2500+ mile ride cut short 200 miles from home!

[Pale Rider 07]

I left Ann Arbor MI Sunday morning headed home to Orlando. I had allowed for two days to make the trip if needed, but as the day progressed, I grew confidant that I could do it in a single day. Good practice for an SS1000. The ride went well and the miles just seemed to melt away beneath me. Although my body was aching a bit, my mind felt alert and ready to finish the trip. By 10pm I was in Valdosta GA for my final fuel stop. I pulled up to the gas pump, shut down the bike, removed the tank bag and got ready to fuel the bike. As I went to insert my credit card into the pump, I saw a sign that stated the card reader was not working, please use another pump. This is where the trip went bad. What I should have done was to reattach everything before pulling the bike around to another pump. Instead, I just set the tank bag on top of the tank. As I started to pull away from the pump, the tank bag started to slide off the bike. My tank bag also has the GPS pouch attached, so I didn’t want it to hit the pavement. I instinctively reached for it with my left hand, causing me to lose my balance and pull back on my throttle hand. The bike, with me on it, shot away from the pump and collided with a steep curb about 20 feet away. There were thick bushes behind the curb that helped to stop the bike and keep it from getting too banged up. However, by then, the real damage was done. The front rim was severely bent and the wheel was off center on the axel. I survived with hardly a bruise. Lucky!

I checked in to a motel for the night and called AAA in the morning to have the bike towed 100 miles south to a dealership in Gainesville FL. Something for you to consider before hitting the road, free 100 miles of towing from AAA. The flatbed driver had no idea how to tie down a bike, so I took care of that for him. The service shop did a quick look over and concluded that one, if not both, of the front forks is bent. They will have to strip off the tupperware to look for frame damage. Right now I’m at about 4K in damages. Yes! I have insurance. About to find out how good or bad it is.

So the purpose of this write up is to hopefully help others avoid the same mistake. Pay attention to the little things and don’t cut corners. A hard lesson learned in my case.

 

[beemerdons]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck Dave, but glad to hear that you were not hurt!

 

[Gerry.GEG]

Man, sorry to hear about that mishap.

Tough break but at least you weren't hurt which would have really screwed the pooch.

 

[foxracer911rc]

Glad you made it with minor injuries.. as for the bike, do you think they could just buff out?

 

[HotRodZilla]

That sucks! Dayum!

 

[JasonB]

My AAA+ plan specificaly excludes MC towing. Do you have something special form AAA to cover your bike?

 

[Ken45]

Wow :angry: Sorry to hear that. Interestingly, today when I stopped for gas the first two pumps I stopped at had "no credit cards" taped to them! Fortunately, I didn't have the problems you did.

My AAA+ plan specificaly excludes MC towing. Do you have something special form AAA to cover your bike?

AFAIK, MC/RV coverage is a regional AAA offering. The problem is, if you have the coverage and you are out of your region and in a region that does not offer it, you may be out of luck. Our RV road side assistance covers all RVs, cars and motorcycles.

Ken

 

[majicmaker]

My AAA+ plan specificaly excludes MC towing. Do you have something special form AAA to cover your bike?

AAA has a separate rider policy. It's called "Classic Motorcyle" it cost an extra $35. If you don't have that, You're Screwed!

 

[TriggerT]

While it really sucks, the $4,000 to fix the bike is way less than even minimal medical treatment would have been. Glad you walked away.

 

[odot]

Sounds like a simple case of fatigue. Still sucks, though, hope yer skoot makes it back alive with little to no hassle.

 

[loe_tek]

glad nobody got hurt. Can you imagine some poor slub coming back to his car getting creamed by a runaway 600+ pound 20mph mass? :dribble:

good reminder, when you start pushing your limits, those sort of mistakes get more common.

I have had dumbass attacks at a gas station or two, usually preceded with having to change my routine at the end of a long day.

Something happens to me when I ride long hours on slab, my brain goes into a type of minor hibernation, I feel my riding skills are still available, but I am kind of running at half mental power. This is also the state when problems, issues and what have you tend to sort themselves out in my brain.

good luck getting youself and your bike back home safely.

 

[TwoWhldTerror]

My wife did the same thing on the last day of our 10-day Canada trip. Only it involved a helmet instead of a tank bag, and fortunately it was just a dented tank, not a complete getaway!

Sorry to hear it.

 

[Spud]

There's a guy here in Idaho Falls that might be able to fix that rim. He did one for another forum member that wasn't that bad, but said he's done worse. PM me for info if you're interested--I have no connection to him...in fact never met him, but have seen his work.

 

[rogdeb]

Sounds like a simple case of fatigue.

I was thinking the same thing. Pretty unusual accident that could have been a lot worse. Glad you're not too banged up - the bike can be fixed. Only money huh?

 

[fljab]

Damn Dave, sorry to hear that! Butt, like has been said, you didn't get hurt. The bike can be fixed even if it is a $$$ouch!!

Call if you need anything.

You know, while it's down, we could do some mods.........................

 

[SacramentoMike]

Never good to hear about this kind of thing happening, and sorry to hear it now. But if somebody reads your post and it helps them make a better choice about pushing limits at the end of a long ride, or think to be extra careful at a time like that, then it could at least have a positive side. For somebody.

I've posted this before, too, but the towing rider on my Progressive policy was incredibly cheap, like ten extra bucks a year, and it covers 150 miles of towing, no matter where you are. And it's remarkable how often you're that far from help when something happens. At least I sure have been.

 

[Pale Rider 07]

Damn Dave, sorry to hear that! Butt, like has been said, you didn't get hurt. The bike can be fixed even if it is a $$$ouch!!

Call if you need anything.

You know, while it's down, we could do some mods.........................

I wish I could do some mods, but right now it's all I can do to scrape up the deductible. I did get several things done prior to the ride. When I get it back, I'll ride out your way and let you take a look.

 

[fljab]

Damn Dave, sorry to hear that! Butt, like has been said, you didn't get hurt. The bike can be fixed even if it is a $$$ouch!!

Call if you need anything.

You know, while it's down, we could do some mods.........................

I wish I could do some mods, but right now it's all I can do to scrape up the deductible. I did get several things done prior to the ride. When I get it back, I'll ride out your way and let you take a look.

Sounds good Dave, be fun to catch up regardless!

Any estimate one when it'll be ready? I know when I hit the hog it seemed like forever getting it back.........

 

[rfespinosa]

Well, I wish your bike a speedy recovery. And your wallet, too. At least there is no need to wish YOU a speedy recovery.