Well the unfortunate happened Sunday...

While out on a group ride, myself and a very good friend of mine laid our bikes down hard trying to avoid a drunk pedestrian. My bike is the white 06 and hers is the gray 08.

The guy walked across in front of us then at the last minute decided to double back into our path. My friend locked them up and went down hard and I had no choice but to do the same. Speed was roughly 30-35mph but it was enough to throw us both off pretty hard. She walked away with bumps bruises and some small road rash on her legs. She had on a good textile jacket, gloves, and shoei helmet.

I myself had on a leather icon jacket but no gloves and my HJC RPHA 10 helmet. That helmet saved my ass and so did that jacket. Wish I was wearing my gloves, but I figured it was too hot out for them. Stupid me lol. And I was only wearing blue jeans as I've never gotten around to getting better riding pants. I ended up with road rash on my left knee, left hand, left elbow and left shoulder. The jacket, though it didn't fit very well, did save my upper body from much harm. Mostly got heat burns from where the leather got hot on my shoulder and elbow.


The bikes didn't end up much better off either. Her bike ended up the worst for wear, while mine didn't get get off easily either. Her right side fairing and rear fairing are both destroyed, along with the crank case cover (it's split open and drained her bike of oil before it got picked up off the pavement. The bars seem ok except for minor scratches to the ends. Her front brake lever and rear brake lever are both bent, and I'm sure there is more damage I've missed or forgotten.



My bike laid down on the left side and ended up sliding into hers. My left side fairing is pretty well chewed up. My gas tank has a good sized dent in the top of it. My new clutch lever got a nice little scrape on it too. All in all though my bike did pretty well in this considering how bad off I am lol.


Can't wait to get back in the saddle again though, drunk pedestrians be damned lol

 

Thanks for the detailed report.. I ride in protective gear (and jeans), and always worry about the jeans part.
Vegas is just too hot for leathers, and overpants aren't very convenient for my daily 3 mile ride to work.

 

Wow, sorry about the incident, but glad to hear you two are ok. Hopefully the bikes get fixed up so you can get back out there soon.

And thanks for posting about your gear, good insight there. After reading this I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the kevlar pants I've had my eye on for a while lol.

 

Glad you're ok.. call the police and get his details? I would go after him in small claims court.

Jeans are ok, provided you wear the right kind; I use http://www.rhok.com.au/jeans.htm

 

you did remember to savagely beat him sober with your helmet right?

 

The pedestrian was deemed not at fault (he was in a crosswalk which apparently makes you able to kill someone and get away with it) but that's another story entirely and me and her are currently fighting that one.

I just wanted to mention that that helmet saved my life. My head hit very hard and that RPHA 10 saved me from some very serious damage. Same thing with her Shoei RF-1100. She hit face first and it absorbed the impact very well. Can't fault the gear for anything in this case. It saved us.

 

Told the cop later that that's what I should have done since they weren't gonna do anything to him.

 

Sorry about the crash. I'm curious always when people say they had to lay it down. Did the rear slide and you had a low side crash? Or did the front tire fold leading to the crash?

 

Awe that is so sad.. Im glad you guys are alright for the most part. I cant help but wonder what would of happened in same situation if the bikes were equipped with ABS. You just never know when you'll need it...next bike i buy (if its newer) ill toy with the idea of buying one with ABS.

 

What about public intoxication?

 

...hence the reason I am selling my 2002 and bought a 2008 with ABS

 

Front tire slide due to sudden lock up

 

Apparently it doesn't matter here.

 

Sorry to hear, but glad to know you are all in one piece.

 

I am really sorry to hear about your accident, and wish you a swift, and full recovery, and hope you are both able to get back to biking.

I guess what is most important here, is that no-one ended up badly injured. Bikes and riding gear can be repaired or replaced, people (drunk or sober) can't.

I can still recall when I used to commute daily into central London and saw a sober pedestrian knocked down and killed just yards in front of me. They were part way across a marked crossing (so had absolute right of way) when for some reason they changed their mind, turned around and stepped back towards where they were coming from and moments later were hit by a car which had not slowed, wrongly assuming they would be well clear of the crossing. At least you don't have that nightmare hanging over you.

If nothing else, what happened makes a pretty strong argument for ATGATT.

Over here, the weather has finally started to improve, and once again the valley echoes to the sound of passing groups of motorbikes.



I was out today on the Street Triple, and as you can see, it really is perfect weather to be out on a bike.

Enjoy it - but please take care folks.





SkiMad

 

Near my place in Oregon, Highway 101 is the main drag. The town is tourist oriented so whether or not a crosswalk is there, pedestrians have right of way. The average go down on bikes in the summertime is high. This is due to numbers partially. The shitty part is that the local cops have stings where a cop will be standing on the edge of a curb and when a vehicle approaches puts one foot on the tarmac which is enough "warning " to all motorists that "someone" is in the intersection and about to cross. The result is a pricy citation.

Yes there are assholes who ride bikes and drive cages that have their heads up their asses too, but the stings are flat out fund raisers.

 

How did you get road rash on your shoulder and elbow with a leather jacket on? Did it fail or can you get road rash through a jacket?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

My only guess is poor fit and heat transfer from the jacket. It's a burn not road rash.

 

He said the jacket did not fit well. That is common to happen with gear not fitting proper. A little rotation and your no longer sliding on leather and armor but spandex .
I gave up enough flesh to the asphalt gods when I was a teenager. I ride with full leathers even in the dead of summer. Riding boots and gauntlet gloves too.

 

Glad you and your friend are OK, Carolina.