I went for a 10 hour ride on Father's Day to French Lick, IN home of Larry Bird and some of the best roads in Indiana. 5 of us went including a 07 Triumph Tiger, Honda Blackbird, 09 FZ1, KTM Super Duke, and me on my S3. We left at 10am and took twisty backroads all the way down. We worked our machines hard and by the time we reached French Lick (4pm), I was exhausted. My tires were so hot that they had started to blister. The day was a hot, muggy 90 degree F causing me to struggle with headaches from a lack of water. Near French Lick, we stopped for ice cream and water before heading home. Leaving French Lick we took IN 150 north. This road consists mostly of 90mph + sweepers until nearing Bedford where the road tightens considerably to 40mph corners. The heat and headache clouded my judgment and I entered one such right hand corner at about 65mph... Nearing the apex, I felt myself start to panic and everything snapped back into focus. I took note that there was no way I wanted to slide into the guard rail and purposed to myself that I WOULD make this without destroying my bike. I stayed steady on the throttle, kept looking ahead into the ever tightening corner. That is when I felt my jeans brushing the ground and then the pain began. I thought it interesting that I could compartmentalize the pain until I was out of the corner. Focus and training paid off and I made it through the corner without much more than a hole in my jeans and a bit of rash on my knee.
Moral of the story is, I could have avoided this incident if I had my wits about me. The lack of water and the resulting headache played havoc on my ability to focus and I got caught unawares. I also need to find a good pair of textile pants that either have pucks on them or have a patch of velcro put on them to attach knee sliders for the hot Midwestern days... I took a cell pick at the next stop but don't have a cord to upload to the internet... If someone does, I'll text the pick to you and you can post it for me.
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In 1915 T. Roosevelt said, in a speech to the KofC, "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. "
Glad to hear you stayed with it, and made it through.
We were once riding in the northern part of the island of Okinawa with a couple of guys that just graduated the MSF Instructor Course, and most of us being instructors we were riding pretty hard and one guy who just graduated, had a Bandit 1200 that he just sold for a Harley Superglide Sport, well we went into this right hander and he just uprights the bike and runs off the road. He was OK, bike needed work though, but we asked him what happened? He said I did not think I was going to make the corner, so I just quit turning, I said what did you think the road was going to magically straighten out for you?
You held the turn, and once commited, just gotta keep pressing on those bars keep the throttle steady or adding fuel, and hope the tires stick and you come out on the other side!
My old instructor side is comming out............
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I Can and will ride anything!
Bikes I own:
New addition 1978 CB750Four
2006 919
1994 home built springer
1984 KLR 600
1953 Servi-car (I gotta get this put back together)
1942 WLA (Gotta finish this one as well)
1985 Honda 200M ATC
1985 Honda ATC 70
1997 Yamaha Big Bear 350 4X4 ATV
Early 1984 Ironhead Sporty (Wife has laid claim to this bike)
1986 Sporty that I am putting a ironhead engine into
YEA BIGDAA I Gotta GUN!
It's not that I am punishing YOU, I am just taking YOUR money and giving it to LAZY Asses who refuse to get off the TIT of the Government...Obama to Joe the Plumber
In 1915 T. Roosevelt said, in a speech to the KofC, "There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. "
Nice save. I was expecting something much uglier. First (and hopefully only) time I pulled something like that, it was more like: "Uh-oh . . . $%^%$%$%^&* . . . What the hell just happened?" Low-sided like a mother.
Nice recovery Shaughnessy...a wee little hole in the jeans is worth not putting the bike down, I'm sure you'll agree. I like that zen feeling of total concentration when you really need it, but I hate to get caught short by lack of attention. Being dehydrated will sneak up on a person pretty bad if your not careful...but you already know that! Drink water!
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Well, fire the engines! Spur this iron space-pony on!
Thanks for sharing! Glad you made it through that corner.
99% of the time (apart from commuting) I ride with my camel pack, you never know where you may end up and if you are able to get a drink. Even at little pit stops next to the side of the road, I always have a sip or two. Also beats faffing around with bottles.
Do you get Draggin jeans in the States? Draggin Jeans
Basically jeans with kevlar panels on the inside (buttocks, sides and knees)
I also use a pair of cheap MotoX Alpine Stars Reflex knee-shin guards, that is quite nicely padded on the inside. I usually wear this under my Draggin Jeans.
One ride me and my riding buddy pushed it too far without a break along a very narrow, twisty and challenging route. I realised my brain needed a break, so we stopped for a burger at the next little town. It made the world of difference. Good to have little stops about every hour when riding challenging roads.
Wow Jared, I thought that was going to have a bad ending involving pics of a mangled up S3 (which would hurt to see). Glad you did the right thing and stay committed to the turn! As mentioned prior, most of these stories end with a "I had to put it down" which is a total BS cop out.
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'04 Honda 919, Candy apple red met., 17/44t sprockets,f-16 windscreen,delkevic ss exhaust,Tharbars,givi engine bars, billet alum. led turns w/ running lights,red adj.levers from china, bar end mirrors,grip heaters,adj. foot peg brackets,adj. bar risers,dunlop Q2(that are better than your pp 2ct,lol)bike wired for gps and phone charger
if i did not trust in the push and press I would be a perm part of a az pine tree... the tires slipping on the wet pine needles, the rear tire skipping, keep pushing and damn If it didnt come out stand up and save my skinny ass.....
way to pull it through...it's magical!
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