Latest adventure
Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 1:31 pm
Dropped CeeGee Thursday night.
Coming off of a curving slip road <B430> onto a dual carriageway <A34> I was looking too much at the traffic checking for the spot to slip in to and not enough where I was going.
I was turned around so far that I straightened the bike out so itwas heading across the cariageway at a near right angle to traffic.
I slammed the breaks on to avoid becoming a hood ornament. I mentioned that I wasnt paying enough attention to where I was going and to much to what was on the carriageway?
If I hadnt have done I might have noticed that there was gravel and tarmac debries all over.
Short version is I dont remember anything between the handlebars snapping back into the left side of the tank and watching the gravel slide across my visor as I slid towards the carriageway.
We stopped together at the very very edge of the carriageway. I jumped up pulled the bike up and back before switching of the engine. Petrol was spilling out of my tank because since it got vandalised its only had a temporary cap.
As I was upright, the bike was upright and neither of us appeared to be dead despite how close we came I did the "I'm alive and that hurts" dance in the space between the slip road and the carriageway.
It was during this slightly embarresing bit that a van driver pulled over to make sure I was okay. He was really cool and made sure I was okay and that the bike was before he left. Turns out he rides a Harely and his son rides some sort of 125 cruiser. I kicked over the bike before he left ans as she came straight on he said "where would we be without Hondas?"
CeeGee lost a rear indicator lense, part of the rear bodywork might need replacing - I havent checked the mountings yet.
So anyway, Visor appears to be a rightoff, as do the jeans I was wearing <the eBay auction I was bidding in for a pair of reinforeced bike jeans finished that night> My leather has a paper thin patch on the shoulder where the road almost went through.
New bike boots <BMF last weekend> are pretty scuffed up but stick out so far from my legs that between them and the body armour I wear under my leather my legs hardly touched the floor. Result one grazed knee. If it werent for the hard shell body armour I'd have broken my collar bone and the leather might well have given way completely.
As it was I ached and felt a bit bruised so I got up on the bike and banged it into Oxford, spent a couple of hours doing what I had to there and then tried coming home. I say tried because my hand had swelled up. I manged to make it all the way down the B430 to the M40 services. I'd done something like 40-60 miles after the accident. The last twenty or so I was leaning on the throttle because I couldnt grip and was adjusting the throttle periodically with my left hand and had minimal control of the bike.
I phoned Jules when I got to the services and she came out to pick me up. The services people were really nice when I explained what happened and not only promised to keep an eye on my bike but also gave me free drinks.
By the time Jules arrived my hand had swollen to the point I was sweating and feeling sick. We went straight to casualty when we got back to Leicester where we found out that I have broken the Scaffoid in my wrist <you wouldnt believe how long this has taken to type wearing a cast>
Duken was kind enough to come down there with us last night and ride my bike back <once we had removed the loonie plates and replaced the shattered indicator lense>
For the record I was wearing
Helmet £35.00 with out which I'd have lost my face
Padded Leather jacket £20.00
Hardshell body armour £40.00 without which I'd have broken a collarbone
Normal Jeans £10.00
Mid shin motorbike boots £10.00
Motorbike Gloves £25.00 the palms of which are scuffed but still servicable
Total cost of gear £140.00 or about $196.00us
Without it I would have still been in hospital today talking skin grafts and all sorts of other nonsense. There is no excuse for the riders I've seen since who are cruising around wearing Helmet, Shorts, Trainers and nothing else.
Especially as the last time I glanced at my speedo before braking I was only doing 40mph.
So anyway, the bike is fine, I am fine except for the wrist <which will take 8 - 10 weeks to heal they tell me> and a terrible need to get the bike out again as soon as possible.
Coming off of a curving slip road <B430> onto a dual carriageway <A34> I was looking too much at the traffic checking for the spot to slip in to and not enough where I was going.
I was turned around so far that I straightened the bike out so itwas heading across the cariageway at a near right angle to traffic.
I slammed the breaks on to avoid becoming a hood ornament. I mentioned that I wasnt paying enough attention to where I was going and to much to what was on the carriageway?
If I hadnt have done I might have noticed that there was gravel and tarmac debries all over.
Short version is I dont remember anything between the handlebars snapping back into the left side of the tank and watching the gravel slide across my visor as I slid towards the carriageway.
We stopped together at the very very edge of the carriageway. I jumped up pulled the bike up and back before switching of the engine. Petrol was spilling out of my tank because since it got vandalised its only had a temporary cap.
As I was upright, the bike was upright and neither of us appeared to be dead despite how close we came I did the "I'm alive and that hurts" dance in the space between the slip road and the carriageway.
It was during this slightly embarresing bit that a van driver pulled over to make sure I was okay. He was really cool and made sure I was okay and that the bike was before he left. Turns out he rides a Harely and his son rides some sort of 125 cruiser. I kicked over the bike before he left ans as she came straight on he said "where would we be without Hondas?"
CeeGee lost a rear indicator lense, part of the rear bodywork might need replacing - I havent checked the mountings yet.
So anyway, Visor appears to be a rightoff, as do the jeans I was wearing <the eBay auction I was bidding in for a pair of reinforeced bike jeans finished that night> My leather has a paper thin patch on the shoulder where the road almost went through.
New bike boots <BMF last weekend> are pretty scuffed up but stick out so far from my legs that between them and the body armour I wear under my leather my legs hardly touched the floor. Result one grazed knee. If it werent for the hard shell body armour I'd have broken my collar bone and the leather might well have given way completely.
As it was I ached and felt a bit bruised so I got up on the bike and banged it into Oxford, spent a couple of hours doing what I had to there and then tried coming home. I say tried because my hand had swelled up. I manged to make it all the way down the B430 to the M40 services. I'd done something like 40-60 miles after the accident. The last twenty or so I was leaning on the throttle because I couldnt grip and was adjusting the throttle periodically with my left hand and had minimal control of the bike.
I phoned Jules when I got to the services and she came out to pick me up. The services people were really nice when I explained what happened and not only promised to keep an eye on my bike but also gave me free drinks.
By the time Jules arrived my hand had swollen to the point I was sweating and feeling sick. We went straight to casualty when we got back to Leicester where we found out that I have broken the Scaffoid in my wrist <you wouldnt believe how long this has taken to type wearing a cast>
Duken was kind enough to come down there with us last night and ride my bike back <once we had removed the loonie plates and replaced the shattered indicator lense>
For the record I was wearing
Helmet £35.00 with out which I'd have lost my face
Padded Leather jacket £20.00
Hardshell body armour £40.00 without which I'd have broken a collarbone
Normal Jeans £10.00
Mid shin motorbike boots £10.00
Motorbike Gloves £25.00 the palms of which are scuffed but still servicable
Total cost of gear £140.00 or about $196.00us
Without it I would have still been in hospital today talking skin grafts and all sorts of other nonsense. There is no excuse for the riders I've seen since who are cruising around wearing Helmet, Shorts, Trainers and nothing else.
Especially as the last time I glanced at my speedo before braking I was only doing 40mph.
So anyway, the bike is fine, I am fine except for the wrist <which will take 8 - 10 weeks to heal they tell me> and a terrible need to get the bike out again as soon as possible.
