I binned the EV today

[LowRyter]

I just posted it to WG, so it's the same screed.

Well I binned my Moto Guzzi EV and scraped myself up pretty good.

I was taking a left hand cloverleaf downhill to merge on to the expressway, lightly trail braking and the bike low-sided and scraped the pavement.  I highsided and rolled over and kissed the pavement twice since my modular helmet was open.  The bike was still running on the curb.  All kinds of traffic was barreling down that blind cloverleaf behind me. 

A couple of good Samaritans helped me get the bike up and asked if I wanted an ambulance.  I want to get the bike moved, my shop is couple miles away.  Anyway, we got it up and it started.  The windshield, running boards, crash bar and grab handled were buggered on the left side and handlebar bent.

There was a big bunch of wadded plastic like packing material in the front fender it was wrapped around the caliper.  I didn't consider it at the time but I'm pretty sure that was the culprit. 

I had my gear on but my old mesh jacket ripped and I've got road rash my forearm and elbow, my nose and chin are scraped as well a small spot on my right knee.  Those riding jeans I wrote about aren't ripped.  My Shoei is a little knacked on the chinbar since it was open.  In the mess of getting it all together I lost one of my custom earplugs, this irks me the most.  I call the wife and tell her to meet me at the shop. 

The cops come by and asks if I want an ambulance.  I've got my gear on by then and just want to ride it to the shop.  The clutch won't work, it's lost the pivot pin.  We find a sheet metal screw on the pavement, good enough.  I try to adjust the mirrors and fail.  So I ask the cop to block traffic so I can ride it.  For some reason he's screws around and I just take off down the expressway at the first break.  I get off at the first exit and doubleback 3 miles to the shop.  I finally get the mirrors adjusted half way there.  I'm grateful to be moving to get some air riding back with the helmet still open.

When I get there one of the techs wife is an EMT and they patch up my elbow.  I wait and call my wife again, she misunderstood and is panicked and not left yet.  I try to cool off, wash up and drink lots of water.  Bev picks me up.  I get home have a beer and take a Tylenol and a stashed muscles relaxer.  Take a shower and have scotch and write this story.

I'm going to have to get earplugs.  I've got other helmets and jackets.  My lower back is a little sore.

 

[LowRyter]

Forgot to say, I'm glad it wasn't the Greenie 

[Lucky Phil]

Bummer but glad your mostly ok. Sounds like that foreign object wrapped around the front wheel was the culprit.

Phil

[docc]

+1 on the best wishes! Very promising (and perhaps a bit intrepid) to right the EV, mount up, ride away.

[Lucky Phil]

6 minutes ago, docc said:

+1 on the best wishes! Very promising (and perhaps a bit intrepid) to right the EV, mount up, ride away.

It's the equivalent of someone hurting themselves and immediately getting up running away at full speed. The 'flight" response. If I can still run/ride away from the location of the trauma then I must be relatively ok and I leave behind the "danger zone" or trauma location. I'm surprised the Cops allowed him to ride away.

Phil

[Scud]

1) Glad you're OK

2) Thanks for the honest and full report

3) Better the EV than the Greenie or the Ducati

34Stuff on the road is a real danger, but packing material impeding the front wheel is a new one. (FWIW - I hit a metal piece at speed a few days ago and it popped up and hit my boot hard. No damage, but that could have been ugly).

5) You were lucky to escape without further injury with the modular helmet open. Not only is your face exposed, but the open helmet can catch on something and hurt your neck. I see people riding like that sometimes and it seems like a really bad idea. Just open the visor.

[LowRyter]

1 hour ago, Lucky Phil said:

Bummer but glad your mostly ok. Sounds like that foreign object wrapped around the front wheel was the culprit.

Phil

That's all can figure.  I'd say it was about 4 ft length of some stiff plastic.  I'm thinking it might have been roofing material wrap.  Frankly, I gave it no never mind while getting the bike up.  Later when  I was at the shop we were trying to figure it out.  All I could think of was perhaps the centerstand was dragging but it would go right back up.  The I made the connection to the wrap stuck in the wheel.   I'm pretty sure that was it.

[LowRyter]

37 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:

It's the equivalent of someone hurting themselves and immediately getting up running away at full speed. The 'flight" response. If I can still run/ride away from the location of the trauma then I must be relatively ok and I leave behind the "danger zone" or trauma location. I'm surprised the Cops allowed him to ride away.

Phil

Yeah. if the cop would've been at issue, I'd probably been dehydrated and needed an ambulance.  He took down my license but never got around to waving traffic.  When I got to the shop I drank a gallon of water, went to the rest room, cleaned up, cooled down.  

[80CX100]

That sucks, take it easy, you'll be really stiff and sore for a while.

Nice that it was the EV with the glued on sump and not your sentimental favorites.

Very lucky that if something is going to wrap up in your wheel and put you down, it was while you were heeled over, slowing & scrubbing speed off. and not hard on the boil winding it out.

Re the cop, he would've been ignoring you on purpose, I'm certain he didn't want to be the guy giving the ok for a bruised rider/battered bike to leave and waving him into traffic, jmo.

Re the ear plug; if the area is close by and you can do it safely, it might be worth your while to go back to the area where you took your helmet off, placed your gear etc, if you have a dog that's at all scent/prey driven, bring it with you on a leash; it may key on your scent and help you find it. At the end of the day it may be a cathartic exercise to look at the scene and process the whole thing with fresh eyes on a new day.

Very glad that you're well enough and able to sit down, share & write about it and be pissed about your ear plug, that's a good sign.

You can't be replaced, but all that sh*t can be.

Take it easy and heal well

 

 

[stewgnu]

Hope you recover well man, crashing sucks

[Chuck]

Of all the ways to crash.. that's a new one on me. Dorcia bitched you out for having your modular open.. but then we visited Derek several times and she well remembers..

Really glad that you are as good as you are gonna get.. Take it easy for a while and give Bev a hug. That mechanical stuff "don't mean sheet, man."

[LowRyter]

Thanks all. 

Chuck, I was going to close the modular when I was on the highway.  Man, the bike went down with no warning, scraped the pavement and threw me off.  I really didn't know what happened until I got to the shop and remember pulling that crap out the fender and wrapped around the caliper.   When you're 68 years old and roll on the pavement, well..... I had done a full gym in the morning, took a dive in the afternoon, rode the bike,  still ticking now.  Actually, feeling OK but my lower back is stiff but a little better than last night.  

Mechanically the bike seem good.  Some of the trim and bars need to be replaced.  So far as I could tell the paint and engine are OK.  The only mark on the gas tank is rubber mark on the right side from one of my boots.  I'm guessing it'll clean off.   Don can fix it while he tries to take the pan off- I'm still pissed about that.  

Found that Cabella's has those earplug mold kits, gonna head there after breakfast.  

I don't want to look at the Shoei.