Well it finally happened even with all the precautions considered. i was having a great ride, the weather was perfect, and i was completely enjoying myself, then it happened... i crashed.

i was making a soft left turn on a great motorcycle road (for you norcal ladies and gents Hwy 20 the willits/fort bragg area) practicing my leaning in the turn when the rear tire slid out from under me and i fell off. i think, but i'm not sure, it slipped from the new tire sealer on the edge of the tire. my buddy had went back to the scene later and said there was no skid marks, loose gravel, oil slicks or anything on the ground. i never went over the double yellow or braked in the turn, so i'm not 100 % sure why i crashed.

i was cruising somewhere around 35 mph, and landed on my left side making contact on my shoulder/hip and left knee. i remember sliding for a ways and rolling like a pencil would on a table. the bike continued down the road a bit and was stopped by some soft mud on the side bank.

i was able to get up and realized my left shoulder was dislocated and i had a large area of soreness on my left hip. while trying to stand and trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle traveling directly at me and not stopping, i raised my arm somehow which made my shoulder slip back in place.

i got out of the way of the vehicle, which never stopped and continued down the road around 70 mph. i thought that was unreal. how could someone not stop. i believe in karma, so.. you know how that goes.

eventually some passerbys stopped and helped me. they pulled my bike out of the mud, and called the ambulance. its weird, i was more worried about what the wife and kids were going to think then all the pain i was in. after that, i was sick to my stomach about my new bike that has 197 miles on it. i haven't seen the bike yet other than a brief peek when i was laying on the ground waiting for the ambulance to arrive. the left side plastics are cracked here and there, and the mirrors are gone. i remember them flying off when i hit.

i was told by my buddy that the bike did not look bad. i think one of my headlights broke, but from the right side, it does not even look like there is anything wrong, except for the mirrors.

my questions is, what should i do with the bike? take it to a honda shop and say "fix it" or should i try to fix it myself. while i'm replacing mirrors, lights, and the fairing, should i consider any options? i really like the bike just the way it was, and am leaning towards that route. unless there was a better mirror option as an example.

i have been told nothing looks bent, but how i can tell for sure, is there a way to measure it at home?

i'm very lucky i was wearing good gear, and if there is anything good that can come from this, i would hope someone reading this that was a newbie like me and thinking about "cutting corners" on good gear, please don't do it. my gear saved me from a mess of issues that could have happened.

i am looking at being off work for a while, and surgery for a torn rotator cuff. thats minor compared to what could have been. the newbies out there don't risk it because your saving 50 bucks. i have been riding dirt bikes for 25 years, and recently have entered the world of street bikes. there is a huge difference between the 2 worlds, as i have learned the hard way. i will ride again, soon i hope, but i'm so disgusted with what and how to proceeded with fixing the bike. i saved my money for a long time and bought in my eyes my dream bike, and can't believe i messed it up.

i was wearing a textile jacket which held up very well, but i am going to upgrade to a nice leather one. i did a search and didn't find what i'm looking for. if anyone has any good suggestions, i'd love to hear them. i currently have a joe rocket alter ego 2.0 and really like it. i saw they have a leather version, but i wanted to see if there was something better. i will never be a racer, bu

 

Glad you're ok. Gear makes all the difference. Joe Rocket Supermoto jackets have been discontinued but they are a great one for summer if you can find them. Plastic elbows, shoulders, and mesh to allow air in in some places. My bud crashed in one and the leather did a great job and held up great.

Your profile is private. Set up a photobucket account or just post them here.

 

wolfman - good to hear that you are ok man - and thats a huge issue with new tires that dealerships always say - brand new tires have oil PACKED in them for all sorts of reasons - they say the frist 100 miles should take care of that but you were almost at 200. jeez man, i am really sorry.

as far as keeping the bike, i would keep it and slowly fix it myself (you'll have plenty of time) you'll be out for 6-9months with that rotator cuff.

 

Good thing you made it out alright. Sounds like one of those phantom accidents though just fate trying to scare the Sh*t outta ya. As for getting it fixed get some pics on here and we can probably give you a better opinion.

 

sorry about the photo link. must be the good meds i'm taking.

try this.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5915.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5916.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5917.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5918.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5919.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5920.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5921.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5922.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5923.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5924.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5925.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5926.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5927.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...7/100_5928.jpg

once i get the bike back home, i'll get some detailed photos up. thanks for your help guys.

 

looking at a few jackets from alpinestars and icon. some many choices. i was reading some good reviews about the icon timax 2 and alpine rc-1. anyone have anything good or bad to say about either?

sixhundredrr- i'll check out the rocket supermoto, thanks for the recommendation.

 

That's pretty scary. Glad you came-out alright. Have you taken the MSF course??? I highly recommend them. Even as a refresher. Personally, I think it should be mandated before anyone attempts to ride on the street. It seems like you might have since you had decent gear. Today I saw a guy on a Ducati wearing shorts and a tee shirt. With maybe tennis shoes. Yeah, it's hot out. But, my hide is worth a lot more than sweat.

 

yeah, two douchebags passed me today at warp speed, and both were wearing t-shirts. i laughed about it since i feel naked without my jacket, but whatever...to each their own.


as far as a jacket goes, i really like the icon accelerant that i have. it is leather and ballistic nylon combination, so it gives the benefits of leather, but is cooler (temp) and lighter. the all leather icon jacket (the comparable one) was like $10 or $15 more, but i chose to go with the accelerant due to living in SoCal. Also, you mentioned you didn't care about this, but I am going to mention it anyways - you can get off your bike and walk into a store, restaurant...etc. without your jacket announcing to the world that you are "that guy," the one that wants everyone to know he rides a motorcycle.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ICON-...spagenameZWD1V


btw, that's the jacket

 

Icon makes really nice gear.