Please post about your mishaps here


bjs045

New Member
good to know you weren't hurt... bad luck indeed. :(

replacing the fender hopefully shouldn't be too difficult. i wonder if they come pre-painted or not... bikebandit.com carries a lot of oem parts. or, u could have the dealer order it and install it for u... for the tire, i think it's a judgement call. if the indentation is mild and it doesn't look like it's going to tear or split or affect grip, then it might be ok. but, always err on the side of caution, since the tires are very important to safety... maybe have the dealer or someone experienced physically look it over and get their opinion...
Thanks I'll check them out. It did feel like some thing was different on the front end. Dunno if it was just the missing fender or tire. It doesn't look like the rim bent at all.
 

FitZ6R

Member
My tale of fail (with video)

Nice ride Saturday morning...for the first 55 seconds.

Cycle :: Lost it video by Fitzer - Photobucket

Conditions: I headed out at 8:30 this morning to ride to my daughter's school, about 15 miles away, for a parent volunteer day. Partly sunny, dry roads, 41 degrees F. No other traffic.

Sequence of events: One block from my house, on a residential corner that I've taken plenty of times before, the rear slid out from under me. I recall thinking, "geez, I'm leaning WAY over," followed by "WTF?!?" as I saw and heard the bike continue without me for 15-10 ft. I got up, took a deep breath, checked bike and self for missing parts or leaking fluids, and lifted the bike. An older gent saw the whole thing from his porch and came out to see if I was in one piece, we exchanged some small talk, and I continued on my trip, very cautiously and without further event.

Damage report: I'm good except for a sore left thumb and a bruise on my right hip. Gloves and jacket are slightly scraped but definitely saved me from road rash. The right-side T-Rex frame slider did its job admirably, sacrificing about 1/2" of length in the process. Brake pedal was tweaked and the mirror and turn signal are scratched (all repairable). There's one tiny scar on the fairing, which I plan to leave untouched as a reminder of human fallibility and mortality.

Cause analysis: As I said, this was a complete surprise under totally routine circumstances. Further examination revealed a generous coating of loose gravel, perfectly matched to the pavement color, over a recent road repair. Cold tires may have been a contributing factor as well.

Lessons learned:
(1) All the gear, all the time. It saved my skin, quite literally.
(2) You can't see every hazard coming. But, in retrospect, I had noticed gravel elsewhere around the neighborhood, and I could have anticipated this.
(3) Familiarity breeds complacency. Most accidents occur close to home.

Be careful out there,
Kent
 

Diluted

Super *********
Elite Member

MikeN02

New Member
Jeez that sucks! Was it just a straight up slide? Low sided?

It's not as bad as the feeling of locking up your rear though, you'll wobble and then go down.
 

FZ6Raven

New Member
Well... TWO mishaps one was not my fault considering i wasn't riding it. EDIT: okay nevermind i guess it was my fault and you'll see why.

MISHAP #1: First day i got the bike... i enjoyed my 15 minute ride home from the dealership... when i get back my dad decides he wants to take it for a ride NOTE: he's had his license for over 20 years (i know that doesn't mean jack shit when it comes to riding an unfamiliar bike) So he takes it out and was out for quite a while .. about 25 minutes late i see him comin down the street walking the bike down the sidewalk. He went down :mad: some pretty good damage to the gas tank, engine bolts popped through the right side fairing and some other damage (it costed about $3000 to get everything back to the way it was) and took about a month and a half to get all the parts for it.
And thats pretty much it for the first mishap

MISHAP #2: Okay so I finally got the bike back... Enjoyed it for about a week and then ended up slamming into the back of a car on the freeway (completely totalled the bike and there goes my dads $3000) I do admit i was following a little too closely. There was an accident in the express lanes and buddy infront of me (rubbernecker) slammed on his brakes the smoke temporarily blinded me and i ended up locking up the rear and finally hit the left side of the back of his car. I went rolling on to the shoulder and almost slamming into the guard rail.

What I learned:

1. Never let ANYONE ride your goddamn bike :p

2. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE

I was lucky... The only injuries I sustained was two sprained fingers on my left hand (middle and index) From what I can remember I was doin about 70KM/H when I hit the car. And thats my story. Embarrassing yes but at least i'm alive!
 

MDRaven0223

New Member
Wow Wow Wow... That really sucks! Glad to hear you made it out alright. Had a similar situation with an RX-7 about 17 years ago. Had it 3 weeks before totaling it after hitting some black ice.
 

