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Man Down!

43K views 88 replies 52 participants last post by  Rickyd863 
#1 ·
Hey guys!

Well today some #$@%^&*% in a %$#@^ cage pulled out of a stop street in front of me. :icon_evil: :mad: :mad: :cus: Tried to avoid him, but realised I would hit him, so I put the bike down. I hit mother earth real hard. They took me away in an ambulance. I've got a fractured left scapula and more broken bones in my right hand. :ImaPoser: (Typing here with one finger.) So many abrasions I can't count them all and in really serious pain.

I was wearing good leathers and gloves, boots and helmet. I was going slow. Really, I promise, slow! If had been moving, you wouldn't be reading this.

So the lessons are: The leather jacket helped a lot. I've got one with Knox protectors sewn in. Get these if you don't have them. The helmet is a little scrapted, but not too bad. Thankfully my brain is OK. Also, always wear good boots: they also helped a lot. The jeans are history--they cut them off me. Maybe those kelvar jeans are a good idea, after all.

As for the bike, well I don't really know how she is. I was in hospital very quick and in too much pain to do a careful inspection. Still, she didn't look too bad. Hell, even lying on it's side, the Raider is a good looking bike!!

And some other interesting points. Even though I tried to push the bike away from me, I don't think I really managed. It all happened so fast that I can't really say. Still, I think I hit the road while I was still on the bike. I am amazed that my leg was not more damaged than it is. I reckon the bike actually protected me some, and didn't crush my leg. No, I don't have crash bars on the bike. And thinking about it, if I had had crash bars, I think they would have dug in and caused the bike to flip, possibily throwing me over it and into the $%#@ car.

So, I'm at home now, but I have to go back to hospital for surgery. I think it will be a while before I am back on the bike. I am so angry at this @!#$@%. My beautiful bike! Boo hooh. Anyone know any good black magic?

The bite has gone out of the dog for a while, but I'LL BE BACK!!

DogBite :wave:
 
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#28 ·
Just adding my .02 i wear a full face because i feel i can see better since the wind is not whipping around my glasses causing me to squint a little. Also as others have mentioned it keeps your head MUCH more protected.

Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences and i wish everyone safety in riding. I agree that you cant let the possibility of an accident keep you from having fun or doing what you love!!! BUT, you do need to be prepared and alert.... whether it be with protective gear and/or a safety course, because as you guys said it has an impact on more than just yourself!!!
 
#29 ·
So sorry you went down DogBite. I pray you get well quickly,thankful it wasn't worse. I wish people would be careful, but everybody is in a hurry these days, no where really to go. You can only get ahead maybe one traffic light, but people don't understand this. They must feel as if they are moving faster, therefore saving time. I believe the law should make everyone attend a class on how the traffic signals really work, and how speeding does not make the few minutes of time saved in high traffic areas, outweigh the risk of accidents. When I was in high school, driver's ed class showed films of accidents and the destruction they caused, very disturbing, I remember not wanting to even drive at one point.
 
#30 ·
DogBite, I got the goose bumps reading this post. I am sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident. It is never fun to read these once, and its even more painful to go what you are going through. I know how it feels. I still remember, about 15 years ago, I went down hard. I am not going to get in to a long story, I'll just keep it short. I was young, and dumb, going about 50 MPH behind a semi that was (I thought, going too slow for my pace.) I decided to pass him, got too close and there he goes slams on his brakes. And there I went sliding, and rolling as I saw my bike doing the same thing I was. The bike was totaled. Thank god I wasn't... Only a couple of broken ribs, my right wrist, and a whole bunch of scrapes and buses. I recovered considerably fast, and did not get on two wheels for a while. Then I got enough balls, got another bike. I love riding. Can't take that away from me. I was down, but definitely not out.

I wish you all the best in your recovery. You will ride again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#31 ·
Thanks for the messages, guys. Much appreciated! I'm getting there and feeling better everyday.

BTW, just to pick on the notion that perhaps the foot pegs help to prevent your leg getting crushed if you go sliding on a Raider:

I got to see the bike the other day. Aside from much other damage, the left foot peg is pretty bent and the metal has also been twisted. So it sure looks like the foot peg took a lot of the force when I went down. Having seen it, I still think that there is something to how the Raider is put together that does indeed help to minimise damage to your leg under these conditions. Of course, that doesn't mean that your leg it completely safe--I came way with some nasty bruises on my thigh and abrasions on my knee and was limping for a few days.

