I was riding home as usual, enjoying another warm summer morning, just as the sun was starting to clear the eastern sky, when I took a spill. One minute I was cruising along at 45 miles per hour, the next the handlebars took an almighty waggle and I was in an attitude of prayer with the Bonneville on its side underneath me in the middle of the Overseas Highway.
The phone call to my wife was a bit fraught as these kinds of calls tend to be, but I managed to reassure her I was fine (adrenaline is a wonderful thing!) and we made plans for her to come and pick me up so I could trailer the Bonneville home later.
I decided to roll the motorbike off the shouler and it started up just fine, the lights came on, and though my new aftermarket tach is dead ($200 argh!) and my Parabellum windshield is in shards ($280 double argh!!) and my air temperature gauge vaporised ($60! bugger!) the engine fired right up. I rode down a side street and found everything to be quite stable and operational, though the handlebars had quite a twist to them and the mirrors were a bit messed up...I got the left mirror aimed correctly and after a second phone call reassured my wife I was good to go, I rode off. The headlight took some scratches:
I'll have to see what Pure Triumph thinks but barring a few scuffs, and if the forks are okay I could get out of this with a war damaged motorcycle without having to go out and look for another Bonneville. The front mudguard got a little torn:
The right saddle bag died in the line of duty ($250):
And I'll need a new jacket and gloves. It's funny because I had been looking into getting a pair of Tourmaster Flex pants and they would have saved me scraping my knees (again! after my right knee healed from my walking acccident!) and my jacket did a nice job of protecting me...
...as did my leather gloves and my boots. No doubt I will be sore for a while though...I bruise more easily now than in my youth.
My poor old Bonneville will bear a few more scars from doing battle on the highway but I have no doubt we will be riding again together soon. 
I was incidentally, wearing an open face helmet which apparently never touched the ground. All in all an expensive start to the day. And I hope Toppino's fuckwits figure out how to label the roadworks in Big Coppitt a little more clearly in the future because we will be back before too long I hope. Now, where are the keys to the Nissan?
26 comments:
Glad to hear you are ok....
I hope the Bonneville after some plastic surgery comes out of this as well as you
Dear Michael:
Tough luck and good luck at the same time. The good news is your gear did what it is supposed to and you walked away -- Technically speaking. This could have been much worse. So the bike will be in the shop for a few weeks, and you'll end up arguing with the insurance company. But in the end, the shop will be able to make the Bonnie as good as new.
If I understand correctly, there was paving in progress and you went down owing to an encounter with uneven lanes? You should consult a lawyer regarding a civil suit if the roadway was not properly marked.
I was riding through Virginia yesterday, and came to a road under constructions. It was marked "Uneven Lanes" every quarter mile and had silouette pictures of motorcycles over the word "caution." I have never seen these before, but they are clever.
I regret the damage to your knees. They'll be stiff for a bit. Once again I'm sorry for your pin and for the damage to your bike... Especially as it sounds like you did nothing wrong.
There for the grace of God go all of us. Your healing may be hastened by rum drinks on the porch.
Fondest regards,
Jack riepe (Toad)
Twisted Roads
good grief, i'm glad you and "yours" will be ok in the fullness of time.
Gear is replaceable. Bike parts are replaceable also. Glad you are relatively okay. Bummer
Glad you are okay, and good job on wearing the gear. Jeans are no good, but you know that already. All the gear all the time. And good luck with the bike. I just spent $1100 at the BMW dealer fixing my bike, so I know it can get expensive fast.
Tough break... and a speedy recovery to you both!
did the saddle-bag save your exhaust pipe? Lucho can double-check the "true" of your front wheel and the possibility of twisted forks... you don't want to waggle that front end again at any higher speeds. yikes!
RICHW
The engine seems untouched as the bike appeared to pirouetee on the right footpeg and right saddlebag and on my right foot which aches like a mother (and my big toe nail is going black so I may be getting a new one of those).
Cosmetically when you have almost 27,000 miles on a 2007 motorcycle you know I wasn't ridinga show room perfect Bonneville before this happened!
The roadway wasn't marked at all so when I tried to change lanes it was like hitting an invisible brick wall. As I was going down all I could think was "Shit! Not the Bonneville!"
Glad to hear you're alright! It really is inexcusable for the streetworks people to not mark these height changes. Someone could die or be maimed for life! Are they not even afraid of lawsuits?
Conchscooter:
I really feel for you but the main thing is that you are Okay, alive, and will be good as new, soon. Lucky thing you had "gear" for better protection.
There must be somewhere to register a claim against the city for inadequate lighting and/or warning signs.
. . . and I hope your knees rebound from the second jolt.
Heal well and fast
bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
Holy shnikey!!!
