Road side emergency

[BlueRidgeFJR]

I would be easy on it, I promise.... :devilsmiley: .

How could you be harder than CJ on it!

I see your point! Funny stuff

 

[aroostook]

Hey guys, well CJ and I made it back to his house in Mass last night around 5 PM. He road on the back of mine and it poured the whole way up....absolutely miserable riding. CJ went back down the same night and I just spoke with him and he's in PA with his bike on the back of the truck. I got home here in Northern Maine a few hours ago,,,,,,,,,,,still in the rain! <_<

Yes the swing arm is broken....when CJ went down with the bike, the bike hit an on coming car (I think it was an old lincoln or some other huge car). When they collided I'm guessing thats when the damage happened. The bike also blew out the old mans back tire which CJ changed for him.

I will write more tomorrow and will post up some pics.

Thanks again everyone for all your help! This forum really is amazing!

 

[SkooterG]

Still waiting to hear WTF this thing hit. Did he drive it through an open manhole?

+1

 

[BlueRidgeFJR]

The way it was explained to me was the car ran up against, over, across.... the rim. However you wanna say it. I'm sure C.J. or Chris will post the goods.

Glad to hear both you guys made it back o.k.

 

[Fred W]

Hey guys, well CJ and I made it back to his house in Mass last night around 5 PM. He road on the back of mine and it poured the whole way up....absolutely miserable riding. CJ went back down the same night and I just spoke with him and he's in PA with his bike on the back of the truck. I got home here in Northern Maine a few hours ago,,,,,,,,,,,still in the rain! <_<

Yes the swing arm is broken....when CJ went down with the bike, the bike hit an on coming car (I think it was an old lincoln or some other huge car). When they collided I'm guessing thats when the damage happened. The bike also blew out the old mans back tire which CJ changed for him.

I will write more tomorrow and will post up some pics.

Thanks again everyone for all your help! This forum really is amazing!

Holy ****!!

I thought 08FJR4ME was running too close to the edge, scraping reflectors off of cars along the centerline. But CJ... dude! Stop it.

Time to start counting your blessings. Any collision hard enough to take out a wheel and crack a swing arm, and you come away unscathed? You are using up all of your good karma points (of which I know you have many), but still, buddy...

Believe me, I am so very happy to hear that the only thing damaged in this bike to car exchange was your bike.

Jeezus.

 

[aroostook]

Yea I suspect CJ's and the cars wheel collided which would explain how the swing arm was torqued and also how the car's tire was blown close to the rim.

 

[DE OPPRESSO LIBER]

Holy ****, what a week! This coming from someone who HATES drama!! Hahaha..... ah, ****...

Yeah, so this is the first time I've stopped moving long enough to get here on the forum and post up.... Like George Carlin once said, "Busier than a dyke in a hardware store".

So, when Chris and I got back to my house we took about an hour or so to dry some of Chris' gear and for me to put some stuff together so I could turn right around with my truck and go pick up the bike.... I was already tired from riding bitch all day, but pissed off enough to keep awake for the return trip. I ran from 7p to 0430 when I finally stopped and took a two hour nap. I got to the dealership when they opened at 9 a.m., loaded up and turned right around and made for the barn. I got in just before 10:30.

I can't say enough how much I appreciate the effort put in by Mike to try and get me rolling again, as well as to Bob for being willing to do the same. Thanks to all the respondents of this thread as well as those contacted in person who tried to offer up whatever help/advice they could- you guys rock! :clapping:

Now, for the low-down on the low-side....

**** luck has apparently been a companion of mine lately that I just can't seem to shake. When Chris and I reviewed everything in hindsight, we both agreed that it was pretty much just ****-luck. We had just completed a left-hand sweeper and had made the transition to begin the right. Entry speed was good, line was good going from center line towards just beyond the apex, smooth lean and the next thing I knew my ass end was sliding out from under me going to my left (back towards the centerline). The bike was already leaned to far over to the right with the rear end washed out enough that there was just no bringing it back at that point..... which may be a blessing cuz if the rear of the bike would've gotten traction back at that point, it probably would've catapaulted me into a guard rail with a respectable drop-off on the other side. Looking at the marks on the pavement from the slider as well as other signs noted, it looks like my wheels were just lined up perfectly with a patch of gravel about four or five inches wide and about 6 feet or so long..... the camber of the road was pitched with the turn, so gravity and rain left the trail of washed road debris right where the myth of the perfect line lay! :lol:

I skidded merrily along on my right side with Motoport gear between my tender skin and the pavement. I didn't see what exactly happened, but from everything I can piece together, it sounds like the left rear side of the bike either swiped or the rim was ran over by the oncoming car's rear tire. That's what most likely killed the swing arm. Where the swing arm is broken is up near the shock. I have pictures, but will post up later if Chris doesn't beat me to it. Luckily, I was uninjured and the only thing hurt was my pride and bike and gear.