Detrich

New Member
was it a 3rd gen FD? that was THE most totalled RX due to it having a lot of rear wheel power and not a very driver friendly car- ie unlike the RX-8, which is very forgiving, the 3rd gen 7 u actually had to be a very good driver to control it at it's limits... sorry to hear it, as i'm a big rotary car fan myself...
 

FitZ6R

Member
Jeez that sucks! Was it just a straight up slide? Low sided?
Low side. The wide angle lens is a lttle deceptive, but I was already beginining the turn. In one video frame, I'm at a normal lean angle, the next I'm approaching horizontal, and that's all she wrote.
 

FZ6Raven

New Member
Wow Wow Wow... That really sucks! Glad to hear you made it out alright. Had a similar situation with an RX-7 about 17 years ago. Had it 3 weeks before totaling it after hitting some black ice.
Thanks bud. I was very lucky too... there were a bunch of off duty paramedics that got out to help everyone that was involved in that accident in the express lanes so i got medical attention right away... and of course the first words that came out of my mouth "HOW'S THE BIKE?!" :p
 

MDRaven0223

New Member
was it a 3rd gen FD? that was THE most totalled RX due to it having a lot of rear wheel power and not a very driver friendly car- ie unlike the RX-8, which is very forgiving, the 3rd gen 7 u actually had to be a very good driver to control it at it's limits... sorry to hear it, as i'm a big rotary car fan myself...
Nope, it was a 1985 GSL, arrest-me red, so pristine you could eat a meal off the engine. Seven years old with 30,000 miles, never saw rain or snow until I got a hold of it... Probably should have followed the previous owners decision on that one. :(

Roaddawg; said:
You know when your getting old when some calls a RX-7 "vintage"!!!
Came to the realization that I was old a few years ago. Have young Sailors that work for me that were born after I joined the Navy. I heard one talking about "The Simpsons" and how it's been on so long it was actually on before he was born! :eek:
 

Draklore

New Member
Wow reading this stuff makes me feel slightly better, i got my bike 2 weeks ago, and had it delivered despite the permit class being a week off. while at the dealership i looked at all the gear and bought the expensive stuff to protect myself, and got some flush mounts and tank protector, the guy behind the counter knew i had never ridden before and asked if i wanted frame sliders, i knew this would be a good idea... but after he told me the price 198$ and that he'd have to order them i thought about it and all the money id just spent on gear, and my wifes reaction... i didnt order them. when the bike was delivered he parked it inthe midde of my lot, and drove off wtf. i never rode before and dropped it 5min later, no harm scratched mirror and broke front blinker, no big deal because i bought flush mounts..lol after four days of riding around my lot no harm i pulled in, i thought i could back it out the next day and nope dropped it despite trying to superman it back up, only this time no help from factory markers and scratched fairing... daMN:mad:! i got my permit and started riding around, the next day a very windy cold day i parked at the dmv, stopped put in neutral went to lean it over on to sidestand and nothing, i never kicked it down, im a dumbass and now both fairings are scratched:jawdrop:, i guess i should look into some fairing stickers... also its funny how when its laying there on its side it takes so little effort to pick it back up yet when its falling no matter what you do... its goin down! WTF!
 
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MikeN02

New Member
Wow reading this stuff makes me feel slightly better, i got my bike 2 weeks ago, and had it delivered despite the permit class being a week off. while at the dealership i looked at all the gear and bought the expensive stuff to protect myself, and got some flush mounts and tank protector, the guy behind the counter knew i had never ridden before and asked if i wanted frame sliders, i knew this would be a good idea... but after he told me the price 198$ and that he'd have to order them i thought about it and all the money id just spent on gear, and my wifes reaction... i didnt order them. when the bike was delivered he parked it inthe midde of my lot, and drove off wtf. i never rode before and dropped it 5min later, no harm scratched mirror and broke front blinker, no big deal because i bought flush mounts..lol after four days of riding around my lot no harm i pulled in, i thought i could back it out the next day and nope dropped it despite trying to superman it back up, only this time no help from factory markers and scratched fairing... daMN:mad:! i got my permit and started riding around, the next day a very windy cold day i parked at the dmv, stopped put in neutral went to lean it over on to sidestand and nothing, i never kicked it down, im a dumbass and now both fairings are scratched:jawdrop:, i guess i should look into some fairing stickers... also its funny how when its laying there on its side it takes so little effort to pick it back up yet when its falling no matter what you do... its goin down! WTF!
Thinking back would you want to invest in those sliders? And I have yet to seen $200 sliders, I think he included the charge of installing them as well.
 

