Got Hit By A Missile this morning!

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
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As I was climbing out of the Temecula Valley, on my morning commute, moving around 70MPH, when a cage kicked up a thin piece of metal, about 1" across and 4' long. It hit the bike vertically, the end hitting the fairing edge right at the MCL Wing cover (gouging it), breaking a hole in the fairing, then glancing off the rubber air dam (gouging it pretty good in the process). I'm thinking if the air dam wouldn't have been there, it would have hit my leg or foot.

Besides seeing it coming at me, I felt when it hit, it hit that hard! I looked down but couldn't see any parts dangling off, so I continued on my way. Once I got to work, I was able to see the damage and know how lucky (blessed!) I was that it didn't hit me directly!

BrokenFairing-01-19-2018-s.jpg
 

ToddC

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Wow Bob...!!! Those are some mean roads you ride...

Kinda like Mad Max....glad you are OK.

T
 
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Can I suggest you buy a lottery ticket this week and change your middle name to Lucky.
Can't ever remember being clobbered by anything so sharp and heavy on the bike.
Keep riding, keep safe.
Upt'North.
 
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SupraSabre

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
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Thanks folks! Funny thing, until I saw the damage, I had no idea how close I came to being a javelin catcher! :eek:4:
 

Mellow

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A guy I used to work with would ride his Harley softtail to the ROT Rally every year with friends... no helmets or any gear other than gloves and boots... he saw a silver thing floating around his friends and thought it was a piece of foil or something like that.. when it finally got close enough and zipped past him he recognized it as a chrome trailer hitch ball.... yeow.
 
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Had something similar recently, knew that something hit don't know what since I didn't see what was kicked out from truck. But it hit with plenty of force and 20180119_110339.jpg now I get to replace left belly cowl. But better than painted plastic or a leg.
 
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SupraSabre

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
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Joined
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Location
Cedar City, Utah
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12/04 ST 1300s
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000145
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Had something similar recently, knew that something hit don't know what since I didn't see what was kicked out from truck. But it hit with plenty of force and 20180119_110339.jpg now I get to replace left belly cowl. But better than painted plastic or a leg.
Yeah, it's better when the bike catches things, instead of your body! :eek:

I just checkeD, I have $500 deductible and I can get the fairing from Partzilla for $352. I don't like going through insurance anyway! :-|
 

970mike

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Dang, close call there. It was probably some cage that was mad at you for splitting traffic! :duck:
 

BakerBoy

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Yeowza!

Reminds me of 2 incidents I've had with firewood. One was a pile of firewood dropping out of a trailer in front of me in nowhere Wyoming, it happened while I was shoulder checking in preparing to pass (on my ST1300)--as I finished the shoulder check and looked forward again, it took a fraction of a second to register and process what I was seeing, and then to respond to all the debris and many items in motion in front of me--numerous evasive maneuvers were required and it was a very close call. Another was a single piece of firewood that bounced up into my pickup's windshield as I was moving along at 70 mph at night on a SoCal freeway many years ago--it caved in an area of the windshield at face level. Imagine if I were on a motorcycle for that one....

Glad you're ok Bob.
 
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Dayum! Reminds me of a video I saw of two Taiwanese boys on a scooter. They rear ended a truck carrying reinforcing rods. One of the rods skewered the two lads like shih ke bob! You could have got impaled like a worm on a hook! :eek:
 
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Bob that could have been bad . Glad your are OK. Back in the middle 80's when I lived in the Dallas TX area I had a few not so near misses. One was a flattened out soda can that flew into my pickup radiator. I briefly remembered seeing it as it sail toward me on LBJ freeway. I heard the slight noise of the impact and did not think anything of it. We lived in an apartment and when I got home I hurried in to take the dog for a walk. I walked her out and had to walk her back thru the parking lot. As I walked out I saw all the water running down the street and remember thinking someone has trouble. As I got closer to my truck I found out it was me. The soda can had gone into my radiator and stopped just short of the fan. The radiator was not repairable. Then a few weeks later a piece of 4 inch angle iron feel off a truck ahead of me in heavy traffic. I had no place to go and run over it. I manage to get over after going a couple of miles to check my tires. Tire where fine but the body panel behind the right rear tire had been ripped off and was on 35W a few miles back.
 

ReSTored

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Byron

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Bob, glad you're all right with only minor damage to the bike.
 
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