Crashed My K1600GT

[GeoAggie]

Damage to K1600GT . . . . . with only 1400 miles

I haven't posted pictures in a while.

[GeoAggie]

Update . . . After a confusing week of tests the MRI show three non-displaced fractures - femoral neck, pelvis and hip socket. I have an appointment with hip orthopedist next week finally. So far, no surgery, just no weight bearing. If no fractures are seen on X-rays then passive treatment.

I'm still playing the accident back in my mind. Any one of 3-4 decisions/events that I could have changed would have prevented the accident. But, I can't wait to ride again :-)

[DavidBanner]

Originally Posted by Cakeeater

Good luck on your recovery.

Sounds like the pickup truck driver in the middle was trying to do you a favor by warning you the lead vehicle was turning.

I test rode a K1600gt. Great bike, not for me, because I knew I'd ride it too fast.

Cakeeater

my thoughts exactly. sometimes (most of the time) people are moving slowly for a reason. go buy a lottery ticket...take a break...or even quit riding...or even ride whenever you feel like it...whatever you do, make sure it's right for you. good luck.

big danger here is the multi-car pass...sure, the first one is easy...but you build up a head of steam if you're accelerating all the way. you can easily be doubling the prevailing speed (in your haste to minimize the time on the left) then end up with no more outs and no ability to stop in time if there's an obstruction. my personal strategy for multi-car passes is to keep the speed differential down to 10-15mph plus. that way if anyone ends up wanting to pull out, turn, or whatever...i'll still be able to abort the pass and duck in. if there isn't space due to oncoming traffic...patience tends to work.

DB

[GeoAggie]

Originally Posted by DavidBanner

my thoughts exactly. sometimes (most of the time) people are moving slowly for a reason. go buy a lottery ticket...take a break...or even quit riding...or even ride whenever you feel like it...whatever you do, make sure it's right for you. good luck.

big danger here is the multi-car pass...sure, the first one is easy...but you build up a head of steam if you're accelerating all the way. you can easily be doubling the prevailing speed (in your haste to minimize the time on the left) then end up with no more outs and no ability to stop in time if there's an obstruction. my personal strategy for multi-car passes is to keep the speed differential down to 10-15mph plus. that way if anyone ends up wanting to pull out, turn, or whatever...i'll still be able to abort the pass and duck in. if there isn't space due to oncoming traffic...patience tends to work.

DB

Good strategy, thanks for the insight.

[GusinCA]

I haven't read all the posts, but here's my take.

I'm 42, a stay at home dad to an 8 year old daughter.

Been riding for 33 years, never had a street crash.

But I can tell I'm not as quick with the reactions as I was in my 20's and 30's.

Now I ride a small WR250R dual sport 99% off road. I bring the bike to the trails on a rack on the back of my van.

This was I still get to enjoy riding, without the much larger dangers of the street...

[DavidBanner]

Originally Posted by GeoAggie

Good strategy, thanks for the insight.

also...we might be prepared for someone to slam on their brakes....say an average car stops in 120ft from 60mph. that same car can make a left turn across your path (while you're passing) and your separation distance is GONE in an instant because they are converting their movement from "same direction" to "across your path"...without slowing down much.

[cliffy109]

Originally Posted by GeoAggie

That's a sweet ride apessino! I'm not sure however my low bike could take the position for hours at a time. I wish . . . The 2013 GT is in blue and looks fantastic. It appears time will be on my side.

Your story confirms that ATGATT is so very critical. I had removed the hip pads to my Darien over pants for comfort. Go figure, now I have a hip injury.

The ability to add hip pads is a major reason I selected the Darien pants. My previous pants were Olympias which do have a pad and they saved me from a hip injury back in 2010. I would not own pants without them. I'll bet you never take them out again.

[GeoAggie]

I bet you are right . . . . on every ride from now on

Jeff

Originally Posted by cliffy109

The ability to add hip pads is a major reason I selected the Darien pants. My previous pants were Olympias which do have a pad and they saved me from a hip injury back in 2010. I would not own pants without them. I'll bet you never take them out again.

