Bad times......

So i get text at around 10pm lastnight. Its from one of my best friends, Zack. All it says is, i think the Triumphs totaled, im in the hospital, im ok. So i instantly freak out. Zack is my best friend from high schools little brother, and all i can think is im going to have to call his brother in texas.... That wouldve been BAD. Well before i had to make any calls i heard from him again, and he really was ok. His parents were there and he only had minor injuries. Real bad road rash on his knee and elbow, the usual bumps bruises, and scratches. It seems he was hitting some corners pretty hard on one of our good ol' PA back roads and hit a pile of gravel that must have fallen off of a dumptruck. He knew this road very well, and had ridden it several times. He even had gone as far as to check it the day before to make sure it was clean. Shoould've checked again. So i talk to him some more, and it ends up that he wasnt wearing his jacket or riding pants because "it was hot". Had he been wearing them we dont think he would've sustained any real injuries other than bumps and bruises. Luckily he was wearing his steel-toe riding boots, because one of his feet must have gotten pinned under the bike when it slid and it tore all of the leather of of the toe. The doctors said without the steel toe he may have lost his toes. Im going to the wrecking yard after work to pick up whats left of his bike. (A 2006 speed triple) The cop i talked to said it doesnt even look like a bike. Im guessing from what he said that it slid on its side for 50yds or so that hit the guardrail where it went airborne. Its probobly going to be a total loss. Which is just fine with me seeing as zack isnt. Hes a good kid, (not even 25 yet) with 5+ yrs riding experience, three of which were on an 1100cc british built missle, who got cocky and rode without protection or knowing what lays ahead! Long story short, PUT YOUR DAMN RIDING GEAR ON! I dont care if its hot, or if you think it looks stupid, its better than a night in the e.r. or worse. And even if you "know the road" ride it slow and check it out before you haul ass through the twisties! Im not sayin you need full leathers to head down to the corner store, but take precautions. Im not sayin sometimes its a blast to get low and quick on the roads, but do it in a smart way! Think a mile ahead at all times! It only takes a second to throw a jacket on! Ill get some pics of the bike when i pick it up today. Sorry for beatin a dead horse, but apparently there are some who arent listening.

you know what almost kicked my ass the other day? a dead freakin' groundhog.

I was putting my bike through its paces on a road I know very well - right in the middle of a corner at the crown of a hill was a grey lump of groundhog that did not stand out well from the road. I missed that thing by millimeters. lucky!

slippery gopher guts + corner + unloading front wheel = bad time.

This is why I wear gear - jacket, boots, pants, gloves, fullface helmet.

Yinzer can probably relate to my experiences lately. I've been taking my '77 goldw wing to work lately...the long way. The normal way I go is under construction, and has patches of "grooved surface" this is NOT fun on a motorcycle, and I feel bad for the folks behind me, having to do 20 MPH or slower, just because I don't want the road to take me into oncoming traffic all of a sudden. The alternate route has now been "oiled and chipped." Yea, loose gravel sucks ass. So, now I'm driving about 10 minutes out of my way to get to and from work. to make matters worse, I know of, and have personally found myself driving on 4 area roads that have recently been oiled and chipped. these roads seemed fine before, but now they are a motorcyclists nightmare...what exactly is the purpose of taking a perfectly smooth road, and laying down sharp stones on it?

you're expecting PennDOT to make sense? at least they're doing *something* to the roads.

I drive past the clusterfuck of construction that is the new casino and curse Pittsburgh streets every day - "You can't get there from here"

borzwazie said:

you're expecting PennDOT to make sense? at least they're doing *something* to the roads.

I drive past the clusterfuck of construction that is the new casino and curse Pittsburgh streets every day - "You can't get there from here"

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Here here... I work in the Northside. What a fuckin mess. That combined with my regular treks down what used to be 28, well its enough to make me want to shoot someone.

Good to hear that your mate is ok, thats a lucky break. Too bad about the bike. Guessing compo will pick up the bill?

One of the sayings around my area is that if you can't afford decent riding gear then you can't afford to ride. Doesn't matter that we have a fairly decent rider training program involving on-road evaluations and collision avoidance theory, if you come off without gear then 95% of the time you're gonna be hurting pretty bad.

Anyway, plus one on the 'wear gear' bandwagon. Ride hard, ride smart.

Cheers - boingk

I'd have been in the same road-rash boat if I hadn't been wearing my gear a month ago when I ditched the BMW. I tore through the sleeve and left lower front of my Alpinestars mesh jacket, resulting in road rash on my watch, as well as my leather wallet which was in my front left jacket pocket.

My leather padded ICON gloves (left) were rashed, as was my leather belt, jeans and my left boot.

Impact on my Shoei RF-1000, with rash on the left side as well. I didn't have a scratch. Badly bruised, and I think I cracked my left big toe. Without the gear, I would have had very bad rash, probably a few broken knuckles or fingers, broken left ankle (boot structure is critical) etc. The full face helmet saved my pretty face. I wear glasses too, which would likely have been destroyed and pushed into my face.

