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My fall down....

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JoyRider

JoyRider

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Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
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Location
Katy, Texas
First Name
Joyce
Last Name
Foster
My fall down w/pictures now

Well, Keith and I went on the pie run to Medina. Didn't make that decision until 10 PM on Friday, but hey the bikes were serviced and ready to go and the weather looked like it was going to be OK, so off we left at about 6:30 AM on Saturday morning. At the last minute I decided to put the dogs food bowl in the dog house (he doesn't usally eat when we are gone), looking back on it now I realize I was planning on being late and wanted to make sure he did not go without. So, our trip was uneventful to Medina. We got there around 11:30 AM, ordered our food and ate. The hamburger was delicious and the apple turnover was OK (it needed to be hot). When we were gearing up everyone was deciding on were they were going. I looked at Keith and said I would really like to run the Sisters and I convinced him that I was good to go (and I was). So off we go. Out to Vanderpool then on to 337 to Leaky. I was having a great time. There were some bikes in front of me (couple of duel sports and a cruiser) and it was a nice and easy pace. I was not out to break any records, just to have a nice ride. Going thru the corners in the mountains, I was taking them easy cause I remembered they could tighten up on you quick some of them, I keep thinking I should be getting close to were the PhotoMoto people are and that I might get another picture of me on my bike.
The corner (da da daaaa) The minute I went into the corner I knew I had picked the wrong line.... I kept thinking just lean her a little more and you might pull this one out....then my left peg hit and dug into the road and I knew I was going down.... I saw the guard rail with my front tire sliding under and I realized this was going to hurt..... I remember closing my eyes and thinking just roll, then I was off the bike and I remeber rolling about 3 or 4 times, finally landing on my stomach, with the wind knocked out of me. I pushed myself over and was thinking "I have to get up, this is not safe, I'm in the middle of the road and someone is going to crash into me", then Keith was there....trying to talk to me and I was trying to catch my breath and was able to tell I was not hurt and NO I did not need an ambulance. Several cars stopped to ask if I was OK and I said I was...then I turned and saw my baby....front tire under the rail, windscreen smashed, fender gone, and froggy in the middle of it all looking up at me as if to say "WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?" I looked at The Pig (my Meanie) and said I was very sorry and that I would get her out somehow. Keith was getting his bike safe and off the road and I was trying to keep the traffic from smashing her anymore than she already was, I called Rebecca, to see if she might be able to round up some bodies that could help Keith get my bike out, I was really NOT wanting a ticket from the local PD, then like an answer to a prayer the calvery showed in the form of 3 Harley riders, 3 big guys on the 3 big hog and was I ever glad to see them. They parked their bikes and walked over to my bike and told Keith "You are one lucky dude", to which my husband said "Not me guys, Her" and they all turned in unision to look at me (I was still directing the traffic). Between the 4 of them they managed to unwedge my baby and getting her rolling down to the only flat spot, were we all looked her over trying to see what was broke and what still worked. The guys were talking about my gear and my helmet (they were a mess), but I was up walking and talking. We assured them we would be OK and Thanked them very much. Then Keith and I were trying to decide what to do.....
 
Wow, glad your OK. I am sorry you crashed and I hope you and your baby recover.
 
:eek2: Wow, so glad to hear you came out OK!!! Hopefully you're not hurting much today.
 
Sorry this is going to be long, but here's my side of the story...

Wow, where do I begin? Joyce (JoyRider) and I left Katy right around 6:30 on Saturday morning for the 245 mile ride to Medina. The trip out was uneventful – no rain, no wind, just miles and miles of road to travel. We took a southern route that kept us south of I-10 for the most part, crossing at Seguin and then taking 46 West to 16, which we then followed into Medina. We arrived a bit later than intended (around 11:30) and had to scramble to find a parking space. Evidently there are quite a few folks who enjoy pie on TWT!

The burgers were GREAT and I really enjoyed the company at lunch. For desert we sampled the apple and cranberry turnovers, and a cranberry cookie. I thought the cookie was great, but the turnovers were just ok.

