- Nov 18, 2004
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So when I first got my bike, the guy selling it to me told me that there are two types of riders: those who have gone down, and those who will go down. I joined the ranks of the first group yesterday.
Out for a ride with a group of friends and we came to an especially nasty stretch of road. I was about 4th in line and the interesting part of this road is that there are two very sharp turns as well as two cattle guards (1-2' trench with 1" bars set 1/2-1" apart to keep stray cows in). I had ridden the stretch before but had forgotten how close the two cattle guards were and that immediately following the second one there is a sharp left turn that descends towards a bridge. I took the turn going in right on and then hit the brakes coming up to the cattle guard. As I got closer, I saw the descent and started my left turn (hung off the bike and leaned it over). As the rear wheel passed over the guard, it lost traction, followed by it quickly regaining traction on the asphalt. The front wheel had already started wobbling and I had loosened my grip at the same time I was trying to compensate. And then I ran out of road (very sharp turn here, maybe 10-15' after crossing the guard). Luckily I was only going 10-15mph and when the bike hit the grass, it pretty much just fell over without me under it.
Total damage physically: twisted ankle and sore back
Total damage mechanically: busted left fairing, busted screws holding speedometer on, dent on right side of fuel tank (weird since the bike went down on the left)
Got back on and got home no problems (all the guys I was riding with and were following stopped and helped me out), one of the guys I was riding with came back with me to make sure I was good. I've been sitting on the post about whether or not I wanted to strip the fairing off the bike and go with a naked look and this just kinda pushed me in the right direction. Probably also gonna try and hang the fairing up and let it serve as a reminder to always watch the fuck out (and be careful of cattle guards).
So, whether or not you ride a 250r or a GXSR-600, make sure you pay attention to the road and always ride within your limits.
Fairing damage
Fuel tank dent
my new look...missing a couple of parts
Out for a ride with a group of friends and we came to an especially nasty stretch of road. I was about 4th in line and the interesting part of this road is that there are two very sharp turns as well as two cattle guards (1-2' trench with 1" bars set 1/2-1" apart to keep stray cows in). I had ridden the stretch before but had forgotten how close the two cattle guards were and that immediately following the second one there is a sharp left turn that descends towards a bridge. I took the turn going in right on and then hit the brakes coming up to the cattle guard. As I got closer, I saw the descent and started my left turn (hung off the bike and leaned it over). As the rear wheel passed over the guard, it lost traction, followed by it quickly regaining traction on the asphalt. The front wheel had already started wobbling and I had loosened my grip at the same time I was trying to compensate. And then I ran out of road (very sharp turn here, maybe 10-15' after crossing the guard). Luckily I was only going 10-15mph and when the bike hit the grass, it pretty much just fell over without me under it.
Total damage physically: twisted ankle and sore back
Total damage mechanically: busted left fairing, busted screws holding speedometer on, dent on right side of fuel tank (weird since the bike went down on the left)
Got back on and got home no problems (all the guys I was riding with and were following stopped and helped me out), one of the guys I was riding with came back with me to make sure I was good. I've been sitting on the post about whether or not I wanted to strip the fairing off the bike and go with a naked look and this just kinda pushed me in the right direction. Probably also gonna try and hang the fairing up and let it serve as a reminder to always watch the fuck out (and be careful of cattle guards).
So, whether or not you ride a 250r or a GXSR-600, make sure you pay attention to the road and always ride within your limits.
Fairing damage
Fuel tank dent
my new look...missing a couple of parts
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