Gear is critical! A fall will happen. Glad your bud is in fine shape - sounds like he's learned his lesson

Thanks all. I went and saw him yesterday and hes ok. A big hole in ihi elbow, and one in his knee. Lots or rash on his right palm / forearm. His prides hurt more than his body. Saw pics of the Triumph too.... It got the worst of it. 100 ft skid on the right side than hit a guardrail ass end first which bounced it up and down onto the front wheel. Both alloy wheels are missing chunks, rear wheel / single sided swingarm are at maybe 5 - 10 deg. off of center. Missing the right rearset, lights mirror, etc. Bars are bent. Most amazingly though, when he went to the salvage yard to sign the papers, he was able to start it right up! He said it ran ok, but the radiator was bent in half so he shut it down after a few seconds so as not to blow it up. Were thinkin about buyin it back from the insurance company if its cheap enough and maybe (if i can convince him) buildin a formula v style track car. Maybe just part it out.

Happy to hear he's okay. That didn't happen to be the wreck that shut down 50 yesterday, did it?

+1 on riding with yer gear on (PennDOT must own stock in Alpinestars or something).

And what's with having to fight 45 minutes of construction traffic to get away from the city and into some good riding? *Grumble* Only two more years in the Keystone...only two more years.

Though, I do have to say that I love riding through the tunnels. ;D

anotherkindofmonday said:

Happy to hear he's okay. That didn't happen to be the wreck that shut down 50 yesterday, did it?

+1 on riding with yer gear on (PennDOT must own stock in Alpinestars or something).

And what's with having to fight 45 minutes of construction traffic to get away from the city and into some good riding? *Grumble* Only two more years in the Keystone...only two more years.
Though, I do have to say that I love riding through the tunnels. ;D

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Ya the tunnels are great. Whats wrong with PA? (Other than the shitty weather, all the rednecks, terrible roads, rediculous taxes, etc... ;D) No it wasnt that accident. He was up behind Sewickly, in Bell Acres.

VonYinzer said:

Ya the tunnels are great. Whats wrong with PA? (Other than the shitty weather, all the rednecks, terrible roads, rediculous taxes, etc... ;D) No it wasnt that accident. He was up behind Sewickly, in Bell Acres.

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UGH! And you can't buy beer in gas stations or grocery stores! WTF, PA?!

+1 on the best wishes for your buddy AND the need to wear the right gear!!

I see SO MANY riders every day, young and old, riding ALL styles of bikes wearing runners, shorts, and t-shirts. I shake my head. I guess it can't happen to them! : :

Drewski said:

+1 on the best wishes for your buddy AND the need to wear the right gear!!

I see SO MANY riders every day, young and old, riding ALL styles of bikes wearing runners, shorts, and t-shirts. I shake my head. I guess it can't happen to them! : :

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Passed a guy the other day wearing a tank top, shorts at flip flops. No shit.

VonYinzer said:

Passed a guy the other day wearing a tank top, shorts at flip flops. No shit.

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Hey, those are DOT certified riding flip-flops man. My dogs gotta breeeeaaaathe!

The full face helmet saved my pretty face.

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Man, got a story to go with that one...grusome as all-get-out. Dad (surgeon) told it to me as a kid, its stuck with me ever since. Might sound messed up but I think that was his point, to make it stick.

Only two more years in the Keystone...only two more years

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Come on down to the Land Down Under!

Passed a guy the other day wearing a tank top, shorts at flip flops. No shit.

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Ditto. 'Cept he was riding this years R1

Hey, I spent over 10 years as a paramedic, so I know what the consequences can be. Most impacts over the bars involve the face. Something like 40% of all helmets in crashes show major damage to the chin bar and visor. Crazy. Ride safely, protect yourself, and fortheloveofgod fill out your organ donor card.

In PA, you don't even need to wear a helmet and that baffles me. They require a functioning hi-lo beam switch "within immediate reach of the controls," though. Ridiculous. That's it. I'm moving to Australia. The land of tiny bikes!

I wear a full face helmet and an armored jacket, but still kind of skimp on the boots and pants. I know, I know. I'll get a pair of boots as soon as I can find some that fit my duck-flipper feet. Ordering boots online sucks and I just can't see myself riding in kevlar jeans.

Funny, we used to have a law stating bikes had to have low-beam permentantly on...it got ditched because it was widely unpopular and didn't make a difference to crash statistics, the theory being that lights on in the day made you more visible. As for the organ donor thingo, we've got a national registry and its incorporated into the licence system - I'm up for everything on both. Still need more donors though.

I'm moving to Australia. The land of tiny bikes!

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First part? Awesome! Hahaha... Second part? I'm confused. :-\

I had always wondered about the PA helmet law as it applies to passengers on bikes. I had assumed that since the driver needs to have been M endorsed for 2 years, that it was perhaps similar for the passenger. They only need to be 21 years of age. Personally, I would never even consider riding as a passenger on a bike without a helmet, since you really have ZERO control.

Yea, PA laws are weird, for inspections. You do not NEED turn signals, but if you have them, they must work, for instance.

TJEvans said:

I had always wondered about the PA helmet law as it applies to passengers on bikes. I had assumed that since the driver needs to have been M endorsed for 2 years, that it was perhaps similar for the passenger. They only need to be 21 years of age. Personally, I would never even consider riding as a passenger on a bike without a helmet, since you really have ZERO control.

Yea, PA laws are weird, for inspections. You do not NEED turn signals, but if you have them, they must work, for instance.

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If you take the MSF saftey course, your exempt from the 2yr rule as far as helmets. You never need to wear one. And as far as passengers, if the operator doesnt need a helmet neither do they. The Commonwealth is a funny place.

I personally never leave home without a helmet. If you ever see a 1977 Gold Wing cruising around with a 250 dude on it...I am that dude.