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How many times have you come off the bike

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
Haha, as if Aussies didn't have enough things to cause distress to limbs and life. Imagine an Australian saguaro, that'd basically be a sand croc!
The biggest problem is suicidal roos and emu's. I've made a funny noises after having a roo decide to change its mind crossing a road or track half way through.
 

Andy131

Well travelled
Location
Manchester UK
I'm just imagining roo bars on a Himalayan :unsure:
When I was younger I had more bravery than skill, now I have less skill but considerably less bravery.
So far this time I have managed to stay sunny side up - after a 40 year break.
Previously:-
Broken ribs punctured lung - twice
Broken hip,
Shattered both arms - one metal plate was taken out after I bent it pot-holing.
Broken both legs below the knees - at separate times.
Pronounced dead at the scene, combination of very very low blood pressure (couldn't find pulse), being unconscious, and the rider who was originally along side me being trapped under his bike under the HGV that had run a red light. He was in a lot of pain as his handlebars had skewered his thigh, and was awake and screaming. I had landed on the opposite side, first ambulance came to me pronounced me dead and covered my "body". Second ambulance assists first ambulance with my mate, I wake up (hidden by HGV) and stagger across the junction falling unconscious behind a hedge. Hours later both ambulances leave the scene each believing that the other had my body. The police call on my parents telling them that I am dead, giving them my personal belongings, and admitting that they didn't actually know where the body was - but it would turn up.

Some time later (6 or 7 hours?) I wake up, someone has stolen my wallet, helmet and bike !
I walk the 20 miles home with a punctured lung, to be greeted by VERY upset parents, how dare I put them through this.
My "death" was on local radio - they were shocked when I turned up at college a couple of days later.

You can understand why my wife was less than keen on me getting a motorbike.
 

Laserman

Well travelled
Staff member
Location
Yuba City, CA
Yeah, here in the states it's suicidal deer and wandering possums. I've heard an old fella say deer seem suicidal because they are attracted to light, and bright headlights can cause them to move in your direction, which I have to agree with. Deer also like to lay on the road because it's warm in these parts when winds off the Sierras are cold, so blind corners can be perilous if one is hasty.

I lived in Alaska for a year back in the late 90s and locals on the Kenai peninsula often ran "moose whistles" on their road vehicles to cause moose to run away. Smaller "deer" variants can be found cheaply, and I've put those on all my vehicles for the last 20 years. My Himalayan has a pair mounted just in front of the turn signals on the plastic filler plate, and I've seen them work, as I twice daily ride a small stretch of road that deer frequent.

My right-side crash bar bonked a possum on the head one night a few months back. Twas about 11pm and I was rolling bout 80KM/h and a possum wandered out in front of me. It's happened before, but this one all of a sudden decided to do the hokey-pokey in the road and I barely missed him with my wheels, but I felt a thunk from the right-side bar lol. I did not investigate, as I figure one would have to bump their head to even be crossing that road right then.

I've been riding 2 wheels 40 of my 46 years, I've been down a number of times doing dumb stuff. Thankfully, "Toto" and I remain unscathed together :D
 

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
I'm just imagining roo bars on a Himalayan :unsure:
When I was younger I had more bravery than skill, now I have less skill but considerably less bravery.
So far this time I have managed to stay sunny side up - after a 40 year break.
Previously:-
Broken ribs punctured lung - twice
Broken hip,
Shattered both arms - one metal plate was taken out after I bent it pot-holing.
Broken both legs below the knees - at separate times.
Pronounced dead at the scene, combination of very very low blood pressure (couldn't find pulse), being unconscious, and the rider who was originally along side me being trapped under his bike under the HGV that had run a red light. He was in a lot of pain as his handlebars had skewered his thigh, and was awake and screaming. I had landed on the opposite side, first ambulance came to me pronounced me dead and covered my "body". Second ambulance assists first ambulance with my mate, I wake up (hidden by HGV) and stagger across the junction falling unconscious behind a hedge. Hours later both ambulances leave the scene each believing that the other had my body. The police call on my parents telling them that I am dead, giving them my personal belongings, and admitting that they didn't actually know where the body was - but it would turn up.

Some time later (6 or 7 hours?) I wake up, someone has stolen my wallet, helmet and bike !
I walk the 20 miles home with a punctured lung, to be greeted by VERY upset parents, how dare I put them through this.
My "death" was on local radio - they were shocked when I turned up at college a couple of days later.

You can understand why my wife was less than keen on me getting a motorbike.
That is some very terrible work from both sides of the emergency services. And one hell of a story, not sure anyone will be able to beat that!
 

