Wake Up Call

[Orient_Express]

My buddy Buzz is a Triumph fanatic. I have three other close friends who, like me, enjoy old English bikes as well (Triumph, Royal Enfield, BSA, Norton). We all served in Viet Nam and have ridden motorcycles for as long as any of us can remember. I guess it’s those two facts bind us together like brothers. A few weeks ago Buzz finished his restoration of a 1951 Triumph Thunderbird. Being a machinist by trade, he’s extremely good at it and the bike is premier!! We all get together on the first of March and fire up the old beasts to go have breakfast together at a restaurant in town – kind of a pre-season ritual that we’ve done for years. This morning we were about 4 blocks from the restaurant when this SUV comes ou’ta no where – Buzz is grabbing levers and stomping pedals but ends up t-boning a Ford Explorer. He’s OK but the front end of his Thunderbird is toast. The wheel is caved back into the engine – one header pipe is crushed by the wheel, forks are bent back and twisted to the left and it’s locked up in second gear. This is the first crash Buzz has ever had in 41 years of riding motorcycles. My buddy Jerry says when we leave the driveway, we enter a battle zone. None of us stands a chance if we go up against anything with 4 wheels. Motorcycle crashes are like walking into an ambush – by the time you gather your senses and assess what just took place, it’s all over and the damage is done.

My point is this. If we knew when a crash was going to occur we could avoid the situation altogether. Since we don’t know when one may happen, we should do our best to be prepared. If you don’t have protective clothing (i.e. armor) get some. Put a helmet on your head. How much you spend depends upon the value of your head. ($10 helmet for a $10 head) We’ve all seen those Harley riders who are caught up in real man syndrome with their wives or girlfriends riding with them – tank top & shorts, flip flops and their “do-rag” head protection – look’n cool, baby. They’re inviting disaster. Someone said there are only two kinds of motorcyclists – those who have crashed, and those who are going to crash.

This forum is blessed with a number of very knowledgeable people and I have learned a lot about the FJR in the short time I’ve been a member. I’d like to see you all stick around here and continue to share your knowledge and expertise – I value every one of you.

We all have family that loves us and needs us around – think about that the next time you enter the battle zone.

 

[GunMD]

Glad to hear that your buddy is OK...quite a shake up for him, I'm sure. I agree with you about the precautions.

ATGATT.

GunMD

 

[Ignacio]

Tough thing about your buddy. I hope he recovers.

[sarcasm]Thank you for the soapbox display. My universe is completely changed. The bits about Harleys and status of their manhood will be studied by scholars for centuries to come.[end sarcasm]

 

[JimLor]

Thanks for posting OE. Never hurts to remind others - and ourselves - that it's dangerous out there. I do my best to prepare myself mentally as if I'm headed into combat - which we all are in a pretty real sense.

 

[kulwen]

Glad to hear Buzz is okay.

I agree with you on your safety gear comments. A few months back while teaching a scuba class I had an unusual situation. In addition to me being a rider I had 3 Harley riders, 1 GoldWing rider, and 3 sport biker riders in my class. This mix of riders made the classes rather funny at times and heated others. The Harley guys knew how to get the other riders including myself fired up. I heard things like chrome saves lives because car drivers could see you better, loud pipes saves lives, and the best one was full-face helmets will get you killed. The Harley guys tried to convince us full-face helmets block the riders view from the corner of their eyes when looking over their shoulders for cars.

The GoldWing rider came to class the next week with all kinds of statistics.

https://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncsl/

https://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/nc...2006/810639.pdf

https://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/motorcycle/

The sports bike riders brought in paperwork from their safety courses proving they were breaking Nevada law by not wear DOT approved helmets. The leather vests, chaps, and gloves they did wear where so thin they offered not protection. They also asked to see the licenses of all the riders and only the Harley guys did not have the motorcycle endorsements.

I can't seem to find the site the GoldWing guy brought to class showing the large cruisers over a 1000cc accounted for over 50% of the fatalities. There were other factors involved such as alcohol and not having motorcycle endorsements. But, I came to the conclusion it is the guys and gals going threw mid-life crisis who was at the greatest risk. These guys and gals seem to be getting bikes to large for their experience and falling into the group were not wearing helmets, safety gear, not taking training classes, and getting a beer or two after the ride is a normal thing.

I do not mean to come across as I am bashing all Harley riders. I am not meaning to. There are some Harley riders who wear full safety gear. As there is also some GoldWing and sport bike riders where wear shorts and t-shits. I am just talking in general.

 

[Orient_Express]

Thanks to you all - Buzz is ok with the bike - pretty frustrated right now, but as I said - he's never had a crash before.

He'll more than likely be over at my house tonight tearing it apart - he's turned my pole barn into his personal motorcycle restoration center!! I let him use the place and he works on my old Triumph for free - pretty good arrangement.

 

[Epirush]

sorry to hear about the crash and your buddy's vintage bike...I want to address your comment about armor. From what I read on this forum and the pics I see most everyone here gears up. I do too, but I must admit I have inner battles sometimes when my friends who don't wear protective clothing and I go riding. I take a little heat sometimes when my buds are riding in jeans and a t-shirt and I'm in my aerostitch. I wear the aerostitch in the summer over shorts and a t-shirt so I can peel when we get to our destination. I guess I'm not that cool but when I have ridden in a t-shirt I felt more exposed, almost afraid of crashing. I think of it like wearing a seatbelt in a car. If I'm belted and I have to make evasive maneuvers the belt keeps me behind the wheel. The gear keeps me confident and when I'm confident I'm a better rider. When I'm scared, I brake hard, hesitate at acceleration and overall enjoyment suffers.

