From: kenm@array.com (Ken Murphy)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: Re: Busted.....
Date: 12 Oct 92 11:17:18 GMT
Organization: Array Microsystems, Colorado Springs, CO. USA
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

frampton@skitzo.dseg.ti.com wrote:
: In article <2873@monarch.array.com>, kenm@array.com (Ken Murphy) writes:
: > .... collarbone, that is.  I came up short on a double last Friday
: > and suffered my first dirt bike related broken bone in 8 years.
: > I cased it on a double then promptley got off into the face of the
: > next jump.  
: 
:   I gotta know, Ken.  Was it an endo?  I endoed a couple of times and

Nope.  Nothing that fancy.

:   swore I'd never do it again.   I jump short on all doubles when I
:   first get out just to make sure I know what to do when I'm not
:   concentrating over it.  I personally think its the rebound of
:   the rear suspension that eats our lunch.  If I'm a foot or two short
:   I'll nail the throttle to keep the rebound to a minimum.
: 
:   But in your case where you "cased" it (I assume that means you hit
:   flat on the up side). I'm curious to what you would do the next
:   time (outside of jumping further).  Anything you can teach us
:   now that its done with?

I'm still unclear as to what happened.  The way the track was set up was
double, single, left 180.  I came up short on the double and the bike just
about stopped.  I'm talking 30 to ~0 in about 4 inches.  I think I must 
have drug the linkage somehow.  I checked the pipe and there is no damage.
I wound up over the front end with my knees around the bars and my head 
over the front fender.  The front end started wobbling as I started gaining 
speed (I had nailed the throttle in an attempt to do as described above) 
and I got off over the left side of the bike into the face of the oncoming 
single.  I think if I had hit the ground at a level spot I would have been ok, 
but the face of the jump helped my deceleration a little too much.  I remember
jumping up, looking at all the pretty stars and saying out loud, "Damn, _that_ 
hurt.  O shit, I broke my collarbone".  It's kind of funny what goes through 
your mind at these times.  I really thought I was going to save it. I picked 
up the bike with my good arm, rode across the infield
to the truck and got my buddies to load the bike and drove myself home.
The really bad thing about this was the lap before, I had cleared the double 
perfectly.  Landed on the back side with enough speed that I missed the 
180 after the single.  Felt really good, then, Boom.

What did I learn? Hmmm.. Never come up short.  I think it would be better to 
jump longer than needed and work backwards.  At worst, you'll bottom the suspension,
and have a hairy ride, but most folks can handle that better.  I'll definitly 
have to go back out after I get well and do it again.  Something about horses 
and falling off. :-)  My wife and I had talked about getting injured about 6 
months ago.  We figured that getting hurt came with the territory when you 
get faster.  I had my share of minor dings and knew eventually something like
this would happen.  I figured I'd really catch hell here at work, but surprisingly,
things have been pretty low key.  

: 
:   Get well soon!

Thanks.  I started tearing the bike down this weekend.  I plan on a 100% cleaning/
greasing while I can't ride.  I'm going to scrub down all the plastic and try the 
George C. floor wax trick.  I can't ride so I might as well make the bike look 
nice.

: _________________________________________________________________________
: mark frampton....O/30 NOVICE   |    You can ride as long as you are alive,
: frampton@skitzo.dseg.ti.com    |      as long as you can take the pain.

				      ^^ Agreed!


  O                    Ken Murphy aka kenm@array.com              President RMEC
 <M> MerfMan          DoD #0479      '92 KTM 250 EX/C              Member COHVCO
_/ \_                 Race Now Party Later Racing Team                AMA 406077
Disclaimer: _I_ don't believe what I said, why should you?              SRAC 886
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