Crashing stories.

[Anonymous]

had i had another few feet to think i woulda hit the clucth or the kill switch , but as it goes shoulda woulda coulda .
I thought i had licked the throttle problem by lubricating the line oh well , all this did for me was xcelerate my new plans for the bike, a alot of 4130 , some chopping ,fire up me tig welder and build me a japchopper .

[Carter Turk]

Crashing stories

Bwinger, Thanks for clarifying your post. It just made me feel like a little peasant way down low is all. No worries.

As far as the other three go, the third one was silly. It's true though that accidents happen within five miles from home.

3. Happened in the winter months in the Northwest. Cold night followed by clear day, I'm heading less than a mile from my house to feed my girlfriends cat and bend through a shallow S- curve going about 20 mph. A 30' evergreen is shadowing the roadway like a steep triangle. Where I pass through the shadow is only 3 feet wide. My front tire passes through, leaning ever so slightly to the left. Down I go instantly, like some one yanking on the road in those old RF900 commercials or the Road Runner cartoons. Black ice! The bike only slides about 5 feet, but the swiftness of the impact was great enough pop a Costco size grape hole in my stator cover.

A neighbor is tending to his yard while watching me in sort of panic, pick up the bike quickly and immediately start thumbing the starter button. He pipes up "I wouldn't do that if I were you" I said "Why?" " You have no oil in your engine " At that moment I hadn't even noticed. So there I am standing next to my bike in front of this guys yard with a giant puddle of very black engine oil pooling right in front of his driveway. He's not pleased but offered rags and a garbage can to swipe up the mess.

I went through different options in my head, trying to figure out how to get my bike back home only 3 blocks away. The problem was, I lived at the top of hill, not a big one, but steep enough to cause problems pushing.

Pushing was what I chose to do. I decided to do the switchback approach with front brake assist. 10 degrees at time. When I got to the edge of the road on one side I'd grab the brake adjust body position and push and grab the brake while turning the handlebar in the other direction to keep the bike from rolling backwards. I got about 1/3 of the way up the hill when a neighbor saw me pushing 540 pounds of motorcycle up a hill and offered to help. We pushed to the top and got in the the garage. Carter

[Jethro]

I've had probably 6 or more slow speed dumps on my bikes, all stupid and harmless stuff like trying to rooster tail the rear tire sideways on a dirt road or falling at a traffic light. I did however have one real crash, and I'll never forget it.

The bike: a 74? Honda CB 350
My age: young and dumb 16

I was going about 60mph around the Ayer, MA rotory. I was about 3/4 of the way around when a car entered the rotory in front of me. He didn't do anything wrong as I am sure he looked and didn't see me. I slammed on both brakes but the front was a little grabbier and I high sided. Thank god for the Mass helmet law or I'm sure my stupid head wouldn't have had one on. I slid right into the gaurdrail and hit one of the uprights square with that helmet, an old Bell. It cracked across the entire length- in half- but stayed together and did it's job. Thankfully the bike slid further than I did and hit the gaurdrail further down the rotory. Also thankfully it was September and a little chilly, so I had jeans, gloves, and a jean jacket on. Still I got a broken collerbone and arm, severely sprained ankle (would have been better if it broke), and bad road rash on the entire right side of my body. Needless to say I couldn't ride home...

[ronin1166]

Reading this thread has stirred up some memories...
1984 - I was 19. I'd just bought a 'cherry' '80 GS750ET a week or two earlier. I'm riding with Carter T. (yep, this one), he's riding his battered warrior GS750ET (that bike was...different...special...). He's more experienced than I, he's leading.
We're scratching our way up Sunrise on Mt. Rainier. Beautiful, sunny morning, cool humid air, the bike is singing. I love this bike!! Waaay more potent and solid than my '79 GS550EN!! Short straight, we blast past a van; second gear, third, pulling hard. :twisted: Left hander coming, down into second, hard on the binders. Carter is through; the corner is tightening up - A LOT!
TARGET FIXATION!!! I see a tree midcorner. There is 8-10ft. of gravel shoulder, then...nothing...a steep slope, hundreds of feet down. I'm not going to make it. 20-25 mph, I 'watch helplessly' as I run wide...the front washes out...I'm down in the gravel. NOOOOOooooo!!!!
Dust. Sunlight. I'm a bit scuffed, but OK. Silence - wait a minute - my bike's running steadily at about 5,000 rpm - where is it??? It's wedged against the tree I was staring at, between the front wheel and header pipes. Without that tree, it's off into the abyss. Adrenalized, I run over and shut it off. Here comes the van...he's pis$ed, scared, he has a rope. We start to drag the bike out.
Here comes Carter. Here comes a Park Ranger. Here comes a 'failure to maintain control' ticket.
The bike was scuffed (gauges, tank, turn signals, alt cover, etc.) but rideable. The left handlebar is bent straight up, I'm clutching 'thumbs-up.' Three-hour ride home, lots of time to think about my now 'less-than-cherry' 750. Learned some lessons about vision that day.
Ted
P.S. I've been back to have a look. They have completely reworked that corner, much gentler, wider and a turnout shoulder. Couldn't even definitively ID my nemesis/savior tree.

