first fall

[a747freak]

Hey everyone,
Today is a sad day. I just laid my bike down going around a S-curve with a steep drop off. The road had a lot of gravel on it and I didn't realize it, next thing I know I was lying on the side of the road about 10 feet from the bike. Surprisingly she's not in too bad shape, I need to replace the brake fluid reservoir and some turn signal lights. Got a small dent in the tank too. One thing thats bugging me though is I couldn't get it into neutral at all. Luckily a fellow biker with a pickup truck saw me and helped me load my bike in his truck. Great guy, I'm glad he came my way. A lot of things could have gone horribly wrong so I am quite thankful to be walking away with just some nasty road rash. And yes, I was wearing my helmet, but still..OUCH.

Steve

[Hornswaggle]

Sorry to hear about that but glad you're okay. It's a lot easier to fix the bike...

[Allie]

I'm glad you're relatively okay and your bike is fixable. Please be alert, be careful - this mishap probably reminded you of that. An MSF course is also highly advised if you haven't already taken one.

[a747freak]

I'm glad you're relatively okay and your bike is fixable. Please be alert, be careful - this mishap probably reminded you of that. An MSF course is also highly advised if you haven't already taken one.

Thanks. I have taken the MSF course, and I can say I should have done several things differently. At least I learned from this and will me much more cautious from now on. It's so easy to be careless.

[seuadr]

Thanks. I have taken the MSF course, and I can say I should have done several things differently. At least I learned from this and will me much more cautious from now on. It's so easy to be careless.

hey that's the thing to do, man. learn from it. own it, and it's not a mistake, it's a learning experience.

as far as not being able to get it into neutral, it may be stuck mid gear between two.. have you tried rolling it back and forth while you try to shift?

[kerrfunk]

Gotta love when gravel steals your traction and leaves you topsyturvy on the ground. Been there, done that, moved on.

Blessings on your recovery and your bike's.

I'm near Philly, by the way, I guess an hour or two south of you. Hi!

[jimfj]

For someone that has not yet had that expirience,

if you don't mind, please tell me what you could have done to possible avoid that. i understand it would be fun if we just went 30 miles per hour all the time.

thanks for sharing with us.

jim

[Mrs. Steve]

Glad you are okay, this has answered the question ever rider has of not if they will ever drop the bike, but when? Hope you get your bike back up and running soon.
.

[a747freak]

Thanks for the support everyone. I JUST got my bike back (left it at the friendly rider's house until I was able to bring it back). I'm amazed at how little damage there is, but its still there. Only on the right side where it fell. I have to replace the handlebars, 2 blinkers, and the brake fluid reservoir/brake lever, but I think thats about it. She started right up for me and I was able to hit neutral with a little rocking.

As far as what I could have done to avoid it...I think my biggest mistake was not stopping on the side of the road and checking the road. I could feel the road felt different when I was riding it, but I didn't realize why until it was too late. It was that chip & tar crap, and it was all loose (no signs). It was also my first time riding that road, or even driving it for that matter. I was completely out of my element. I was not going fast though, and I wonder if the lighter weight of my 250 contributed to how I lost traction around the curve. One thing I can say though: If you have the gear, wear it. I have a nice jacket that was hanging in my closet while I was scraping across the road.

Kerrfunk: Yep, about 2 hours south. Hi! I lived in philly last summer, it was quite an experience!

[bonanzadave]

Call the DOT and tell those dumb arses to put out a loose gravel sign .

Glad to hear youre still in one piece.

[Allie]

Call the DOT and tell those dumb arses to put out a loose gravel sign .

Glad to hear youre still in one piece.

+2 on that (yes Allie gets two votes). The road departments are just crazy about using that stuff around here, I hate it. It can be hard to pick out without signs for sure - I don't think you'll forget that sound or feeling under the tires ever. I'm glad things didn't turn out worse for you.