Wherever I May Roam - One Woman Livin' on a DR650

I second that... I think. :huh

It has also been theorized that excessive unintentional operator input forces increase the oscillations to a point of control failure. The solution advised is to LOOSEN UP ON THE BARS AND RIDE IT OUT. Not easy to do in a panic situation.
Regards....just jeff

There it is...

I've preached that exact point my entire riding life (goin' on 50 years on two wheels now). RELAX.

I agree if the bike is in the tested stock configuration. However, having moved the CofG aft and thereby reduce the Margin (distance between the CofG and the Neutral point) will lower the speed of oscillation onset and increase its magnitude. It needs an increase in the Margin and a Damper. Fey was fine until the new Head Bearings were installed which reduced the steering friction. There is also the rear steering aerodynamic effect of the radius'd panniers in a cross wind gust.

If I recall correctly, Fey made a comment about how the bike was easier to turn after loading it with all of her gear. This is an indication of reduced Margin and lower stability.

Rule for dirt tires on hard surface roads...slow down or you will crash.

Rule for street tires on soft surface roads...slow down or you will crash.

Cheers,
David

Hi Feyala,

I've only just found this excellent RR. Having just read 31 pages over two days I am in awe of your tenacity and courage to live your life as you choose. Go for it..........

cheers, Bob.

I agree with what David has said but it's unlikely that the bags/mounting design will be changed anytime soon. And anyway, the frame flex for DR/KLR's when heavily loaded has a lot to do with the onset of such instability and that cannot be changed without major mods. It is, however, a good reason to consider soft-bags set up on the current racks that hugs the bike and reduces the lateral dimensions compared to hard bags. Soft bags not as convenient to pack however, quite aside from being pricey.

However, with regard to steering head bearings, an old bearing only gets notchy and doesn't provide more friction for the steering. New bearings only makes it smoother back and forth but will also make no difference on the friction compared to a old one. Proper torque on the bearings is what provides good friction and a reduced tendency for the handlebar/front wheel to "flop" back and forth freely when off center. That is most important to check, Fey.

This is commonly set by getting the bike off the ground to free the handlebar/front wheel. Tightening the torque nut until that loose ability for the steering to flop is gone. Then go on a test ride... nothing should feel out of the ordinary. Too tight is obvious because the rider will have to physically input on the bars to steer the bike to right up from even the smallest turn and feels terribly unnatural to ride that way.

After all is said and done, slowing down when riding a DR fully loaded is the only sure way not to experience a tank slapper again.

.......now I'm getting a little worried. In rare cases there have been serious complications from body traumas like Fey's. Has anyone heard anything?

Give her some time & sapce to decompress... I think she worried more to assure her friends than took the time to absorb all that transpired and discover what it means to her.

Sorry for the lack of communication!

I have been taking it easy, enjoying a few video games to distract myself. My road rash is almost gone, the skin-bruises are fading, the bone-bruises will be around for a while, I imagine. My right knee, shin, and elbow appear to have such bruises. No pain on motion, everything bears weight fine, but exterior pressure hurts, so I still can't kneel, for example.

I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that I likely have a couple of hairline fractures in my wrist. Initially, recovery was rapid, but after the first couple of days it plateaud and has not gotten much better in the past few days. I have full range of motion, nothing is dislocated or looks "off", but I still can't carry much weight (unable to carry a gallon of milk in that hand without pain), and any twisting motion is still painful (I can't open jam jars very well now). Not exceedingly omg-I-need-vicodin painful, but definitely dissuasive. Based on where it hurts and looking at anatomy references, I suspect that I fractured the scaphoid and the tip of the radius. We'll see.

I am likely going to need to get this x-rayed. This has made me grumpy because I don't like dealing with doctors at the best of times, and I try not to think about the eventual bill (though I do think I qualify for financial aid, so that might help). I may be frugal but if this sets incorrectly it could fuck up this hand for the rest of my life. Not worth it...

So anyways! That's what's been going on. Pretty much nothing. I'm waiting for my wrist to improve before I do much work on the boxes, I don't really trust my clumsy left hand and I don't want to aggravate the wrist, especially if it's trying to set. Right now I can't operate the tarp straps that hold my camping gear down, and if I can't camp, I can't really leave. So I'm more or less grounded until I sort this out. I will bring this RR up to date soon. Sorry about the delays, I've just mostly been in a mood for escapism lately. I do read and appreciate all the comments, and I will reply when I feel up for it.

So stop worrying!

I just got caught up with this fantastic ride report. Feyala you have done an awesome job here and it is inspiring to read about your adventure and outlook on life.

Like you I really do not like doctors, hospitals and all that crap. Even though it will be costly get it checked out, get it checked out. I was involved in a motorcycle crash and did not get looked at because I figured I was fine and it was only bruises and a bit of road rash. However I had dislocated my hip and eventually it got to the point where I couldn't even get my leg over the saddle. Because I was moron and waited like a month to get it looked at it took nearly four times as long to recover from. The worst part is it made miss almost an entire riding season.
Beside I am sure we all want to hear more of your adventures!

