Hi Guys,

I've just had my first off, 5 days after my bike got its MOT !

Luckily im relatively unhurt, thanks to good kit and the fact it was only a 30-40mph fall. I locked the front wheel on a slippery road and low sided, i slid a little way but the bike went on for about 30 yards.

Thankfully i had installed R&G crash bungs, the one on the right side where it took the impact has crumpled and been half worn away, and its left me with two questions:

- How do you remove a crumpled crash bung?
- What should i be looking for in terms of damage to the bike itself, particularly in the engine department. Im relatively new to bikes, but i did ride it 20 miles home after the crash so im hoping its mostly cosmetic...

Cheers!

Paul

 

Firstly, sorry to hear about the crash but at least you are alright so that is all that counts really :-)

Secondly, it's very hard to assess damage from here without seeing the bike itself ... a bike can go down hard and fast or slow and gentle and still have similar damage ... the main things assuming it's all cosmetic and still seems to ride are the forks and the clip ons .. does the bike still feel it's tracking in a straight line when you ride it or do you feel you are exerting a slight force on the bars to keep it straight?? as for the clipons they are often forced in their clamps or could be damaged/cracked ..check them carefully and move the bars from lock to lock to see the clearance from the petrol tank...

Good luck and let us all know :-)

Jules

EDIT:

did the bike hit anything or come to a sliding halt, if so the cast wheels should be fine but if there was any impact say with the curb check very carefully for cracks and dinges in the wheels ... NEVER try to bash a bent cast wheel back, it's game over!!
Buy a new one!!

 

Always good to hear that your not too banged up and could ride it home.

As far as the damage goes I would think you would have found if something was majorly wrong on your 20 mile trek home. You would have felt if the forks or wheels were bent, if the motor was making any funny sounds, if it shifted different, if the brakes worked good. If everything felt and sounded the same after you laid it down as it did before I would say there's a good chance all the damage is cosmetic. Give everything a good look over and if you find nothing wrong call it good.

 

Try to assess the major impact points and work from there to identify any potential issues. Engine cases, frame, forks, clipons, etc.

 

Feel free to post pics. By "crash bung," do you mean frame sliders? That can be rough stuff. Depends how the damage is done. Anything you need to do, do it. The idea is to wreck the sliders instead of the bike.

If you got the bike home, it's probably mechanically fine. Check your fluids, and then check for any puddles under the bike after you let it sit for a day or so. Listen for any odd noises as you ride, as well. These bikes can generally take a fall in stride, and only come out with some surface damage.

 

Thanks guys, for both the sympathy and the advice!

I was lucky and the bike slid to a halt on a nice soft grassy verge. I think the ride home was ok - but to be honest i was a little dazed and more focused on ignoring the pain in my right hand (thats what i landed on - thankfully no breaks though). I remember it making a funny noise starting up but i havent started it since so i'll check that again today.

There arent any puddles under it either which is good. I've attached some pics, one of the crumpled crash bung - i think these are the same as the sliders you mention johnny - before the crash it stuck out and was coke-can shaped? The other is the distance it slid (camera to bike) and where it stopped.

I've lost an indicator, the brake pedal is bent and the exhaust all scratched up, plus the fairing damage thats visible. cant get under the fairings yet to see the engine and frame!

Its so annoying - just spent 4 weeks converting this from a (pink!) track bike and so much of that time was bodywork repair!

Thanks again,

Paul


EDIT: Not sure how to paste images in, the thumbnails might be a little hard to see!

 

The noise was probably the engine trying to turn over with not enough oil. The oil tends to get displaced during a crash, but letting the bike stand for a while is usually enough to get it back where it's gotta go.

As for the slider, drill a hole through it perpendicular to the bolt, and insert a long bar, like a screwdriver or something, so you can get a good 2-handed grip and really torque the thing. You can also try grinding 2 sides of it flat and using an adjustable wrench. If you can get the fairing off, you might be able to dremel / grind the slider bolt off of the frame, then use an extractor to get the remains.