[The CyberPoet]

I didn't try the PRI technique, the bike will turn but it just won't kick over.

The PRI trick should refill the carbs, which are empty from the bike laying on it's side. Unlike many/most fuel-injected bikes, the Kat does NOT have any sort of tip/bank sensor that has to be reset (many bikes) or replaced (a small number of bikes - what a PIA).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[the wind]

I did, it was dark and it was so fast I just panicked and didn't think.

i just assumed you were hard headed like me.

[CenCalKat]

sometimes its you or them, hold your course plant feet firmly on pegs and raise off seat slightly, should get you through running most road hazards over.

Should have sped up. I hit a big opossum at about 50pmh and it felt like a small speed bum.

Ahh...both so true. I blasted a jackrabbit outside of Tuscon at about 95. Cut that little guy clean in half. All I had to do was clean the fur off the header.

If you need front turnsignals, I got a pair of amber ones for a Post Kat. Lemme know if you want em.

[Zepp]

In the MSF class they called that a squishy. You keep on going, don't brake or swerve, run the thing over. It is not worth risking yours and others safety by trying to avoid a squishy. Many people crash by doing this type of thing.

Glad your ok, don't let it get you down. Sh*t happens

[Rangerman83]

The PRI trick should refill the carbs, which are empty from the bike laying on it's side. Unlike many/most fuel-injected bikes, the Kat does NOT have any sort of tip/bank sensor that has to be reset (many bikes) or replaced (a small number of bikes - what a PIA).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

Thanks, bike started right up. Kick stand sensor was not damaged.

You guys don't understand, I am a Park Ranger, I care about the little woodland animals. Except that one Jack Rabbit, I hope vultures pick his bones dry.

[SilentTJ]

Thanks, bike started right up. Kick stand sensor was not damaged.

You guys don't understand, I am a Park Ranger, I care about the little woodland animals. Except that one Jack Rabbit, I hope vultures pick his bones dry.

ha ha ha... i love animals too, i'm usually a pretty cold hearted person, but animals just get to me. on the other hand though... i'm not letting some random squirrel be the death of me! i almost burst out laughing when taking the MSF and my instructor was discussing how to deal with this situation. a couple people were just like, omg are you serious?!?!?! he just kept his serious face, "oh yeah, i've hit several squirrels in my life, it's either you or them, might as well be you"

this is a perfect example of why it's better to just treat them as a furry, squishy speed bump. just don't let this incident get to you, get healed up, fix up the bike, and get back to riding! and the next time something runs out, just imagine it's that jack rabbit, and get revenge!!!!

[Shipster]

it's better to just treat them as a furry, squishy speed bump.

When my MSF instructor covered this topic, he would name off different animals and we had to specify whether they were squishable or non-squishable. "Squirrel = squishable. Cow = non-squishable!" It was funny but it got the point across.

[The CyberPoet]

You guys don't understand, I am a Park Ranger, I care about the little woodland animals.

Look, you're thinking about it in the wrong terms, even for a park ranger or nature lover.

In this scenario, you control the bike and nothing more. Whether the little squirrel, ground hog, rabid wombat or whatever is likely to hit your tires is strictly a combination of what their mind calculates your speed to be -- and your ability to maintain that speed consistently (or exceed it if it's not trying to cross in front of you, but into you). You can't control whether he darts out, nor whether he decides to turn back at the last second, nor whether he ends up bouncing off the side of your tire as verses to going under it.

What your basic choices are is simple: stay absolutely steady (so his calculations stay true -- feel free to honk your horn to disuade him!) or go faster (so you clear him before he gets there, and so you're more stable if you do impact). Doing anything that slows you down that abruptly and moreover upsets your suspension & stability just before a potential impact is a formula for disaster both from his point of view (simple brain tissue at work here) and from the point of view of your safety.


Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet
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[giftedwon]

glad your ok. I had a ground hog run out in front of me on the freeway the other day doing 85. lucky i beat him to where his path was. unfortunatly the car behind me nailed him

[Rangerman83]

My Knee is feeling a lot better, I'm walking almost normally. I checked the bike out, I got it started and seems like it's running with no problems. I was thinking of riding it to see if it was safe to ride home with my girlfriend following me in case of problems.