 

[frayne]

1st Cav. 11B Nam vet here too and glad to hear your buddy is OK. Best analogy I've heard concerning riding is that you should approach it as fighter pilot does a combat mission and pretend that everyone on the road is out to shoot your ass down.

 

[FJR Gary]

Glad Buzz is OK. My older brother in Long Beach, CA is a retired school teacher that restores vintage Brit bikes in his spare time.

20th Engr Btn, Pleiku, RVN 1968

 

[bem136]

OE, Since Buzz is ok, it might be interesting to see a now and later pic of his bike.

Regards,

B

 

[Orient_Express]

OE, Since Buzz is ok, it might be interesting to see a now and later pic of his bike.
Regards,

B

I thought about that but won't for three reasons.

1) I don't have a digital camera

2) He spent almost 3 years finding parts and working this thing.

3) At this point, Buzz would more than likely lock and load on my ass if he even had wind that I'd done something like that!

He's pretty upset right now - more at himself for not paying attention and getting caught off guard.

Guys, when I say he's a fanatic about his Triumphs and his "baby" a '61 Matchless G12 - I mean down to "was that nut, bolt and washer made in the same year of the bike and did it actually come from a bike like the one I'm working on"? If not - I'll keep looking. They are his labor of love and he gets his panties in a bunch if he thinks anyone is bashing them. To post a picture of his Thunderbird as it is now would be like putting a picture of a dead relative on the net - he'd be upset about it, no doubt.

BTW

Me

101st Pathfinder Det

101st Airborne Div

Camp Evans 69-70

Buzz

2/502 INF

101st Airborne Div

Camp Eagle 69-70

 

[dbvolfan]

Holy Stats Batman!

That NHTSA file has anything you wanted to know about traffic fatalities but was afraid to ask. I think I was able to figure out from those stats, that a blond female, driving after 8pm, in a foreign automobile, ,FWD, without her seatbelt on, travelling on a state highway, during a full moon is more likely to be injured than a male under 200lbs but taller than 6' tall is driving a pickup, with his seatbelt on during the day.

Seriosly though, glad to hear that Buzz is OK and the reading is actually pretty interesting.

 

[Toecutter]

+1 on all the good wishes and hearing that your friend is O.K.

That said....

This morning we were about 4 blocks from the restaurant when this SUV comes ou’ta no where

Uh, SUV's, outside of Star Trek and The Philadelphia Experiment, do not come from out of nowhere. They come from somewhere, probably somewhere in the 180 degree field of view of the area you're passing through. And if you're on a vintage motorcycle, you need to be even more aware of the lack of overall capability that it possesses. Even if it is the cage's fault, you still get to be the loser of the confrontation, 100% of the time. Know that, above all, every time you saddle up, and watch the f**k out accordingly.

Someday I may have a bunch of words to eat, but until then, I'll keep spewing the safe talk in hopes of saving one of my congregation from having a thread named in their memory.

 

[wheatonFJR]

...Someday I may have a bunch of words to eat, but until then, I'll keep spewing the safe talk in hopes of saving one of my congregation from having a thread named in their memory.

Keep it up Toe. Let's have fun out there, but let's remind each other of things we can do....to stay alive and in one piece.

Enough death and dying in this world...let's keep it from our door as much as it is in our perception and skills to do so.

 

[Orient_Express]

+1 on all the good wishes and hearing that your friend is O.K.
That said....

This morning we were about 4 blocks from the restaurant when this SUV comes ou’ta no where

Uh, SUV's, outside of Star Trek and The Philadelphia Experiment, do not come from out of nowhere. They come from somewhere, probably somewhere in the 180 degree field of view of the area you're passing through. And if you're on a vintage motorcycle, you need to be even more aware of the lack of overall capability that it possesses. Even if it is the cage's fault, you still get to be the loser of the confrontation, 100% of the time. Know that, above all, every time you saddle up, and watch the f**k out accordingly.

Someday I may have a bunch of words to eat, but until then, I'll keep spewing the safe talk in hopes of saving one of my congregation from having a thread named in their memory.

Well - kinda... it did come from somewhere.

About a 30-40 year old man, just backed out of his driveway like his britches were on fire. Absolutely not time to react to avoid the collision.

You keep spewing the "safe" talk - I'll back you 100% on that. I prefer to die in my sleep but that may or may not happen.

I see too many riders who do not wear any protective equipment - none of us are bulletproof.

 

[nusman68]

C'mon, now, this guy's bulletproof....

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

So if you like Triumphs and are avid collectors of authentic parts, I assume you know about the Chicken Ranch in my home town. Ken at the Chicken Ranch began racing Triumphs in 1948 while he was in the Air Force. His history is colorful and I don't know if I ever met a guy with as many fun riding stories. He still works on Triumphs. He has shelf after shelf of parts, bolts, screws, engines, pipes...so much stuff...it seems he hasn't thrown a triumph part away in over 50 years of collecting!

Don't expect this to be up to date...

https://users.cwnet.com/triprez/

 

[black mamba]

Someone who eschews riding with a full compliment of armor has, I assume, not yet " enjoyed " the process of acquiring road rash. A pity. The most fun part is when the nurse looks you in the eye, tells you to hold on to something tight, and informs you that her taking a brush to your wounds might " sting " a little.

 

[Toecutter]

The most fun part is when the nurse looks you in the eye, tells you to hold on to something tight, and informs you that her taking a brush to you wounds might " sting " a little.

:lol: And don't forget to come back tomorrow, and the next day, and....!

I think the road rash girl could tell some stories...