Where the f*ck is the bike?

BTW... Joe... can you tell us... what were you wearing in the way of gear? Specifically, did you have any body armor on other than what was built into your jacket?

Rob

Wow! Thanks for sharing! Glad you are OK. OP - This must be you on the inside! :)

Am I the only one waiting for the bear to crawl out from under that ledge and eat you?

Watching that made me physically ill.

That was a very close call. That bike is as tough as you are. You got to stop knocking yourself silly.

Hope I get to ride with you again, you have some interesting tales.:eek1

Unfrickin believable!!! My jaw dropped. Camera stayed still, the moans, sit-up, falls over, oh hell!! Then you sit up, get up, speak emphatically and walk up to the trail. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
So glad it worked out for you. I thought I was lucky after falling over 3 times in deep sand today going waaaayy slower than you ( but I am old and fat). I am nothing. I guess just can't ride in sand. What is the trick for that.

Again glad you are okay.

Woo Hoo. We're on the road before 9 AM and have a 60 minute, mostly pavement ride back to the road at the top of Eagle Canyon. I've got a tough decision that's bugging me. Do I need to go all the way to the crash site to pick up the trail so I can say I rode the whole TAT, or do I could the quad ride up on the backboard.

I never had to finalize that decision. :eek1 6 miles outside of Price, my bike suddenly starts running like crap at speeds above 30 mph. It will start fine, idle fine, pull from stop strongly but just started sputtering at 30 mph. OK, we checked the small carb inlet fuel filter and various jets in the carb but don't find anything obvious and nothing makes it run better. I'd had occasional vapor lock on the trip but that wasn't it. It was getting hot by the side of the road so we rode back into town where there was a mini-mart gas station with shade to work on the bike and cold drinks.



We spent several more hours working on the bike. Was pretty hopeful when we found this.



But when I replaced it with a spare plug I was carrying, there was still no difference.

Holy hell. I'm glad you're ok. That looked nasty as fuck.....:eek1

I'll be checking out the rest of the story as well....

Oh crap ! !.....glad you're ok... That video sent chills up my spine....time for me to invest in a SPOT.

Just watching this made me thankful to be alive. You managed to capture on video what are the most gut turning few seconds I have seen since I did something close to that traumatic. The second or two before impact where you just know Sh!t is going sideways, and there is nothing you, or anybody else, can do about it. That moment where impact is imminent is the moment we stare our own destiny square in the face and realize how vulnerable we are, and who is truly in control. It humbles one to think about it. I tend to look at every day as a gift now, no matter how stressed out or what. It gives me a new perspective. The air is sweet, and just being alive is more than enough. I hope the rest of your ride is you in synch with the machine, and appreciative of every moment. Good for you for getting back on. Your friend sounds like one helluva guy. I had a guy rag doll in front of me last summer and there is nothing worse than seeing somebody get hurt.
I'd be interested to know what, if any, revelations you've had after this incident.
Be well my friend.

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing your story and look forward to the rest of it.

At about 2:30 PM I officially pulled the plug on my trip. Who was I kidding? Even if I fixed the current problem, what hidden crash related gremlins were ready to bite me at a much more inopportune time. This was no longer the bike I had labored over for two years prepping for this specific ride. The trust was gone.

And what about me? I was a shadow of my former self, in pain and lacking strength. No way I could pick up a bike. I probably couldn't half my luggage if I took it off the bike. I was a total liability to Darrell and we were heading into the most remote parts of the TAT.

I was done. I was at peace with it.

We had used up most of the spare time built into our schedule. I told Darrell it was time for him to hit the road if he was going to have any chance of finishing the TAT. We'd had covered this scenario before the trip. I told him that if he bailed before we started I would go by myself and if he had a breakdown/accident I would make sure he was taken care of and then continue on by myself. Darrell took it to heart and prepared himself for the same scenario. He was more prepared for the trip than I was.

