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Yesterday I was riding my CBR when it started to rain. I was doing about 35 mph around a turn when I came into a construction area. There was an eight to ten foot square metal plate covering a hole in the road (and my whole lane) located right at the sharpest point of the curve. As soon as I saw it I knew I was in trouble so I applied the break while on the pavement in front of it and eased off as I hit the metal. I don't know what I could have done differently but the bike lowsided nearly immediately and dumped me on the road.
I figure I was probably only going 20mph or so when I hit the ground, but it still hurt pretty bad. My jacket protected my upper body, but my gloves were crap and the palm tore away like it was paper, leaving me with a painful hand wound. My jeans got holed on my thigh, but didn't shred like they did my previous wreck, and I got more bruises than road rash. My left boot will no longer win any beauty contests, but my foot didn't get a scratch. My helmet got scratched up on the side. Without it I don't want to know what my ear would look like. All in all it didn't feel good, but I was able to pick my bike up and ride home, which is a whole lot better than bleeding on the side of the road for a while.
The bike didn't fare too badly. The rear break pedal got bent, the side plastic fairing got scratched, a mirror broke off, and the front break lever is now only 3 inches long with a jagged point. The brakes shouldn't be too hard to fix, and I am not going to bother with the plastic since the bike is older anyway and the opposite side was damaged my last wreck. I think it is time to get new tires as well, as my interstate commuting tends to wear the tire unevenly compared to twisty rural roads, and the bottoms of the tire get flat.
What I learned is that I need to continue wearing safety gear and upgrade my gloves, even in the summer. I need to dramatically reduce my speed when conditions are bad, as blind curves, low visibility, and a wet surface all conspire against me. I should also be extra careful to watch for construction zones. I am sure the zone was marked, even though I don't remember seeing the sign
Friggin steel plates should be banned. They're bad news for everyone due to their low traction, but a near death sentence for motorcyclists.
Glad to hear you're OK. Gear did its job, but I would recommend a) replacing the helmet and b) getting new gloves that are a bit more abrasion-resistant. I use Held Steve gloves, and they're great. They have a nice feature in the palm that is meant to keep your hand sliding in an accident, which prevents both the tearing you experienced as well as any potential for twisted or broken wrists. Another good piece of gear to wear even when commuting are some knee/shin guards. They're pretty cheap, and unless you wear skinny jeans, they should fit under your pants no problem.
Yesterday I was riding my CBR when it started to rain. I was doing about 35 mph around a turn when I came into a construction area. There was an eight to ten foot square metal plate covering a hole in the road (and my whole lane) located right at the sharpest point of the curve. As soon as I saw it I knew I was in trouble so I applied the break while on the pavement in front of it and eased off as I hit the metal. I don't know what I could have done differently but the bike lowsided nearly immediately and dumped me on the road.
I figure I was probably only going 20mph or so when I hit the ground, but it still hurt pretty bad. My jacket protected my upper body, but my gloves were crap and the palm tore away like it was paper, leaving me with a painful hand wound. My jeans got holed on my thigh, but didn't shred like they did my previous wreck, and I got more bruises than road rash. My left boot will no longer win any beauty contests, but my foot didn't get a scratch. My helmet got scratched up on the side. Without it I don't want to know what my ear would look like. All in all it didn't feel good, but I was able to pick my bike up and ride home, which is a whole lot better than bleeding on the side of the road for a while.
The bike didn't fare too badly. The rear break pedal got bent, the side plastic fairing got scratched, a mirror broke off, and the front break lever is now only 3 inches long with a jagged point. The brakes shouldn't be too hard to fix, and I am not going to bother with the plastic since the bike is older anyway and the opposite side was damaged my last wreck. I think it is time to get new tires as well, as my interstate commuting tends to wear the tire unevenly compared to twisty rural roads, and the bottoms of the tire get flat.
What I learned is that I need to continue wearing safety gear and upgrade my gloves, even in the summer. I need to dramatically reduce my speed when conditions are bad, as blind curves, low visibility, and a wet surface all conspire against me. I should also be extra careful to watch for construction zones. I am sure the zone was marked, even though I don't remember seeing the sign
Glad to hear you are ok.
Yes, it's very important to know how your machine handles conditions. My sportscar has 19" tires with shallow groove....it sucks if there is any standing water as it will hydroplane easily. I know that if I get stuck out in moderate or stronger rain with it that I need to either park it or stick to city streets where speeds are <35. I know another guy that destroyed his driving it on a texas interestate in a cloudburst.....right into the ditch.
as stated, replace the helmet. I wear jeans normally as well, but i know they really don't offer the best protection (if much of any) when sliding on pavement. Good job wearing boots, i'm assuming they were riding boots? If not, i'd recommend some. They're typically not the most comfortable to walk around in on a daily basis, but when i consider that i won't be walking if my ankle goes lopsided under a bike, i think it's worthwhile. Gloves are important too, material and stitching makes a heck of a difference. That's typically the truth with all gear, and is the difference between the high priced stuff, and the cheaper stuff...I know appearance is important, so find something that fits the style of bike and gear that you want to wear, but the last thing you should be in are some cheap "mechanics" gloves or something similar. Leather, double and triple stitched, leather palm at a minimum, full leather if you can deal with the heat. I've got a set of leather bottom, mesh uppers, wrist length Joe Rocket's from cyclegear for about $12 on sale...was in the market anyway...full gauntlets are better, but pricier, and gloves from highly reputable brands can creep up to $100 and more....just like racing boots, leathers, and helmets.
I got my new helmet today, and I decided not to replace my "summer" riding gloves because they didn't really do anything. From now on it will be the heavy leather ones that go up halfway to my elbow.
Unfortunately I found out that when the rear brake pedal got bent the cable was damaged as well, so it looks like the bike will go to the shop anyway. I bent the pedal back into place with a hollow pipe, and now the pads don't smoothly respond to pressing the rear brake. Still, I'm just thankful the damage to me and the bike was as minimal as it was.
With a steel plate that large you were screwed. It sounds to me like you did just about everything you could do. Braking as much as possible before the steel plate probably saved more severe damage to both you and your bike.
Reading stuff like this just makes me shake my head sometimes. You drive around all day and see no end of useless road signs, how much would it have cost to put up a temporary "steel plate in road" warning sign, glad to hear your ok.
Those steel plates are murder for bikes even on the best of days, glad to hear your ok. As far as your gloves go, try checking out a pair of leather gloves with the "Kevlar" linings. I bought a pair at the military surplus store in our area.
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