Fall TWT Arkansas Rally 09/02/05

[vessmech]

Paul,

Sorry to read about your low side but happy to hear that you came through pretty much intact. From the pictures, it looks like the tree line was some distance from the shoulder - the possible sudden stop always gets my attention.

Those pictures are pretty heart wrenching - especially since I have the exact same bike sitting in the garage. Now that I am a two bike guy, you are more than welcome to borrow the RS - as long as I dont see parts missing when you bring it back .

I understand about about the momentary loss of attention - I just got back from a 2400 mi. round trip to Taos with the wife on the FJR. The slab back was tiring and I constantly had to refocus my attention on the road.

Darrell

 

[scratch]

Thanks, Darrell! I really appreciate the offer to loan me your bike.

Over the past week, a number of people have contacted me about seeing if I want to borrow a spare bike until I get my situation sorted out. The generosity and trust everyone has shown towards me has been remarkable. It's made me recognize the strong fellowship that has developed through the friends and aquaintances I've met via Two Wheeled Texans. That's pretty special. :cool:

BTW, you won't have to worry about missing parts, because I anticipate that my RS will probably be totalled. Maybe you might need a few spares?

 

[DaveC]

That Triumph has all the makings of a great "nekked" bike. Cheaper to toss down the road too! Good to see the horses hide worked like it was suppose to. Sure is nice to have a "crew" to dig you out of the bushes. Them GPS maps are "kickin" (is that the correct terminology?) So I take it you riders are not making a bad impression on the locals are you? Since you are contributing to the Policemans Ball. The folks in Colorado have a dislike for Texians since we invaded them back during the war of Northern Aggression. We don't want to have the Arkansas folks up in arms too. ( the rich, drunk frat boys(read bad manners) don't go up there so we may be welcomed still)

 

[RECIT]

Glad to hear you are ok Paul, I know I am new to the group but it is always sad to hear about someone going down. What kind of bike are going to be looking for next? Good luck in full recovery and on your next bike.

 

[Tourmeister]

When will you know about the RS?

 

[scratch]

Should know what State Farm decides in the next couple of days. The Sprint might make a good re-build or street-fighter project, but I just want to ride, not wrench. I've got my eye on another (used) Triumph already and hope to just take the settlement money and buy that or something else that's ready to go.

Did get some good news this morning - went to have my knee X-rayed and examined by an orthopedic surgeon. He says there's only some minor nerve damage and that it should heal up fine. Might take a couple of months for the tenderness to go away, but should be fully functional within a couple of weeks. Turns out the doctor rides too (Harley V-Rod) so instead of getting an admonition about the dangers of motorcycles, we talked about what bike I might get next. :cool:

 

[vessmech]

Paul,

Let me know how the insurance process works. I assume that if the bike is totaled, the insurance company will sell it for salvage.

Did you have any upgraded parts on the bike that you will be compensated for?

I made the decision 6 months ago to drop full coverage on the RS. It seemed the book value had fallen to a point where it made better economic sense to go only with liability. I hope I dont regret it.

Its nice to know you may be staying in the Triple family with your replacement bike.

I just ordered the Triumph tool for replacing the valve shims on the RS - it'll be available for your new ride when you need it.

Darrell

 

[scratch]

Darrell, I'll let you know how the insurance process goes once I've successfully negotiated it.

I've got a few parts that are definitely coming off - the GenMar bar risers, Staintune slip-on and the ST passenger grab bar. If I end up getting another RS, those items will come in handy. The color-matched belly pan got ground up pretty good and doesn't appear to be salvageable.

 

[rob-houston]

.
I’m certain that my riding gear saved me from some serious abrasions and impact injuries – the visor popped off my helmet, but otherwise it did its job perfectly. Still, it’ll have to be replaced. My left glove was torn open at the little finger and the leather was nearly worn through at the palm but it held together well enough so that I only got a very superficial scrape on my pinky finger. There’s some swelling on the back of the hand from flopping around and it’s still somewhat sore, but I can grasp and carry objects with little difficulty. The pants wore through the top layer of leather at the knee and popped a seam, but the inner layer of leather remained intact. I didn’t have knee armor in place, but these particular pants have ¼” thick foam padding sandwiched between the leather there and that helped absorb some of the impact. Other than a small amount of slide-burn on the kneecap and some slight swelling and stiffness, it’s doing pretty good. Tested it fully bent today, and there’s no serious lingering pain after doing so. Normal walking and stair climbing doesn’t present any problems, but I may have it checked out by my doctor just to be sure everything is good to go. My jacket was undamaged except for a very small tear on one arm where it snagged a tree branch, but that can be repaired. The left boot almost wore through at the big toe but doesn’t show any other damage and the feet and ankles are fine. Otherwise, I’ve got a little stiffness in my neck and shoulders.

Just saw the post. Sorry to hear about the fall. Glad to hear that you are mostly OK. It's good to hear the gear did it's job. I'm still going through physical therapy. Rode with Karl(Smilie) Sunday. First ride with another rider.

Get well soon.

 

[Tourmeister]

Amazing that I never got around to posting my pics for this ride I'l let Sleepy Weasel do the usual commentary

 

[scratch]

Oh well; life goes on.