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On Thursday morning, after getting home from working 3rd shift, I deciced to stay up and take a ride.
On may way back I was entering a right hand sweeper, posted curve limit was 35 mph.
I was hanging on the inside of the curve, WAY too close to the white line.
Half-way thru the curve a large pot hole extended about one foot into the inside of the lane, and the white line and berm was missing.
A split second decision was made. I was affraid that if I dodged the hole by swerving to the left, this would put me way to the outside of the curve and accross the center line. I hit the hole, and partly cut the bike off of the pavement and onto the berm. Just before inpact I gripped the handle bars HARD and raised my hind-end slightly off of the seat, sorta motocross style.
After impact I came back onto the pavement and came to a dead stop in the center of my lane, just past the blind curve.
Damage: two flat tires, two busted rear shocks, two busted rims, and a scarred up rear brake caliper. The rear rim was flatened so bad that it had hung up on the rear brake caliper, locking the rear tire. The front rim was dragging against a front caliper but wasn't quite locked up.
As the air was leaving the front tire, [engine running] I slipped/popped the clutch and BARELY manage to get the bike onto the shoulder [forcing the damaged rear rim past the brake caliper], one saddlebag still extending over the white line.
The bike was sitting so low that I could not put the side stand down and being by myself, was unable to put it onto the centerstand. I had to remain on the bike to keep it upright.
Luckily I never put the bike down during any of this; I HAD to have had a "higher-power" looking over me.
While sitting on the bike, I barely had enough cell service to place a call to a bike shop that I do business with. In about 'half an hr. Chris showed up with a friend, then a truck pulling an enclosed bike trailer came to the rescue also.
It took five of us [including to passing bikers who stopped] to get the bike into the trailer. We had to use the rachet type tie-downs to "come-along" the bike into the trailer and with others helping to push. It took about 'half an hr. just to get the bike loaded, 'half an hr. to get it back unloaded at Chris's bike shop.
Luckily, I have an '84 parts bike. I worked from 9AM until 8:30 PM at Chris's "C-D Cycle Service" trying to get the bike ready to ride home yesterday.
The tires were still good, no broken cords, etc. I robbed the rims/wheels off of my '84 Gold Wing at home and took these to Chris. Chris swapped out my good tires from the broken rims and mounted and balance them onto my '84 model rims.
Another trip to the house and I returned with a rear shock. After installing the front and rear "wheels" , saddle bags, one rear shock, travel trunk, seat, etc. I thought I was ready to ride her home. As luck would have it, the left rear shock was bad also.
I quit on it at this point and rode it home last night in the dark.
She handled fine, with the exception of "flat" rear suspension. At least as long as I was on perfectly level ground, the side stand would go down.
Today, --- ---- --- I'm going to rob the other shock from my '84 parts bike and install it onto my '87. I also still have one fork mounted light out and one rear marker light out.
I may have been riding by mysef, per say, but I KNOW God was with me because there is no other explanation as to how I managed to keep the bike up during all of this.
As I mentioned earlier, I was traveling too close to the white line in the curve and the pot hole extending into the edge of the pavement was the culprit.
Also, with the exception of the two passing bikers; NOBODY stoppped to offer assistance!
Chris charged a measley $40 for the overnight storage of my bike, dismounting/remounting and balanceing two tires.
The owner of the truck and bike trailer wouldn't accept anything but a thankyou for his services. Needless to say, he's a biker also.
And I have to add this, C-D Cycle Service, which is owned by my friend Chris, is a Harley oriented bike shop.
Even Chris had to admit that the Gold Wing sitting in his shop got more positive comments from customers than the eight Harleys! One even asked me if it was an '05 model! [Some of those Harley owners really don't know anything about Jap bikes!]
Well, I'm getting a late start on my wrenching today, but I sure put in the hrs. yesterday!
Ride Safe,
Greg
'80 XS1100-G
'87 GL1200-I
'93 KLX650-C1
On may way back I was entering a right hand sweeper, posted curve limit was 35 mph.
I was hanging on the inside of the curve, WAY too close to the white line.
Half-way thru the curve a large pot hole extended about one foot into the inside of the lane, and the white line and berm was missing.
A split second decision was made. I was affraid that if I dodged the hole by swerving to the left, this would put me way to the outside of the curve and accross the center line. I hit the hole, and partly cut the bike off of the pavement and onto the berm. Just before inpact I gripped the handle bars HARD and raised my hind-end slightly off of the seat, sorta motocross style.
After impact I came back onto the pavement and came to a dead stop in the center of my lane, just past the blind curve.
Damage: two flat tires, two busted rear shocks, two busted rims, and a scarred up rear brake caliper. The rear rim was flatened so bad that it had hung up on the rear brake caliper, locking the rear tire. The front rim was dragging against a front caliper but wasn't quite locked up.
As the air was leaving the front tire, [engine running] I slipped/popped the clutch and BARELY manage to get the bike onto the shoulder [forcing the damaged rear rim past the brake caliper], one saddlebag still extending over the white line.
The bike was sitting so low that I could not put the side stand down and being by myself, was unable to put it onto the centerstand. I had to remain on the bike to keep it upright.
Luckily I never put the bike down during any of this; I HAD to have had a "higher-power" looking over me.
While sitting on the bike, I barely had enough cell service to place a call to a bike shop that I do business with. In about 'half an hr. Chris showed up with a friend, then a truck pulling an enclosed bike trailer came to the rescue also.
It took five of us [including to passing bikers who stopped] to get the bike into the trailer. We had to use the rachet type tie-downs to "come-along" the bike into the trailer and with others helping to push. It took about 'half an hr. just to get the bike loaded, 'half an hr. to get it back unloaded at Chris's bike shop.
Luckily, I have an '84 parts bike. I worked from 9AM until 8:30 PM at Chris's "C-D Cycle Service" trying to get the bike ready to ride home yesterday.
The tires were still good, no broken cords, etc. I robbed the rims/wheels off of my '84 Gold Wing at home and took these to Chris. Chris swapped out my good tires from the broken rims and mounted and balance them onto my '84 model rims.
Another trip to the house and I returned with a rear shock. After installing the front and rear "wheels" , saddle bags, one rear shock, travel trunk, seat, etc. I thought I was ready to ride her home. As luck would have it, the left rear shock was bad also.
I quit on it at this point and rode it home last night in the dark.
She handled fine, with the exception of "flat" rear suspension. At least as long as I was on perfectly level ground, the side stand would go down.
Today, --- ---- --- I'm going to rob the other shock from my '84 parts bike and install it onto my '87. I also still have one fork mounted light out and one rear marker light out.
I may have been riding by mysef, per say, but I KNOW God was with me because there is no other explanation as to how I managed to keep the bike up during all of this.
As I mentioned earlier, I was traveling too close to the white line in the curve and the pot hole extending into the edge of the pavement was the culprit.
Also, with the exception of the two passing bikers; NOBODY stoppped to offer assistance!
Chris charged a measley $40 for the overnight storage of my bike, dismounting/remounting and balanceing two tires.
The owner of the truck and bike trailer wouldn't accept anything but a thankyou for his services. Needless to say, he's a biker also.
And I have to add this, C-D Cycle Service, which is owned by my friend Chris, is a Harley oriented bike shop.
Even Chris had to admit that the Gold Wing sitting in his shop got more positive comments from customers than the eight Harleys! One even asked me if it was an '05 model! [Some of those Harley owners really don't know anything about Jap bikes!]
Well, I'm getting a late start on my wrenching today, but I sure put in the hrs. yesterday!
Ride Safe,
Greg
'80 XS1100-G
'87 GL1200-I
'93 KLX650-C1
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