I gave Darrell my SPOT unit and some training on its use and told him I'd monitor his tracks. Wished him luck, told him to be careful and said goodbye.



Price was big enough to have a u-haul dealer and they even had the smallest sized truck that could be rented for a one-way trip. The next day I was packed and ready to go. Of course I needed a couple of guys to lift my bike into the truck.



It was weird driving home by myself. Even though it would have been faster, I couldn't bring myself to take the interstate. I took Hwy 50, a lonely two lane road across Utah and Nevada to try to capture some of the remoteness I would have been experiencing on the TAT.

No doubt. I was depressed. Until the crash the trip was everything I had imagined and more. Darrell and I were having a blast. When we were camping we always seemed to spend just enough time to find a great campsite or perfect for the circumstances. I'd found a riding partner who could take a month off to do it so we didn't have to hurry.

Anyway, that's my TAT story; or at least the last chapter of my story. Hopefully there's a ride report in me that will cover the pre-crash portion of the ride. Ride safe.

Although Darrell is a member here, he's not the type to write a ride report, so I'll let you know how Darrell fared after we parted on September 4.

Several hours later that same day this was his predicament:



He managed to get out of that jam and eventually made it to Port Orford on Sept 15th. Way to go Darrell.

Joe - glad you turned out A-OK brother. I fully expected broken bones seeing that cliff dive you did. You must have landed in the most exact softest spot available!!!! Wow...

And I know the bruised (cracked) rib feeling. I recently got tossed off onto the street in Alameda by an idiot bicyclist who ran a redlight. My bike would not start nor run.......it was insurance toast but hell I didn't fly off a cliff man.....pounding into a 220 lb "object" going 35MPH ain't got nothing on this story.

You my friend, came out on top and your bike ... I mean come on.....you're riding it home!!!! Simply amazing. Can't wait to catch up at one of the Meet and Eats soon...

:eek1 Wow


Your DR did better than this bike:


Your DR did better that this bike too:

(he was ok too - only minor wounds and pieces of KTM plastic in his arm and chest) but you can read about all that in another post someday...

Good God - what's up with the Crash gods here..

Thanks for sharing. You are a far better rider than I will ever be.

Glad you made it out. Sold a few PLBs, but emphasized the reasons not to ride on your own.

RZ Rob

mate u might have small hands

but u got huge balls that are tough as nails

u were prepared

u made good decisions

u tried to get back on and keep going

u made the right decision to pack up

u put ur hands where u feel comfortable

when a large dirt bike spears off the trail as urs did

it is a shock

if u had pulled the clutch and brake

in mho u would have still gone over the edge

the wheels would have locked

u would have slid of the edge

hope u get better soon

i hate rib injuries

cheers

Your DR wanted no part of the rest of the TAT and I can't say I blame it.

It is a smart bike, I hope you get it fixed and keep it. Glad you and it get to ride another day.

Thanks for the ride report. Glad you are OK.

Rod

I have to agree with your post and the summary above. Even on MX I almost always have a finger over both clutch and brake pedals. Control coverage isn't foolproof accident insurance, but helps.

When I was a youngling starting out in this sport I whiskey throttled on an otherwise very safe and mostly flat mx course out in the country. Bike was pointed at a fence and I was either too inexperienced or panicked to take evasive action. I did have the sense to jump away from the bike at the last moment. I tumbled down in front of the fence, my bike went directly into a fencepost. The post survived, but my bike's frame was broken into two pieces.

This stuff can and will happen to the best of us. It's why they make helmets, boots and riding buddies.

Epic.
Great video.
You can actually see what you're thinking as you look around.
It sort of feels like that mover '127 Hours'..
Glad you were not seriously hurt.
Q~

Glad you walked away without serious trama from that, and relieved that you, and your DR, took the easy was home - bet your wife was happy with both of your discussions!

My son and I have watched your video on the big screen several times now, and it certainly is an intense moment that many a motorcyclist is thankful you shared.



Did your lung, ribs, and Suzuki make a full recovery?