MDRaven0223

New Member
Wow reading this stuff makes me feel slightly better, i got my bike 2 weeks ago, and had it delivered despite the permit class being a week off. while at the dealership i looked at all the gear and bought the expensive stuff to protect myself, and got some flush mounts and tank protector, the guy behind the counter knew i had never ridden before and asked if i wanted frame sliders, i knew this would be a good idea... but after he told me the price 198$ and that he'd have to order them i thought about it and all the money id just spent on gear, and my wifes reaction... i didnt order them. when the bike was delivered he parked it inthe midde of my lot, and drove off wtf. i never rode before and dropped it 5min later, no harm scratched mirror and broke front blinker, no big deal because i bought flush mounts..lol after four days of riding around my lot no harm i pulled in, i thought i could back it out the next day and nope dropped it despite trying to superman it back up, only this time no help from factory markers and scratched fairing... daMN:mad:! i got my permit and started riding around, the next day a very windy cold day i parked at the dmv, stopped put in neutral went to lean it over on to sidestand and nothing, i never kicked it down, im a dumbass and now both fairings are scratched:jawdrop:, i guess i should look into some fairing stickers... also its funny how when its laying there on its side it takes so little effort to pick it back up yet when its falling no matter what you do... its goin down! WTF!
Well, at least it wasn't anything where you hurt yourself and you seem to have a good sense of humor about it. Lesson learned! :D
 

Draklore

New Member
yeah he included the price of install, seeing how i sold all my tools and tool box to get the bike :( now im just looking for some decent fairing decals
 

MikeN02

New Member
yeah he included the price of install, seeing how i sold all my tools and tool box to get the bike :( now im just looking for some decent fairing decals
Honestly... All you needed was a $20 socket wrench kit that you can get from walmart (where I got mine) which had the sockets to remove the factory bolts, just takes a little more muscle to untorque and torque the engine bolts. I believe the keys to remove the fairing were in the box's oem tool box itself if i'm not mistakened but it's about $15.

If you went with Inuitive Sliders $100 + $35 you'd still be saving money in the long end.
 

SSgtBaarnes

New Member
My mishap didn't result in any damage to me or the bike but figured I'd post it none-the-less. Riding this morning, dry roads / good visibility, when I came upon an intersection doing around 40 mph. Oncoming traffic at the stoplight for a left turn. Saw him and didn't think much of it as I had a truck slightly in front of me in the left lane. Needless to say, once the truck cleared the oncoming truck's line, he turned and cut me off. I immediately went to downshift / full brakes. Unfortunately this led me into a rear-wheel skid which I had only practiced in the MSF class last year at around 20mph. Needless to say it's a bit different at 40 plus but I rode it out and came off the breaks as soon as I could. Ended up missing the tailgate of the truck by about a foot or so.

Definitely could have been a lot worse and my hat's off to the instructors of the MSF course. I've had people pull out in front of me before but this was the closest I've come to a wreck (knock on wood). I have now decided that all cagers making left turns are evil and should be avoided / given a wide berth. I did manage to track down the driver of the truck and had some really nice things to say to him. He claimed he didn't see me which is totally understandable considering his cell phone was attached to his skull while driving.....:mad:
 

Roaddawg

New Member
My mishap didn't result in any damage to me or the bike but figured I'd post it none-the-less. Riding this morning, dry roads / good visibility, when I came upon an intersection doing around 40 mph. Oncoming traffic at the stoplight for a left turn. Saw him and didn't think much of it as I had a truck slightly in front of me in the left lane. Needless to say, once the truck cleared the oncoming truck's line, he turned and cut me off. I immediately went to downshift / full brakes. Unfortunately this led me into a rear-wheel skid which I had only practiced in the MSF class last year at around 20mph. Needless to say it's a bit different at 40 plus but I rode it out and came off the breaks as soon as I could. Ended up missing the tailgate of the truck by about a foot or so.

Definitely could have been a lot worse and my hat's off to the instructors of the MSF course. I've had people pull out in front of me before but this was the closest I've come to a wreck (knock on wood). I have now decided that all cagers making left turns are evil and should be avoided / given a wide berth. I did manage to track down the driver of the truck and had some really nice things to say to him. He claimed he didn't see me which is totally understandable considering his cell phone was attached to his skull while driving.....:mad:
Sounds twisted, but that's why I ride like everyone is trying to kill me! Good for you in handling that situation calmly and not freaking out and dumping the bike.
 


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