Bikes Magazine! :lol:
And finally, Vidrazor - I was wearing excellent quality kit apart from my jeans. They were £20 denim from a clothes shop. I do have a pair of £150 leather trousers with protective armour all over them, but unfortunately I wasn't wearing those at the time.
My helmet was a £250 Shoei Raid II Neucles TC-2
It gave me amazing protection, and I didn't even have a slight headache or anything afterwards. Unfortunately, there is a big scrape on the back, and you can see the fibreglass, so I will need to get a new helmet if I get another bike. But I'll definately go for another Shoei.
My Jacket was a £250 Richa jacket.
Again, amazing protection. Due to the way I was sliding accross the road, it slipped up my back, and my back got grated by the road surface. But the jacket did it's job very well. The plastic armour is in all the right places (bug scuffs on the right shoulder plastic shows this). I have 2 little bruises on my left elbow, but you have to expect that from the impact of hitting the ground. The only other mark on my arms is the two small holes where my metal watch strap broke and dug into my wrist, but the watch was under the jacket, so the jacket couldn't protect me from that. The stitch quality in the jacket is superb. I would have expected seams to have split and been torn etc, but the only threads that came undone were on the lettering that was stitched onto the back of the jacket But the rest of the jacket stood up to the crash very well, protecting me better than I could have hoped, with the only real damage being on the right arm where I slid along on my shoulder.
My Boots were £130 Alpinestars.
Probably where I was let down most, due to my possible fracture, but still offering amazing protection considering the circumstances. I have no cuts at all where the boots were protecting me. Both my feet are painful though, but I don't suppose ANY boots could get you through that kind of ordeal without a little bruising. The tops of the boots have softer areas, to allow for feel when going up gears, and for flexibility. I guess this left my feet slightly vulnerable, and I must have taken some ammount of impact on my feet. The ankle and heel protectors did an amazing job. If I had had this crash wearing normal shoes or trainers, I think I would probably have two severely broken feet right now.
And my gloves were £50 Swift sport gloves.
Before the crash, I thought that the stitching quality was slightly shabby, as a small part of the fabric on the palm had started to come off slightly. But after the crash, I realise that the stitching quality is in fact ecxcellent. The gloves are in the exact same condition as they were before the crash, apart from one small scuff on one of the knuckles. None of the stitching came undone or split, not even where it appeared to be weak. They did a great job protecting my hands, I have no marks, not even a bruise, and my hands are completely pain free. They were pretty numb for a few minutes after the crash, but that passed and they are fine.
Overall, I think then only area I was really let down in was myself, for not wearing my leather trousers.
Thanks for all your concern and well wishes! :beers:
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(I'd like to get another one, but as Stormi says, I might not be so lucky next time.)
You do know that stationary objects come at you a lot slower when you're doing 50, than at 90 right? :stickpoke:
I wasn't implying that you should never ride again, just that you need to think about what you're doing. You're only 17, you have a lot more stuff to do in your life, you shouldn't go cutting it short just cos you like speed.
I have had a couple of people mention to me the name of one guy who seems to own all the land around there, and he keeps his sheep on it. I will look into it further, but I think I will have trouble trying to prove that it was his sheep. Hopefully, if I confront him he will admit that it's his sheep, but as he has allready cleared any evidence connecting him to it, he may try and deny that it was his sheep.
I wonder if it would be worth it to "test" the blood on the bike to prove it was sheeps' blood. Might give you the proof that it was a sheep on the road that did it. Especially if that farmer is the only one with sheep near that road... The thing is, that if this were to go to court, they're going to ask what speed you were doing,... what was the speed limit on that road?
My Boots were £130 Alpinestars.
Probably where I was let down most, due to my possible fracture, but still offering amazing protection considering the circumstances. I have no cuts at all where the boots were protecting me. Both my feet are painful though, but I don't suppose ANY boots could get you through that kind of ordeal without a little bruising. The tops of the boots have softer areas, to allow for feel when going up gears, and for flexibility. I guess this left my feet slightly vulnerable, and I must have taken some ammount of impact on my feet. The ankle and heel protectors did an amazing job. If I had had this crash wearing normal shoes or trainers, I think I would probably have two severely broken feet right now.
