ouch.

[Robert Smith <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

FYI.

Posted to wreck.moto...  A friend of mine has also a 929 (Wifes bike)
and also reports a stronger tendancy to stand up under braking (than his Mille).

I'm not suggesting the bikes behavior was the cause of this guys wreck.

His suprise at the bikes behavior probably was a factor.



TTFN,
Rob

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 4/29, I got together with some guys from the CBR929.net message board and
went riding in Massachusetts.

There were 3 CBR929RR's, an FZR600, a TL1000R and a CBR1100XX.  We were
riding on various back roads, and we had sort of grouped nicely according to
ability.

We had gone riding up in the Blue Hills Park (?) in Milton and stopped to
enjoy the view.  There were some GREAT smooth, curvey roads going up, and we
stopped for a break before heading down.  On the way down, two of the guys I
was riding with had gotten ahead of me.  I was taking a turn pretty quickly
(but not dangerously so) to catch up.  It was a left hand, constant radius
sweeper.  As I entered the turn, I was leaned over reasonably far, and I saw
a state cop heading towards me.  I decided to grab a little brake to slow it
down, and the bike stood up a little.  I kept my weight over and kept the
bike in the turn.  I did not notice I had drifted a little to the right, and
all of a sudden my front tire hit a patch of gravel and the bike got
squirrely.  In a matter of about 1/10th of a second, the bike started to
tank slap, and on the first "slap" the front plowed into the guardrail.  The
rest of the bike followed suit, and before I could jump off, my right leg
was crushed between the bike and the guardrail.

The front tire must have gotten caught in something because the bike FLIPPED
over in mid air, throwing me off.  I remember seeing my bike piroueting in
mid air and landing on the left side.  I slid along the ground, rolling,
rolling for a good 30-40 yards.  I was wearing thick jeans, short top
leather boots, a sweater, a suede jacket (my riding jacket had not come in
yet), leather gloves and a full-face helmet.  As I was rolling, I tried to
get my feet out so that I skidded rather than rolled, and I just kept
tumbling.   When I came to a stop, the bike was about 30' behind me and
there was a trail of plastic down the road.  The cop who I had slowed for
stopped right next to my head and yelled "that's what you get for riding
like that!".  I did a quick once over and did not see much wrong with my
body, but when I looked at my right leg, it was a mess.  My left shoe had
been ripped off during the slide, along with my left glove.  My right ankle
was obviously broken.  My foot was twisted 90 degrees to the left, and
tilted 45 degrees away from me, even though my leg was straight.  I saw a
bulge in my sock, and I knew what it was.

The jerk state cop's partner (Trooper Mason, a very nice woman) came over
and helped me.  She cut off my shoe and sock, and I saw my leg bone sticking
out throuh the side of my ankle.  The ambulance arrived in about 5 minutes
(felt like hours) and carted me away.

As for me:
I had a dislocated right ankle.  There were minor fractures, but nothing
serious.  There was minor muscle tearing, and the ligaments/tendons were
sprained and stretched, but not broken.  The doctor said he was amazed that
I could take such a tumble, dislocate my ankle, yet not break it badly.
They set it in the hospital, but it had been 4 hours since the accident
until I got transported to a GOOD hospital, so I was on minimal pain killers
when they set it.  That was the worst pain I have experienced in my whole
life.  I had a very deep area of skin removed on the palm of my left hand,
and an equally large area on the top.  I have deep cuts on both elbows, on
both knees, and on both ankles.  I also have a lot of roadrash on my left
forearm, both ankles and a graze on my head (dunno how that got there -
helmet was closed and fastened securely).

As for the bike:
Every single piece of plastic is demolished.  The whole front headlight
assembly was smashed.  The exhaust pipe was ripped of it's support bolts,
and the can ripped open.  The collector where the pipe narrows before going
into the can was dented also.  Amazingly enough, the bike is in almost
perfect mechanical condition.  The frame is fine, the forks seem fine, the
tires and wheels are fine, the motor is fine.  Everything else is Ok.  As
the bike slid, the crank cover was ground through, and all the oil leaked
out, but the bike has a tilt sensor, so it appeared to work and shut the
bike off.  The right and left handlebar ends are ground to almost nothing,
as are the pegs on either side.  The shift lever is bent, and both the
clutch and brake lever and bent to hell.  I am going to fix the bike and
then sell it, since I am done with bikes for a while, I think. This CBR929
had 600 miles on it.

My thoughts:
Definitely operator error.  I still don't know why the bike went so far
right.  There was a long skidmark, but I did not grab the brake that hard,
so I think that after the front hit the gravel, since I was already under
braking that it locked up, swining the bike around.  I am no pro rider, and
it all happened so quickly I don't know how I could have avoided it.  I am
VERY VERY THANKFUL for my full-face Shoei helmet.  It saved me much trouble.
I SHOULD have spent more time making sure my gloves were snugged tight.  It
is AMAZING what can be ripped off when you are sliding at 50mph.  I should
have worn BOOTS not medium top shoes, and they should have been fastened
tighter.

I have run through this series of events a million times in my head, so say
what you will.  I would like to hear opinions on what happened and what I
could have done.  I suggest you ALL make sure you wear the proper equipment
and make sure it is being used correctly.  You NEVER KNOW when the accident
is coming, so you can NOT afford to slack, even once!  I was VERY LUCKY that
I was not hurt worse than I was.  The bike parts can be replaced, my parts
cannot.

I can post pictures of the bike when I get a chance.  My friend also has
pics of the crash scene, which I can post when he scans them.

Ride safe,
- -Mike






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