Its good to be alive. I'm real thankful, dumped my Bike on Rt 362 coming out of Ansonia on Saturday doing about 55. Hit oil/tar on the road, went down like I hit ice and slid 120ft across both lanes of traffic. No cars coming or I would have been toast.
Thank goodness for safety gear, I had been trail riding and had motorcross boots, pants, kneepads and jacket and gloves. Only had a 2x2" road rash on my hip, holes in pants and gloves and ground my boots and kneepads a little. Reading many people on this site got me in the practice of wearing safety gear every time out.
Bike was in good shape, drug it off the road, said a prayer of thanks, and it started right up. Drug on the kickstand, peg and the left handlebar. Once I repalce the turn signal lenses and the left grip I'll be good to go. These are tough bikes, the Utah skidplate helped as well. Didn't even lose the ice cream strapped on the back of the bike.

 

All would have been lost if the ice cream was gone..... J/K

Glad to hear your ok. I should wear more gear than i do.

 

I've been getting lazy lately and wearing just gloves and my helmet when I ride on the street. This thread made me realize how easily accidents can happen. I am going to start wearing my riding pants and knee guards again, as well as my jacket. Glad you are okay and I hope the ice cream tasted just as good.

 

Wow! Reminds me how quickly things can go wrong. I'm pretty adament about my safety gear too, even when it's really hot and not very comfortable to wear. Sure glad you're ok and the bike too.

 

This just got worse. A 47 year old from Michigan died at the same spot shortly after I wrecked. I called Penndot today when I got home to report the slick spot, apparently hydralic fluid was spilled on the road.

I've had this bike sideways in dirt and gravel many times, I dumped like hitting ice.

 

Body armor is worth it's weight in gold, I wear it no matter how hot it is, if it's over 95 I just do something else.

I've biffed on trails pretty good twice, second time some hunter's dogs made a run at me and I went down hard trying to avoid them. I had knee/shin pads, armored shirt with back, shoulder, and elbow pads, neck roll and helmet. Probably would have broken my collarbone if not for shoulder pad, and there was a big scratch on forearm guard from sliding over a rock. Bike ok but front end knocked out of alignment, handlebar went one way, wheel the other way.

Glad your ok, you were traveling much faster than me. Could have been a lot worse.

 

Thanks for the reminder. Glad your OK. Sounds like it was actually somebody else's fault, but right or wrong the rider usually loses.

 

I hear you Old Man,

I had a similar - but thank God much lower speed - experience 30 years ago in college on a Honda XL250S. Riding to class one winter morning I came around a 70 degree right hand corner where 4 roads intersected. Road was dry, weather perfect.

I couldn't have been doing more than 20 mph. About halfway through the turn adhesion went bye bye and bike and I went sliding through the intersection. My second thought (the first being that since I was still alive there was nobody directly behind me) was to get up and go grab the bike before rush hour traffic squashed us both. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do is go pick up the bike, fire it up and ride off like nothing happened. Didn't even have time to freak out until later.

Damage to the bike was minimal. Small tear in throttle grip. Scraped foot peg, bent turn signal and rear break lever. Damage to me even less. Small scuff in right hand ski glove and right leg of jeans. I was not wearing full gear as I was going to class but it was plenty cold that morning so I had on several layers, a down jacket, full face Simpson MX helmet and heavy shoes. I was a lucky boy.

Since that incident I have become a fanatic about looking through curves for potential danger and road hazards and over the years that habit has probably saved my bacon a few times. Unfortunately, your experience should remind us all that no matter how benign everything ahead of us looks things can still go to s**t pretty quick.

The was nobody behind you. That's luck. You walked away without any injuries. That's preparation. Thanks for the reminder how important preparation is.

 

this is a good time of year to remind yourself no matter how hot it gets ATGATT. I'm still healing up from an incident on a hot day 6wks ago on a paved FS road with most my protective gear strapped to my rack. broken/dislocated shoulder and road rash down half my body and i feel lucky. I was ho humming all morning if I should gear up or not....i guess i missed that call. Ride safe out there

 

Glad to hear you are okay....BTW....what flavour was the ice-cream...."Rocky Road"?