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
Yeah, here in the states it's suicidal deer and wandering possums. I've heard an old fella say deer seem suicidal because they are attracted to light, and bright headlights can cause them to move in your direction, which I have to agree with. Deer also like to lay on the road because it's warm in these parts when winds off the Sierras are cold, so blind corners can be perilous if one is hasty.

I lived in Alaska for a year back in the late 90s and locals on the Kenai peninsula often ran "moose whistles" on their road vehicles to cause moose to run away. Smaller "deer" variants can be found cheaply, and I've put those on all my vehicles for the last 20 years. My Himalayan has a pair mounted just in front of the turn signals on the plastic filler plate, and I've seen them work, as I twice daily ride a small stretch of road that deer frequent.

My right-side crash bar bonked a possum on the head one night a few months back. Twas about 11pm and I was rolling bout 80KM/h and a possum wandered out in front of me. It's happened before, but this one all of a sudden decided to do the hokey-pokey in the road and I barely missed him with my wheels, but I felt a thunk from the right-side bar lol. I did not investigate, as I figure one would have to bump their head to even be crossing that road right then.

I've been riding 2 wheels 40 of my 46 years, I've been down a number of times doing dumb stuff. Thankfully, "Toto" and I remain unscathed together :D
The problem with the roos is after a few weeks/months with very little or no rain the only greenery is at the side of the road from where the water runs off. This then becomes the only feed for them and they hang around the roads. Then the Eagles tend to feed on all the road kill which then makes them a nuances too.
 

Andy131

Well travelled
Location
Manchester UK
That is some very terrible work from both sides of the emergency services. And one hell of a story, not sure anyone will be able to beat that!
The old man was an ambulance driver - it was only ever going to be my fault.
My mate Barry was very badly injured, 4 weeks in intensive care, he was able to walk again but slowly. They threw the book at the HGV driver - over his hours, 3 times the drink/drive limit, ran a red light. these days we would have been into many thousands compensation 42 years ago not so generous.

I didn't understand just how big/heavy a roo is, then we drove from Sydney to Cairns and some stretches of roads had dead ones every few miles, they will do a serious amount of damage to a car let alone a bike.
 

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
The old man was an ambulance driver - it was only ever going to be my fault.
My mate Barry was very badly injured, 4 weeks in intensive care, he was able to walk again but slowly. They threw the book at the HGV driver - over his hours, 3 times the drink/drive limit, ran a red light. these days we would have been into many thousands compensation 42 years ago not so generous.

I didn't understand just how big/heavy a roo is, then we drove from Sydney to Cairns and some stretches of roads had dead ones every few miles, they will do a serious amount of damage to a car let alone a bike.
The little grays are not so bad but the the male reds can get huge. Have muscles like they are body builders too. They are generally pretty docile, especialy the femails but there seems to be one dominant male out of the larger mobs. They grow very big and can be very aggressive.
 

puttbutt

Well travelled
Location
NY
The police call on my parents telling them that I am dead, giving them my personal belongings, and admitting that they didn't actually know where the body was - but it would turn up.
Pardon my rudeness, I know it was a serious accident for you. hope you didn't have any lingering effects from the accident, but I just started chuckling after reading about the incompetence of the emergency responders, including the police. the thought that came into my mind was what you would expect from a Monty Phython show. Again, I apologize for laughing at your mishap. maybe I have a warp sense of humor.
 

Andy131

Well travelled
Location
Manchester UK
Trust me I can see the funny side, my Dad at the time REALLY didn't. He was my Step-father and a wonderful Dad (sadly passed away), but his concern was for my Mum who was understandably distressed. That my body was lost he was perfectly fine with, it happens apparently, people get taken to not necessarily the nearest hospital, and bodies could be transferred if the morgue was busy, and the whereabouts become known in a few hours. They had my wallet, keys, bike registration and distinctive helmet so it was definitely me.
Low blood pressure has been a "feature" all my life, enlarged heart beating gently did the job just fine. 5 years ago I had a bit of indigestion, Gill called the ambulance and they whisked me off to hospital, ECG was fine, ultrasound was again fine, blood enzyme was not good, 20 is elevated, 30 = you have had or are having a heart attack, 550 was the most they have ever seen in my local hospital, 3 days later I went under the surgeons knife - 5 way heart bypass. Good news was no discernible heart damage - surgeon was surprised.

At one point in my early days, I was in The Promenade Hospital with a broken hip etc, and my brother was in the spinal ward with a broken neck (he was fine after surgery) he had been treating his new Suzuki X7 very gently, passed the magic 1,000 mile mark and opened her up - driving into the back of an unlit VW Beetle on a dark country lane. Did make visiting easier for my Mum.

