Down the road

Well, a few hours ago I was taken down on my 850 by a woman driver who cut straight across into my lane and then jammed her anchors on hard. I just had time to hit my brakes and throw the bike to the left, which is about all I remember. I clipped the left rear of her car (Honda CRV) and then went down hard on my left side. Came to a minute or so later and an ambulance crew who were passing had stopped to attend to me. I could feel nothing was broken but my shoulder had something obviously torn inside and with abrasions on both legs, both arms and left hip and a little concussion. Had a neck brace fitted and off to the hospital for X-rays and such.

Now, the important bit, the Norton. Dented tank, bent staunchions (brand new, fitted last week), left footpeg broken, grazed muffler and brake pedal, bent headlight, ears and indicators, smashed speedo, bent bars, grazed clock holder (freshly polished and scratches removed), front guard and bent mudguard stay (freshly painted last week). It remains to be seen if the triple clamps and frame are bent. On the whole it could've been worse. Hope her insurance comes to the party.

I don't remember leaving work (going home for lunch) and very little about the prang. Looking at the circumstances, no modern bike could have done better as I just didn't have time to react.

I'd just got the bike back on the road on Friday from a gearbox rebuild and a tidy up of the front end including the new bushes, seals and staunchions. Not depressed and the rebuild shouldn't cost her insurance company a lot, compared to a modern contraption. I only hope the frame isn't bent. I'd spent the last few days sorting it out and adjusting stuff to bring it back to spec and it was going so beautifully.

It coulda been worse. If you want to share the pain, I'll take a few photos.

Hi, glad to hear your body is "intact"........sorry for your Commando!
It could happen anytime to everybody..........keep on, old chap!

Sorry to hear about the accident but glad you are still with us. The Norton can be fixed. In my mind I picture a cell phone glued to the womans ear.
I swear…one day I’m gonna be creamed by either a deer or a cell phone.

beljum

As the other post says, at least you are ok and both are repairable.
Lets hope her insurance does pay as you say.Sorry for you pain!!!
Early Dec was out on my Norton with two guys on late model ricer burners, 200hp Fireblade spat my mate off under brakes, broke his collar bone,no ABS, flicked him off at around 80KPH no one else involved, $14,000 NZD repair bill, you could get 2 x Nortons for that price!!!
Get well soon and I mean you as well!!!
Regardds Mike

Fullauto ,

Glad you're still with us!

Be interested to hear what the cops have to say about her driving style! :evil: All too common these days tho

Hope you and the bike are healed up real soon!

ATB

Steve

Ken,

Hate to hear this. Heal up soon.

Glad you're Okay Fullauto, Bikes can be fixed or replaced, just money. A friend of mine was stopped at an intersection on his Z-1, drunk guy somehow ran his light, curved and went up and over the curb to T-bone John. Really messed up his leg, he was an avid boxer but had to give it up as he couldn't run train or move like he needed to stay competitive. It's almost always the freakin' other guy. Again glad you're okay, Cj

Glad you weren't done any worse, sorry to hear it.

Sounds almost exactly like my worst time, I flew over the car (not knocked out). A kid that witnessed it said I looked like Superman, but without a cape. Bike was totalled.

9 times out of 10 the other guy in these accidents always walk away unscathed which really bites.
Glad you're ok and of course sorry about the bike.

This is bad but the first thing that came to mind was "Damn, I'm glad he's ok 'cuz I hav'nt got one of his heads yet."

Ken,
Sorry to hear that.
I hope you heal up quick so you can get that bike fixed. Jim

I hate when that happens.

I know it's cliche, but I'm glad you're ok.

Ken
Bad news but the bike can be fixed, glad you are OK (almost)
I had an arse hole push me out of the way on Saturday on a bend, passed me on a solid white line and also pushed the oncoming traffic out of the way, these people are so far up their own arse they never realise the possible consequences of their actions!

Gino

Ugh, Fullauto sorry to hear you got worse injury than the Commando. Any loss of consciousness is considered a serious injury and the more seconds to minutes out and bigger gap of prior memory just multiples the chances of after effects up to causing dementia or vegetable state stroke, heart attack and early death. Even limbs torn off are secondary to central nervous system injury in brain, brain stem and spinal cord. If shoulder griddle torn which supports the spinal to brain stem just add more acceleration to the delayed danger.

I don't go to my mail box w/o armor on d/t tractors and deer suddenly in my face in blinds. No other logic applies to motorcycling but its a dangerous expensive hobby. Lost handful of friends Tee-boned in public minding their own manners. I know I could be next so always ask myself if this is a good day to die before each ride.

