Saftey Gear

[Dennyz]

Less than 24hrs ago, I hit good size rock at 70mph 1.5 miles east of Lolo pass in Montana. The impact bent my front rim and blew the tire off the bead. I fought for control for over a mile as I attempted to bleed off speed. The steep grade made it difficult to slow down without loosing control. At mile post 3, I lost the fight. Me and my trusty XS went down hard. I landed on my head and right shoulder.

I am able to type this message because me safety gear did it's job. I was wearing a Shoe X11 Full Face helmet, Mesh Gear Body armor and gloves, and Alpenstar motorcycle boots. I was wearing a Columbia Sports Wear nylon jacket over my body armor jacket. My helmet is trashed along with my nylon jacket. I have a quarter size hole in the right knee of my pants and the zipper ripped out of the right pocket. My jacket was untouched. I suffered a broken collar bone, some bruised ribs and a lot of sore muscles.

I have been riding motorcycles for over 45yrs. This is the hardest I have ever gone down. I gladly except my superficial injuries over the life altering injuries I would have with out me gear.

ride safe!

p.s. Do to case guards, fairing and hard luggage my XS suffered very little damage. The typical stuff like mirror, turn signal and wind screen will need to be replaced. My front rim is also bent. The hard case on the right side was destroyed and the right side of my small fairing is ground flat. The right 3 point case guard is worn 80% through.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Denny!!

Wow... Sorry to hear this has happened to you, but very glad you're able to tell about it.

Man... seems like many here are on a bad roll lately...
The list is growing... unfortunately.

Very glad to hear you had your gear on! Probably saved your life... especially your head! Not to mention the unbearable agony of the road rash...

Sorry about the broken collar bone.... the price we pay sometimes for fun can sometimes be pretty high, I guess...

Sounds like your bike will survive to see another run, though. Guards & bags paid off, as well. What type (brand) of bags did you have? Hope they weren't the hard to replace kind.

Take it easy for a while.... thanks for updating us, Brother....

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers.
Here's wishing you, (and your bike) a speedy recovery.
Bob

[madmax-im]

You are above avg.!

Denny... I'm glad to hear your injuries were superficial and not life threatening..Thank God and ATGATT...unfortunately from my observations most of the people I have ridden with that own XS's and XJs' do not wear ATGATT...it seems they think that just because their bikes are 30 yrs old that what they wore 30 years ago is still good enough for them today. I cant explain why the majority of these owners do not wear it....every other forum group I associate wiyh does ride ATGATT but not the XS owners. So for those XS owners that do use ATGATT you are ahaed of the avg...and an exception to the norm.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Right on, Ben...

That's been my policy since I went down about 20 years ago... 55mph, August... 100 degrees... went out on a "short" ride w/ a couple of buddies from work... I did have my helmet on, but shorts, Teeshirt, tennis shoes...

Bad feeling to go down @ that speed, on asphalt, sliding backwards out of control...

I remember praying "God, please don't let me die, please don't let a car run over me..."

I was fortunate to survive... but the pain from the scrubbing, the roadrash, and the week of being laid up, taught me the hard way WHY it's ATGATT.

Yeah, it's tempting to just jump on and take off, especially when it's hot... but never again... not this cat... I learned my lesson the hard way.

ONCE.

[Montreux_Blue]

I'm glad your gear worked good, could have been a lot of rash and possible head injuries without it. I wear my gear all the time, my friend wears his if he is going further than a few miles. But like they say, most accidents happen only a few miles from your house, Ivan can vouch for that. I sweat my rear off down here in summer even with the mesh jacket, but it's worth it. Accidents on bikes are going to happen, you just don't know when so you have to be prepared for the worst.

[Larrym]

'Tis the Season

Dennyz,

Twas the right season for riding so Kudos for that. Never is the right season for "laying her down" though. Good job of keeping the bike upright for as long as possible!