I really think that boots are to protect you mostly from the exhaust and engine, should you be pinned under it, and from the "slide". Impact isn't really going to be absorbed without a suspension system. It sounds like your boots did the best job they could be expected to do.
I've had a messed up achille's tendon for about a month now where I took the swingarm of my dirtbike during an "almost" nasty fall. (Told y'all he hated me) I planted my foot as the bike swapped out and the swingarm hit nearly pushed me onto the ground anyway. Despite the engine noise, I still heard/felt a crack from that general area too. (Actually, I suspect that I just felt it, and my brain filled in the noise.) I was wearing Alpinestars boots (though they're a Boy's size 6, one of the benefits of being a smaller female, but they sure don't have as much protection as the adult sized boots.) and still did that damage. I actually can't wear running shoes, because the top of the shoe pushes on the tendon hard enough that I want to pass out. Still, I believe that the boots did as good a job as they could have in the given situation.
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just saw this. sorry to hear it man, but I'm glad you're okay. Take it easy, heal up quick and get back on that horse!! :motorsmile:
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Glad to hear the gear held up. Most gear is only good for "one shot". Due to the nature of such impacts, the integrity of the gear may not be up to a second hit. This is of course dependent on the nature of the fall. I would have your jacket inspected to make sure it's still a trustworthy addition to your "kit".
Obviously you'll need a new helmet.
As you've discovered, boots and gloves can only give so much protection to body parts that protrude so far out into the (crash) void. Both apparently did the best they can. Gloves especially can be of little use in a crash, fortunately the nature of your fall made the best of them. Unless they look unscathed, I'd have both the boots and gloves checked out as well.
>>I do have a pair of £150 leather trousers with protective armour all over them, but unfortunately I wasn't wearing those at the time.<<
Of course, a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, as those jeans examplified. :wink: Personally, I always "dress to crash", no matter how hot or cold it is. As a matter of fact, the two most often questions I get asked as a rider are "aren't you hot in that?" in the summer (full Motoport Kevlar outfit) and "aren't you cold in that?" in the winter (full leather outfit)! :grin:
So while this stuff will never guarantee you'll be able to walk away from a crash, one can only hope it should at least minimize the damage. So hopefully you'll make it a habit of "dressing to crash" in the future. :motorsmile:
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My personal opinion being depending on the bike for what protective clothing you should wear, and the journey you will be undertaking!
e.g. A 125 with little poke, riding around in a congested city centre during an extremely hot day. Jeans or Full Fledged Biking trousers!
I would go for Jeans they offer enough protection and they're normally a bit cooler
e.g. (2) Bigger bike e.g. 250+ and travelling at high speeds on open roads with little chance of getting stuck or risking filtering in congestion. I would definitly go for the biking trousers!
With regards to my hands and body, i'm ALWAYS no matter what the weather wearing good gloves, and my Goretex Belstaff Jacket. (May upgrade to a leather jacket this winter, poss new thread coming from this)
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>>e.g. A 125...<<
Considering the damage one can sustain from even a 50cc scooter, this is one potentially detrimental mindset to have! :shock:
Although it may not be the most comfortable or "fashionable" thing to do, "dressing to crash" is the least one can do to minimize any potential damage inflicted upon a "carbon unit"...
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Well not necessarily as i've had some pretty nasty falls in my time, and have been on the ground sliding aswell. Normally only with a pair of Jeans, and have got back up COMPLETELY fine.
Though as i stated if i were intending to travel a long distance at higher speeds and with less likely hood of traffic i would Definitly wear the more 'Protective' clothing.
Unless your wearing a pair of shorts you'll be hard pressed to do much damage to yourself with regards to road rash or general bumps on a 50cc, they just dont go quick enough to get any momentum (although i suppose that could be different due to the restrictions put in place in the UK. (This could be different elsewhere in the world)
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Unless your wearing a pair of shorts you'll be hard pressed to do much damage to yourself with regards to road rash or general bumps on a 50cc, they just dont go quick enough to get any momentum
Unless what hits you is doing significantly faster, or drags you for a while. Then you may find yourself with drag left at the end of your jeans.