When I got the Raider I remember being a little edgy about very slow speed turns because the bike is so heavy, and thinking that if I lost my balance and fell, that the bike would crush my leg. Now I can tell you that you would be protected if that did happen (providing you could resist the impulse to put out your foot to stabilse yourself). Sure the bike would pick up a few scratches.
 
#32 ·
dog, sorry to hear about your accident,you are in my prayers brother.Thank God you are alright and still want to get back on. I lost my left leg to a cage in 67,hit me broadside,they took my leg but not my heart,rest up recoupe and we are all happy you will ride agian another day.The good brakes on the raider have helped once already,great bike but no match for a cage. Have a speedy recovery.
 
#33 ·
Dogbite

First, real sorry to hear about your accident. I'm glad you're still in good enough shape to talk to us on the blog.

By the way, did you get the license plate of the cage who hit you? I'll be more than happy to slam my boots into their door panels if I catch them.

Appreciate your comments on riding gear. It's hot out here in LA and I was leaning towards buying a leather jacket (instead of cordura) - but leather is sweaty and heavy in the summer. You've convinced me to go with my instincts ... and get leather.

Keep your chin up, Dog. They can't keep a good man down!!!

distantThunder
 
#34 ·
I am new to the site, but glad to see you are ok.

One thing you said that interested me. The same thing happened to me about 25 years ago on a 750 Honda. I had crash bars and the bike slide on those. Seems that the bike only slide on the side crash bars, hand grip, footpegs and the mufflers. There was enough room for me such that it didn't land on my leg or foot at all. I kind of rolled out from under it. Because most of the bike was sliding on only a few points of contact with the ground, it really slide a long way and way faster than I was moving. I never made it to the car, but the bike did. I basically picked up the bike and road away with a severe case of road rash on my butt. An added benefit, the crash bars protected the engine. All I ended up replacing was the brake handle, grip, and the left side mufflers (the one that hit the car.

As a side not, I don't have crash bars on my Red Raider but have considered them. Somehow, I need to find some that don't take away from the look.

Anyway, good luke and hope to see you get that raider back up.
Later
 
#35 ·
Hope you are better

I am new to this forum, but I know the feeling and I hope you are better Dog. I had a wreck of my own 8 weeks ago, broke my fibula, dislocated my foot, and tore a ligament. Nothing surgery, a plate and 9 screws couldn't fix!

Hope you are better and that you will be back in the saddle again soon.

Nick
 
#36 ·
Ouch Dog. Sorry to hear that the Jozi cages managed to hurt you and yours. Relieved to have you around.

I laid of riding for 12 years untill last year as result of such an insightful experience. Negotiations with the wife, you see. Had to see the kids grown before exposing my bod to the risk again.

Hope to see you you some time soon on the Breakfast run for a Raiding party.
 
#38 ·
Hello Horde of Raiders!

Yeah this thread again... Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm coming right. At least I can squeeze the toothpaste tube again! :D I don't want to bore you all with my woes, though.

This thread is really meant to be about learning from accidents on Raiders. So on that score, you might be interested to know that having your Raider repaired is VERY expensive. The bike was not badly damaged. Briefly, tank dented, clutch lever broken, gear footpeg bent, left grip mauled and then lots of scratches. Doesn't sound too bad, huh? I'm not sure in dollar terms, but the friggin bill comes to a third of the value of the bike when it was new!! :eek:

Fortunately I'm insured. I decided to get my attorneys onto the idiot in the cage that caused the whole situation and that process is now unfolding. I'll keep you posted.

The lesson at this point is "get insurance", if you are not already covered. Man oh man, Yami parts are pricey! :madhead:

DogBite
 
#39 ·
DogBite
Mine had $10,100 worth of damage and we could still drive it. I did not believe the insurance adjuster when he gave me this quote so I took it, at my own expense to have my dealer look at it, and he confirmed the estimate. So, yea they are expensive to fix. Glad you are okay. Keep healing.
 
