As the title says... going to see a friend today, took the slip road off a stretch of dual carriageway, a sharp right followed by a sweeping left hander (this is France). I barely had time to register the bits of car on the road when the back end went, I ended up on me backside, and the bike went arse end first into the crash barrier. Got the bits together, and gingerly limped to my friend, who's going to help me glue it up in time for my ferry - on Monday. Not looking forward to explaining things to my parents, for the moment they just think I've broken down!! :'( :'( :'( Lots of plastic missing too, going to have a crap job with the fiberglass tomorrow.
Apparently, a BMW top & tailed himself there a few days ago, bits of him were still on the road, so it's known as a problem. I'm guessing in my case it was a combination of oil, shitty surface and knackered tyres. My bike will now need even more work: but I'm really broke, worrying about the security of my job, and dreading that my parents will kick me off bikes for life.
In short: I'm up shit creek, and the canoe is well and truly lodged in the effluent pipe. :'( :'( :'(
27-12-13, 07:32 PM (This post was last modified: 27-12-13, 07:38 PM by apage16.)
That REALLY sucks Christo. Really sorry to hear it.
But here's the but...
Once is bad luck. Twice is REALLY bad luck. Three times means you didn't learn from the first 2! ;p
I don't want to upset you, but you have got to start riding to the conditions. That means both sides of the tarmac-rubber relationship. If you know your bike has issues, you should be crawling around. If your tyres were carved from a solid granite block and can't grip, you should be nursing it around every corner at the speed of continental drift. If you don't know 100% that you can stop between you and as far as you're going, then you're going too fast mate.
I saw a great video a while ago on YouTube in which a guy was saying that almost all the blame in any incident belongs to the rider. This is because we take our lives in our own hands and its ENTIRELY our own responsibility to protect ourselves from anything that could happen. Bad drivers? Notice them early and avoid them. Don't shout at them when they swerve into you!
OK, preaching over, really hope you're OK dude. Good luck with the mending. Maybe a few pics of the patched up zx?
27-12-13, 07:50 PM (This post was last modified: 27-12-13, 07:54 PM by fazersharp.)
Hope you are ok
Please buy a car, tel your Mum and Dad, and if you were my lad i would buy you a focin car.
No tyre can grip bits of loose plastic.Debris on a bend can happen to anyone, a few weeks ago I was cranked over going around a right hand bend and suddenly right in my path was a wheel trim, I dont know how i missed it and I like to think it was an instant counter stearing reaction. I dont know what would of happend if I went over it.
I don't do rain or threat there of. dry rider only with no shame.
(27-12-13, 07:50 PM)fazersharp link Wrote: Hope you are ok
Please buy a car, tel your Mum and Dad, and if you were my lad i would buy you a focin car.
No tyre can grip bits of loose plastic.Debris on a bend can happen to anyone, a few weeks ago I was cranked over going around a right hand bend and suddenly right in my path was a wheel trim, I dont know how i missed it and I like to think it was an instant counter stearing reaction. I dont know what would of happend if I went over it.
Me having a bike is a status quo that's not changing any time soon: I can't afford a car, and nor can they afford one for me!
I reckon it was oil that did it for me, and while I may have gone in a bit hot to the first corner, the second was far more sedate.
This is the time to start cursing rare 1988 grey imports - spares hunt, ho!
(26-12-13, 12:09 PM)ChristoT link Wrote: Cable tie, the Madone des Motards is a huge bike meet in Brittany. Up to 30,000 bikers turn up to it! I'm hoping some English biker buddies from Uni will be joining me, and hopefully some Foccers will join too.
Think I'll give it a miss mate
Women have chocolate men have bikes.....
including ones who like chocolate....
(27-12-13, 09:04 PM)nick crisp link Wrote: [quote author=adeejaysdelight link=topic=11123.msg118326#msg118326 date=1388174266]
Sorry to hear it mate. There seems to be a pattern here though.
Here's an idea...
[/quote]
Excellent idea Nick. Buy that red car Christo it'll save you time and effort
Women have chocolate men have bikes.....
including ones who like chocolate....
French slip roads - notoriously scary slippy, when it's wet. I don't think I've ever driven round Paris in the wet, and not seen an accident. That must be over a dozen (wet) journeys. Their tarmac seems OK in the dry, but wet, dreadful.
Not that that helps now, just be more careful Christo, as others have said, we don't want you becoming a statistic...
Think you need to change the Madone des Motards to "turning up on whichever bike has survived my ownership"
Good to hear you aren't injured, but you really do need to start taking your riding more seriously. Perhaps use a local lamp post to try and knock some sense in to you - without the bike of course
Maybe a restriction of speed would be a good idea, more so than power... pretty sure you try to reach higher top speeds on your ZX-4 than I've attempted on the thou... and it has a somewhat larger amount of power on tap...
(27-12-13, 11:35 PM)lew600fazer link Wrote: stop blaming road conditions,
What lew said.....
Being half French (I think I got that right, sure you will correct me if not), you should know damn well about the French tarmac (as per my previous post) - it can be foccing shit when wet. Seems to be (woah, am I on dodgy territory here or what) a French trait tho, given the tendency for parisians to throw their vehicles off the road with the slightest provocation. (yes I know parisians are a different breed, but I'm talking about the n104 here, not the peripherique).
Please, for focs sake, calm yourself down and learn (as per grahamm, get some training) to ride according to the conditions.
All of this meant, not to piss you off, but to keep you alive and with us. None of us want to read a post starting "this is Christo 's mum, I'm sorry to tell you... His funeral is..."
Punch pulled, nope - I don't need to read that post...
Actually, Rich, I'm half English, half Dutch. But I digress...
In the past, the roads around here have been fine, hence my surprise. I suspect my ancient tyres didn't help, and mea culpa for not getting those sorted sooner. That's pretty high on the list now...
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