Sad Update

[Ripken]

Well, I'm sad to say that my '08 1250S and I parted company at approximately 35 mph thanks to a driver who didn't see me. I was heading east, he was heading west...........he had his left turn signal on, but he slowed down so much that I thought he saw me (mid-day, not a cloud in the sky). Unfortunately, I was wrong and he turned into my path when I was less than 25 feet away.

One panic braking attempt later and I was hurling through the air over the right side of the handlebar. The good news is that I was wearing my helmet, leather jacket, and leather gloves, so my injuries are minor compared to what they could have been. The bad news is that my insurance company (his insurance company has not looked at the bike yet) is saying the bike will most likely be totaled.

She died way before her time, with only a little more than 10k miles on the odometer. I'm bummed beyond belief, but I'm now contemplating what bike I want next. My wife asked me if I would ride again and my answer was, "for the first few minutes on the asphalt (I never got up and got a nice IV insertion and ride in an ambulance to the closest trauma center) I thought, I'm done with this, too many crazy drivers on the road...........but 5 minutes later I was in the ambulance thinking, I wonder what my next bike will be if they total this one."

Looking forward to healing up, finding the perfect bike, and then hitting the road (no pun intended) again!

[JadeRider]

Man. Sucks. But blessed is the day when you survive a motorcycle crash. Glad you are good.
_________________

help end slavery. ride for freedom. www.2endslavery.org

[wanabeguru]

Originally Posted by JadeRider

Man. Sucks. But blessed is the day when you survive a motorcycle crash. Glad you are good.
_________________

help end slavery. ride for freedom. www.2endslavery.org

+1

[gixxerjasen]

Thank goodness it worked out ok for you. There's a zillion bikes out there, but only one of you. Good luck in your bike search...fun times ahead.

[Ga-Bandit]

sorry to hear man. If it makes you fgeel better I totaled my wifes car a little over a month ago (their fault) and rode the first time yesterday (since the accident) - OH why couldn't it been my truck instead? I'll never hear the end of this....I couldn't breath right for about 3.5 weeks but at least I can say is that my bike is okay (+50k and counting)

[tshelfer]

Glad you're okay.

[Easy Flyer]

Glad you were not seriously injured,
The bike can be replaced and or fixed, the wet-ware stuff is not as easy.

Good luck with your up and coming bike hunt!

EF

[shootergal]

SO relieved that you're ok. You had me scared there for a second! And yes, you lost that bike way too soon, but think about how much fun you're gonna have shopping for a replacement!

[Tourmeister]

What I want to know is this. In the moments when you were flying over the handle bars, were you thinking about how much it might hurt you or were you thinking about what was going to happen to your bike!?

I don't know if I am not right in the head, but the times I have had gets offs, I was more worried about what was happening to the bike than what might be able to happen to me! The only exception was when my wife was involved and I saw her sliding down the road next to me, then I was thinking about her and our kids.

I am sorry about the bike but glad you were not hurt worse. If you do get something other than a Bandit, you are still welcome here on TWT

[Ripken]

Thanks guys (and gal) for all the well wishes and condolences. The bike hunt has begun in earnest, but nothing definitive yet. I am enjoying reading about some of the options out there and contemplating what I might get.

As for what I was thinking about as I flew through the air..........two words, "Oh ****". The next thing I knew I was sliding down the asphalt, felt the bike come up on the back of my legs for a brief moment (which scared me) and then I was free and laying in the middle of the road. I was very glad to be alone and to not have potentially injured a passenger.

I can tell you one thing.......I've gone from being a 99% safety gear guy to a 100% safety gear nut!!! My armored boots were sitting under my desk at work (I was wearing my helmet, leather jacket, and leather gloves) because, "I'm just meeting my wife and daughter for a quick lunch". I was lucky that my ankles weren't chewed to pieces and I now realize what a stupid decision that was to leave even a single piece of my standard safety gear behind when riding.

I'll keep the forum updated on what happens next and I look forward to being a lifelong TWT forum member, no matter what kind of bike I get. This place rocks!

[Tourmeister]

Having read too many horror stories about people that were "just going around the block", and also having hit the ground in a case where my full face helmet literally saved my life, I too am a 100% all the gear all the time rider! This is true even when we hit the 100+ temps here in Tx in the summer.

I am glad your feet did not get messed up. Having a busted ankle (deer strike) and being on crutches for several months REALLY made me realize how much we take our mobility for granted!! I had on riding boots at the time, but they let the ankle roll to the side and snap off that little hump on the inside. I might have fared better had I been wearing my dirt boots since they prevent side to side rotation. Still, I had on all my other gear and had no other injuries other than the ankle.

Thanks for the kind words about TWT!

[frijole_tex]

I miss my 08 Bandit as well. They are great all around bikes. I traded mine away a few months ago for a GS and miss that snap. Anyway, glad to hear you are ok and that insurance will let you shop for a new bike. Looking for new rides is the best part. Also thanks for the reminder about gearing up for the short rides.

[ST/SV]

Glad to here you came out in one piece, sorry for your bike.

[John Dirt]

Somedays I want to quit street riding when I am almost in an accident let alone actually in one, it is at its worst right now IMO. I wear ATGATT and I am always scanning and preparing, it's all I can do. I am very glad to hear you are OK and not badly injured and of course it stinks losing a motorcycle to an accident.

[hizzo3]

You know you are a die hard motorcycle rider when you haven't even gotten to the hospital and you are thinking about your bike/replacement. Glad you are safe and alright. Might I suggest the perfect bike is a v strom?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[slowoldguy]

My wife asked me if I would ride again and my answer was, "for the first few minutes on the asphalt (I never got up and got a nice IV insertion and ride in an ambulance to the closest trauma center) I thought, I'm done with this, too many crazy drivers on the road...........but 5 minutes later I was in the ambulance thinking, I wonder what my next bike will be if they total this one."

Good for you. My wife just doesn't ask anymore. She knows the answer. So....what's it gonna be?

[Stretch30]

Glad to hear you are doing alright physically and mentally after the get-off. The new fully faired Bandits look good and most of your aftermarket parts could be a direct fit.

[Ed dirt]

You know you are a die hard motorcycle rider when you haven't even gotten to the hospital and you are thinking about your bike/replacement. Glad you are safe and alright. Might I suggest the perfect bike is a v strom?

What he said. My wife doesn't ask either.

[focus frenzy]

this will probably come across wrong but you sir are a quitter!!!

my SV has been totaled twice and rebuilt twice.

if you liked the bike and enjoyed riding the bike you owe it the the chance to be looked over good and the numbers run to see if you can save it.
it takes very little damage to total a Suzuki because brand new Suzuki parts are stupid crazy expensive. but aftermarket upgrade parts are cheap (compared to factory parts prices).

I got a pair of two Bro's titanium mufflers for half the price of one suzuki muffler. got a virtualy new midpipe assembly off e-bay for a fraction of what it cost from dealer.

damage estimate from insurance on my SV was over $10,000 it cost under $3000 to put it back together.

now if you don't care about the bike and just want something differant, ignore the preceeding rant.

[focus frenzy]

Originally Posted by Tourmeister

What I want to know is this. In the moments when you were flying over the handle bars, were you thinking about how much it might hurt you or were you thinking about what was going to happen to your bike!?

when I was hit going to meet up for the run down to Sam's for the pie run, the first thing that I thought about after checking that arms and legs still worked was "I hope the bike is still ridable so I can still make the pie run"

then the adrenaline started wearing off and pie was the last thing I wanted.