About that rock...was it one of those rogue boulders that keep falling off the cliff faces in that area of the country? You know, where the signs warn you about "Falling Rocks Ahead"?

[Dennyz]

[QUOTE]was it one of those rogue boulders that keep falling off the cliff faces in that area of the country?/QUOTE]

That is exactly what it was. I was coming up behind a slower moving SUV, look for a passing option. The SUV swerved to the right, reveling a rock the size of a melon. I tried to go inside to miss the rock. When I realize I was not going to avoid the impact, righted the bike, stood on the pegs, held my ass as far back as I could and held on. It launched me pretty good, but I landed square on both wheels and stayed upright.

[Larrym]

When Boulders Attack!

Good one Dennyz!!

The good/experienced rider is always doing that:

"Maintain your Space cushion!!"
"Keep your eyes Moving!!"
"Leave yourself an OUT!!"

But none of that works when a rogue boulder attacks!

Would have handled it just like you did. ( I mean I would have tried my darndest!!) Good to know you still have riding reflexes, eh?

[CatatonicBug]

Glad to hear your gear did it's job. It's because of stories like these that I keep wearing mine. I bet it got really scary when that rock appeared! I can only imagine...

Heal quick and hopefully you can replace the boken parts on the bike with minimal cost.

[rockjok]

Wow Denny, Sorry to hear about your wreck but glad to hear you came thru' it OK. What are your plans now in terms of getting home? Are you going to U-haul or are "field repairs" an option?

I've got an extra front wheel from a special and possibly a vetter windshield and other parts if you are going to try and fix the bike up and ride it home. I'm still in the Bozeman area but may be able to get time off to go to Missoula if that's an option. If ya need a hand lemme know at 406dash220dash4444 or 406dash285dash4444.

Luck,

Rob

[TADracer]

As much as we love'em, our machines are only things that can be fixed or replaced. Glad that YOU came through OK!

[Trainzz]

My Take

As posted earlier, I was run over by a Gold Wing last week. After rolling across the highway and riding home with a f'ed up arm, I made myself a promise. Thunderpig never leaves the garage if I don't have a helmet on. Luckily during my asphalt gymnastics, I never hit my head. I talked with Harry and Russ about this Saturday and they also convinced me that it is only smart to take this precaution. I can't afford the kevlar insert jacket yet, but it is in my future. Going to pick up some leather chaps this week. I always wear eye protection. I guess it took getting the crap scared out of me to get to this point.

[Jerry]

Denny:

Sorry to hear of you accident, happy that it was not worse. A less experienced rider would not have fared as well!

Adding to the anecdote. The first year I was riding I had an accident which left my 3/4 helmet scarred and broken. Since then I have acquired better gear, such as my armored TourMaster suite and heavy boots, and use them all the time. It is no accident that 95+ percent of all riders that show up for rallies have good gear; the collective experience of this group has demonstrated time and again that good gear will save your hide if not your life. Anyone who argues otherwise is, IMHO, an idiot.

Once in a great wile I will ride short distances without my helmet. Not comfortable any more, just does not feel right.

There have been several threads about equipment selections, many detailing hot and cold weather gear selections that make riding safer and more comfortable. For those of you who are not using helmets and other safety products, please look up some of these and consider your options. The XS11 group is small enough as it is, we don't want to loose anyone!

[CatatonicBug]

I can't afford the kevlar insert jacket yet, but it is in my future. Going to pick up some leather chaps this week. I always wear eye protection.

I'd suggest spending the $ on the jacket first. I got mine at Cycle Gear for $119, and love it. Not sure how much you were looking at shelling out for chaps, but I tend to think they're right around $80-$100 anyway. Above the waist is going to take a lot more impact than the legs, and a good armored jacket is a lot more important than chaps IMHO.

[Dennyz]

Thanks for the offers on repair parts. I have the parts to fix the XS at home. I am going to rent a truck to get me and the bike back to Oly.