another Katrider down(pics added 6/14)

[ChattKat]

well it finally happened, i went down. i was fully geared so it could have been much worse. i left the the road in a right hand turn doing about 55, i high sided, the bike did 2 complete flips end over end, this account from my riding partner who was right behind me. i skid off the road and rolled 8-10 times. the right knee of my pants shredded, got some nice rash to that knee. i broke my right hand, my dominant hand, several more bumps and bruises. it could have been so much worse. the corner was covered with loose gravel. the accident was partly the gravel and partly a rider riding a little outside my skill level. i wasnt being careless, but if i had i had more experience i MIGHT have saved the turn. i was about 50 miles from home so i had to ride home with a broken throttle/front brake hand, not much fun. i'm in a hard fiberglass splint until monday, then the ortho doctor will decide on a cast or surgery. my vacation starts wednesday, yeehaw. any way, the was pretty bad but the Kat is drivable. I didnt hit anything (tree,pole, car) which is amazing because there was stuff everwhere to hit. it happened in a National Forrest, a park ranger came on scene, which some of the guys in that area have a reputation of not being biker friendly. he was very cool. no police report, he bandaged my knee and sent me on my way, so legally, it never happened. sorry this is so long. i skid so far off the road i thought i was dead. i will get so picks of the bike and my f'up gear as soon as i can. take care and please be careful.

[Bigbody45]

Wow! Im glad your ok. Was you nervous riding your bike back home? I have not ever wrecked so i am curious to how it was after the accident. And i think its ok to sometimes ride out of your skill level as long as your safe. That is how you get better. And this was just a learning experience.

[WildKat]

Wow 50 miles from home, atleast you had a riding partner to follow you all that way. So you hit the gravel, then the tires caught good pavement again and you went flying?

What was the speed limit on the road you were riding on? Just curious because had you been speeding then you really lucked out since the officer could have written you a hefty fine had he caught you riding faster than the posted limit.

Hope you heal up quickly , oh and get some riding pants

[The CyberPoet]

Sorry to hear of your mishap, but glad you're walking. Tonight/tomorrow - a ton of asprin, a gallon or two of water per day (or other non-dehydrating drink) and a lot of protein (tons meat, protein shakes, whatever). A hot bath will help too. Tomorrow you are going to be three times as sore as you were today, but you can reduce that using the above info...

What was the speed limit on the road you were riding on? Just curious because had you been speeding then you really lucked out since the officer could have written you a hefty fine had he caught you riding faster than the posted limit.

Like $1000 ticket, according to the officer we were talking to last summer...

Hope you heal up quickly , oh and get some riding pants

Seriously. You can find them cheap if you search -- as low as $60 for last year's now-discontinued models. Depending on your size, I may have something for you.

KNOW THIS:
Professional training to fall well can save your life....
Somewhere in childhood, I took a bunch of martial arts, but only took a couple months of each. The training I received in the first month of Jujitsu and KungFu saved me in a catastrophic high-side once a decade later, because while I was flying that long arsed distance (and knowing I was going to land in more gravel), I remembered to tuck up, roll, and slap out just as if I had been tossed across the room in a match. I walked away with just a slight cut on my knee, and I wasn't wearing any gear except a helmet to speak of (parachute pants, thin shirt, cotton jacket, thin leather gloves). The bike was totalled, but I walked away.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[LordKeryth]

Sorry to hear about your accident. I laid mine down about a year ago doing about 30mph or so. Sucked at the time and for a couple weeks afterward with the road rash, but that was the reason i ended up painting my bike. Guess you have to look at the good side, right?

[ChattKat]

i was wearing joe rocket mesh pants, i was totally in appropriate gear, they just didnt hold up. i was speeding a bit. the speed limit was 35-40, it was 2 lane road for about 30 miles, we had been caught behind a couple very slow cages. there was a passing lane on our side that was about a mile long, i was accelerating to pass those cars and was planning on pulling right back in line, we weren't riding crazy, but technically i was speeding. he was about 6 cars back and saw the whole thing, i think he understood what we were doing.

i am an ER nurse and my wifes a doctor so i got the hookup on meds, i really hate taking anything but had to tonight, and yes tomorrow will be much worse.

the ride home sucked, i could barely pull the brake lever my hand hurt so bad. just took it slow, left plenty of room between me an other cars and my buddy kept people off my ass.

now i have an excuse shop, my helmet, boots, jacket, pants and gloves are all trash. the right fairing is hamburger. the bike is mechanically sound, rode home great, nothing bent as far as i can tell, will give it the once over tomorrow if i can walk.

[The CyberPoet]

i was wearing joe rocket mesh pants, i was totally in appropriate gear, they just didnt hold up.

Can you do the rest of us a favor and post up pics of the pants and where they failed/etc. when you're feeling up to it (no rush). A number of us like to post-analyze gear to figure out whether we should/shouldn't be recommending it to other riders (or buying it ourselves).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[chriskat1100]

man gravel is the the worst i have been down twice because of gravel bouth slow speed and times on Cruiser's but glad you ok!

[PussyKat]

glad to hear your ok...i have had some close calls on some gravel as well but managed to stay up. Hope you start felling better!

[Court93kat]

Man, that sucks. Hate to read of another one of us in a cast. I can't wait for mine to come off. At least mine is my left hand. But I do know how it feels to lose use of the dominate hand too. Couldn't use my right hand for about 2 months once due to a crush injury at work.

Hope you and the bike are feeling better soon.

P.S. A bread sack and rubber bands work well for keeping the cast dry in the shower.

[ZukiFred]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, But glad that you are hear to ride another day.

I never trusted that Mesh gear myself, I would rather sweat my butt off than have to find out first hand how roadrash felt. You Might also want to contact the Joe Rocket Corp and mention that your gear didn't proform so well in your accident, They might offer to replace the pants for you. And if your not comfortable using them anymore you could sell them on ebay to offset the price of some leather ones. Just a thought.

Hope you heal fast.

[fasteddie]

You are so blessed....I hope that you have a speedy recovery. Take care.

[Black_peter]

Glad you got off light ChattKat!!
Get back up soon!!!

[TurboMike]

The bike did three flips and was still rideable for 50 miles?? Thats impressive.

[SKNL2]

My accident was super similar sans the gravel. Glad you're only sore, man.

I, too, had some mesh riding pants on but I went down in grass -- only bruised up. It made me think, though. If I had done any amount of sliding on pavement, I am pretty sure that the mesh pants would have only prolonged the rash. It made me go get some leather.

Here's to a quick recovery!