Cyber- Anything I need to look out for?

I'll be sure to just mow through the little animals next time. They are not worth my health.

Thank you all for your support.

[zuma]

[QUOTE=The CyberPoet;1809105]

(C) Small animals: you ride straight through them -- not because it's good for them, but because it's the safest thing you can do for yourself.

I was doing 75 on I-20 when a car in front of me came to a dead stop...I used the front brake all I could, then had to lock up the back brake, which high-sided me. Came out okay though.

Two years later a wild boar of substantial size entered my lane (near midnight). I knew I'd high-side again were I to hit the back brakes. I decided that goosing it (taking it as fast as possible as quickly as possible) would be better than high-siding. The boar (400 lbs actually) glanced off my fairing and left boot and took out my foot peg and shifter.
Had I braked, I would have T-boned it and gone into the sky, possibly on my last ride ever. I rode on home in 6th gear and kissed the driveway when I dismounted. I think it's about momentum and a heck of a lot of good luck and other things I can't see, but am aware of.

[QUOTE=Rangerman83;1809246]

"Nope, the stupid thing limped away. I'm gonna go back and find him and cut his foot off and use it as a necklace. That way I'll be rabbit proof."

Be careful with that. My uncle had a lucky rabbit foot, but his other foot was normal.

[HexKrak]

Statistics say most crashes occur within the first 3 months a rider has a new bike (not a new rider even, any time you change bikes).

[erok011]

glad you are alright man. try to put it out of your mind, and learn from your mistake.

[The CyberPoet]

Cyber- Anything I need to look out for?

On yourself:
damages to bones and tendons that might be masked by swelling/swollen tissues. Once broke my collar bone and didn't get it set for five days because the swelling along with the fact that I could still rotate my arm 360 degrees (with great pain, but mind-over-matter) masked the fact that it was shattered/split lengthwise.

On the bike, there's quite a few things possibly (and this list is not exhaustive, just the ones most likely to be issues):

Carb floats sometimes get stuck from being smacked against the ground. The problem is that if your petcock is working right, you're not likely to notice until whenever your petcock actually breaks, because the problem will only manifest while the engine is running. Watch for increased oil levels from day to day, any loss of performance, any changes in fuel mileage of more than 10%. Easy enough to check/fix if you're willing to open the carb's float bowls and check for free movement of the float mechanisms (which work just like toilet bowl floats).

Cracks in the engine side covers causing oil leaks. Scan the covers well, check the ground under the bike in the morning for signs of leakage, watch for oil levels going down overnight.

Depending on what your bike landed in/on, dirt & debris in the chain and/or brake components. Clean the chain thoroughly, relube; clean the brake calipers & rotors well with spray brake cleaner & paper towels.

Bent handlebar tubes. A minor bend may not be immediately noticeable, but can induce additional vibrations. Easiest way to check is to unbolt both tubes and set them atop one-another -- should be a perfect match.

Bent front axle, misaligned steering (indicating possible for damages or bent triple-tree mount). Feel for vibes, inclination to steer in an oscillating pattern. Also put wheel between your knees and reach out to the bars -- are they the same distance and pointing center-forward when you've got the wheel pointing dead straight between your legs?
and finally:

Steering stem bearings. If the hit was hard enough, it might have dented the races for the steering stem bearings. With the bike's front wheel off the ground (say bike on the centerstand, someone pushing down at the back to lower the rear & raise the front), rotate the wheel with your hand from one extreme to the other (left-right-left or right-left-right) and feel the resistance. If you feel a notchiness or resistance that isn't perfectly linear the whole way across, the bearings are notched & should be replaced (better than OEM replacements are cheap, under $40 last time I priced them). Second test is the "fall" test -- same set-up as above, but once you have the wheel half way to either side, release the wheel -- it should fall the rest of the way to that side without issue.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[scottynoface]

Bent handlebar tubes. A minor bend may not be immediately noticeable, but can induce additional vibrations. Easiest way to check is to unbolt both tubes and set them atop one-another -- should be a perfect match.

Pay special attention here. I dropped my Katana in a parking lot and a few months later my left bar snapped clean off while pulling into my driveway. Very lucky I wasn't at speed.