[Anonymous]

My most memorable "crash" (and a friend's) happened within a week of each other.. just a couple of years ago...

Me: 33, on an '80 GS850 GL. At the time, a decrepit heap of stuff held together with duct tape and good wishes.
Him: 36, on a very, very new Shadow. Preeeeeety chrome..

Gorgeous day, in fall, in North Texas, and he and I are riding down Main Street in Denison. I'm leading, he's staggered off of me, and I come to a light. No problem, downshift, brakes, no itch. The bike stops just as I put my boot down...in fresh oil. Over to the left we go. Bonk. A few scratches here and there, and a really cranky rider, but no damage otherwise. Worst part was my friend laughing maniacally behind me.

So a couple of days later, we're riding around again, just killing a pretty afternoon, and he passes me, pointing at his gas tank. Needs fuel...so I follow him into a gas station, and I'm sitting and idling while he's going to fuel up.

Aside: "Pay at the pump" *must* have been the great idea of a motorcyclist. You need not even dismount. It's amazing.

My friend swipes his card, and swipes it again, looks miffed, and swipes it again...no dice. The reader is hosed up some way. So he dismounts and starts to go inside. Just as he gets away from the bike, he realizes that he did not put the kickstand down. Bonk. With me laughing like a spotted hyena right behind him. Scratches in his pretty new chrome, but that's it.

In four years of riding, that's the worst I've done. Had one other little drop on a gravel road, but I stepped off as it went down, and didn't even get my leather dusty. Guess I'm just lucky, eh?

--David

[Anonymous]

I've had two driveway drops and one crash.

1. I was warming the bike up on the driveway. Left it running, put the kickstand down & walked away. I glanced back in time to see my new SV rolling itself off of it's kickstand. Bent handlebar and both brake levers bent.

2. The SV was even newer. I was trying to start out and merge with traffic. I had kicked it all the way down, so I assumed it was in first gear. It wasn't. The tranny was new, and it just wouldn't go down to first unless I rolled it a bit forward or backwards. So after killing it twice, I gave it a bit more gas the third time. I jumped out from under me and fell over. Same deal, bu on the other side. Bent handlebar, broken clutch and shifter.

3. The real crash. I was coming up to a nice tight 20 mph (marked) turn on a freshly paved road. The problem was that I was going 70 and the sign with the turn speed limit was overgrown with bush branches. I slowed down to 45, as that is usually enough for unmarked curves. It wasn't enough for me at that time. I leaned way over, just short of scraping pegs. I should have leaned further. I knew I wasn't going to make it so I stood the bike up and braked hard until I got onto the gravel shoulder. I went through the shoulder and into the grass. I was going straight and only about 20 mph by that time. I gave it just a tiny bit of brakes, both front and rear. The rear locked up immediately, as grass on sport-touring tires doesn't grab too well... I fishtailed a few times before low-siding and sliding in the grass for a while. The handlebar was badly bent, and I had mud ground into the whole ride side of my bike, jacket, helmet, gloves, fork, etc. Very embarassing, even though no one saw the actual crash. Riding home with the mud on me and such... I remember what went through my head at the time too. "Oh sh!t, I'm crashing!" Slow-mo, very surreal.

I haven't crashed my GS. I think I've gotten crashing out of my system now.