#41 ·
Hey DogBite

Glad you're starting to feel better.
Yami parts pricey ? ... human parts aren't that cheap either.
Glad you didn't lose any of yours :)

In honor of your accident, I went out last weekend and got myself a really good leather jacket for riding the Raider (with built-in elbow pads and shoulder pads). So it's now the Dogbite Memorial Jacket :).

distantThunder
 
#43 ·
Lemme tell you something really weird about the leather jacket. I was wearing a good leather jacket replete with that plastic armour stuff in the elbow and shoulder areas (whatever they call it). The jacket survived very well, just bust the zip on the left cuff, but otherwise intact. Still plenty life left in the jacket. The long sleeved cotton shirt under the jacket was also fine.

BUT, my arm was stuffed. I lost a massive amount of skin off my arm. It was like a 2nd degree burn, man. Not just the top epidermal layer that was gone, but right down to the muscle. I've got a really ugly scar there now; still tender. It amazes me that my arm was so wrecked, but the jacket and shirt were fine. Of course, it would have been a lot worse without the jacket.

How do you explain that? I can only think that it was the friction that caused the burn on my arm. Strange, but true. :idunno:
 
#45 ·
Hey DogBite

I'd assumed that when you got the road rash on your arm, that the sleeve of your leather jacket was just kinda' pushed up in the fall - so your arm came in direct contact with the asphalt. However, what you seem to be saying is ... that's not true. Yeah, weird thing. Somehow you got some pretty bad abrasion burns through the leather of the coat? Weird, but stuff happens.

However, look at it on the bright side. You see that guy in the picture that you post with your comments. That would be Blackbeard the Pirate, wouldn't it? Old Bleackbeard would be quite proud of your battle scars, mate :)

You know you're not the last guy to get some "Raider scars" from being on the highway. More folks here are goin' to get their own. You're just the first. So the only trouble is ... now you've pushed up the level - before we can get any serious recognition. Our mishaps are goin' to have to be much more colorful, just to get any mention.

distantThunder
 
#46 ·
Hey distantThunder,

I agree that what you say makes sense, but the thing is that the sleeve didn't get pushed up. It was still tucked into my glove--I remember clearly cos I battled to get the glove off because the thumb on the other hand had been broken. Also, the cuff on the shirt underneath was still buttoned--the paramedic undid that for me, and it was only at that point that I could see what had happened to my arm. The road rash definitely came through the leather!! I still don't really understand how. :confused:

As for the Raider scars, well thanks, I suppose. Maybe Blackbeard would be proud. Now, do I post the pics of my scars to the General Discussion section or to the Raider Mods section? :biggrin:

DogBite
 
#47 ·
Dogbite, sorry to hear about your crash and glad to hear your gettin better man.

as for your roadrash on your arm, all the heat and friction from sliding couldve given you a friction burn. i got one of those on my leg when i was riding motocross. pants were in tact, but hardened clay is almost as bad as asphalt when your sliding. tore my leg up somethin bad
 
#50 ·
Everyone knows this one. “Excuse me sir duz yor doug bite?” “No” “Bark bark bark” “Excuse me sir. I zought you said your doug didn’t bite?” “Zat iz not my doug.” Hopefully you will get your bite (and bike) back soon. Here is to a quick recovery.

I took my safety course before I ever took the helm of a real bike a couple of years ago. First few minutes of the outside portion were scary to say the least. By the end of the course I was comfortable on the bike. One of the things they said was to practice the skill from the class.

I took a short break from riding. When I got back on I thought I didn’t need to practice them since I had already done them (stopping quickly). Well I was riding along the same road I ride from work everyday. A black truck was turning left.

Mistakes
#1 I should have noticed the stopped truck sooner
#2 Applied too much back break (tried pumping)
#3 Applied too little front break (tried pumping)

I was able to avoid the collision (barely – less then a foot clearance from truck and high curb). I ride by the scene today and see the skid marks. It got me thinking of something said in class. They told a story of a guy who would apply his back breaks more then his front breaks. He said, "I'll know what to do when it counts!" Well the time came and he did what he always did and applied the back breaks more then the front. Today that guy has changes his breaking habits. Long story short Practice stopping quickly! Don’t think you are going to know what to do when the time comes. Just like it was said already in this thread. There is very little time if any to think. Practice good riding habits. Take a course. This is more of a reminder for me than directed to anyone. I dont know if I would have the smarts to lay down a bike given the situation.

This thread has got me thinking of getting gear sooner than later. I some times ride with shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt. I do have a full face helmet. So I am not totally crazy.
 
