Just had an off! :-(

Had my second off in 7 months today! No car to blame or claim off this time, but I'm really peeved as I just don't know what happened!

I've tried to make explaining easier by showing what happens with the following pic.



This is a road I know quite well. As you can see, its a minor bend. No cars around me. At about point A I was doin 20 - 25 mph perhaps. For some reason (and I don't know if I hit an ice patch or a diesel spill) the bike started to go from underneath me at around B. I wasn't braking, or anything like that. I tried to balance it the best I could, but no luck. I knew the inevitable was to happen.

My bike goes down at around C. Between the opposing traffic, there is a metal divide. It all happened so quickly, but I went crashing down onto the floor and went straight into the metal divide. I'm not sure what hit what, but I do remember the visor part of my helmet going straight into the metal divide. I could see myself heading for the metal divide though, and was not banking on the result being a pretty site.

Luckily in one piece, I used the metal divide to hoist my body up, in case my legs couldn't. I walked on it for a bit and it killed. Stinger down my right stomach, where I got a nice loada road rash from the jacket coming up a bit.

A really nice French guy helped me pick it up and wheel it to a side road. He said he rode as well, and that I could probably ride it back home. I recovered for about 10 mins, and just took my bike up the road to test it.
Rear brake lever/right peg, totally gone. Front brake lever was bent seriously outward, and handlebar assymetrical (plus battered up fairings, rear indicator, etc). Nevertheless, got the hang of it, thanked the guy and rode off to an A&E down the road, whilst barely being able to support my bike with my legs when stopped.

In A&E I got bandaged up for the belly road rash. Got a left knee and right heel X-ray as these hurt the most, but luckily no breakages. Discharged with Ibuprofen. Scary painful ride back home. Denim part of Kevlars were ripped to shreds. Kevlar intact and saved my whole thighs skin undoubtedly.

The lonely wait in A&E made me think twice about biking, especially with a second off in 7 months. Tried to figure out what went wrong, but the fact that it just happened in an instant is what worries me the most. Perhaps I missed a diesel spill in the dark? But then I wasn't even leaning that much, so just don't get it.

This is a right bummer because I felt my riding was really starting to pick up. At least my bikes alive, and I'm all good. Gonna hunt down parts, try and fix as much of it that I can. Then perhaps think long and hard about wether to sell or ride on. Two offs in 7 months, and lucky not to be worse up, but I just can't imagine giving up riding.

Ah too long a post. Soz. Just take care of yourselves out there everyone! Time to hit the sack, I'm beat. Not looking forward to tomoz morning!

[Lissa]

Really sorry to hear about your off, and the damage to your bike, but thankfully you aren't badly hurt.

I can understand how you are feeling about not knowing why the bike went from under you. I would be inclined to think it was maybe black ice, as you've suggested. We had a similar thing a couple of weeks ago. No sign of ice or frost when we left our road, nothing on the main road, but taking a right hander into a side street the whole bike went sideways on us and we were very lucky to stay upright. The entire road was a sheet of ice.

I hope you don't feel too sore later, and you manage to get your bike fixed up ok.

[Swin]

Sorry to hear about the off, glad you weren't too badly hurt.
I hit a patch of black ice a couple of weeks back and, if it makes for any consolation, there's nothing you could have done to help it if it was ice - your luck with falling off is probably about as good as my luck with punctures in my back tyre!

[Stu]

Sorry to hear. I'd be surprised there was ice in the middle of London, possibly diesel.

GWS

Sorry to hear of your Off.

As for 2 in 7 months puting you off riding, don'y let it.

I had 2 offs (one serious) in under a year.
Yes it does shake you up but you do get over it

arrr pants! sorry to hear your news matey i had two quite bad ones in 11 months still two in 16 years aint bad, jump back on a brush it off dont let it bother you.

[Red Herring]

That's a bit of a strange one. You've gone down on the right side going into a left hander, which means in effect you "highsided", only they generally happen on the way out of a bend on the power. The easiest way to do what you have done is to lock the rear up going into the bend. Is it possible you were going a bit quicker than you thought and maybe squeezed a bit more than you had planned? The bike would have gone a bit sideways until you either ran out of lock, or realized what was happening and came off the brake a bit to quickly causing the rear to grip suddenly and throw you over the top. It was pretty cold last night and compacted salt can be pretty slippery at the best of times so it wouldn't have taken much. Generally if there is enough diesel down to cause a proper crash you can smell it as well. All I can say in encouragement is that there will be a reason you came off, these things don't "just happen". Go back to where it happened and talk yourself through it again, I'm sure you're work it out. Good luck.

[Dave20046]

Glad to hear you and the bike are alright (ish )
It's upto yourself as to whether you continue biking, think long and hard about it. I had two crashes in 2008 probably around 8 months apart, one was entirely a cars fault the other was mine. I had a think, took some training and am hopefully a little safer.

sorry to hear about your off ,but at least your ok . Take your time think about things but hopefully you'll just get back to riding again

[ophic]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

That's a bit of a strange one. You've gone down on the right side going into a left hander, which means in effect you "highsided", only they generally happen on the way out of a bend on the power. The easiest way to do what you have done is to lock the rear up going into the bend. Is it possible you were going a bit quicker than you thought and maybe squeezed a bit more than you had planned? The bike would have gone a bit sideways until you either ran out of lock, or realized what was happening and came off the brake a bit to quickly causing the rear to grip suddenly and throw you over the top. It was pretty cold last night and compacted salt can be pretty slippery at the best of times so it wouldn't have taken much. Generally if there is enough diesel down to cause a proper crash you can smell it as well. All I can say in encouragement is that there will be a reason you came off, these things don't "just happen". Go back to where it happened and talk yourself through it again, I'm sure you're work it out. Good luck.

If it was ice, you can easily overcompensate and go the wrong side. I've done this on the ungritted turning into work - it's like trying to balance on a knife edge.