Of course the after lunch run is when all the excitement began. As we suited up to ride out of Medina, Joyce was looking rather sad at the prospect of returning home without getting to ride the Twisted Sisters. My thoughts were that we should head back to Katy as it was going to be a 500 mile day as it was. In hindsight I should have insisted, but instead I told Joyce that home was to the right and the Twisted Sisters were to the left – you choose. She rode left and I followed her onto 337 and the first leg of the Sisters loop.

As we rode out of Medina we were with 3 others, but when we reach Vanderpoole they headed north and we turned toward Leakey. I knew Joyce’s bike would need gas for the loop and it was our intention to stop in Leakey to refuel. Unfortunately things didn’t work out that way. She never made it to Leakey.

I recall thinking I was glad that Joyce had elected to do the loop as the route we were on was beautiful. We have discussed moving here when we retire and Saturday’s run did nothing to dissuade me from that desire. At least until we got close to the top of the mountain.

As I followed Joyce up the run I watched as she entered a sharp 25 mph left hand turn too close to the center line. What happened next is something I’ll never completely erase from my mind. I saw her go into a full lean to make the corner in an attempt to correct her line. But it was too late. If she had been on a sportbike she would have been fine, but the low clearance of the Mean Streak meant that her pegs were too low. Sure enough, her left peg hit the road hard, which resulted in the front tire loosing contact with the road. She’s scrapped them before, but never dug one in. She wasn’t so lucky this time. At her lean angle she was now just along for the ride.

The bike slid out from under her as she low sided into the first section of guard rail (the part that angles down). The front tire went under the railing and “her” life flashed before “my” eyes. There was nothing I could do but watch as the crash unfolded before me. As the bikes forward progress continued on the front of the bike was under the guard rail and the rear was still outside. There was debris and sparks flying everywhere. And then the bikes headlight and windscreen found the first post of the guard rail. The impact caused the rear of the bike to kick back out onto the roadway, but the front tire and handlebars were still trapped under the railing. The result was that Joyce was jettisoned onto the roadway where she simply rolled to a stop on her back. She wasn’t moving as I pulled my bike to a stop and ran to her side.

When I got to her I saw that her helmet was severely damaged, but not broken. There were scratches all across the helmet and the face shield. I gently opened her shield and breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes opened. I asked her if anything was broken and she began a quick inventory of her physical well being. She determined that everything seemed to be in a correct and working order. But she did have the wind knocked out of her.

I immediately began to assess the accident scene to find out what danger we were in. Laying in the middle of a blind curve isn’t a good place to be. Luckily a car pulled up behind my bike and stopped, so I felt we were ok for a moment. Two other cars came from the opposite direction and stopped to see if we needed help. Once Joyce had caught her breath and determined that nothing was broken I helped her up and got her to the side of the road for safety. We indicated that we were ok to the drivers in the cars and they continued on their way.

We now had to find a way to clear the roadway. I had Joyce take up a position to allow her to flag down oncoming traffic as I pulled my bike off the road way. Luckily, there was an entrance to a pasture a couple of hundred feet from the accident scene where we could regroup. I parked the ‘Busa there and then ran back to see what could be done with the Mean Streak.

The bike was wedged hard into the guard rail and there was no way I could move it by myself. About this time three guys on Harleys arrived and offered to help me extract the bike from the guard rail. With their help we were able to push, pull, and drag the bike out of the railing and then coast it down to the pasture entrance. Of course everyone was concerned with Joyce – as well they should be, but she was fine. A bit bruised and a good chunk of pride missing, but walking and talking none the less.

