Ouch!
So I had a bit of a mishap today. Involving me, my bike, and some very hard pavement. Long story short, the bike's pretty banged up (but should be pretty easily repairable), and I'm pretty banged up, but nothing's broken. I high-sided at low speed (about 30), went flying off of the bike, with the bike sliding down the road behind me. Whacked my head on the pavement hard enough to take out a pretty large chunk of my helmet.
All I can really say is thank god for my gear. Had I not been wearing a helmet, I'd be dead. Had I not had my leathers on I would probably have a broken shoulder or elbow and road rash all over my left side and back. As it was, I've got a rug-burn on my elbow from the inside of the jacket, a pretty bruised hip, and a few small scratches on my lower back where my jacket got pulled up while I was sliding down the road. My left thumb lost the top layer of skin due to, as far as I can tell, my hand getting caught under/between something very heavy and very hard. I had my gloves on, and the thumb is easily the most padded part. The leather is all scuffed up, and my thumb looks like it has a layer of sloppy celophane wrapped over it, which just happens to be torn skin. But thankfully it was just the surface, so there's not much pain and no blood or other fluids leaking out. :)
Having been through this now, I REALLY REALLY REALLY can't imagine anyone NOT wearing a good helmet AND plenty of good gear. Without my helmet I'd be dead, no doubt about it. Without my gear, I'd probably still be in the hospital. As it was, I spent an hour and a half in the emergency room for them to verify that I didn't hurt my neck or back or anything else that wasn't immediately apparent, and then they sent me home. Now I'm taking Advil and putting ice on my hip and I should be able to ride again in a few days.
I'm not sure how bad the damage on the bike is, but from what the motorcycle cop who responded to the scene told me, it looks like I'll just need a new shift lever and maybe a new clutch lever. Everything else LOOKS to be cosmetic.
As for the actual accident, it was just me. No cars or any other traffic. I pulled out onto the street from the gas station, and as I was giving it gas either I hit a patch of oil or a rock or a pothole or something, and the rear tire broke loose and slid out to the left, causing the bike to slide sideways down the street. (Front wheel facing the sidewalk) That threw me off the top and down the street with the bike sliding down behind me. It ended up bumping me and pushing me up onto the sidewalk as it slid, but, thankfully nothing worse. So yeah, interesting day today...
View this post on my blog
All I can really say is thank god for my gear. Had I not been wearing a helmet, I'd be dead. Had I not had my leathers on I would probably have a broken shoulder or elbow and road rash all over my left side and back. As it was, I've got a rug-burn on my elbow from the inside of the jacket, a pretty bruised hip, and a few small scratches on my lower back where my jacket got pulled up while I was sliding down the road. My left thumb lost the top layer of skin due to, as far as I can tell, my hand getting caught under/between something very heavy and very hard. I had my gloves on, and the thumb is easily the most padded part. The leather is all scuffed up, and my thumb looks like it has a layer of sloppy celophane wrapped over it, which just happens to be torn skin. But thankfully it was just the surface, so there's not much pain and no blood or other fluids leaking out. :)
Having been through this now, I REALLY REALLY REALLY can't imagine anyone NOT wearing a good helmet AND plenty of good gear. Without my helmet I'd be dead, no doubt about it. Without my gear, I'd probably still be in the hospital. As it was, I spent an hour and a half in the emergency room for them to verify that I didn't hurt my neck or back or anything else that wasn't immediately apparent, and then they sent me home. Now I'm taking Advil and putting ice on my hip and I should be able to ride again in a few days.
I'm not sure how bad the damage on the bike is, but from what the motorcycle cop who responded to the scene told me, it looks like I'll just need a new shift lever and maybe a new clutch lever. Everything else LOOKS to be cosmetic.
As for the actual accident, it was just me. No cars or any other traffic. I pulled out onto the street from the gas station, and as I was giving it gas either I hit a patch of oil or a rock or a pothole or something, and the rear tire broke loose and slid out to the left, causing the bike to slide sideways down the street. (Front wheel facing the sidewalk) That threw me off the top and down the street with the bike sliding down behind me. It ended up bumping me and pushing me up onto the sidewalk as it slid, but, thankfully nothing worse. So yeah, interesting day today...
View this post on my blog