I learned that in high school, when my then-girlfriend had a car accident. Her father showed up and she was terrified he was going to kill her. He didn't even look at the car. He went straight to her, "Are you ok?" "yes" and he hugged her. He earned my respect that day.

To the point, I wear just about as much safety equipment as I can stand when I'm in the trails: helmet, neck brace, chest protector, gloves, knees, boots. I'd like to get some elbow protection, but otherwise I'm pretty well covered. Of course, anything can happen, but I like to think I ride safely.

 

Glad to be living in Canada - a broken ankle would amount to $0 out of pocket here. Of course, we pay for it all with generally higher taxes (and longer waits for surgery etc.) and I do pay $130/month as somewhat of a 'user fee' for the coverage. It's possible, even likely, though that the gross amount paid out for an injury here, might be higher than what it is in the US - the result of the system is a bit of a monopoly or at least lack of competition, so there's not much (other than probably some oversight commission) to keep the costs in line.

I wear all my armor when out in the woods - Gaerne SG10 boots, knee pads, pressure suit (chest, back, shoulder, forearm, elbow padding/armor), helmet and gloves. My friend refused to wear any protective gear other than a helmet and gloves (and his 'desert' boots, which really offered no protection.) He fractured his ankle when he flipped the bike going up a big rock and had the bike land on the side of his foot (although, honestly, I'm not sure that my Gaerne boots would have helped a lot in that particular situation.)

 

New cover. New bash plate. New gaskets. Fresh oil. In the morning, going riding.

 

Got it all together, went riding Saturday. I had no idea how many rocks actually jump up and hit the motor/frame, until now. I spent all day Saturday hearing the PING and BANG of small rocks ricocheting off the new plate. REALLY glad I have it now.

Also glad the only damage found was to the generator cover. Found the dent and crack in the cover, and discovered there had been just a little bit of interference, but since the moving motor parts are steel and the cover was aluminum, the cover absorbed the damage and the rest of the motor was fine.

One last thing to take care of is getting the "loop" welded back on the frame that was sheared off during the accident.

Is the frame mild steel, or moly?

 

Careful welding on the frame, you can fry the electronics.

 

Looks like your chain could use some lube...

 

What's the best way to isolate and protect the electronics to avoid damage? OK, clearly the best way is to remove everything. What's the next best solution?

 

Place the ground near where you are welding and you shouldn't have any problems. I've welded on lots of vehicles with electronics and never had any issues. Don't over think it, Weld it up and ride.

 

lol, seriously. Does it even move still?

 

Just disconnect the ground wire at the battery and you'll be fine.

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