[biodieselandon]

Glad to hear a fellow rider is ok. It's a scary thought to think about a bike that big skidding next to you.

Less than a month ago I hit a deer on my 2013 F800GS at ~60 MPH just a week after I bought it. Once the bike and I finished sliding I was able to pick it up and ride it the last mile to my house. No major injuries just a little belly/knee rash. You are very lucky to be able to say the same. I couldn't imagine hitting a car. I have always been an advocate of proper riding gear and I am even more so now that I think about how bad it would have been if I was only wearing jeans. Sorry about your bike but like everyone says to me, bikes are replaceable. Good luck on your recovery!

-Landon

[xrguy]

very glad you are ok! i am also in tulsa, so i understand the ride on 82N and what a twisty road provokes somebody to do. great to see you were in full gear and have such a high spirit about riding and your family :) i just had a baby 2 weeks ago, and my riding has definitely changed since. seeing her beautiful little smile keeps me under the limits and both wheels on the ground to make it home safely. these tulsa "drivers" are absolutely insane!
recover quick buddy! we will have to do a ride one of these days

[GeoAggie]

I will take you up on that offer when I'm back to riding, thanks! No more agreesive passing for me. Looking back, I think I became a more aggressive passer during my time in Denver where the roads were so much fun but full of tourists. I let my guard down and starting making more offensive moves as opposed to my typically defensive, alert style.

Jeff

Originally Posted by xrguy

very glad you are ok! i am also in tulsa, so i understand the ride on 82N and what a twisty road provokes somebody to do. great to see you were in full gear and have such a high spirit about riding and your family :) i just had a baby 2 weeks ago, and my riding has definitely changed since. seeing her beautiful little smile keeps me under the limits and both wheels on the ground to make it home safely. these tulsa "drivers" are absolutely insane!
recover quick buddy! we will have to do a ride one of these days

[burmbuster]

I just moved from a Triumph Sprint ST to a Tiger XC for this exact reason. Could it have been avoided? Sure. Did you make a poor judgement? Yes. Would I have made the same mistake on my Sprint? Probably. These bikes just beg and plead to just go,go,go. They handle so well it just begs you to test it's limits. I am 42 yrs old as well. I am not as young as I once was and don't heal nearly as quick. My kids are in high school and college so their dependence on me doesn't weigh as much as it use to when I ride. But I know this scenario could have happened to me on more than a few occasions. Now the XC is pretty spirited as well, but there are limits to what it will do.
Glad your ok. I'm sure it gave you a lot to ponder.

Brad

[Rick G]

Glad you are OK and will heal. Your bike can be replaced however your Kid's father can not. Learn from your mistake so that you will not repeat.

I had an accident about 10 years ago making an aggressive merge onto an interstate and I walked away relatively unscathed and my bike was repaired. I learned a valuable and costly lesson. Just as I recently learned another costly and valuable lesson when I dropped my Bonnie on some gravel. I just hope that we are able to learn when these things happen instead of the grisly alternative.

I am considering taking the experienced riders course this spring for a refresher and confidence booster.

Good luck to you,

Rick G

[scooteraug02]

Originally Posted by GeoAggie

I'm still playing the accident back in my mind. Any one of 3-4 decisions/events that I could have changed would have prevented the accident. But, I can't wait to ride again :-)

There must be a template for your accident. I think I have seen the same scenario here a bunch of times. Ride up on a slow moving car or cars, decide to pass only to find they were slow because they are turning left.

Heal quickly!!!

You can try riding like you are building your defense case. What would accident investigators find? Can you speed, pass on double yellow, do everything the Hurt report says causes accidents and not have an accident yourself? Not saying you did all that stuff just that when there is an accident they investigate, make their report and move on. It doesn't matter that you are a really good rider. Mistakes were made and a failure occurred.

[JDK111]

Originally Posted by DavidBanner

big danger here is the multi-car pass....

IMO the big danger here isn't the multi cars - it's the approaches (accesses) on the left side of the road of the road you're traveling down. On secondary 2 lane roads, you have to be really cautious going past even a single car if there is ANY possibility of it can turn left..... especially if the blue hair driving it is driving 20% under the speed limit.