Glad you are OK. That is scary as hell.
Get well.
PS- I used to be a lawyer. The others are correct- you may have a viable claim.
Take some pics of the scene as soon as you can, showing no signs. If you get a chance shoe the elevation change between the lanes with something (a dollar bill is exactly 6 inches) for scale.
You may get some help repairing your ride... but it will take some time.
Thank you for your concern. My wife, the former attorney hasn't mentioned lawsuits yet, especially as she knows how averse I am to them. It's easy to sneer at tort lawyers; much harder to resist the appeal of "easy money." I've always felt that lawsuits are the great American equaliser, while native born Americans make fun of their lawsuit filing neighbors.
I know the damage is going to cost more than I hope, though when I look at the scratched right hand peashooter, I wonder if it's tgime to go with Triumph off road mufflers!
Just because you can sue doesn't mean you should sue. Lawyers and lawsuits are surely more annoying than your unanticipated dismount. Write an open letter to the construction company on your blog or send a letter to the editor and forget about it. Someone screwed up, you suffered, don't spend the next few years trying to make them pay.
Keys News Headline: Toppinos Derails Conchscooter
Actually, that's a lame headline for the local paper. Can anyone come up with a better one?
Dear Conch:
You are to be commended for your approach to lawsuits. I have never had one either.
My first thought is for your knees. But then I want your bike to be beautifully restored, so it will look as classy as mine when I get down there next year. There is a nice K75 for sale down in your neck of the woods. Care for a glass of Kool-Aid and a huge pod to sleep next to?
Auf wiedersehen...
Der Reep
at least you have plenty "before" pictures of your motorbike...
:-D
as with others, I'm glad to hear you're relatively unscathed; we all know that motorcycle spills can be much worse.
wrt the lawsuit thing - at the very least that may help in showing your insurance company that you were not at fault or negligent in your riding, and *may* help your rates not be increased by an incident. there are plenty of suits filed which don't aim for excessive punitive damages, just to cover the honest repair expenses.
I only carry third party coverage. Repairs to my motorcycle are on me.I'm figuring three thosuand maybe with a functional restoration? We'll see.
First of all, glad you made it out as well as you did. Sorry to hear your knees and foot got bummed up. Watch the foot for swelling, if it isn't better in 3-4 days, have it looked at. You'd be surpised how easy it is to break a foot or toe.
As far as the bike, when I had my downer, I replaced the parts myself and didn't bring the insurance into the picture, so I know the feeling there. Shop around on Ebay and see what you can find. I have been tickled with some of my findings (like a side bag to replace a damaged one).
You sometimes find some pretty good deals on new gear on Ebay as well.
Hope you and the Bonne are back riding the southernmost roadways soon.
We have a Triumph dealer around the corner if you need any comparison shopping or such.
-Peace
So happy to hear that you're ok. So sorry about the Bonneville - that really sucks. Your story is another endorsement for riding with the right gear - hot or not.
Layne has authorised me to make an appointment on Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. She gets to go to Target and I get to start the repair process. And we'd just made the last sodding payment!
Ouch! Glad to hear you're (mostly) ok. Next time do try to get some pics of the incident in progress.
(Nice shots of the Vandenberg, BTW.)
-Andrew from Seattle
I'm glad you liked the pictures - of the vandenberg. It took me a minute to remember I had a camera after I picked myself up. By the the good samaritans had lifted the motorcycle.I'd have had to be cold to photograph the Bonnie lying in the road.Colder than I am, I mean. By the evening commute Toppino had put proper cones along the tornm up roadway. Had they done that yesterday morning aftyer the night's work I'd still have an intact Bonneville. Grrr.
BTDT, damn gravity! Glad you are OK. Thanks for the rescue with your battery pack- I dreaded calling seatow on a holiday weekend.
Michael,
We've been away and I am just catching up. Glad you are minimally battered from the mishap. We had a recent experience that resulted in airbag deployment. Such things do tend to rattle the mind as well as the body and mode of transport. Lynn
Hey Robert (and Dolly) I was glad to jump in the boat and give you a jump (as it were). On my way in to work Sunday I stopped by a stranded motorcyclist in the Saddlebunch Keys and had the tools to help him get going again. Then I through the motorcycle down the road. There is no such thing as kharma.
Hey cousin lyn. deploying an airbag is as bad as sliding down the road on your knees in some respects. Aren't we getting too old for this shit?
cheers
Michael (I'm going to dye my beard black to avoid looking like a mid life crisis).
ConchScooter glad to hear your be alright, hate to think I would not have some nice words and pictures to get me thought the 10 months till we return to SugarLoaf Key in February 10. Good writhing my friend...
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