So I was off today, getting a bunch of stupid stuff done. beautiful day out, so I decided to ride the bike up to Lebanon Advance and pick up some belts and spark plugs for the truck to get it ready for the tow to Lincoln. Rode up, enjoyed the ride, rode around going no where, picked up my parts, started to mosey home and realized I was almost out of gas, so I ran down to the new Pilot station off 267 and filled her up. Headed home, and as I went to turn onto my road, a quarter mile from my driveway, I realized they had graded the road while I was gone. Uh-oh... this will be a little tricky, but no big deal. Right?
Wrong.... they made a nice 4" thick "sandtrap" right at the end of the road where it meets the pavement. It sucked the front tire right into it, and basically threw me head over the handlebars. All I remember thinking was "berkeley me, the bike is going to get scra...WHUMP!" Ended up snapping the driver's mirror, bent the handle bar, the left handle bar mount, the shifter and scratched the berkeley out of the side engine cover. Luckily, no paint was scratched or dented but hte left muffler has a big ass dent in it.
I've been riding this bike since 1998. It's NEVER been down. Until today. berkeley YOU Boone County Highway Dept. berkeley YOU.
Did they have signs warning you? I know a situation up around Rensselaer about 15-years ago where they didn't have signs up for the repairs, and drivers got the county to pay for detailing their cars to remove the tar.
Glad its you who's not broken. Dropping bikes is one scary thing.
4" of sand, even that incredible sugar sand, shouldn't have thrown you. At the risk of sounding less than sympathetic, I'd suggest you practice more until you do learn how to handle it.
Personal sand confession, I never did figure out how to handle that sugar sand down in Texas. The bike would sink down nearly to its axles, speed wobble like mad, and eventually I'd either side it or flip it over the front wheels. Got real experienced at tumbling that bike, but never managed to figure out how to successfully ride through more than a few feet of that stuff. Finally gave up and make sure to avoid roads with the stuff.
Daaaaang bobzilla, that sucks. I hope you're not hurt.
@Foxtrapper: It sounds to me like the problem wasn't just the sand, it was the pavement>sand>pavement transition. And he didn't have the opportunity to avoid the area since there was no signage.
Avoid it? I have to ride it to get home. It's my road. What am I going to do, park the bike on the side of the road and walk the last quarter mile? No.
It wasn't sand, but the 4-6" of powdered gravel dust mixed with loose rock acted like quick sand when that front tire went in. We're still in a drought here, so the ground and road are so dry that it's dust powder and loose rock.
I've been riding this bike since 1998. Before that I had a dirt bike as a preteen/teen. In all my years of riding this is the first time I've ever lost it(street bike that is). This was such a different instance there's not much one could do to change the outcome. Turning 90* off of a paved road onto a freshly graded road with 4-6" of dust/gravel powder.
But hey, I'm sure foxtrapper is a better rider than everyone and would have never had this problem.
foxtrapper wrote:
4" of sand, even that incredible sugar sand, shouldn't have thrown you. At the risk of sounding less than sympathetic, I'd suggest you practice more until you do learn how to handle it.
Personal sand confession, I never did figure out how to handle that sugar sand down in Texas. The bike would sink down nearly to its axles, speed wobble like mad, and eventually I'd either side it or flip it over the front wheels. Got real experienced at tumbling that bike, but never managed to figure out how to successfully ride through more than a few feet of that stuff. Finally gave up and make sure to avoid roads with the stuff.
ehh...E36 M3 happens. I dropped a bike at sub 10mph when turning a tight uphill corner in a parking lot. Front wheel hit some loose gravel.
After a closer inspection not inebriated and still upset, it looks like the handlebar itself is ok. ust the driver's side mounting base is tweaked.
In reply to Bobzilla:
Bike doesn't look that bad and apparently you aren't hurt too badly either. Could have been worse.
Yeah, it would have hurt a lot more if I hadn't been wearing a helmet, jeans and my new(this year) padded jacket. Legs got a little bruised, hands hurt like hell and a bruise on the shoulder where I hit between two pads.
I'll tell you what, I'm a little more sore this morning than I thought I would be.
Bobzilla wrote:
But hey, I'm sure foxtrapper is a better rider than everyone and would have never had this problem.
Kinda figured you wouldn't bother to read what I wrote, and would just get your knickers in a knot. Oh well.
Fwiw, all my bikes have scars. The only way not to go down is to not ride. Heck, it's one of my practices to take any new bike and go out back and practice with it. Locking either and both wheels, sliding backwards, riding wheelies, etc. All so I can get to know what the bike can and cannot do well with me on it. So they get scrapes and dents and new signals.
But hey, don't read my words. Just get yourself upset because I dared to think perhaps you could learn to ride through a few inches of soft dirt/sand stuff.
And you didn't read what I wrote either. I've been riding through this E36 M3 for the last 8 years. There was no way through this time because they changed it up from normal. Gravel, not sand, in a drought, several inches deep in the middle of a turn all held together by the finest powder you can imagine.
I put 13k miles on this bike in the last 14years.... I didn't ride it but once or twice 3 different years. This was the first time it's ever been down.
Many years of sand riding: the secret is two fold. In a straight line, keep your speed up and get your weight back. In a corner, get your nads on the tank, weight that front wheel!
ddavidv
PowerDork
8/14/12 5:10 p.m.
Bunch of amateurs...I dropped my KLR in the driveway. I wasn't even on it. 
If you expect to never drop a bike, you're delusional.
Now that your Nighthawk is irreparably imperfect, I'll remove the eyesore from your garage for, oh, a thousand bucks. PM me when you're ready. 
Lol. I already got 3 similar offers today! I stopped glaring after the second one.
Annnnnd then, yesterday coming home from work my wife dropped her lovely scooter in the driveway. She feels terrible and keeps apologizing but I just kept telling her that it's okay and it was her scooter anyway. (I gave it to her for her birthday last year.)
The driveway is pretty funky in spots; she tried to go around my car and changed her mind at the last second and didn't have the strength to stop the scooter from laying over. Just a little scratch on the front fender and a rub mark on the Givi case and one bent brake lever. I actually couldn't believe how little damage there was given all the bright shiny painted plastic parts on it.
