beyond
23rd May 2006, 19:36
I wasn't going to share the following as I feel like a right dick, BUT if it stops anyone else doing what I did, then it's worth passing on.
Please folks, when out riding concentrate, concentrate and concentrate all the time okay. Never take your eyes off the road, even for a split second.
I did a stupid thing Sunday, two weeks ago. Went for a ride with 10 other guys all riding the latest litre sports bikes, none that I know of from Kiwibikers. We covered around 350kms and stopped for lunch out Raglan and came back all the back roads North of the power station. On the way back, I'm sitting behind my mate on his R1 and we are both well out front on real twisty roads doing around 130-180kmh. I hadn't been on this particular road before but further to the West, was a property I used to hunt on regularly with a huge stand of pine trees that can be seen for long distance on the ridge line. They can be seen from the Bombay's and from the high points at Raglan, if you know where to look. I use these pines as a marker to tell roughly where I am.
Now this was a dumb thing to do and I know it, so no lectures please. :)
This is why I issue a warning about staying focused. We are heading over this hill and as we near the top at around 160kmh my mate disappears down the other side and just before I crest it, I take a quick look to the left to see if I can see my position marker ( the pines).
I'm over the rise and assumed the road went straight ahead, (dumb assumption) but taking my eyes off the road for a split second, meant I didn't realise it was a hard right hand corner over the other side. :( :shit:
With a GSX1400, when you take a corner real fast, you have to hang off the bike to stop the bits scratching the tarmac, but of course, there was now no time to get over the side.
On with the front binders real hard, bleed a hell of lot of speed off, release the brake a bit to stop front wheel wash out and throw my loverly bike into the corner. I Honestly thought I was going to make it, but I was riding the edge of the seal and gravel nearly all the way around. The tyres are right on the edge of the seal, but i was in too hot and couldn't brake any harder without losing it and was over as far as I could go while the pegs were scratching the ground hard. The tyres peel off the seal about three quarters of the way around the corner, I hit the gravel and go into a large side on slide, down towards the shallow drain, ripping through the black berries, grass and gravel. I'm still sitting on the bike, sort of, but it came down hard on my knee even though I'm wearing all the gears and armour.
With the adrenaline pumping, I felt nothing, picked the bike up quickly (all 250kgs wet) jumped on, fired her up while giving her a quick look over, rode out of the drain back onto the road and let her rip. I hit 100kmh before the other eight, litre bikes come around the corner. They were none the wiser till we caught number 1 rider waiting at an intersection and they all wondered why my whole right side was covered in crap.
After getting home my knee started to hurt like hell. On the Monday I'm at A & E getting Xrays. Just bad bruising in the knee joint but no breaks or chips. The knees been pretty sore the last couple of weeks and is only just starting to come right.
I normally tell my wife about my stupid off road excursions, but didn't want to worry her this time. You know how they go. So, it's been hell trying to walk normally around her when your leg feels like it's going to crack in half with every step. Then your daughter decides to sit on your knee while watching telly and you are in agony.
The knees nearly right now, but just want to say again, please concentrate.
This could have been a whole lot worse and usually is when you take a road bike off road.
The good thing about a naked bike is, there's hardly any damage. The right lower engine cover is scratched, the lower frame and a little under the exhaust, but I think my leg took most of the slide through the gravel and down into the drain.
So, stay totally focused, especially when riding hard. Nuff said.
Please folks, when out riding concentrate, concentrate and concentrate all the time okay. Never take your eyes off the road, even for a split second.
I did a stupid thing Sunday, two weeks ago. Went for a ride with 10 other guys all riding the latest litre sports bikes, none that I know of from Kiwibikers. We covered around 350kms and stopped for lunch out Raglan and came back all the back roads North of the power station. On the way back, I'm sitting behind my mate on his R1 and we are both well out front on real twisty roads doing around 130-180kmh. I hadn't been on this particular road before but further to the West, was a property I used to hunt on regularly with a huge stand of pine trees that can be seen for long distance on the ridge line. They can be seen from the Bombay's and from the high points at Raglan, if you know where to look. I use these pines as a marker to tell roughly where I am.
Now this was a dumb thing to do and I know it, so no lectures please. :)
This is why I issue a warning about staying focused. We are heading over this hill and as we near the top at around 160kmh my mate disappears down the other side and just before I crest it, I take a quick look to the left to see if I can see my position marker ( the pines).
I'm over the rise and assumed the road went straight ahead, (dumb assumption) but taking my eyes off the road for a split second, meant I didn't realise it was a hard right hand corner over the other side. :( :shit:
With a GSX1400, when you take a corner real fast, you have to hang off the bike to stop the bits scratching the tarmac, but of course, there was now no time to get over the side.
On with the front binders real hard, bleed a hell of lot of speed off, release the brake a bit to stop front wheel wash out and throw my loverly bike into the corner. I Honestly thought I was going to make it, but I was riding the edge of the seal and gravel nearly all the way around. The tyres are right on the edge of the seal, but i was in too hot and couldn't brake any harder without losing it and was over as far as I could go while the pegs were scratching the ground hard. The tyres peel off the seal about three quarters of the way around the corner, I hit the gravel and go into a large side on slide, down towards the shallow drain, ripping through the black berries, grass and gravel. I'm still sitting on the bike, sort of, but it came down hard on my knee even though I'm wearing all the gears and armour.
With the adrenaline pumping, I felt nothing, picked the bike up quickly (all 250kgs wet) jumped on, fired her up while giving her a quick look over, rode out of the drain back onto the road and let her rip. I hit 100kmh before the other eight, litre bikes come around the corner. They were none the wiser till we caught number 1 rider waiting at an intersection and they all wondered why my whole right side was covered in crap.
After getting home my knee started to hurt like hell. On the Monday I'm at A & E getting Xrays. Just bad bruising in the knee joint but no breaks or chips. The knees been pretty sore the last couple of weeks and is only just starting to come right.
I normally tell my wife about my stupid off road excursions, but didn't want to worry her this time. You know how they go. So, it's been hell trying to walk normally around her when your leg feels like it's going to crack in half with every step. Then your daughter decides to sit on your knee while watching telly and you are in agony.
The knees nearly right now, but just want to say again, please concentrate.
This could have been a whole lot worse and usually is when you take a road bike off road.
The good thing about a naked bike is, there's hardly any damage. The right lower engine cover is scratched, the lower frame and a little under the exhaust, but I think my leg took most of the slide through the gravel and down into the drain.
So, stay totally focused, especially when riding hard. Nuff said.