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You do know that stationary objects come at you a lot slower when you're doing 50, than at 90 right? :stickpoke:
Lol, yes, I know! But you can still die at 50mph.
I'm thinking it would be safer and more practical (and also more expensive and boring!) for me to get a car. But I really have no idea what I'm going to do just now. I still love bikes, and I think that if I had the money right now, I might possibly just buy another one and get on with it. But I have to think about my family and loved ones too. I know they'd hate for me to get another bike, and evey time I'd go out on it they'd be worrying themselves. And I'm worried that when I do get back on a bike, I might be too scared to ride it properly. It's going to need a lot of thought, but right now I have no idea what I'm going to do.
You asked what the speed limit is on the road. It's 60mph.
If it does go to court, the police and hospital both think that I was going 60mph. They won't be able to argue with that, because everything is gone from the scene now. Also, the ground was slightly wet at the time, which they would obviously know would cause the bike and myself to slide further than we would than under usual circumstances.
And yes, I agree that the boots did do the best job possible. I was just saying that they are where I got the least protection. But as one of the most vulnerable places to be injured, this is hardly surprising. The surprising thing is how well they stood up to the crash!
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Lol, yes, I know! But you can still die at 50mph.
Hell, by that logic though, you can be killed walking out the front door to get the newspaper. At less than 1mph. Though you have a better chance at avoiding at 1mph than 90 of the damn things.
I'm thinking it would be safer and more practical (and also more expensive and boring!) for me to get a car. But I really have no idea what I'm going to do just now. I still love bikes, and I think that if I had the money right now, I might possibly just buy another one and get on with it. But I have to think about my family and loved ones too. I know they'd hate for me to get another bike, and evey time I'd go out on it they'd be worrying themselves. And I'm worried that when I do get back on a bike, I might be too scared to ride it properly. It's going to need a lot of thought, but right now I have no idea what I'm going to do.
With the exception of making sure you can get to and from the new job, do you -have- to make the decision right now?
It is very heartening to see that you're thinking about your family. It does tell us that you have your head on at least somewhat straight.
I would consider trying to get your jones on the dirtbike variety for a while first, while you get your head about you, and while you think.
Cars can be more expensive, but they don't have to be. For instance, we're pricing cars out for me right now, 3 of 5 of them are cheaper for insurance than the bike that the other half is looking at. The cars themselves are start lower than the bike he wants. (With the upper end being 2x the price of the VFR800) The real savings of course being gas,.. but I don't know that you were saving as much in gas as you think if you were spooling that b4 up to those speeds regularly. (What were the rpms at at 160? I'm guessing around 7 - 8000rpms, right? I can't remember, it's been a long time since I travelled like that on the Bandit. The Hornet on the other hand... :roll:) Keep in mind too that fixing a bike isn't cheap if stuff goes wrong with it, and parts prices are higher too.
You asked what the speed limit is on the road. It's 60mph.
If it does go to court, the police and hospital both think that I was going 60mph. They won't be able to argue with that, because everything is gone from the scene now. Also, the ground was slightly wet at the time, which they would obviously know would cause the bike and myself to slide further than we would than under usual circumstances.
I asked this because they may use some of this to cast doubt that the farmer is totally at fault. That said,.. your were 1.5x the speed limit on wet roads? Oi.
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Hell, by that logic though, you can be killed walking out the front door to get the newspaper. At less than 1mph.
Lol, I just had a friend say pretty much the same thing to me about an hour ago. He said that you could just as easliy die getting out of bed! Lol :lol:
With the exception of making sure you can get to and from the new job, do you -have- to make the decision right now?
No, I don't have to make the decision right now, but I'd like to get back with some form of transport ASAP. After becoming so independant, I hate not having the freedom of owning my own set of wheels. I think I'm sorted for transport to/from work, due to a combination of my new boss living so close to my house, and busses to my girlfriends house running at appropriate times after/before work. But having the freedom and independance is something I will sorely miss, and would like to get back soon.