Lingering effects :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: so many accidents, no-idea which ache is from which injury, but I'm still here, still annoying the world in general.
 

grymsr

Well travelled
Location
Maine
I flopped three days ago. Nothing damage on bike or me (I thought). But after getting the bike back upright, I have a crooked back from the lifting. OUCH!
 

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
I flopped three days ago. Nothing damage on bike or me (I thought). But after getting the bike back upright, I have a crooked back from the lifting. OUCH!
I've seen videos of tiny women lifting much bigger bigger BMWs and yet I always hate lifting my little himalayan. There definitely a technique to getting it up.
 

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
lucky you didn't hit a cactus. are there cacti in Australia?
Went for a ride and saw this out near the salt lakes and20220814_145035.jpg20220814_145049.jpg20220814_151356.jpg thought of this conversation. I picked a few of the seed pods off the floor to bring home and plant too, I'm regretting that decision now though as it turns out they are full of fine hair like stings and my hand is covered in them haha!
 

RotorWrench

Well travelled
Location
USA
especially when you are blocking traffic during rush hour :(
That happened to me once. I was test riding a buddy's KTM 640 Adventure after work. I'm 5'6 and that bike is tall, like 36“ at the seat, but have never really been intimidated with tall bikes since I've developed my side slide and timing.

During 5 o'clock traffic I came to a red light, 4 lanes of traffic and I'm being the cool guy on a new Orange Crush. As I slow down I'm second vehicle from the light and surrounded by cars, I slide to my right to get my foot down and didn't realize how deep the tire grooves were in the road and I realized by feel in a microsecond that my foot should have made contact by now and by the time it did the bike was coming over with me.

Embarrassing enough and ego crushing, I jumped up like no big deal, and tried for a solid minute to get that tall bike back up, which by the way, had a full 6gal tank. Obviously being too painful to watch any longer, a guy in the truck beside me jumps out and helps me right the bike. It's 44 deg and I'm sweating from embarrassment like it's 120.

I put the bike on its center stand, climb up, standing on the foot pegs, bow with my hands sweeping out to my sides for the entertainment I've just provided and actually got a number of applauding car horns, or either they were "get the hell a move on" honks, since the lights had turned green a minute ago, but I'm sure it was the former. I then rode it off the center stand with practiced grace and immediately headed back to my work parking lot with my tail between my legs.
 

Matt

Well travelled
Location
Australia
Iv got method to it now. I rub it on my lips just to taste it and if its not foul and my lips don't swell up within a few hours it gets a small taste. If its passes those tests it get a bigger taste the next time i come across it so long as i dont end up on the toilet the entire day😅🤣
 

Robert

Well travelled
Location
Holland
I've dropped my bikes a few times: on the track my with an R6 I've opened the throttle a few times to fast resulting in damaged leathers, engine sides and fairings. Once I was in a bend ont the track with a Guzzi when the front started to wobble and I put the bike upright, making it go straight across the grass (from previous experience I know I shouldn't brake on green grass!) and into the tire wall. I was thrown over the bike and my head hit the tire wall first. The first marshall tried to take off my helmet when I told him that my neck hurt, then left me alone. Everything hurt and the medic said to see my GP after a few days. I did, mainly because I couldn't extend my left arm anymore, the muscle just wouldn't work. GP said to take it easy fo a while... On the advice of someone I saw a physiotherapist, who after the first diagnosis said that it was a jammed nerve in my neck and gave me some exercises to do. A few days later I thankfully could move my arm again.
Couple of weeks ago I was in France, parking the Hima somewhere in a village to get a coffee. Put the bike on the side stand and tried to get off, having a load of camping gear on the back. The bike was on an incline and moved forward, off the side stand and fell on its left side, bending the gear lever. A helpfull man got his toolbox and with a large ringspanner I straightened the lever.

Just two days later I was trying to get to the top of Mont Jafferau; the first bit is asphalt, then bad asphalt, then sand and rocks on very steep hills and hairpins. Sand in the haispins meant low speed cornering, meaning starting from standing still up a very steep hill, moving between and over rocks and boulders. It was so steep that I was in first on half clutch revving the engine. Then I had to stop or toast the clutch, but when I put my foot down there was no ground and the bike fell on its side. Had to move the bike with the wheels facing down hill first and then got it up. Decided to go back, downhil, finding that the ABS kicked in regularly. In one of the corners it fell down again, with (I think) the brake lever pinning down my right foot. My riding boots are quite sturdy, but even so it hurt like hell, and being alone at first I could not free my foot. Almost panicked at that moment. Finally I pushed with my left foot against the seat and pulling my right foot at the same time I got free again.
Another lesson learned. :p
 
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