Ben

with rest up/ heal up time. When in doubt about a broken bone, better to do the x-ray even if its just for peace of mind. I broke a small bone in my wrist many years ago while dropping my CB550F. The wrist swelled up like crazy and I rode my bike wearing a cast (clutch hand no less) for quite a while. I should have done more heal up/rest up. My wrist reminds me of that every once in a while.

Heal quickly and well
Cheers

Which side of your wrist hurts? Ortho Specialists are better early than late

http://www.uwhealth.org/sports-medicine/scaphoid-navicular-fractures-of-the-hand-and-wrist/11483
or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_fibrocartilage

Hope you heal fast

Hi Feyala!
Good to hear from you! Quit saying you're sorry. You don't have to apologize to anyone here. We were just concerned when we didn't hear from or about you suddenly right after your crash. Our concern just shows what an important part of this community you have become. Having said that.... Take some time, relax,rest,recuperate, regroup and get ready to roam. That's more than 3 R's but I think it works.
From snowbound Canada,
Best regards....justjeff

Wow, I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up on your thread! I'm extremely glad your crash didn't end up more serious that it was and love the support from the thread on identifying possible causes and remedies. I've learned heaps about tank slappers and aerodynamics! I am in agreement with the sentiments to have the wrist looked at, which is sounds like you are moving towards. No good reason to compromise a full and speedy recovery.

Your adventure is of particular interest to me as I purchased a DR650 a year and a half ago with the dream of extended travels. I fall on the 'planner' side of planner/spontaneous, so my exit is planned for next year. I'll spend the winter simplying, preping the bike and suspending my city/professional life. I am truly encouraged by your no schedule / agenda approach!

Take good care of yourself and I look forward to the coming adventures!

Please set yourself up with a Paypal account! Loads here have suggested it. I don't make much, and wouldn't be able to give much, but I would like to help!

The DR may have struck again - read this: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=789269&page=31 ... #463 and following.

Damn! Glad she is (mostly) okay!

Hey Fey. How's the recupperation going? Did you get zapped by X-Rays!

Regardless - Hope you are healing up fine, and can continue on your [MC] journey soon.

Okay guys, thanks for your patience in sticking with me!

I have finally been in the mood to write again and have done two entries which I need to edit and post up. I'll try to do replies tonight. Paypal donation link on my website will be forthcoming - rules in this forum prohibit soliciting donations, so I won't be posting it here directly. I don't want to get on anybody's bad side. I will write a note when it is up and give a link to my blog.

I found a source of cheap xrays (this is a funny story that I will get to in due time) and discovered that I do in fact have a fracture on the radius below the base of the thumb, but the scaphoid is thankfully fine. If I were to translate this into medical speak, I believe it would be called a minor fracture of the radial styloid process. It is small and did not appear to be displaced at all, so I have it in a soft splint and have been trying not to use it. I did need to fix a flat from running over a 2-3" rivet - pointy side up of course - and that was... a unique challenge with the broken wrist. I ended up using my bare feet as a second pair of very clumsy hands, as I still can't kneel on my right knee without a lot of pain (the bruise is still healing). I got a couple of pinch flats but eventually triumphed. I need to get a new rear tire soon anyways, I'll just replace the tube and get more patches while I'm at it.

The current plan is to wait another week and get it xrayed again to see if it is knitting. If it isn't, I'll need to go see a Real Doctor and possibly get it pinned in place or something expensive. I feel like it is knitting, before I knew that it was broken and was still using it here and there, the strength was slowly returning, but it may have just been the ligaments fixing themselves. I don't have an ETA until I leave, I really just want to take as much time as my wrist needs, if I have another altercation and the bone isn't completely healed, it's likely to break much worse.

I've been a bit frustrated because the application on my droid which makes the HDR photos quit working, leaving me with 3 seperate photos (for hundreds of pictures) and no way to knit them together. Luckily I "found" the latest version of a highly popular but overpriced photo editing software, and it has a feature to knit those together quite well, so that's a huge relief!

I have been riding a little bit, on surface streets across town. Even without luggage, without riding pants, without being really free and on the road, it's good to be on two wheels again. I go a little crazy when I'm cooped up in a house and I think that contributed to binging on escapism and being in a bit of a bad place mentally.

Luckily I am in a better place now and I can start getting things back in order! I hope all has been well for you guys, and that you had a good Thanksgiving!

Hey Fey, glad to hear you're healing and that there was no major damage. Yep I can tell you that the thumb will take longer to heal! My rib was all done within 6 weeks, My thumb however has taken more than 9 weeks and it still hurt when putting too much pressure. Totally my own fault for not giving it a break! So yeah, if you can, leave it alone for a while!