About three weeks ago, I had just gotten on the interstate, heading home, traffic medium-heavy, after dark, worked my way to the left of three lanes. Someone ahead hit their brakes hard, I hit mine, and the next thing i know, I'm on the pavement, thinking "I'm on the ground; why am I still moving?" I then saw the bike on its right side, rolling away from me in an arc, into the right-most lane, a bit of sparking from the right tip-over bar.
Cars stopped, I crawled (because of my existing hip and knee issues, not this) to the center Jersey-wall divider, sat up on it, a couple of guys picked up and rolled the bike to the side, and let traffic get going. My friend in MD who always calls at the worst possible moment, called just then. I realized the left side of my rib cage hurt as I tried talking, so told him I just went down and couldn't talk. Of course, he tried calling me back twice.
Ambulance came, flat-bed came, state police came, I went. X-rays of my ribs showed some fracturing, and of left foot/ankle showed no bone damage. I spent just under 24 hours in the hospital, in a lot of pain, breathing in hurt like hell, they gave me pain meds, both shots (through IV) and pills, even ahead of schedule when it got bad. When I asked, I was told that my ribs would hurt for six to eight weeks, and my foot/ankle will fade.
I was discharged after lunch the next day, after receiving five different pain prescriptions, none of which I filled. I took only the Tramadol I was already taking due to previously-mentioned leg issues. My ribs mostly stopped hurting in about a week, and doesn't hurt at all now, and I haven't even taken the Tramadol in over a week now, just to gauge the pain. My foot still hurts a little, right at the shifter spot at the base of my big toe.
A friend drove me home, a cousin picked up the bike and rode it home and covered it, and I hadn't even looked at the bike until today. It was so warm, I just had to go for a ride and restore my confidence. (It didn't take very long.) I waited until now to post this, so I could include damage pics. Well, I didn't take any pics. Why? Not one speck of damage on either side of the bike! Nothing ever touched the pavement but the tip-over bars.
Nothing on the saddlebags, on the mirror covers, on the hand levers, nowhere. Apparently, I was just crossing the left lane's slick area when I braked, and the front tire went to the right, throwing me left and slamming my ribs on the road. The left side tip-over bar must have touched down, the front wheel must have turned left, gotten back under the bike, and laid it on the right side, which is what I saw when I finished tumbling.
And because I have PSR blades on the bike, the tip-over bar covers are not on the bike, so they weren't involved. I'm still amazed that there is no body damage at all. The only evidence is where the flat portion of the tip-over bars contacted the pavement and roughened up the metal. I don't know if all STs are this way, but mine has a flat oval plate welded into the tube at the contact point and angle, and that's all that touched the pavement.
As for my clothing, my light-weight gloves had some knuckle abrasion, my jacket just a little where my ribs were hurt, and my helmet had rash just over the left side of the face opening, from sliding, not impact, and a little rash on the top edge of the face shield that can't be seen from inside the helmet. I colored the area, about 1/2" x 1", with a black Sharpie, along with little spots gathered over time. The important thing is that I rode again!
Cars stopped, I crawled (because of my existing hip and knee issues, not this) to the center Jersey-wall divider, sat up on it, a couple of guys picked up and rolled the bike to the side, and let traffic get going. My friend in MD who always calls at the worst possible moment, called just then. I realized the left side of my rib cage hurt as I tried talking, so told him I just went down and couldn't talk. Of course, he tried calling me back twice.
Ambulance came, flat-bed came, state police came, I went. X-rays of my ribs showed some fracturing, and of left foot/ankle showed no bone damage. I spent just under 24 hours in the hospital, in a lot of pain, breathing in hurt like hell, they gave me pain meds, both shots (through IV) and pills, even ahead of schedule when it got bad. When I asked, I was told that my ribs would hurt for six to eight weeks, and my foot/ankle will fade.
I was discharged after lunch the next day, after receiving five different pain prescriptions, none of which I filled. I took only the Tramadol I was already taking due to previously-mentioned leg issues. My ribs mostly stopped hurting in about a week, and doesn't hurt at all now, and I haven't even taken the Tramadol in over a week now, just to gauge the pain. My foot still hurts a little, right at the shifter spot at the base of my big toe.
A friend drove me home, a cousin picked up the bike and rode it home and covered it, and I hadn't even looked at the bike until today. It was so warm, I just had to go for a ride and restore my confidence. (It didn't take very long.) I waited until now to post this, so I could include damage pics. Well, I didn't take any pics. Why? Not one speck of damage on either side of the bike! Nothing ever touched the pavement but the tip-over bars.
Nothing on the saddlebags, on the mirror covers, on the hand levers, nowhere. Apparently, I was just crossing the left lane's slick area when I braked, and the front tire went to the right, throwing me left and slamming my ribs on the road. The left side tip-over bar must have touched down, the front wheel must have turned left, gotten back under the bike, and laid it on the right side, which is what I saw when I finished tumbling.
And because I have PSR blades on the bike, the tip-over bar covers are not on the bike, so they weren't involved. I'm still amazed that there is no body damage at all. The only evidence is where the flat portion of the tip-over bars contacted the pavement and roughened up the metal. I don't know if all STs are this way, but mine has a flat oval plate welded into the tube at the contact point and angle, and that's all that touched the pavement.
As for my clothing, my light-weight gloves had some knuckle abrasion, my jacket just a little where my ribs were hurt, and my helmet had rash just over the left side of the face opening, from sliding, not impact, and a little rash on the top edge of the face shield that can't be seen from inside the helmet. I colored the area, about 1/2" x 1", with a black Sharpie, along with little spots gathered over time. The important thing is that I rode again!