With the roadway cleared and Joyce’s well being assessed, we turned our attention to the bike. Brake fluid was leaking from the front, but other than that it didn’t appear anything else was oozing out. I put the key in and the bike started without issue and seemed to run fine. A quick look at the front brake hose revealed that it was just loose, so I tighten it and the fluid leak stopped. The left side peg – where it had hit the ground - was severely bent up. Since it didn’t appear I could do any further damage I elected to just stomp it back as best I could. The front headlight assembly was broken, but the light itself was fine. The windscreen was totaled so we removed it. The front fender wasn’t even attached any longer. It had broken into two pieces. The left mirror glass was gone. The tank had a nasty dent in it and the Mean Streak emblem was torn in two. The radiator mounting bracket was bent in at the bottom. There are some other minor scrapes and scratches on the bike, but nothing really worth mentioning. End assessment, it appears to be ride able.

Still, worried about the loss of brake fluid I elected to ride into Leakey to see if I could find some more DOT 4. As it turns out all they had was DOT 3, but I bought it anyway and rode back. By now Squeaky and Don had arrived to see if they could help. At this point I started up the Mean Streak and test rode it to be sure it was ok. Other than handling like the pig it is (sorry – I’m a sportbike guy), it appeared to be fine.

So, Joyce, Squeaky, Don, and I all headed back down the mountain and into Medina to refuel. Of course the heavens decided that was enough waiting around and they opened up on us while riding back. We were all soaked by the time was got to Medina.

After refueling we said our goodbyes to Squeaky and Don and headed back to Katy. We did hit one shower, but of the most part the weather left us alone. All along the way home I stopped as often as possible to make sure Joyce was ok. When we got to Bandera the stress of the day finally got to her and we had to stop for a bit. Which was fine as it was nearly dinner time and a good place for a break. After she had a bite to eat she was good to go again and we continued on our way.

Somewhere outside of Eagle Lake the headlight decided it was tired and let go of the last remaining piece of plastic that was holding it in place. Luckily Joyce had some rubber bands that we could us to hold it in place for a while longer. We pulled into the Buc-cee’s in Eagle Lake and bought some duct tape to secure it further. The rest of the ride was uneventful and we rolled into home at 11:30pm. Total mileage for me was 568 miles. This was my longest single day ride ever. Not so sure it’s one that I want to remember though…
 
Sorry for the spill but glad you are ok. Better to low slide than to go flying.
The twisties on FM 337 have bit a lot of people.
 
Glad to hear everything worked out ok (sans the scratches and missing pieces).

Two questions that I have:

1) about how fast was she going when she went down?

2) Gear details (type, brand, pants/jacket, helmet, etc).

As morbid as it sounds, I learn a lot from others' mistakes. I went down about 20 years ago thanks to a cage. It was low speed, totaled the bike and put me in a cast for 8 weeks. I was wearing no gear at all and the road rash hurt worse than the broken ankle.

So, I learn from others what they're wearing when they lay it down, how it takes the punishment and how well it works.

Again, I'm glad everyone went home on what they rode in on.

BexarWolf
 
Speed was some where around 25 mph. It was NOT too fast for the corner IF she had selected the right line through the corner. She came in way to close to the center line and did not have sufficent room on the cruiser to make the curve. Got to hand it to her though, she leaned the bike as far as it would go (and then some). Rode it all the way to the ground and low sided it rather than panicing and trying to stand it upright.

As for gear. Bell full face helmet. Cortech mesh jacket. Olympia leather gloves. Sidi boots. Joe Rocket pants. Everything but the pants had damage. The helmet will not be reused, the rest can.
 
Glad you're ok.

It's a good idea to get to the GP and get checked out head-to-toe if you haven't already done so. It was a low side, but the description of the incident suggests a minor impact was experienced.
 
I haven't had the pleasure of riding the 3's yet but drove one of them in the cage back in March during our honeymoon (yes, even the honeymoon was invaded with a bike scouting drive). I DO remember some the curves being unnerving even in a Jeep! I'm glad I drove it before I ride it for the first time.