#51 ·
Hi Audiozuki

After aging 12 years since my last big fall, during which time I did not ride at all, I now have taken to wearing gloves, kevlar jeans, proper jacket (even got a summer jacket) and full face. Hoping that I will do better when the next one comes. We all know it is not if, but when.

Had a young girl driving into the road in front of me on Friday without looking. If it was not that I am a lot aware (read scared) nowadays, she would probably have had my precious Raider bent into her door.

No more slops, shorts or other easy gear for me anymore. No, thank you sir. I am probably just a more experienced (read: learned to be careful / scared older biker).
 
#52 ·
First let me start off saying that I'm glad you all are ok. For discussion purposes, I would like to mention some thoughts on laying the bike down.

I have read a few differing ideas as to whether or not its a good idea to lay a bike down in a crash. Since the Pros to laying a bike down have already been mentioned in previous posts, I will leave them at that.

The other school of thought is how little the friction of sliding on pavement actually slows you down. Instead of laying the bike down, hard braking until the point of impact can indeed scrub upwards of 10-20 mph from your impact speed, thus reducing your potential for injury significantly. There are compelling articles out there that get into coefficients of friction and examples of what your impact speed would be for hard breaking vs. laying a bike down.

I'm sure its a balancing act and the decision to lay down vs. hard brake has to be made pretty quickly. I'm not advocating one or the other... but I think its worth some consideration.

Ride safe!
 
#55 ·
The other school of thought is how little the friction of sliding on pavement actually slows you down. Instead of laying the bike down, hard braking until the point of impact can indeed scrub upwards of 10-20 mph from your impact speed, thus reducing your potential for injury significantly. There are compelling articles out there that get into coefficients of friction and examples of what your impact speed would be for hard breaking vs. laying a bike down.

I'm sure its a balancing act and the decision to lay down vs. hard brake has to be made pretty quickly. I'm not advocating one or the other... but I think its worth some consideration.
Hey Drekkyk,

I agree braking hard is really good idea. I think one should put the bike down only if you have effectively lost control of everything else. I was in a situation where I was going to hit the car. Dropping the bike prevented that and I believe was the lesser of two evils. But still it caused major damage to both me and the bike!

DogBite
 
#54 ·
Sorry to hear that DogBite, may you have a speedy recovery. I hate to read about bikers going down because of someone elses stupidity. KNOCK ON WOOD, I have been riding since the early 70's. I have not been envolved in an accident yet, it could happen tomarrow, I pray that it don't! I have had countless close calls.

One was 2 years ago, an elderly lady was stopped at a side street to my right. I scanned the car, seen her, then my eyes for some reason locked on her tires, a second later those tires started moving, she was pulling out in front of me. I was on my 83 Yamaha Venture traveling at 35mph, third gear. She was at that time aroung 40 yards from me with the distance closing fast! I knew there was no time to stop, thankfully I had covered my clutch and started letting off the gas. All I could do was drop my 83 into second gear for the power, gave her gas and shot around the vehicle to the left. She had no idea I was there until I passed her. I should have left a calling card on her door with my boot as I passed her but I didn't.

Now I have my Raider, two months ago a woman pulled out in front of me from a bank parking lot. Another situation that was too close for comfort, I got my first test with the braking ability of the Raider whick was great!

For those of you just starting out on a bike, take everyones advice that leaves a post on what they have done or experienced that saved them in a time of crisis on two wheels. There may be a situation arise that you will not be able to control but until then, please give yourself a fighting chance!

Courses, courses, courses, take them, I have had 3 over the years.
Teach yourself to scan ahead for any movement until it becomes second nature. Any cars waiting or comin up on a side street, I cover the clutch and the break while shaving off some speed, (just in case) it has saved me many times.
Learn your bike, remember you contol it, it does not control you!

This is just my insite. DogBite, thanks for your post, get well and get back to riding soon!
 
#56 ·
Dogbite,

I definitely agree that if laying the bike down prevents you from impacting a large, immovable object, that is the way to go. But if you are going to hit that object no matter what you do, then your best option is to brake like you never braked before :). I think in most cases laying the bike down, since it doesnt really change your direction of travel, you will slide into that object anyway.

Its always a good thing when you look back on an accident and you know you took the best course of action. What sucks is when you look back and wish you did things differently. Practice, discussion, reading threads like this, etc help us all to avoid the latter! Thanks for posting and good luck on the repair/recovery.

Drekkyk
 
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