Monday morning I dropped the kids off at school along with cat food and litter for donations to C.A.T, a some-what local no-kill feline shelter that I've spent time volunteering with. I parked the Bus then donned my motorcycle gear: Helmet, sunglasses (I was going to be riding East and it was just before 8am), armored textile jacket, armored and padded over-pants, leather boots, and armored gloves made for cold-weather since the temp warmed up to slightly above freezing.
I left my neighborhood street, turning right, to get on the main artery. It was freezing last night and though the temp was just above freezing and the roads were dry I think my enthusiastic throttle input and cold tires contributed to the get-off. The bike literally slid and pivoted down to the right side and out from under me in a heart beat. I don't think I slid or if I did it was only a couple inches. My feet were forward and I was on my right butt cheek...I think my hands were at my sides but my head was up...it was a very gentle landing. None of my gear, boots, backpack, gloves show any abrasion -- NONE! Traffic, being rush hour into Nike, was long and slow and I didn't cut in front of a car so there was a good buffer. I was damn lucky.
I make this turn almost every day that I ride so I guess complacency played a part. Let me tell you, the line of traffic behind me and approaching me was way more scared than I. No adrenalin rush on my end, only theirs. My bike rotated 360 so the front wheel was pointed at the 11 o'clock position, making it easy to lift the bike up. I moved the mirrors away from the controls, hit the start button, and she fired right up. I put my tail between my legs and rode back to my house and gave her an inspection, took pictures, and then got back on and came to work (lunch break right now).
Here's the damage:
Right Sato puck saved my fuel tank...a very expensive item! It also saved my clutch and further damage to the brake and foot peg:
Front Sato puck saved the forks, whew!
Napoleon mirror end got scuffed, as did a tiny part of the end ball on the front brake:
Ouch! My poor Termi exhaust! The bottom took the brunt of the fall and got slightly dented:
If it weren't for the scratches on the exhaust you'd be hard pressed to see the damage. The rear brake pedal is a tiny bit scuffed underneath but no obvious damage to it (brake works, wasn't dragging). So I'll need a new right mirror and, of course, new sliders (frame and front). I think I'll look into a rear axle slider, if at least for the left side. I tell ya, they sacrificed their "life" to protect my bike! BTW, here's the sliders when I installed them. I'm a big believer in sliders now!
Tuesday evening I cleaned the lower exhaust and then painted it with hi-temp black paint. Now when I ride I don't feel quite as self-conscience about my oopsie. New slider pucks are on their way!
Oh, and guess what arrived in the mail today? I'll give you a hint: Revzilla! Yep, I finally saved up some greenbacks and got a quality helmet, a Shoei RF-1100 Strife 2. Lovin' it!
The shadow with green eyes is Eris. She patiently waited for me to finish my pictures before demanding I lavish attention on her.
Hopefully tomorrow or Friday the weather will be decent for me to use it. I mainly got it for cold weather riding...maybe a track-day, perhaps? I love my Roof Boxer but it's not a good cold-or-foggy-breath-weather helmet.
Shiny side up!
