[ST] It must have been my turn... [longish]

["Rick & Joyce" <rnjwes@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Last Saturday.  Three of are cruising out along Oregon's scenic Clackamas
River on Forest Road 46 to check if the snow in the high country has melted
enough to allow us to get through to Detroit Lake.  It's sunny, 45degF and
the road is wet/dry so we're taking it easy, not running much faster than
the cages, maybe 40 mph.  About 10 miles into the forest, I'm perhaps 250
yards behind Gabe on his Speed Triple when I enter a 60 degree left sweeper
- - it's the sort of turn you wouldn't even slow for if you were running
60ish.  Anyway, as I begin to round the turn I see him and his bike sliding
off the edge of the road.  As I roll off the throttle, I'm thinking WTF?!?
We weren't riding that fas...  

About this time the ST snaps over onto the left side and spits me off like a
watermelon seed.  We slide along the asphalt and end up about 3 yards from
Gabe's bike.  I scramble back over to the bike, shut off the ignition and
look to see that Mark, who was maybe 400 yards behind me, has managed to
slow enough to stay upright.  I run back up the shoulder to wave down a Duc
999 and a BMW cruiser that we'd just passed.  They stop and help us pick up
the bikes.  Checking out the road surface, we find it's a sheet of ice for
about 25 yards.  

Damage assessment:  
Gabe got off pretty easy.  He's pretty much unhurt.  His Sky King frame
sliders did their job and he didn't slide into the river, though it was a
close thing!  The only major damage was a broken rear foot peg hanger.

I landed pretty hard on my left hip <note to self: get hip armor> but other
than some soreness and a technicolor bruise there, I'm OK.  At first I was
going to self-insure but the more I look at the damage, the more I think
I'll call the insurance company.  The left side panel is cracked in three
places, has scratches running in multiple directions and the "Sprint ST"
graphic is mostly rubbed off.  The mirror broke off and the corner of the
nose fairing is ground down.  There are cracks and major scratches in the
belly pan and a minor scrape on the tail section.  The foot peg is twisted
but intact and the lever for operating the side stand is ground off.  The
worst thing was the ball broke off the bottom of the shift lever.  We manage
to clamp the two pieces together with vice grips but it's good for about
three shifts before it pops apart, so I ride home about 70 miles in third
gear. 
Observations:
- - The shift linkage sure is fragile though you can ride just about anywhere
in 3rd gear.   Early 955i S3 direct shifters bolt right on.
- - The ST's long peg feelers act as a lever which twists the foot peg,
increasing crash damage.  They'll either be removed or shortened.
- - Any bets on whether the insurance company will want me to install the new
parts?
- - This is the first time I've fallen off a moving motorcycle since 1984 -
before that it was 1963.  I guess I should be thankful, though I'm beginning
to see a pattern here...  
- --Rick in Oregon
  '01 Sprint ST




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