It is very heartening to see that you're thinking about your family. It does tell us that you have your head on at least somewhat straight.
Lol. Well yeah, you've got to think of what it would do to your loved ones if you were to die or become paralysed or something. I hate to think of what that would do to them, and I know that if I get another bike, every time I go out on it they will worry themselves sick. So I really have more to consider here than my own thoughts and feelings about biking.
I was thinking that I could use the dirtbike in the meantime, to get back sme confidence and just to have some transport. There's a cpuple of problems though. The bike is a catalogue of problems, and has spent most of the last 6 months being fixed, breaking down, and being fixed again. I was planning on selling it, and Peter said that he will just take his cut (£250 to cover parts) when I sell it. So if I keep it for myself, I will have to find the money for him from somewhere else. The second problem is that it's a road legal bike, and I only used it on the road before I had the Bandit, and while the Bandit was in the workshop. There's not really anywhere for decent off road riding around here, so if I was to use it, it would be on the road. That would sort out my transport/independance issues (even though being a little 2 stroke it's slow and boring) but that would me back on the road with my family worried sick and me being afraid of every little potential hazard. I know that there's no way to re-gain my confidence apart from going back on the road, but I'd rather do it on something I enjoy and that has proper useable power, than do it on that death-trap.
And the problem for me with the difference in running costs is that for the bikes, I allready have all the gear (minus a helmet), and I have 1 years No Claims Bonus on my bike insurance. But for a car, I'd be a new driver, freshly past my test, with my insurance premiums much higher than they would be for me on most bikes.
I'm not too sure about the savings in feul. I'm not sure what I'd get in a car, but on my B4 I managed around 170 miles on a full tank. You're right, at 160 kmph I was probably at around 8000rpm, and it was probably guzzling feul faster than a car driven at sensible speeds. But if I drove the bike at sensible speeds, then the feul economy would probably be better than the car. But saying that, is it possible to drive at sensible speeds on such a thrilling bike?? :motorsmile:
I know I was way in excess of the speed limit, but I've travelled that road at least twice daily most days for the past 9+ months, and know it like the back of my hand. But there were never sheep on the back of my hand, lol. It's a good road, with plenty of potential to go fast. One of my good mates does a 10 mile stretch on that road from the town to his house, and his record is 4 minutes! :shock: The bit where the accident happened was just after a gently twisting slope uphill just before you get onto the longest, flattest straight for miles. 100mph is never a problem there, even in torrential rain (allthough common sense normally keeps you at 80mph!) I'm used to riding in rain and on wet roads, due to my location, and have been riding in conditions like this since I started riding.
Still, I have heard a more impressive story than mine about that exact bit of road. I heard it at the weekend, and it was concerning my new boss! Years ago, he was coming along the same stretch of road, unaware that the farmer was moving his sheep along the road to a different field. When he came around the slight bend, he was doing approximately 140mph in a huge landrover type thing, and smashed through the lot of them, fatally injuring and killing 36 of the damned things! :shock: Needless to say, he was banned from driving for 2 years. The famrer wasn't able to claim compensation for the lost sheep as they weren't supposed to be on the road. Now that's impressive! (But don't try it at home!)
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I think I'm sorted for transport to/from work, due to a combination of my new boss living so close to my house, and busses to my girlfriends house running at appropriate times after/before work. But having the freedom and independance is something I will sorely miss, and would like to get back soon.
Yeah, I can see how you don't want the boss driving you to work everyday, but at least you have some time to save up some wages to get something else. Freedom and Independance are addictive, but at the same time, it sounds like you needed to sit back and evaluate. The sheep forced the issue.
Lol. Well yeah, you've got to think of what it would do to your loved ones if you were to die or become paralysed or something. I hate to think of what that would do to them, and I know that if I get another bike, every time I go out on it they will worry themselves sick. So I really have more to consider here than my own thoughts and feelings about biking.
