spklbuk
Well-known member
Cruisin’ at a relaxed pace thru Sandstone Mtn twisties along Rt 20S in the New River Gorge National Rec Area of SE WV this afternoon. I looked ahead about 75 yards and saw a guy standing looking at his Multistrada 620. Given it was a somewhat odd place to pull off the road, I kinda figured he wasn’t just admirin' it, so I slowed and upon approach, I could see the leaves along the berm and ditch had been thoroughly fluffed up for a good 75 feet. I realized both he and the bike had just gotten up. He had scrambled back to the kill switch and squatted back-to and set it up. I turned on the hazard flashers, pulled a uuey and stopped along side to see if he was OK. He had not yet calmed down, but was upright and coherent though still pissed at himself so the pain hadn’t set in.
He was coming out of marked 25 mph righty and was swinging back to the white line as he setup for a similar lefty, when (I believe) he glanced down at the tach and simply slipped off pavement whereupon the front wheel barely clipped the very tip end of a 6 inch thru fallen limb covered up by the leaves, pitching the limb into the ditch so that his back wheel missed it (damn lucky in that regard) and the resulting bobble put him down in a layer of leaves 8-10 inches deep. He departed from the machine with both knees down some how, rolled and then slid along the gravel berm and leaves with his butt up in the air and his back, shoulders and arms scooting along hell bent while he watched his bike fast approaching from behind. He outdistanced the bike by a good 20 feet as the frame slider plowing a deep furrow along the berm apparently slowed it.
The left side of the bike took a beating. Clutch lever and heated mirror gone. Shift lever and housing, footpeg and frame component that sits atop the swingarm gone. Some kevlared lowering fairing component cracked and dirt and gravel embedded in various nooks.
His Shoei helmet and Joe Rocket two-piece outfit and gloves held up to the scuffing quite well. His left forefoot and toes were torqued sideways a lot further than they were designed to do, but he seemed to think they were just sprained. He was wearing upper calf high armored racing boots and the left one got the crap kicked out of it, even though it was mostly covered w/ ballistic pants - but they held up well. Neither my wife nor I will ever ride in 6 inch high boots again, armored boots for Xmas. Though a bit hobbled, ATGATT saved his *** – please gentlemen take heed; it could have been any one of us.
Turns out he was from Radford, VA two hours east of here. I loaned him a cell phone (he had no service up here) and he called his pappy-in-law in Radford (Harley rider, so of course he had a trailer and was not out riding at 40-45 degree temps) who agreed to come and fetch him home. I offered to go get my pickup, but being as the bike was in 3rd gear and nothing left externally to shift it remained, we could’nt figure out just how the two of us would load it. So, we shot the **** until I was convinced he was for the most part OK, then we secured his bike as best we could, grabbed his portable gear and rode 30 miles two up on my feejer to Beckley to I-77/64 merge so pappy-in-law could find him. I bought a round of coffee and hung around ‘til his ride and a coupla of other guys along to help showed up with a damn nice enclosed custom hauler. We planned some rides for spring while we waited. I made a new friend today.
He was coming out of marked 25 mph righty and was swinging back to the white line as he setup for a similar lefty, when (I believe) he glanced down at the tach and simply slipped off pavement whereupon the front wheel barely clipped the very tip end of a 6 inch thru fallen limb covered up by the leaves, pitching the limb into the ditch so that his back wheel missed it (damn lucky in that regard) and the resulting bobble put him down in a layer of leaves 8-10 inches deep. He departed from the machine with both knees down some how, rolled and then slid along the gravel berm and leaves with his butt up in the air and his back, shoulders and arms scooting along hell bent while he watched his bike fast approaching from behind. He outdistanced the bike by a good 20 feet as the frame slider plowing a deep furrow along the berm apparently slowed it.
The left side of the bike took a beating. Clutch lever and heated mirror gone. Shift lever and housing, footpeg and frame component that sits atop the swingarm gone. Some kevlared lowering fairing component cracked and dirt and gravel embedded in various nooks.
His Shoei helmet and Joe Rocket two-piece outfit and gloves held up to the scuffing quite well. His left forefoot and toes were torqued sideways a lot further than they were designed to do, but he seemed to think they were just sprained. He was wearing upper calf high armored racing boots and the left one got the crap kicked out of it, even though it was mostly covered w/ ballistic pants - but they held up well. Neither my wife nor I will ever ride in 6 inch high boots again, armored boots for Xmas. Though a bit hobbled, ATGATT saved his *** – please gentlemen take heed; it could have been any one of us.
Turns out he was from Radford, VA two hours east of here. I loaned him a cell phone (he had no service up here) and he called his pappy-in-law in Radford (Harley rider, so of course he had a trailer and was not out riding at 40-45 degree temps) who agreed to come and fetch him home. I offered to go get my pickup, but being as the bike was in 3rd gear and nothing left externally to shift it remained, we could’nt figure out just how the two of us would load it. So, we shot the **** until I was convinced he was for the most part OK, then we secured his bike as best we could, grabbed his portable gear and rode 30 miles two up on my feejer to Beckley to I-77/64 merge so pappy-in-law could find him. I bought a round of coffee and hung around ‘til his ride and a coupla of other guys along to help showed up with a damn nice enclosed custom hauler. We planned some rides for spring while we waited. I made a new friend today.
