BA
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posted September 09, 2004 08:02 PM
 Edited By: BA on 10 Sep 2004 22:38
Not quite a Hurricane - interesting story none the less
After reading OTIS' nightmare ride it reminded me of my similar experience here in Ohio. Mine wasn't quite as bad though!
Thought I'd post it for those that like a good story. (just remember it's an old story!)
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Rain = 1, BA = 0
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Looks like I met my match last Thursday night!!
I was riding home from a Test and Tune session at local KilKare Raceway. ESPN and Speedvision were there filming for some reason, not sure when they will put it on the air or how much, but there's a chance I'm on there!
Anyway, they closed about 10-20 minutes early due to incoming rain and lightning. So,...I'm on my way home, riding of course because I don't have a trailer.
Then the rain comes down,......nothing too hateful, but it just keeps coming and coming! After about 20 minutes of that stuff, I'm pretty soaked, I'm wearing my leather pants, jacket and gloves.....and of course my helmet.
Then, on Rt 35, I'm doing about 50mph and my 5'6" ass is COMPLETELY tucked and molded to the tank, and out of freakin' NO WHERE, the rear end starts coming around to my right!!!
I was like, HEY, I like leaving darkies in the dry going around corners but this is just NOT COOL!! I started counter-steering as usual, but the slide was in the slowest motion, it was weird, it just kept coming around! I knew it was hydroplaning but I was hoping like hell I could catch it! I couldn't!
I must've stayed on the bike as long as possible trying to correct it because I actually went went down forward of the bike (well, over the right side, with it sideways!), and the bike landed on the pipe side.
I proceded to slide down Rt35 about about 50mph, on my back, thinking "hey, this is just like Nicky Hayden!!!". Then as I start spinning like a top, I see the traffic behind me about 1/8th - 1/4 mile. I was thinking, I hope they see me!!!
As I'm spinning, I then see my bike. It's spinning too!! Counter-clockwise. Weird to see it spinning down the road while I'm sliding down the road in the rain too.
I spin around some more, seeing traffic again, then the bike, which is now ahead of me. (Whew!! glad to see that!)
I came to a rest in pretty much the same lane. (middle) but the bike had rested up against the left side of the lane. That area for when your car breaks down or somethin'.
There is a 3' concrete barrier and it is up against that.
I got up and ran over to it, picked it up, sat on it to put the kickstand down and start looking things over.
It's dark out. (9:40).....I'm checking out the bike for oil leaks. Checking the front fender.
Traffic had mostly stopped for me. (whew! thought it was going to hit me!) Two cars pulled over directly behind the bike. I knew that "I" was ok, so I waved the second car to go on. The first guy got out and came up to me. I told him I was alright. We both inspected the bike,...and I gave him an inquisitive look and said. Hmmm. Lets see if it starts! Sure enough,....Good ol Kaw fired right up!! Gotta love that!! (oh yeah, it's still raining.)
My front fender was busted, but it didn't seem to impair tire movement. I don't see any oil leaking, but I smell coolant.
My right foot peg was dangling,....so,....no rear brakes and no foot rest. I grab a handful of front brake and it squirts out oil from the cracked resevoir.....DAMN. The resevoir cover is busted
I'm thinking, I should probably call a friend with a truck.
So I've got no brakes, no cell phone (left it at home. 1st time ever) it's raining, it's dark and my friends are probably 20-30 min. away. I think to myself. I don't want to stand in the rain for ANOTHER 20-30 minutes!! So, I decide to ride home. Crazy, I know.
Then I think, dammit, I've been riding for 20 min IN the rain, I'm soaked, not happy, I have a wrecked 12R and I don't want to wait *another* 20-30 min. for someone to arrive. (very impatient aren't I?)
So, my helmet is on, it's still pouring rain, but I look at the bike, look at the guy (who's getting very wet), look back at the bike and say, I wonder if it will start?!? Remembering a trick from a friend, I reset the FI by turning the key off and back on before cranking.
It was a little rough sounding for about 3-5 seconds, but a twist of the throttle cleared things right out. I looked at the guy, smiled real big and said. I'm riding her home!! (a Darwinian moment if I've ever had one!!!)
I thought, it's mostly steady speed highway and Interstate stuff. (I-75S) Well, that part worked out ok. I did about 50mph in the slow lane with the Hazard flashers going.
Things REALLY started to suck when I got to my exit and I'm about 2 turns, 6 lights and a straight road 1 mile to my house. THE FOOKIN' ROAD WAS BLOCKED OFF! Big Accident at the intersection I needed to be at to hit the long road with 6 lights just 1 mile from my house.
It was the ensuing TRAFFIC JAM and Back Roads getting home that sucked! Starting, stopping, ....."am I going to make that light"...."Oops. Guess not" What a PAIN. One part of the road was even **flooded over** with about 3.5" of water!! WTF?!?! This is insane! The traffic was stop and go so I had turned off the bike to just push it with my feet. (TEMP was rising due to a leaking radiator) (just one thing after another, eh?) So, I sludged through the flooding, boots sopping wet in the 3.5" deep water, cussing the whole way. The stop and go traffic jam was normal stuff. Go, stop. Go 10 car lengths, stop. Go 1 car length, stop. It sucked. I used the gears as much as possible, but it was 90% first gear! I mostly used my feet to stop, it's amazingly effective at 2-10mph! Later I realized that if I killed the engine with the kill switch, with the clutch pulled IN, that as I let it out, the rear wheel would lock up and act as a brake. I was 80% through it all by then, wish I would have thought of it sooner!!
Twice I didn't make my stop in time to not hit the car in front of me. Once I went to the Right side, and in some rocks. Ended up stopping at the front right corner of the car. The other time I swung to the left, had my feet down as I was going around them, had an oncoming car, and sqeeeeezed in between the car I passed, and the one in front of it. Not for the faint of heart, trust me!
It was more nerve racking than the actual accident!
So eventually, I make it home. I passed about another 3 accidents on the way home,...and have to go about 15 - 20 minutes out of my way just to get around those accidents and traffic. It was just HELL!
BA
"I see your lips moving, but it doesn't sound like English."
I'll post some pictures tonight, but here's a run down of what I think I'm going to need.
IF ANYONE HAS THESE PARTS, I'M BUYING!!!!!!!
Just email me at sportbikeral@hotmail.com
front fender (red)
RH Lower fairing (red)
Front Fairing
Rear tail panel if the price is right. Mine ain't too bad.
Right side, foot-peg BRACKET.
Clutch cover
Clutch puller shaft. (the vertical shaft)
Entire right side clip-on and attachments.
(ie. bar end, brake lever, brake resevoir, throttle cable plastic housing thing.... all that crap up there)
Front RH turn signal, and maybe the back one.
The HMF pipe ain't in too bad of shape. It's very useable, but the canister has light scratches. I definitely need a new holding bracket and rubber protector.
The seat is fine, the rear cowling is fine, double-bubble is fine, tank cover is fine.
Even my leathers appear to be fine!! Helmet has only two dime-sized chips off of it. Hell, I could sand it and put a decal over that!
I'm damn lucky compared to what some others have had here recently!!! It was a moment that I won't forget though!
EDIT: Oh yeah, after all that, I got in the car and drove to BW3's where I was supposed to be meeting friends who were no doubt wondering where I was at. 
  
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