[ST] Guess it was my turn... Repost

["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.  I'd been out there the
previous Wednesday and turned around at about 25 miles where there was ice &
snow across the road.  

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 through the twisties.
About 10 miles into the forest, we enter a 60 degree left sweeper.  It's the
sort of turn you wouldn't usually slow for if you were running 60ish. I'm
perhaps 50 yards behind Gabe on his Speed Triple.   Anyway, as I begin to
round the turn I see Gabe and his bike sliding off the edge of the road.
Rolling off the throttle, I'm thinking WTF?!?  We really 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 2 yards from
the S3.  I scramble back over to the bike, shut off the ignition and look to
see that Mark, who was 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, thanking us profusely and help us
pick up the bikes.  Checking out the road surface, we find it's a sheet of
ice for about 25 yards.  We entertain ourselves by running and sliding on
the road.

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
near 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 partly rubbed off.  The mirror broke off and the corner of the
nose fairing is ground down.  There are cracks and gouges in the belly pan
and a minor scrape on the tail section.  The foot peg is twisted but intact,
the lever for operating the side stand is ground off and 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.  The good news is you can ride just
about anywhere in 3rd.   Early 955i Speed Triple ('99 - 01?) 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.
- - My Triumph Aspen riding suit did its job, while suffering a few scrapes
and tears.  It may be totaled, but I'm not.  The armor it had worked.  Other
than a very minor abrasion on my hip I've no road rash.
- - This is the first time I've fallen off a moving motorcycle since 1984 -
before then it was 1963.  I guess I should be thankful, though I'm beginning
to see a disturbing pattern here...  I'll have to be particularly careful in
2026!
- - Any bets on whether the insurance company will want me to install the new
parts?
- --Rick in Oregon
  '01 Sprint ST
Ride-able but Fugly


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