Wow, folks I'm overwhelmed by both the sheer number and the warmth of your get-well messages. :thumbup: Guess I'm gonna go out now and take a tumble down the stairs. That oughta be worth another, say, 20 posts... :no:
So, first of all thanks everyone. I'm never gonna get to ride with all of you but it would be a great privilege to. A finer company just does not exist. Madmike, you do “meet the nicest people on an FJR”
I’ll try to answer some of the direct questions in your posts. It’s not as though I don’t have the time (I could get used to this luxury...
)
Windjammer: upon the (RH) side impact, the Yammy OEM top case broke the retaining plastic bar of the mounting plate (located just aft of the passenger seat) and flew off. I consider that a good thing, actually, or Chris may (or may not) have been still in her seat when the bike flipped and dove wheels up down the slope to become entangled in brush and small trees some 20 ft below the road surface. That possibility is pretty scary and I really don’t want to go there...
Luke: here’s what I wrote to my old-time friend and fellow FJR-rider Jim from Raleigh, NC who put the same question to me. “A round chunk of resin, paint and clearcoat is missing from the RH side of my Shoei full-face and the visor's scratched to hell. My Hein Gericke jacket is torn at the right armpit and the RH shoulder has hit the ground at some speed (scuffing and tearing) . No sign of impact at the elbows. My riding pants are almost intact, save for a round earth stain and scuffing right there where the knee protector is (thanks little guy). The same trouser leg is burned at the shin where I came into contact with the exhaust (was it when I followed the bike down the slope?). Be interesting to check the exhaust system for a black spot and place me on top of that.
Gloves are somewhere, can't locate them yet. I found a big fat blister on my left hand at the root of my index finger that I just can't explain...
The ankle boots I was wearing did good. The right one has been sliced up (but not through and through) atop the big toe. Babe's a goner but died to save me from the brake pedal.
In all, a big thank you to protective gear and to me for wearing it. 2 guys in our group were wearing jeans and one boy/girl crew was wearing open helmets. Uh...oh. Hellooo..? I can just mentally transfer the gouges and cuts I saw on our helmets' chinguards and place them on our faces. So can our friends by now, I bet.”
To sum it up, both Chris and I wore ¾ length riding jackets with shoulder and elbow inserts + padding over ribbed back protectors by Dainese with shoulder slings and a waistband. (Pictures from the day before made me look like a fat hunchback in this attire but I’m glad I stuck with it). We both wore riding trousers with knee protectors. My inserts were chafing my shins when I walked but were perfectly snug when I took my riding position. The right one took a direct hit just below the knee and I don’t even have a bruise there.
Finally, we both wore riding boots. Hers were leather AlpineStars touring boots, mine were Brand-X leather touring boots (€39,99 in Germany) that were however somehow reinforced (that light-colored layer). As you can see from the picture, they were cut (probably by the brake pedal) but not pierced open.
I reckon nothing short of Moto-X hard boots could have kept my foot from being crushed.
Both our helmets were fiber, no ABS or other thermoplastic material.
Bikerskier: right now I’m sipping on Chateau Mineral (due to the medication). Some full-bodied red wines are however in my plans for next week.
Madmike: I did not have any problem locating my FJR off the road, since I landed on top of her. But I can relate to that walking-in-a-daze feeling as someone walked me to the opposite side of the road, made me sit on the topcase and gingerly took my right boot off and started tending to my injuries.
Right then, a couple street bikes (R6?) negotiated the very same bend at a lower speed (maybe 20MPH) and one nearly went down, too.
Techniques? I’d love to agree with you that I reacted as I was trained. Truth is, I don’t know. Did I do something stupid instead and lose the front wheel? That “blacked out time” as Dana called it covers those few instants and will probably never release them.
As for the FJR, I’ve polled my buddies via e-mail on the damage they saw and we’re almost 100% agreed on the shopping list for parts and repairs. Unless some structural damage surfaces, the bike is not totaled at all and will most likely be back in service at the end of April. I now need to get the bike out of that farmer's shed and back home...
Rentaroo, Chris and I will be in the States for most of the month of August but we’re definitely gonna hook up with you in Italy come September.
Thanks again everyone from Chris and me..
PS: This is
exactly what we were wearing last Sunday...