[fast eddie]

First time was my first season riding - my 1982 Honda 450 Custom. I was merging onto one highway from another, paying more attention to being a good driver and staying in the solid white line, rather than looking for a spot to merge into traffic. I go wide, hit a kerb (at about 80kmh/50 mph). Luckily I fell into a lane stub (i.e. unused roadway) and slid along small gravel a ways. Biggest damage was a bent shifter - like a 'C' pointing backwards! That, a scraped leather jacket, scraped full face, and severely bruised ego. A tow truck driver helped me bend the shifter back and off I went.

2nd time, same bike. Late night in town trying to get home, ended up in the wrong street. In my rush to return to the main street, didn't see the stop sign until it loomed out of the rain at me. Instead of thinking - 3 am Tuesday, nobody around(clear field of view), just go for it- I reflexively grab the brakes, front wheel locks up and down I go. Relatively low speed, slow-mo watch the bike sliding along, look at the pretty sparks and think about how silly that was.

3rd time was my '80 GL1100 (not the full dresser). Low speed left turn across an intersection, leaned it well over (I wasn't riding it like a Goldwing), back end let go in the oil and dust in the lane center and down I went. Embarassing situation could have been worse - bright and eager motorcycling students I'd just been instructing were right across the street, but behind closed doors for their theory lesson!

[Carter Turk]

Crashing stories

My fourth and a half crash was especially humiliating. It wasn't really a crash, but a tip over. This time I had my girlfriend at the time on the back. We were waiting for the car in front to turn right at a red light. The car creeps forward, I'm assuming its moving and glance left to see if its clear for me, it is. I let out the clutch and start moving forward, as I glance back in the direction I'm going. Well, the car that was creeping moments ago is still there being pressed firmly by front wheel. My girlfriend and I tip over immediately, going Omph. Slick move Carter.

The fifth crash happened when I had a revoked license for too many upaid traffic violations from stupid highschool antics. Needless, to say while working at Mt. Baker a friend needs his motorcycle brought down to Bellingham from the mountain. I get directions to his house and jump at the chance to ride. It's illegal. but I don't care. I wont get caught.

I get to town, I can't or don't want to find his house. I end up having the bike for two weeks. Its a 79 CX-500 I think. I ride it back and fourth to the mountain for awhile as this guy is out of town and I couldn't find his house.

My roommate begs me to give him a ride to the University. I flat out said no. I'm not even supposed to be riding alone or at all, I say. We argue, he insists I give him a ride, it imperative he makes it to the Pychology Lab. I reluctantly agree.

We leave the house, not a mile from home, we head up the hill where there is a y going to the left if you heading downhill. A place where the car is suppose to yeild. He doesn't, head on into a truck. I go flying over the hood while tagging the front of it on the way and land on the edge of the road. I'm sore and cut up, but I can walk. My roommate is lying in a slump groaning in pain.

All the while the truck driver is driving over the bike mangling it underneath. He finally stops and backs up. The bike is totaled. The engine may be salvagable but thats it.

My roomate breaks his ankle and hip. Courts and lawyers insue. My roommates lawyer threatens to sue me. My friend disagrees, My lawyer through some loophole, gets my license reinstated and manages to allow me to pay off my numerous traffic violations and get legally back on the road with some cash in my pocket. Strange country we live in. Ends up the driver was born in 1917. He thought I was supposed to yeild.

The last one happened September 20, 1988. I justed purchased a Red 1980 GS 1100ET with a Russ Collins chrome header 14k on the clock for $1450 three weeks prior. A new girlfriend and I are heading to Mt. Baker on Highway 542. We're doing about 68mph in 55 zone. I had worked at the ski area for four years, so had been up and down the road at least 400 times. I'd say I knew the road well, like every turn by heart.

We're passing by the side of the Nooksack river with a gentle bend leading on to a long straight away. No side roads or houses, just a couple of overgrown dirtroads down to the river. Its about 2:30 in the afternoon sun fairly high in the sky behind us which is west. I see a white truck up ahead heading in the opposite direction, going abnormally slow in a 55 zone. I think to myself, thats odd there are no roads around here, what is he doing?

