Where the f*ck is the bike?

Unknown to me, someone I don't know started a thread here with my "unlisted" crash video. :huh Since it's effectively now public, I have changed it to "public" on youtube and started my own Face Plant thread where I will also post the "rest of the story".

Back story: My buddy Kawtipper and I were halfway thru a 32 day ride on the Western TAT, both riding well set up DR650's. On day 18 we were riding up out of Eagle Canyon in central Utah when I had a very scary crash. I had my GoPro running at the time.

Here's the video. The actual crash is around the 5:00 mark. If you can you need to have the audio turned on, but be aware, it's NSFW. You can also increase the quality to watch it in HD.



More later.

============================================================================
Making it easier for folks to find my posts relating "the rest of the story".

• Immediate post crash events (post 17)
• Accident scene (post 40)
• Thanks to responders (post 41)
• Hospital (post 54)
• Reunited with my bike (post 69)
• Follow-up at hospital (post 70)
• On the road again (post 86)
• End of the road (post 91)
• What about Darrell (post 92)
• My thoughts on the Crash (post 196)
• Darrell (kawtipper) and family need help after bad moto crash (post 394)

Man! Glad to see that you are okay. At least since you made a comment here. Again, Glad you're okay. Take care.

Hey Joe,

Um, not exactly sure WTF is going on here, but I'm just gonna say I am glad you made it, and that the vid is EPIC.

And I'll repeat the post I offered on the usurper's thread, 'cause it was written with admiration for your reaction, and perseverance.

(Still curious as to your extraction...)

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Well you have me hooked too for the rest of the story. At least it looks like you came thru the get off in pretty good shape, the rest can be replaced.

Bumping your thread, it's your vid....getting the wife in here to watch it.

WOW...that gave me chills going over the edge like that...BRUTAL!!!!!

Glad you made it!!!!!!

I, too, commented on the other thread. Funny business here. Quite impressed with your ability to land on rocks and scrub without breaking anything!
Carry on.

Echoing the sentiments of rwf on the page by the other poster, watching this made me feel sick, too.

So glad you were able to walk away, if not to share this story, to simply ride another day!

Best regards.

Another few feet and it looks like you would have splatted on that square rock! Crazy how the bike just bounces clear over you too. Very lucky!
I like how you throw that piece of bark, like, "fuck'in stupid landscape...stupid bullshit bark layin' around, can't find my damn motorcycle..."

Glad to see you're ok. That was unbelievable. I'd love to hear what happened after you turned off the camera!

Absolute gold.

That's an amazing video. Glad you came out of it ok.

Looks like you thought she was going to stall but instead she tractored through it and took off before you could react. Scary fast and yet you were barely moving.

I want the rest of story!!!

That was painful to witness. My body immediately embarked in a joust match on which orifice would release their respective contents first. Fortunately both storage cavities were empty of fuel at the time.

Thankfully you were able to walk away, I assume miraculously unscathed. Hard to tell with perhaps a concussion and an overdose of adrenal enhancer. Seeing you climb back to the trail moving all extremities sure looked as if someone was watching over you that day.

If it isn't too much of an imposition, perhaps you could update the curious with a detailed descriptive of the event. You appear to be riding with caution and within your means. What actually set off the loss of control?

There are also some other questions that came to mind and they are related to the Safety implements that you had with you. What you had and where were they stowed? Even though in this circumstance your ride is within distance and the outcome was favourable, with just a little less luck and alternative topography circumstances could have been dire. This is mentioned duely on two premises, first being that it appears your buddy is a slower companion but not 6 minutes slower. I have to assume that he rode right past you and the second premise that no tracks of you appeared to suggest there had been a mishap.

How much time had elapsed before you were re-united? Would you and/or your bike have been visible from the road had you not been able to get up?

Oops.

San Rafael Swell somewhere?

Edit: Oh yeah, Eagle Canyon. I was in a hurry to watch the vid. Glad you're okay. Are you a young man?

Watched the whole last half and you're not a kid are you? Helluva video. I'll be thinking of it next time I'm down there.

OK, I'm back. I'll pick up where the video ends and later come back to discuss how and why I think I managed to ride off that freakin' cliff.

First off, let me mention that my vivid memory ends at the point I'm riding up that step. I remember that my front wheel went where I wanted it to, then I have a vague "oh f*ck, this isn't going to end well" memory, then nothing. My next memories probably begin 10 minutes after the video ends.

My buddy Darrell (Kawtipper) isn't any slower than me, but doesn't like any dust so usually hangs back quite a bit when I'm leading. He said he saw me make a left turn in the distance. When he got to the step he actually stopped to choose his line (further right than mine) before continuing, totally oblivious that I was semi-conscious, not 20 feet away. He rode a bit further, then became concerned that (a) there was no left turn in the road and (b) I usually wait after challenging sections. So Darrell returned a few minutes later and found me sitting on the side of the road.

Fearing the worst, he was obviously relieved I was conscious and had been able to make it up to the road on my own power. I think he said I had already removed my jacket when he arrived and then he proceeded to check me for injuries. He said I was clenched up and complaining about pain in my left side ribs

This is about the time where my memory picks up again. As a realized what just happened I think I then went into shock. I remember feeling like I was going to puke and rolled over to my knees, curled up in a ball with my arms wrapped around my stomach and chest. I knew I had taken a severe impact and was worried about possible internal, head, neck or spinal injuries that I might not be feeling yet with all my focus on my rib pain. At that point I made the decision to ask Darrell to press the 911 button on my SPOT unit. I think I was in this shock/nausea stage for about 15-20 minutes.

During this time two riders on quads came up the trail. One stayed with me while the other guy and Darrell went down to check out my bike.They stood it back up and carried all of my luggage up to the road. Darrell said the bike was probably totaled and my GPS was in pieces. As I was slowly becoming more verbal, Darrell was comfortable enough to leave me with the quad guys and rode up out of the canyon to the interstate (maybe 3 miles away) to see if he could get a cell signal. Note that even on the interstate this was in the middle of nowhere.

Darrell called 911 and got confirmation that help had been mobilized due to the SPOT 911 alert and he was able to provide more information about the situation and my condition. He then called my wife and his wife to give them an update. This was smart as the SPOT call center folks called Sherry to say the 911 button had been pressed and she had called Darrell's wife, but they had no more details until Darrell had called to let them know it was me who was hurt, but was conscious and without obvious traumatic injuries. Darrell then returned to my location.

Maybe 70-80 minutes after pressing the 911 button, a small bike came up the trail and the rider asked if this was the accident scene. A few minutes later two more bikes came up with two EMS folks as passengers and they proceeded to check me over. The noticed my breathing was labored and hooked me up to an oxygen tank and put on a neck brace as a precaution.

Maybe 15 minutes later a bigger quad came down the trail. I think it belonged to the Sheriff's department. It was a side by side type with backboard mounted over the passenger side. They strapped me in and I had a very painful 30 minute ride up to the interstate where an ambulance awaited.

(Sorry I'm a slow writer. More tomorrow)

mate that's a big crash, glad to see you made it out ok, I didn't have the sound turned up on the first viewing and immediately thought oh shit he's unconscious, hope he comes to. man those front forks have some rebound in them.

Far out, that is a scary crash indeed. I literally gasped as you went over and winced when you hit the ground.

That could have ended so much worse..... glad to see you're still ok