another one down

[MilesAway]

Well, it seems the board is going through a rash of crashes. One more this morning. Coming round a corner, saw it was wet going into to it, so I had slowed down a good deal. Unfortunately it wasn't wet it was totally frozen. So much so that when I got up afterwards, I had a hard time walking. Limited damage to myself. The bike took a couple hits though. Right cylinder head cracked and bent, headlight smashed, tank dented, windscreen scratched and a couple other bits of plastic that are no longer on board.

Still waiting for the estimate but am guessing around C$2-3k. Fortunately my deductible is $250. The upside is that I'm going to be able to switch to the 380mm screen at someone elses expense.

Question: I nearly always brake with both brakes, this morning was no exception. Ice + braking and turning = lockup. Do some of the more experienced riders among you adjust your braking strategy when heading into an uncertain surface? I'm wondering if I could have stayed up if I was just breaking with the rear?

Cheers,

Justin

[arkline]

Miles,

What a bummer. Nasty stuff you're riding on. Hope you were fully geared up and I hope you've not suffered too much pain and suffering to your self.

I've always made it a practice to slow as much as practical when approaching something that might affect tire adhesion and carefully modulate the rear brake, as long as I could stand the bike up. On any slick surface, it is very easy to wash out the front if you are leaned over much at all. The down side is that it is harder to feel how much rear brake you're applying with your foot than it is to feel with your hand. So your choices are not very comforting...

Best to you.

[supermotoC]

the only rule for ice (besides avoidance) is - no brakes, no throttle, no turn - "glide". Otherwise, you know the result. If it had been only wet, you would've still been oblidged to use no brakes, no throttle, and hold your line, turning or not. Ice is only good when you have skates on. Or melting in alcohol.
If your cyclinder head is bent/cracked, you are looking at WAY more than $2-3k. If it's a smushed valve cover - not so bad. The gas tank (painted) is nearly $1000US, so you may be looking at a "totaled" vehicle from an insurance view. Hope not. But hey - it's just metal & plastic - flesh & bone are much more expensive & rare. Glad you are OK.

[Promethean]

Miles....Bugger! This sucks. I hope you're not too badly hurt and can recover. The bike will be in good shape again. Take care.

[MilesAway]

Thanks for the tips and the concern. Damage to me is a scratch and a bumb on my leg, no biggie. Live and learn...

[DJ Down Under]

Bugger!!!...sorry to hear about your fall.


Do some of the more experienced riders among you adjust your braking strategy when heading into an uncertain surface? I'm wondering if I could have stayed up if I was just breaking with the rear?

Ooooh yeah...you won't see me going near the front brake it it's very slippery...but then..the rear brake's not going to do much good either.

DJ

[1MPH]

Justin, Glad you are basically alright, nice it wasn't worse. Sorry about your bike.

[Ed K]

Justin... Bummer! Prolly not much you could have done. Glad you are ok...

You know we have one of the luckiest groups of riders... many falls, but no one seriously hurt. That's good news!

[Tipstall]

Justin... Bummer! Prolly not much you could have done. Glad you are ok...

You know we have one of the luckiest groups of riders... many falls, but no one seriously hurt. That's good news!

ATGATT, at least it gives you a chance.

[DarthRider]

Justin, sorry to hear about the crash.
Glad you are OK and the bike does not sound too bad.
Ice sucks.
By the way Ken, or someone...what the hell is ATGATT?
I didn't get the memo...

Dave

[Promethean]

All The Gear All The Time. :flamin_dj:


ATGATT

[socalrob]

AllTheGearAllTheTime

[geechie]

Justin,

Surely your cylinder head isn't damaged. Please tell me it's only the Valve/RockerBox cover. Having been through a bunch of 'em in the last couple years, I can tell you that they're no big deal. A head, on the other hand is a very big deal.

When I did my highside last year, after spitting me off, the bike barrel rolled after me. Aside from damage to mirrors, turn signals (front and rear), windscreen, handlebars, side cases... there was no damage to the engine other than to the rocker box covers. These bikes are tough.

Look up your parts here:

http://maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/fiche.asp

Chicago BMW will get them to you at 20% off MSRP.

Best of luck.

George

[MilesAway]

My mistake - it's the valve cover that's broken, not sure about the bits underneath as it was pretty badly cracked and bent. Hopefully I'll find out tomorrow.

Unfortunately Chicago BMW doesn't deliver to Canada. In any case my insurer is going to be picking up the tab for this stuff. Not particularly looking forward to next year's renewal though!

Cheers,

Justin

[DarthRider]

"AllTheGearAllTheTime"

Hmmm...that's no good, no wonder they didn't send me the memo.
If I'd been doing that the last 48 years or so I wouldn't have this impressive scar collection and my prized left-right offsetting limps! And none of my chiropractor's kids would have advanced degrees or Mercedes.

"NoneOfTheGearNoneOfTheTime!" Yeah, that's it, this is a manly sport!

Dave

[BobFV1]

Justin - so sorry to hear about your crash. I hope it won't be anywhere near the 2-3K in repairs you estimated.

I agree with Collyer on handling the situation you described:


the only rule for ice (besides avoidance) is - no brakes, no throttle, no turn - "glide". Otherwise, you know the result. If it had been only wet, you would've still been oblidged to use no brakes, no throttle, and hold your line, turning or not. Ice is only good when you have skates on. Or melting in alcohol.

Keep us posted.

[TonyT607]

ATGATT

Always
Tell
Girls
Anything
That
Teases

[Gord]

Miles - sorry to hear about your off. I'm not sure there is much you could have done (short of avoidance) on ice in a turn. Straight line, probably just coast through. But with the various forces you are dealing with through a turn, short of drop down 3rd and 4th wheels (or just creeping the bike through the corner), I am not sure you could have done to hold the bike up.

Early spring can be a challenging time for riding. The temps can hit 16-18C during the afternoon, and plummet to -4C overnight. Mornings can always be iffy until the sun has been out long enough to warm up the tarmac and clear away the frost. And of course I am still dealing with the residual sand left over from the winter salting/sanding. In my township, they don't sweep that stuff up until the end of May!!!!! Knowing the hazards are there, and dealing with them when you encounter them though are two different things.

Hope that you rebound okay and that you get back on two wheels as soon as possible.

[MilesAway]

Thanks again for all the encouragement, just got off the phone with the dealer. It appears that I did damage the cylinder head after all, damage estimate is now up to $6k. ooops. Very curious how insurance man is going to handle this? More news early next week.

[BobFV1]

Hi Justin - I missed this thread the first time but cross-referenced it when I saw your head-guard thread.

What a bummer - so you are without a bike for this beautiful part of the riding season up North? That's awful!

If it's any consolation, while what the others have said about strategy in a low traction turn is very good advice (no brakes if you can, no lean angle if you can) - it really sounds like you were in a "zero sum game" when you went down - too hot into a corner with enough ice to make walking treacherous. Man, that sends cills up the spine just thinking about it! Sounds like your gear saved you from any serious personal injury, which is great to hear.

Get back up on the bike soon - glad you are all in one piece!

[Bones]

Also glad to hear you are fine. Ice = going down, pretty much regardless of what you do or don't do. There is just no bite on the road surface at all, unless you are shod with spikes.

Wishes for quick recovery from your bruises and hope all is well with you.

Jeff

[BobFV1]

http://www.dieseljo.com/images_ice_pictures/rear_ice_tire_mounted.jpg

[MilesAway]

I wonder if those are street legal!!

[Promethean]

Do they go with your pink dress?