Just as you pass by a car on a two lane highway or so it seems, this guy starts crossing into my lane. Not fast by any means, but extremely slow, like he's totally confused. I think what the F__K are you doing. He stops on the diagonal, completely blocking my lane. His rear bumper is even hanging over the centerline still. What to do, quick, real quick. I begin to apply heavy front brake while simultaneously rear braking. The bed of the truck is approaching too fast. Next thought. Go off the road in the other lane. NO! Big trees on the other side of the ditch. Off the front brake, fish tail around on the rear. Big skid, bike starts to swap violently too the left. Let off on the rear momentarily, must stay on the road, body steer to the right, rear brake. Bike starts swapping to left again lean right to stay on the road. BAM! The front of the cam cover contacts the rear wrapped edge of truck bumper at a 15-20 degree lean angle. My right leg get ripped back and contacts my girlfriends leg. Both tires tuck and my hands are still on the bars. The right bar hits first and the brake lever pinches back and breaks part of my hand. We seperate from the bike. My head never hits the pavement. I'm spinning around counter clockwise is sort of a sitting position. I'm grasping my right thigh behind my knee as I slow to a stop.

My bike is still sliding right down the middle of the road about a 100 feet from where I rest. The sole of my foot is laying on its side, but I'm sitting upright. There's a huge white gash across my kneecap. Where is my girlfriend? She's back behind me on the shoulder on the whiteline in the opposite lane. She's conscious, but in total shock, shaking uncontrollably.

An old couple is first on the scene, they ask the somewhat silly question, are you alright? Well no not really. Can I get you anything? Hows my girlfriend? Shes hurt but ok. Actually in my Galindo tailpack in the side pouch is a can of Copenhagen, can you get that for me? Ok she says while her husband presses a nice pink blouse against my wound until the paramedics show up.

When the paramedics show up I know one them. He asks me, should we take you to St. Joe's? I say no I still owe them from the last wreck. Do I owe you any money for pool? No you paid me off the paramedic says. This way was a pool shark and slaughtered me numerous times in the past.

I end up breaking my ankle and my leg in five places below the knee along with part of my patella. My girlfriend, now my wife, chipped her femur and has a permanent gash across her knee. We both still ride, her on her own bike, not very often as we have two kids. Carter

[ronin1166]

1983 - I'm 18, riding my '79 GS550EN.
Recent high school grad, I'm working before I start college. I get off work at 4:30 and go for a ride 'out in the county.' I'm still living at home, and I'm late for dinner. Back in Blah-vue, two miles from home, I'm riding up a road I know by heart. Three cars in front of me, they're going 20...the limit is 35...sh%t! So I pull out, hook second and wick it (I am GROOVIN' on this new Yoshi pipe!!!).

WHAT??? The middle car is turning left! (that's why they going slow). I grab the brakes, the driver sees me and tries to reverse back to the right. But it's too late for all of that. In slow motion I approach the driver's door at about a 10* angle, both vehicles are going close to the same speed, about 10mph. I instinctively(?) jump up and off, landing on the hood of the car (a '67 GTO); somehow I grab the windshield wiper and hold on. The 550 stays upright and rolls into a ditch. The driver (seeing a guy on his hood) slams on the brakes and skids to a stop, and I tumble off the hood onto the road.

Three teenagers jump out of the GTO, they are terrified-the driver had his license for 3 months and just got the car. I get up (scuffed but OK), but my shouder is dislocated (a previous injury, dislocated repeatedly, the socket is loose now). It was from the fall off the hood, not the initial impact! Not first time it's been knocked out, so I knew how to pop it back into the socket. Not pleasant, but it sure feels better.

Driver: "Are you all right?"
Me: "I'm fine. My shoulder is dislocated, it'll be a lot better when it's back in. You need to help me do that."
Driver: "WHAT?!?!"
(I repeat what I said, two or three more times)
"O-Kay...."

The other two teens are his buddy, and his buddy's girlfriend; they are pale as ghosts. But the driver is doing all right. He pushes my chest, rotates and pulls my arm...a loud, jarring 'shudder-crunch-pop'...it's back in!!! Sore, but much better!!! Buddie's girlfriend COMPLETELY FREAKS OUT-screaming, crying, horror-movie hand gestures. This all seems funny to me, I'm smiling and chuckling. I'm OK (high pain threshold), but they all look like they need medical assistance! They look at me like I'm a space alien.

Johnny witness runs up and announces proudly, "I've called the Police!" That's F&#king swell, I'm thinking, wanna kick my dog too? Sure enough, I get an 'illegal passing" ticket. (that's a driveway, not a 'road intersection'! Whatevah...)
I settle (no ins claim) with the Goat owner for $300 cash, I got off easy. Through it's life (and several owners), that bike suffered numerous crashes and kept on rolling. Those GS's are tough.
No moral, just a silly teenage accident.
Ted

[Anonymous]

but my shouder is dislocated (a previous injury, dislocated repeatedly, the socket is loose now). It was from the fall off the hood, not the initial impact! Not first time it's been knocked out, so I knew how to pop it back into the socket. Not pleasant, but it sure feels better.