Hwy 16 going south towards Medina is just plain spooky!:eek2:

Thanks for the gear info. I'm hoping my Joe Rocket mesh jacket, leather overpants and KBC helmet will offer me the same protection. One of these days I'll upgrade my Academy boots and Mechanix gloves. :lol2:

:clap: :rider:
 
Joyce, I'm glad you're okay for the most part! You're a trooper!:clap:

Time to get rid of that meanie and get yourself something along the lines of an SV. Those things have cornering clearance for days.
 
Glad Joyce is ok amd thank the good Lord for duct tape.

I understand fully what she went thru. Did the exact same thing on my VTX, probably on that same curve. I had put shortened shocks on the X to lower it. I entered the curve just as I had always done except this time the floor board hit hard and the bike wanted to pivot on the floor board. Luckly I wasn't traveling fast and was to keep the bike up and get it out of the gravel next to the guard rail without going down. As soon as I got home I replaced the those shocks with the originals.
:sun:
 
Joyce,

Glad to hear you're okay! Hope this doesn't change your mind about riding.

Marco
 
Joy, I have not had the pleasure of meeting you but am sincerely glad you were not seriously injured. Kudos to you for getting the bike all the way back home.


P.s. it will take three to four weeks for the black and blues to fade...don't ask me how I know this.
 
Glad to finally hear the details after the short report in the Pie report. However, this version is a lot scarier. :eek2:

Hope you heal quickly and figure out what to do with bike repairs. Be alert for extra "hurts" after the adrenaline wears off.

I enjoyed meeting both of you in Medina. When you are ready to conquer the sisters next time, let us know, and I'll bet you get plenty of "escorts"...

Chin up! :thumb:
 
Glad you are okay, Joyce. Sounds like the gear did its job.




Now, where are the pictures???:popcorn:


And I quote, "This thread is useless without pictures!"

:duck:
 
No pictures. I have no desire to remember this day at all. I can not stress enough the horror I felt as I watched my wife crash in front of my eyes. Trust me, it was hard enough to write down what happened. There is no way I want photos of the scene.
 
This was our 4th or 5th trip to the sisters, so we have rode them several times before. Just goes to show that one should never relax for even a second when riding the Twisted Sisters.

I don't believe for an instant that "Twisted" refers to the curves in the road.
 
:tab Glad to hear you are okay Joyce. Getting back on the bike after something like this can be a real challenge.

:tab This really shows that you don't have to be hot dogging to get into trouble. I wish all those people that refuse to wear gear because they "ride slow and are careful" could learn from this. I also hope those guys that stopped to help took notice of the gear Joyce had on and her lack of serious injury. Hopefully, it will give them pause to reconsider their own riding attire.
 
mochoajr said:
Joyce,

Glad to hear you're okay! Hope this doesn't change your mind about riding.

Marco
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Yikes! Bite your tongue.... Not Ride...Not Ride... I'm trying to figure out how fast I can get her fixed and ready to ride again....
 
Keith said:
No pictures. I have no desire to remember this day at all. I can not stress enough the horror I felt as I watched my wife crash in front of my eyes. Trust me, it was hard enough to write down what happened. There is no way I want photos of the scene.
Click to expand...



Okay. Just call me Mr. Insensitive. :giveup:
 
Joyce,
Glad to hear your are all right and both you and the bike heal quickly.
 
Tourmeister said:
:tab Glad to hear you are okay Joyce. Getting back on the bike after something like this can be a real challenge.

:tab This really shows that you don't have to be hot dogging to get into trouble. I wish all those people that refuse to wear gear because they "ride slow and are careful" could learn from this. I also hope those guys that stopped to help took notice of the gear Joyce had on and her lack of serious injury. Hopefully, it will give them pause to reconsider their own riding attire.
Click to expand...



Very true Scott, IF I had not been in gear I would not have been able to ride her home, and I'm hopeful that the guy's that helped us didn't just think "It was just a girl that went down and didn't have a clue how to handle a bike thru the corners" " I would never do that". My mistake (and I always own up to my mistakes) is that I picked the wrong line in the corner and knew it the second I did it and tried to correct. I did not fixate on anything and I did not panick, I just picked a lousey line and got bite....
 
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