Quote:
That sounds scary. When I've gone 110 on a bike I think how fast it would be over if I lost it for some reason.
LOL actually the faster you are going the safer it is because you merely slide...provided you do not hit anything.
I will tell the story quickly in short version.
About 1 am and I just came back from bike show, won best custom paint job, had trophy on the back of bike and passed the group of 18 I was riding with to lead on the Beeline in Central Florida back home to south florida.
Just as I came around the pack pulled into the front right slot, 5 boar crossed the road. I center punched one about 200 plus pounds. I was already in the air when my fingers were pulling for the brake and clutch.
I sailed through the air for what seemed like forever and I hit the payment on my backside, tucked my arms to my chest and began sliding the bike hit about 30 feet behind me and began sliding on its left side in a spin chasing me. This went on for what seemed like forever also (hahaha). The pack had spread across the highway and lit me up with their high beams so no cars ran over me and waited.
I watching the headlight of my bike washing off the trees until my butt started to get really hot along with my right shoulder. I made my mistake at that point... I sat my hand down too soon and began a violent roll...the bikes handlebar apparently hit the road egde and flipped so I ended up in the ditch, the bike ended up following me and landed about 5 feet from me upside down in the ditch. I slide the distance of two football fields in what seemed like forever on one hand but then again seemed like seconds. Very weird feeling you go through.
I kept thinking "OH GOOD it is just one side of the bike damaged" until it landed in the ditch on the other side.
I killed the motor, picked it up and pushed it out of the ditch. Fired it up and rode with the clutch cable in my hand because most of the handle bar was gone, bike in second gear about 25 miles to first rest area. I got stopped by a highway patrolman about a mile from where I stopped and when I got off the bike to stand it up, my kick stand was my foot peg. He asked me how my bike and I got in that condition. I replied with "Did ya see a dead pig a few miles back?" Yes I did I smiled and said "He did this"
I repaired the bike and rode it for several more years. My father asked me why in the world I got back on it and rode it...simple if I had not done so right then, I would probably have been too afraid to ride again.
I can tell you that the nearly $600.00 I paid for my Arai racing helmet was worth every penny. There were about 4 layers of kevlar ground through from sliding and it did not have the first crack or fracture from the impact to the payment. I would never wear anything but an Arai because of that accident. The riding leathers, boots and kevlar gloves saved my skin for sure. I had a broken big toe.
So needless to say I am a big advocate for the helmet laws and safety equipment.