You weren't Martin Riggs in a previous life,were you? 8O 8O

[ronin1166]

You weren't Martin Riggs in a previous life,were you? 8O 8O

He He...No; my life's not nearly that exciting. Painful at times, but no one will be making a movie about it any time soon.
It's happened sooo many times, it's just a minor annoyance now. The next few days are pretty sore.
Stubbing one's toe hurts much worse than my crunch-pop...but when you're arm's pointing at an odd angle, the looks on people's faces are hilarious!
Okay, so I've got a morbid, warped sense of humor. :roll:
Ted

[mdole]

I had an old friend visiting lat week who reminded me of my most spectacular crash.

I lived in El Paso and had been working on my uncles ranch in Colorado for the summer, I had just gotten home when a couple of friends stopped over to see if I wanted to go the park and shoot some hoops. We picked up a couple of other people and headed to the park. I took my usual short cut that went through a diversion ditch and then across a field and into the park. It was evening and the lights at the park had just come on, the track we were on headed straight into one of the lights so my visibility was limited.

The next thing I know is that the rear wheel is heading skywards.

I didn't know that while I was gone they had put up posts and cables to discourage people from cutting across the field to get to the park.

I was riding a Yamaha 60 and had a friend on the back with some other friends following me on a Honda 50 Super Sport and a Honda Cub. The guy on the Super Sport told me that was really neat watching your headlight go around in a loop.

We had hit the cable, flipped the bike, landed on the wheels and then just fallen over. The damage to the bike was two front shock covers notched to fit a 1/2 inch steel cable. The cable was laying on the ground and the concrete filled pipe posts were bent inwards.

It was a pretty good trick that I really have never felt the urge to repeat.

[mark]

1985--rush hour morning traffic on the I-5 freeway going to the U of W to school. This is Seattle so its pouring rain of course. Just whipped on the freeway and didn't notice that the traffic was slowed way down. Grabbed the front brake but of course it was wet and didn't respond....until it was dry and I locked up the front end.

I went down on my hands and knees and spun down the freeway doggie style. Even went over the turtles!

The handle bars were bent out of whack and my clutch lever and headlamp were broken as well as the fairing. Muffler scratched up. But I had leathers and rain gear on so I didn't get hurt and thank God no one ran me over.

Piked the bike up and made it to class on time.

[Anonymous]

Last fall I was driving my Gs750 to work It just finished raining 1 hour before and I was 10 min from the shop and A train the night before ripped a wood crossing up. My front tire fall in the hole next thing I know the rear tire broke free and I`m on the ground. I started the bike up headlight pointing to the far right and drove it to the shop, that was all the damage to the bike.

[Anonymous]

Crashing.....

Old story ,but might be new to some of you.
The one and only 'real' crash was late at night at a favorite corner ...the one where you tuck your shoulder under the "Right turn permitted without stopping" sign.
Didn't take into account the rain slicked road when I rolled the bike into the turn. Just when she was to stop rolling into the turn she just dropped...lacko traction.
Sparks flew as the pegs ground down...I rode on top of her, all lit up from the fireworks. As I thought it safe I rolled off the sliding machine & gave her a gentle push to seperate us safely. I slid safely to a stop as the bike also came to a stop fifteen feet apart, pointing back toward the way we came, a gentle rain visible in the headlight beam lying on her side..the motor down at a gentle idle & the rear tire turning slowly.Kinda surreal...the bike saying to me....Now What?
Picked her up stalling the motor...the brake lever was bent into an almost unusable angle. both turnsignals gone.
Surveyed the personal damage..small strawberry on the right forearm from the pavement pulling back the rainsuit exposing bare skin. Started riding the rest of the way home & noticed the rear end was wiggling side to side...Oh Great ,more damage than I thought!
Ran the 3/4 mile more to get home & she stalled out as soon as I got to the driveway. As it turned out ,when I went down the impact yanked up on the tank disconnecting the gas lines from tha carbs..as soon as I got upright gas poured down just in front of the rear tire making it really slick going. The carb bowls emptied in that 3/4 mile getting home.
__________________________________Rick.....