givinr
Registered
Okay, it is finally time to share my pain and most embarrassing experience as a rider. To pre-qualify, I am a 34 yrs old, an 18 year rider and on my 3rd bus. I've never gone down ever, and have taken both my previous busa's to the limit along with every other sport bike I've owned.
So anyway, after taking last year off of riding since my new job gave me zero free time to do so I decided to sell my 04 last spring, and pick up a gen 2 when the '08 deals came along. So January rolls around and my local dealership is blowing out 08's for $11,800 Canadian with a 5 yr warranty 1st service free and a $650 accessory credit. Slam dunk deal, so I call them up place a $5000 dollar visa deposit on a grey/black '08 and tell them I will be there to pick it up when the weather breaks. I live in Calgary, Canada and the city where I live we get lucky enough to get this weather phenomena in the middle of winter called a Chinook where warm air blows over the Rockies from BC and it will go from -30 C to +15C overnight. So one of these Chinooks rolls through in mid march and lasted about a week melting off all the road snow giving me the perfect opportunity to get the new beast home. We gravel the roads here for winter traction, but its nothing I haven't dealt with before as long as your careful. I just tends to pile up in the shoulder. So I go to the dealership where I used to work, and have known guys for over 10 years to pick it up, and as I pull off the dealership lot, the virgin back tire kicks out just a tad, which wouldn't normally be a huge problem.... except for the pea gravel in the shoulder which causes the back tire to swing out wildly and collide into the center median, I get high sided huge, bucked off and piled up like a train wreck in front of 5 guys I've known for years.
Me = busted tibia, partially torn ACL, cracked patella and massive hip contusion that took 2 and a half months to heal from landing on the corner of the curb.
Bike = Trashed left can, stater cover, left side fairing, upper fairing, intake cowl cover, signal lens, bar end, and mirror. Miraculously, no damage to the tail section or clutch lever somehow. And to add insult to injury I decided to wear my new Icon jacket and helmet which I got on my free accessory credit... at least the jacket looks a little more bad ass, but the helmet is toast.
I was so f'n embarrassed after the guys helped me pick it up I just rode it home all banged up and on a busted leg that was being seriously masked by massive amounts of adrenaline ....just so I could hide from the embarassment.
I get home and I am completely unable to swing my leg off the bike from the pain. Once I finally got the balls to just take the pain and swing it over, I drive myself to the hospital and where the damage was assessed (thank god my GTI has a DSG transmission).
18 years of riding, multiple trips to 300 KPH land, 30 + track days, and hours on the back wheel and i pile up at 30 KPH in front of the dealership and screw my leg up to the point where playing hockey and skiing are now questionable activities in my future. Let alone a $1400 bill for the damage (thank god I know the parts manager).
I somehow figured my first wreck would have a better story like... so there I am, at the top gun motorcycle super stunt wheelie through the corners school, and I'm leaning it through corner 1 at 160 K... on the back wheel, then this stray moose jumped out of the bushes....
But, I guess I am still glad I am here, couple chicks have asked about the limp then I show them my scars and break into the moose story, but in each version the speed is increasing. I think I am at 790 KPH now, the bikes on fire and I'm chasing terrorists. So moral of the story is this....
Never wear your new accessory credit leathers and helmet the day you pick up your bike (wrecking free stuff feels worse then if you pay for it). I am actually more pissed about that than the bike. Its not like I can order a new "arm fairing" for my jacket.
And always have a good crash story ready, and rehearse it .....until you believe it. You will stave off the added embarrassment of explaining how you went down like a massive squid on a fisher price my first sport bike in front of your friends 50 yards from the dealership.
Oh yeah, if you live in Canada, keep it in the garage until May or until they sweep the streets... whichever comes first.
Maybe its time for a Burgman.
Thanks for reading, now flame away!!
So anyway, after taking last year off of riding since my new job gave me zero free time to do so I decided to sell my 04 last spring, and pick up a gen 2 when the '08 deals came along. So January rolls around and my local dealership is blowing out 08's for $11,800 Canadian with a 5 yr warranty 1st service free and a $650 accessory credit. Slam dunk deal, so I call them up place a $5000 dollar visa deposit on a grey/black '08 and tell them I will be there to pick it up when the weather breaks. I live in Calgary, Canada and the city where I live we get lucky enough to get this weather phenomena in the middle of winter called a Chinook where warm air blows over the Rockies from BC and it will go from -30 C to +15C overnight. So one of these Chinooks rolls through in mid march and lasted about a week melting off all the road snow giving me the perfect opportunity to get the new beast home. We gravel the roads here for winter traction, but its nothing I haven't dealt with before as long as your careful. I just tends to pile up in the shoulder. So I go to the dealership where I used to work, and have known guys for over 10 years to pick it up, and as I pull off the dealership lot, the virgin back tire kicks out just a tad, which wouldn't normally be a huge problem.... except for the pea gravel in the shoulder which causes the back tire to swing out wildly and collide into the center median, I get high sided huge, bucked off and piled up like a train wreck in front of 5 guys I've known for years.
Me = busted tibia, partially torn ACL, cracked patella and massive hip contusion that took 2 and a half months to heal from landing on the corner of the curb.
Bike = Trashed left can, stater cover, left side fairing, upper fairing, intake cowl cover, signal lens, bar end, and mirror. Miraculously, no damage to the tail section or clutch lever somehow. And to add insult to injury I decided to wear my new Icon jacket and helmet which I got on my free accessory credit... at least the jacket looks a little more bad ass, but the helmet is toast.
I was so f'n embarrassed after the guys helped me pick it up I just rode it home all banged up and on a busted leg that was being seriously masked by massive amounts of adrenaline ....just so I could hide from the embarassment.
I get home and I am completely unable to swing my leg off the bike from the pain. Once I finally got the balls to just take the pain and swing it over, I drive myself to the hospital and where the damage was assessed (thank god my GTI has a DSG transmission).
18 years of riding, multiple trips to 300 KPH land, 30 + track days, and hours on the back wheel and i pile up at 30 KPH in front of the dealership and screw my leg up to the point where playing hockey and skiing are now questionable activities in my future. Let alone a $1400 bill for the damage (thank god I know the parts manager).
I somehow figured my first wreck would have a better story like... so there I am, at the top gun motorcycle super stunt wheelie through the corners school, and I'm leaning it through corner 1 at 160 K... on the back wheel, then this stray moose jumped out of the bushes....
But, I guess I am still glad I am here, couple chicks have asked about the limp then I show them my scars and break into the moose story, but in each version the speed is increasing. I think I am at 790 KPH now, the bikes on fire and I'm chasing terrorists. So moral of the story is this....
Never wear your new accessory credit leathers and helmet the day you pick up your bike (wrecking free stuff feels worse then if you pay for it). I am actually more pissed about that than the bike. Its not like I can order a new "arm fairing" for my jacket.
And always have a good crash story ready, and rehearse it .....until you believe it. You will stave off the added embarrassment of explaining how you went down like a massive squid on a fisher price my first sport bike in front of your friends 50 yards from the dealership.
Oh yeah, if you live in Canada, keep it in the garage until May or until they sweep the streets... whichever comes first.
Maybe its time for a Burgman.
Thanks for reading, now flame away!!
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