My worse injury was late Feb 2006, 3 weeks after autumn and winter recovering Trixie blow up from unknown bad parts inside, to be hit on headlight and helmet head on by a deer at full leap strike that crushed neck and major limb joints and trashed Trixie stem to stern even worse than your list of let down. If I'd not of done heavy drugs and psychedelics with yogic practice, I'd of gone unconscious d/t heart just vibrating and lungs in spasm to freeze to death before daylight. When full spine and brain swelling hit I essentially lost my mind in pain and delium for months afterwords. If I'd not of stretched/tractioned neck back after 2001 track 120 mph bike on head hi side my neck would of broke more than bent to die on the spot burnt to a crisp as trapped under bike gas pouring out on still running points. Luck or Fate? Both are constant hunters.

I can not tell ya how much rubberized magnets wrapped or taped on local injury helps - as after such a smash the local tissues and the CNS control of circulation goes aerie to either swell up choked or shut off to shrivel up. Baylor College of Medicine found that simple static magnetic flied restored the capillary beds breathing cycles giving dramatic relief in inflammation and recovery. The reason magnets got a quack image is they don't work on pain that's coming from the CNS which are most pains that bother people, so of course don't help any more than farting with Amals when its really an ignition issue.

All anti-inflammtories interfere with connective tissue repair such as blood vessels and bone and joints and most of the nervous system, so extra danger of hi dose and long term use, which adds to the serious delayed effects mentioned above. There is no cell repair possible w/o inflammation but not enough or too much is a bad thing. There is no inflammation possible w/o intact nerve supply.

Be super aware of neck position to move, sit, drive and lay down and what its doing to magnify symptoms or relieve. Middle-upper neck controls the gut and heart rate so often GRUD flairs up with injury plus the drugs taken. If you find a neck position that makes ya burp or eases sense in injury, keep doing that very lightly, even with hand help to speed up recovery. Done long enough-forever can regrow even old injury spurs and disc degeneration.

Let's hope the lady is a good looker and will do anything to put matters right...after all an extra pair of hands in the foundry must help :lol:
I bet you jumped up and checked out the bike before yourself :?: I think the new EU regs comming [for us brits], Hivision vests and head lights may help this..a little.
I think all drivers today are pre-occupied, with phones and forever in a rush.

Here's to you making a full recovery & I hope this teaches all who hear of it to look around more. I was ridding up a two lane hill recently and a couple in a Mercedes coupe came up from behind me on my left about 50 feet before a cross street. they pulled right up next to me & then pulled into my lane to make a right at the cross road!! I had no place to go but luckly before they ran me into the wall I beat on the passengers window as hard as I could with my left fist & the driver woke up & pulled away... I wish I had been strong enough to break the guys window so it would have left a more lasting impression but I wasn't. We all make mistakes but I just can't get how this guy could pull right next to me & then still come over into me. Glad your ok & really hope your bike will be too.

[quoteI think the new EU regs comming [for us brits], Hivision vests and head lights may help this..a little.
I think all drivers today are pre-occupied, with phones and forever in a rush.][/quote]

Not so sure John, I was speaking to a bike cop the other week, he was escorting a wide load up a small Perthshire road, a 4x4 coming the other way was going to cause a problem so he stopped her and asked her to back up into a farm road, he wen't ahead to stop oncoming traffic for her, guess what, much to his disbelief she reversed right into him knocking him clean off the bike and he had blue lights, hi viz everything and the benefit of speaking to her moments earlier, accidents happen, stupidy is though unavoidable in this day and age, they're all out to get us!!

Ugh, when in the saddle no one is in full control of their life and bike fate. Ever!
I grin and grimace at the attitudes of safe riders bragging of never going fast and always armored. That takes out some percentage of fate but when fate's got your number on it its 100% too little too late. I wish the best of course but I grin and grimace on comments as if this was just bones and joint and paint and forks injury to get over.

I've lost count of the sciatica and hip/knee replacement pain cases that have a history of cycle or other accident with some hints of trouble soon after but shrugged off as just tendons bothering. Same with vertigo and hand numb cases. So how lucky do ya feel punks heading out in the saddle. I"ve seriously wondered which is worse messing with married women or dealing drugs vs holesome motorcycles.

When I read your post I was reminded of the opening for the Six Million Dollar Man series. "We can rebuild him. We have the technology." I was thinking of the bike of course, not you. We don't heal up as easily as we once did. Pay attention to the rehab, it will make a big difference to the old joints.

Your bike was on my mind over the weekend actually. I am still kind of stunned by your gearing. A belt drive that steps up the final drive, but instead of going lower on your drive sprocket you went up! And still lots of grunt...I gotta get me one of those heads.

Rest well, heal soon and get back to work.

Russ

Let us know what your damages were. Hope they get better soon.

And, sad as it is, pictures of the bike.

Heal quickly, Sir! And may the rebuild go smoothly.