down but not out!

[R6_kid:Me]

yep, as many of you know i managed to park my bike in a tree between Whitianga and Tairua on Saturday.

Not really sure what happened but i remember being a little bit quick leading up to a corner, i braked and then tried to turn in, which didnt really work... so a split second later i was braking again.

Next thing i know the rear locked up and then i froze (as far as i can remember)

The sliding started... dead straight... out of the corner, on to the dirt overrun (wishes it was concrete) and gradually put it into said tree.

if i had been 15cm to the right the bike would still be unscathed, if i had been 15cm to the left i woulda gone headfirst into the tree so im pretty happy that i got what i did.

Impact wrecked the top fairing, headlights, windscreen, and snapped the mounting bracket. Also cracked the front guard and snapped off the brake lever.

salvaged what i could, taped up some bits to hold it all together and proceeded to ride the 160km home with no front brakes, headlight or wind protection. It just happened to be blowing a good 50kmh on for the whole way home.

Worse thing was when i pulled myself out of the bushes and a car load of german girls (good looking ones at that) pulled up and asked if i was ok. "yep" i replied... tristan says "GARETH ARE YOU OK?" , "yeh man, im sweet", "GARETH ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE OK?", "yeh man"... girls left, and tristan proceeded to blast me as to the fact that i 'wasnt' ok! - musta hit my head or something!

Im feeling fine cept for the odd headache, and a few bruises. Bike is looking like its going to be $700 odd before its back to looking like a normal R6.

Thanks to all those that helped me out on the day, and a big thanks to my escorts, Devil and Tristan "I'll just do 100kmh the whole way home" K.

[crashe]

Gareth - Go to the doctor and get those headaches checked out...
You may have whiplash....

The main thing is that you are ok (as such) and walking....

If you are still riding the R6 please take care and slow down....

:spudwave: :spudwave: :spudwave:

[N4CR]

Hahah... hope ya get that beaut bike fixed up as quick as jsg is getting his done. I think that crappy surface/tar may have just caused the rear to lock easier than it usually would. By the looks of the wreckage/glass everywhere that corner has caught a few people out.

Good to see you were okay after that one though man, was worried for a few secs when I couldn't see your body moving.

Wait till keystone posts the piccies of the westie 'toi-toi quick fix'

[skelstar]

Good to hear youre ok, and those german frualines (sp) made it too .
Do you think you were 'target fixated' on the tree and thats why you werent 15cm to the right?

[Zed]

Phew, thank God for 15cms! Glad to hear it's not too major Gareth, sounds like you have the right attitude about the whole thing...bet you're absolutely gutted though eh!

Hope you can get it back on the road real soon, you don't want to miss out on this summers riding!

[sAsLEX]

you need a project for unis out!

bummer bout it dude, but at least it seems as though it aint say as big a repair bill as a certain gixxer was

[Zapf]

Ouch!!!!... I feel for you.. :slap:

[R6_kid:Me]

to be honest, i had been having a bad day from the start. Basically i want to point out the things that lead up to the accident, all of which could have been avoided and stopped this from happening and to try and help make sure that it doesnt happen to anyone else and their pride and joy.

first up, i went to meremere dragwars the night before and only had 5hrs sleep before jumping on the bike... if you are tired a bike is not a good place to be.

My rear tyre is about 1000km from replacement and as such is a bit worn. Tyres keep you stuck to the road, and aswell as helping you go fast, they help you stop too - keep them in top condition and they will repay you with this thing called grip

I wanted to turn back before coromandel town, but chose not to as i didnt want to 'let people down' or look like i pussy (blah blah etc). Well this is when you need to listen to what your head is saying, if your head is saying something and you dont listen then you are looking for trouble.

I was more focussed on pace than comfort and safety. I had been pushing it 'safely' withing my limits early on, but started getting relaxed into the bike, when this happened i was looking for that little extra. You still need to remember the 'what if?' as it helps to keep tabs on how hard you are going. All i needed to do was back off a bit and i woulda been sweet.

I want to say more, and i wish it what i've said was clearer, but my head is still a bit sore and i still havent really got around the fact that some of my bike is in the bush back in coromandel

All im asking is that y'all take care and dont push it *too* hard on the road. Have fun, but remember to keep it safe. As keystone said, i got off lightly, so learn your lessons from me - next time you or I might not be so lucky.

Back to the gargre to get the beast on the road again.

p.s. mum says "you shouldnt have got that bike, i shoulda just given you my car" are you serious? err... no thanks

[R6_kid:Me]

oh yeh, keystone got pics of the corner/site... will put them up when she manages to get them off her camera (after some careful editing)

[justsomeguy]

Bugger.

[Suney]

Bad luck dude! Glad that you're alright and the damage isn't that bad!

[avgas]

notta good way to do it. bummer

[Ghost Lemur]

Glad to hear you're (relatively) ok Gareth.

Shame about your baby, at least it's fixable.

Thanks for the tips too, will file them away with the other great advice that has been amased via this site.

Keep an eye on those headaches too, as has been said it could be whiplash, could even be a mild concussion. If in doubt, get it checked out.

[2_SL0]

As I said in parts wanted post, bummer about the off. Could of been a lot worse.
The bike is fixable, so no big deal. Its only money

Out of interest, was there any jandals at the crash site??

[Sniper]

Bugger to hear that mate. I hope you heal up well.