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Nearing 40k miles, many sets of new rubber, several years of riding, and I've crossed over from the one type of rider to the OTHER type after my first off on pavement 2 weeks ago. Lessons were learned:

1) After pulling the sport bike out of the garage after 6+ months one should be gentle! Rider position and the bike are very different. Give yourself a few hundred miles to get back to form.
2) ATGAT: I was lucky that I was wearing my stuff. I debated leaving off leather as I didn't intend to 'ride hard' but discretion proved the better part of valour and I'll never ride without a full compliment of protection again. This is the most important lesson of the batch and this experience really drove home the importance of a sound compliment of gear. I extend this to protection for the bike as well: sliders, bash plates, bar ends, whatever suits your ride and riding. My bike is beat up but 100% functional which is great! I can replace plastics and leather jackets etc but not body parts or frames etc
3) Pay more attention to road surface, even on well travelled roads! Just a bit of silt/sand (even if not readily visible) on cold tires can become a problem
4) Don't skip leg day! Standing up a gas covered bike while injured can be difficult if you can't properly position yourself. I was able to manage getting under the bike with the help of a passerby who aided me in sliding the bike away from the wheel-side obstructions and thus allowed me to position on the saddle to stand it up, but overall fitness is important for sound riding (and speedy recovery) imo. Never know when you're gonna need to be a hulk.

 

It was a 'violent' lowside. Left to Right S turn and went down hard when the bike KEPT leaning right, all the way over down to the pavement. In reality I was pushing brand new and still cold tires too hard (read: barely gettin' on it, but still should've given 'em more time and miles to warm and scrub up a bit. c'mon dummy, you know better!) and didn't think of the effect of nearby construction on the road surface. Still had my hands on the clipons as it happened so fast and unexpectedly and my right flank took a hard blast after getting body slammed. I bounced over onto my left hip and tumbled twice (I think) during which I had a heavy head impact and cracked my polycarb shell before gently sliding many feet off the road and out of harms way away from a single other vehicle. All in: bruised ribs, dislocated pinky finger, concussion, minor abrasions here and there but nothing severe. 

I consider this a positive experience. I am not happy to have been down, but I am very grateful that things didn't end up any worse. I feel exceptionally lucky and the experience has helped reinforce the reality of what it is we do. I've always been a cognizant and thoughtful rider with a great respect for the machine and the vulnerability we expose ourselves to, but this experience has helped me learn a lot more and strive to be more careful and proactive about my safety and my riding. 

I really just wanted to share the experience and highlight the importance of wearing gear and being mentally committed to the ride. That's now my biggest talking point for riding...in this case i could have done things differently yes and I am the one who crashed the bike. I wasn't doing anything that I hadn't done before on new and cold tires, but I still goofed it and i couldve done things differently. If i hadn't had my helmet, gloves, boots, pants, and jacket this would have been a much different 2 weeks. Long story short friends: if you don't protect yourself out here, who will? Even Rossi break bones, sometimes you HAVE to go down. Best to be prepared if you get a choice and like it or not, we ALL get a choice.

Stay safe out there fam! See you guys out there!

 

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As they say, dress for the slide not the ride...Glad your OK

 

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ATGAT! Always better safe than sorry...good thing you Geared Up!

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Thank you for sharing! Glad you are ok and in relativity good spirits about the whole thing.

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  • Thanks for sharing. It's always a good reminder to learn from our mistakes. 

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Yeah, thanks for sharing, it’s great that you came out as good as you did!

ATGAT👍👍

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Switching from one bike to another is a very common accident precursor. The suspension, braking point difference, tire differences, and over all different handling characteristics can catch you out, especially when transitioning from dirt to street or vice versa.  Your tips are spot on.  Take it slow and work your way back into the bike and whatever surface you are riding on.  Glad you are came out with only minor injuries. 

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Thanks for the well wishes and support guys! I'm recovering well enough, should have a new road lid arriving by this weekend and I'm hoping to get back up and running next week. 

See you guys on or off road soon

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