All very valid risks. I'm lucky in that most of my family rides, or understands. The only one that doesn't is my mom, so I just don't talk about it anymore around her. That said, I don't ride as fast as you do on the street. You should consider trying to behave on the road, and taking the rest to the track.
I know that there's no way to re-gain my confidence apart from going back on the road, but I'd rather do it on something I enjoy and that has proper useable power, than do it on that death-trap.
Anything is a deathtrap if your head isn't in it. That said,.. what is the dirtbike?
I'm not sure what I'd get in a car, but on my B4 I managed around 170 miles on a full tank. You're right, at 160 kmph I was probably at around 8000rpm, and it was probably guzzling feul faster than a car driven at sensible speeds. But if I drove the bike at sensible speeds, then the feul economy would probably be better than the car. But saying that, is it possible to drive at sensible speeds on such a thrilling bike?? :motorsmile:
Believe it or not, it is possible to be sensible on that bike. I have a ball with it on city streets, just by tossing her around, cos she corners so well. You're too vulnerable out there on a bike, it just doesn't make sense to push the envelope so far in an uncontrolled situation. I'm terrified to think what would have happened if you'd been on that bigger bike you mentioned. BTW, 170 miles to a tank is pretty good. I think the other half fills up at 220kms these days ( it's been a while since I rode her enough to have to fill her up) but he doesn't let the tank get all the way to the bottom either.
I know I was way in excess of the speed limit, but I've travelled that road at least twice daily most days for the past 9+ months, and know it like the back of my hand. But there were never sheep on the back of my hand, lol. It's a good road, with plenty of potential to go fast. One of my good mates does a 10 mile stretch on that road from the town to his house, and his record is 4 minutes! :shock: The bit where the accident happened was just after a gently twisting slope uphill just before you get onto the longest, flattest straight for miles. 100mph is never a problem there, even in torrential rain (allthough common sense normally keeps you at 80mph!) I'm used to riding in rain and on wet roads, due to my location, and have been riding in conditions like this since I started riding.
The thing about travelling the same road all the time is that you get complacent about it. Just because there's never been anything on the road, doesn't mean there never will be. As you learned the hard way. You could come around that corner one day and find a broken down vehicle, or a pedestrian on the road, or anything.
I used to think the same, I'd travelled the same road over and over for years, and never saw wildlife... Then one night 12yrs ago, the other half was driving home in my firebird and there was a @#$#@% porcupine in our lane, and a car in the lane beside us. At 100+kph, he put the firebird on the shoulder, went around the porcupine, and continued on our way. I saw my firebird's life flash in front of my face.
Then there was another night when we were driving home from a weekend of riding the dirtbikes. I had the truck, and a trailer on the back with 3 dirtbikes. I let out a yelp when I realised I was looking at a set of glowing eyes in front of me, and swerved. I nearly lost the trailer as I dove for the shoulder. The other half asked what it was, I told him it was a racoon, and kept driving. He and his brother looked at each other and then he told me to pull over. I shrugged and said it was no big deal, but he insisted, telling me that we don't have raccoons here. We pulled over, and I found 4 porcupine quills in the tire of the trailer. Not deep enough to blow the tire out, I think I just gave him a love tap.
Both of those incidents happened about 10 yrs apart, enough time for me to become a little complacent between them. Nowadays, I hate being stuck on the road at night with the bikes, because I know the potential.
Still, I have heard a more impressive story than mine about that exact bit of road. I heard it at the weekend, and it was concerning my new boss! Years ago, he was coming along the same stretch of road, unaware that the farmer was moving his sheep along the road to a different field. When he came around the slight bend, he was doing approximately 140mph in a huge landrover type thing, and smashed through the lot of them, fatally injuring and killing 36 of the damned things! :shock: Needless to say, he was banned from driving for 2 years. The famrer wasn't able to claim compensation for the lost sheep as they weren't supposed to be on the road. Now that's impressive! (But don't try it at home!)
OMG! That could have been so much worse. At least he only got the sheep, not the farmer. It should drive home the fact that there are things on that road!