From: robinson@ac.dal.ca
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Some good news, and some bad news
Date: 6 Apr 92 20:04:45 GMT
Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

In article <9900776@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM>, jld@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Jeff Deeney) writes:
[...stuff deleted...]

> Not long after the 85mph speedometer  buried the needle, I begin to detect
> that  something was not right.  Within a matter of seconds, a dull ticking
> grew to a loud  clacking  and the entire  motorcycle  begin to shudder.  I
> just  started to shut down the  throttle  when one of the rods snapped and
> proceeded  to  ventilate  the  crankcases.  The  engine  suddenly  stopped
> turning and locked the rear wheel;  which was now  thoroughly  coated with
> oil.

Sounds like my definition of a bad day alright.

> 
> The back end came around on me just before I regained enough  composure to
> pull the clutch in.  Being halfway  sideways, the bars violently  wrenched
> my shoulders and I was almost tossed off as the bike straightened out.  By
> this time, I would  estimate  that I was still doing at least 80 miles per
> hour.  Having focused on getting the bike back under control, I had failed
> to notice the sharp corner  coming up.  When I tried the brakes, I quickly
> learned  that the  engine  had  hurled  oil over all three  disks.  What I
> wouldn't have given for good old drum brakes right about then!

A very bad day indeed.

> 
> When it  became  obvious  that  there  was no way I was  going to make the
> corner with no brakes and oil covered tires, I stood the bike up and tried
> to pick a path with the  minimum  number of  hazards.  I think  that I got
> some air as I left the  roadway and  dropped  down the slight  bank into a
> field.  I narrowly  missed a fence post and punched  through a barbed wire
> fence.  
> 
> If you've  ridden  along  the  county  road  South of  Masonville,  you've
> probably seen the large llama ranch to the East of the County road.  Well,
> the field that I had  rocketed  into  happened to be occupied by a herd of
> very  surprised  llamas.  They  scattered  as I  approached,  but I  still
> managed to clip the  hindquarters of a large brown and white male, sending
> waves of pain through my left hand and forearm.  Having cleared the shaggy
> creatures, I found myself  headed for a ditch with a berm on the side that
> I was  approaching.  I had the  choice of  hitting  the ditch  square,  or
> trying to lay the bike  down.  I  realized  that with my  current  rate of
> speed, even sliding, I would still hit the ditch at high speed, so I opted
> to square up as best I could,  stand up on the pegs, and  prepare  for the
> impact.  It's really amazing how fast the brain  processes  information in
> the adrenelin induced time expansion.

Isn't it amazing?  I've been in that state several times.  Afterwards is 
always painful (weak knees, nausea, breathlessness) but it is worth it.  
Never do I feel quite so alive as when I'm oh so close to being dead....

> 
> The  suspension  bottomed with a loud  Ker-THUNK at both ends as I hit the
> embankment.  I pulled  back  hard on the bars as I  crested  the  mound to
> prevent  the back end from  kicking up into the air.  Ideally I would have
> used a burst of throttle  at this point to maintain  the proper  attitude.
> For a while, I thought  that I was going to clear the  entire  ditch,  but
> when I landed, the frame  smacked  into the soft dirt lining the  opposite
> lip of the ditch.  I could hear the pipes crumple and grind beneath me.

(*wince*) crumpled pipes....man, you must have really angered the gods... 
:-)

> 
> The impact  tore my hands from the bars and the chin of my helmet  smacked
> into the tank, scattering stars across the inside of my faceshield.  I was
> actually  quite  lucky  that my hands were not on the bars at this  point.
> You see, as irrigation  ditches in Colorado often have, this one was lined
> with large cottonwood trees.  Through some kind of divine intervention, my
> trajectory took me squarely  between two of them.  This would have been OK
> if the trees were six inches  further  apart.  Each end of the  handlebars
> sent up a shower of coarse, dry bark as the bars received a modified  cafe
> racer bend.

Ouch!  I hate stars like that...reminds me of the time I got jumped in the 
park....one guy thought it would be fun to kick me at the base of the 
spine...talk about stars....

> 
> I managed to wrestle control of the mangled handlebars just as I looked up
> to see an  electric  fence  approaching.  By this  time, my speed had been
> slowed considerably.  I was able to bring the back end around and slide to
> a stop within  inches of the fence.  I sat there for a few moments to take
> inventory of all major limbs.  I was astounded to discover that other than
> some sore muscles, I was pretty much unscathed.

From the sounds of it you were lucky to be breathing, let alone walking. :)

> 
> Then I noticed the strong smell of gasoline. I stepped of the bike and put
> it on the  sidestand.  The source of the gasoline  was a deep gouge in the
> leading edge of the tank, probably from the barbed wire fence.  Hearing an
> approaching  vehicle, I turned to see the llama rancher blazing across the
> field on a  4-wheeler.  The last thing I remember was walking  toward him,
> loosening my helmet, and trying to think up an  appropriate  opening  line
> like, "I meant to do that!  He-He".

That lightheaded, delerious kinda feeling?  Yeah, I know the one..

> 
> I'm told that the  fireball  created when the  sidestand  sunk in the soft
> dirt and the bike tipped into the electric fence was quite spectacular.  I
> was very fortunate that the rancher was able to douse my flaming  clothing
> in short order.  Unfortunately,  the only thing he had to douse the flames
> with was a couple gallons of insecticide.  Nevertheless,  the doctors tell
> me that my chances of leading a normal life are pretty good.  The bandages
> should be off in time for our dirt riding trip to Canyonlands, but I would
> imagine I'll have to stay out of the sun as much as possible.

Oh man!  A fireball?  Wow!  So much for the rebuild eh?  Sheesh.... What a 
totally rotten day!

> 
> So here it is, the first of April,  spring is here in full  force, and I'm
> stuck inside until some of these lesions  either explode or fall off.  Let
> this be a lesson, don't scrimp on repairs, or you'll pay, painfully. :-/

All the best....here's to a swift recovery.

> 
> -Jeff Deeney-           DoD#0498    NCTR    '88 XR600(Shamu) 
> jld@hpfcla.fc.hp.com    AMA#540813  COHVCO  '81 CB750F(In Cinders)
> "...and that was only one of the many occasions on which I met my death;  
>  an experience which I don't hesitate to strongly recommend."
> 			-Baron Von Munchausen
-- 
John Robinson                  Only criminals, tyrants, and cowards have
robinson@ac.dal.ca                 reason to fear the armed, honest citizen.
DOD #0069