gregfeeler
Dances With Sheep
PGlaves said:...The van struck the front forks / handle bars which tore them off the bike. They were mostly found in the fence 190 feet down the road. The van tore the radiator off the front of the engine but missed the block. Everything came off the bike: front end, tank, saddle, trunk, bags. So what was left was a mainframe bent at the steering head, with a 370,000 mile engine, transmission, and drive train attached. Our speed differential was probably 30 to 35 mph.
The front end absorbed a lot of energy coming off and apart. The bike flopped down right hard - it may have tumbled. I flopped of to the right - hard. Landed with my bony elbow tucked in to my rib cage - the elbow lined up perfectly with one broken rib. Then I bounced at least once and wound up standing up...
My helmet, boots, and Aerostich suit were none the worse for wear except a little dirt on the suit. I had that broken rib, a big bruise on my right thigh and a big bruise on my left hip. Oh, and a little scratch on my cheek from my glasses frame.
I was very very lucky. A few inches different and she would have hit the block. There would have been much less energy absorption from stuff bending/breaking and a much more violent hit. A bit further back than that and she would have been into my leg.
So we had to scrub our 49 State ride at 40 states.
Wow. I rember talking with you at Branson last year about your 49 State ride. Too bad to loose such a good horse, but it seems the horse did a lot to protect you under the circumstances.
I had something somewhat similar happen in December. Riding to work crossing a very long, curved, 3-lane freeway overpass in the center lane. As I got onto the bridge I realized it was very icy. Just then, an old Toyota comes up in the right lane already going sideways. She crosses right in front of me (like less than five feet), passing to my left through my lane and into the far left lane. Not content to stay there, back she comes from my left, this time tagging the K75 just at the front edge of the cam & timing chain cover. It was *really* slick, so the bike goes down to the right, I bounce off her front fender (breaking two ribs) and over the hood to slide down the pavement following the K75. Much like you, other than the broken ribs and some bruses, I was fine. My gear was fine (ATGATT!) other than some good skuff marks on the helmet.
I did get the bike back from the ins. company (they have been very fair) and will have it back on the road this spring once I get the new Pichler painted. Makes for an exciting day when something like this happens, don't it?