I'm off to bed now cuz I need to nap before work, but will come back later and put up some pictures. I just got back from my son's football game, the last of the regular season and I am pleased to announce that his team remained undefeated!!! Off to the playoffs next weekend!! :yahoo:

So, Chris..... when are we gonna do that 50 CC?! :lol:

 

[aroostook]

CJ described the event prettty good. Riding conditions were excellent (or so we thought) and we hit the corners at what I can only describe as a reasonable speed. CJ was in the lead and I was about 3 car lengths behind him when we hit the corner, his line on the corner was very good and smooth, but he hit that patch of gravel and is ass end came out so quick that one would swear he had hit some ice! He immediately came off the bike and skidded down the road while his bike low sided into an oncoming car. In avoiding CJ (who was sliding down the road), the bike, and the car, I kissed the guard rail on the right. There were also 2 riders on Harley’s that were behind us…..they never stopped to assist us and kept going! I still cant believe that! I was able to turn my bike around and park in a safe place and CJ and I muscled his bike up and leaned it up against the guard rail (he was already standing up by the time I had pulled over). The car that CJ’s bike hit also pulled over. He was an elderly gentleman and CJ and another passerby changed his tire for him because the collision blew out his rear right tire. In the meantime I was directing traffic at one end and a park ranger on the other.

The frame sliders did exactly what they were supposed to do as his front plastics sustained very little damage. His right side bag and mirror are toast and his left side bag had little damage. I suspect , but I didn’t see, that while the bike was sliding on its right side, the car either ran over or somehow hit the left side cracking his rim and breaking the swing arm.

We were able to start up his bike and remove it to the other side of the road where mine was parked. A tow truck was called, and reports made. We made the decision to have it towed to Lynchburg VA. In looking at the bike from the rear we had noticed that the wheel had a cant to it . We looked at the swing arm, but honestly had not noticed the crack…the only thing I can think is that the weight of the bike on the tire may have provided just enough support so that the crack didn’t separate.

CJ and I left on Wednesday, and yes………….riding bitch in the rain! I can only imagine what people were thinking seeing us on the bike! :lol:

The rest of the story you already know…..the forum was the first place we turned too and clearly was the right thing to do! Mike was very gracious to let us use his rim and tire and Bob was at the ready to travel the distance. Thanks again to everyone who assisted CJ and I on this one!

CJ..................you should know that I was showing Lisa our pictures and I noticed that you apparently took my camera into the bathroom and took a picture..........Gross, but I have to admit it was a good one!

CC50 here we come! :yahoo:

 

[mdisher]

dang

 

[cota95]

That will buff right out...

Glad your not hurt CJ

 

[FJReady]

CJ, Glad you're not hurt too bad other than your wallet.

Swing arm remove and replace is pretty straight forward. Just takes a little time. I have the right sockets and allen wrench needed. Torque wrench also. Give me a shout if you want them.

Also glad to see you were ATGATT. Motoport is feeling like a very good deal to you right now I expect.

 

[Patriot]

wow

 

[SkooterG]

POS Gen IIs. If it was a Gen I, not only would the FJR been ok, it would have totally meesed up the car!

Glad to hear the only problem you are having is with bike and gear. YOU going under the car would not have been fun.

 

[Fred W]

Yeah, we can all joke with you now that we know that YOU are ok, CJ.

I, for one, hope that this is the third bad thing that has befallen you recently.

You need to get out of this string of bad luck, buddy.

As for the swingarm and wheel damages, they were no doubt coincidental. With the bike sliding on its side the rear wheel would want to come up off the ground. Whatever knocked that chunk out of the rim (possibly the car's rim?) also put a great amount of twist on the wheel and cracked the arm. Good thing that you and the bike separated as going under that car's wheel would not have been a good thing for you.

I guess that the only consolation I can offer to you (and perhaps fair warning to the rest of us) is that from the looks of that turn in Chris' pictures, that could have happened to any of us on any given ride. I certainly don't see any gravel or sand in the picture, so I'd guess that riding along at nominal speed it was probably hard to pick up.

edit: was it the light colored stuff in the middle of the lane just to your right in this picture?

 

[wheatonFJR]

wow...the fact that you were able to see your son's football game...and not lie on a morgue slab is your good luck.

I don't see any bad luck in this story.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Sheesh man...Glad you are ok!!

 

[Blue Crab]

Glad you walked away from that one! Could have been a lot worse!