MFFJM2
Registered
Three weeks ago, as part of a group ride in Northern Georgia, I layed the Busa down. I had been riding all day with a group of riders of varying skills and motorcycle types. We had been carving up some roads in the Chattahoochee National Forest near a place called Suches, GA. I wasn't riding aggressively, and was in the front but by no means leading the group. I didn't know the area so I was apprehensive about getting out in front. At about 5:00 pm we crested the mountain and started pulling in to a scenic pull-off to wait for stragglers before turning back to the cabins we had rented. As I turned in I saw there was some gravel, but thought it was only 8 or ten incles wide, when in reality it was more like 4 feet wide and three inches deep. The gravel was very smooth from the recent rains and it was exactly the same color and even texture of the pull-off area. As Icrossed onto what I thought was soldie ground I began to turn to fall in beghind the lead bike, and instantly the front wheel slid out from under me and the bike went down hard on the left side. I was doing about 20 mph, and the bike still slid for about 10 feet. I was wearing nearly my full gear (helmet, gloves, boots, armored jacket and draggin jeans). I hit on my left shoulder first then my Arai helmet hit and then my hip. The jacket was completely undamaged, and the armored shoulders undoubtedly kept me from breaking my shoulder, although it hurts. I had some minor cuts from the gravel on my left hip, although they didn't cut through the draggin jeans except in a dime sized spot. The helmet took a pretty good whallop on the left side, so that's pretty much done. I got up right away and put the bike upright. The plastic was pretty badly scratched, as was the left side mirror body, and the left side foot peg had broken off. The kick stand was chipped and scratched, the left side HMF high mount exhaust had a small scratch, the stator cover was badly scratched, and the clutch lever had a very small chip. The bike started up right away, but without a footpeg it wasn't safe to ride, so another rider gave me a lift back to my truck. I had brought the bike down in the bed of my pickup and now I was glad I had done it that way. I brought the bike home the next day and called the insurance company. The company sent out an adjuster a day or so later and he determined there was $3,500 in damages, minus my $500 deductible. So I got a check for $3000 and another $500 for the helmet. I was able to replace almost all the chipped, scratched or broken parts, but then I needed to find someone who could repair or match the custom paint. A guy in North Miami Beach is going to replace the fairing and match the custom paint, for a price. After all is said and done, I will have a new helmet, and the bike should be as good as new...only better. So, as a note, please be careful when crossing over gravel, that stuff can put you down quick.
