This is not NT-related, but it's the accident I've learned the most from. I was on my 1st '99 Kawasaki Concours and I had put 115,000 miles on the bike.
Two friends and I were returning from Buena Vista, CO, and were riding the Peak to Peak HIghway, south of Allenspark. It was about 10:00 at night at the end of a long day. I'd been up since 6AM, preached three times and then ridden 200 miles to Buena Vista, and then 161 miles back toward friend Rick's house on CO-7. We only lacked about 9-10 miles of being there. I was going to spend the night with Rick because he had had a rough week. He'd been with Paul when Paul crashed and was killed. Rick had stayed with Paul's body in Utah until after the cremation, and then taken Paul's ashes home to his family in Buena Vista.
We had ridden over Loveland Pass and gotten into light snow which turned into rain as we rode to Idaho Springs and north toward Nederland. The rain had stopped and the roads had dried out. Rick and Mke, our other friend were very familiar with the Peak-to-Peak and were probably more alert than I was. They were riding at a brisk pace and I felt as if I were pushing trying to keep up with them. So I slowed down and found a comfortable 45-55 mph speed that was suiting me. On the third part of a linked series of curves, I suddenly felt as if I was going way too fast. I tried light trail-braking with the rear wheel and then with the front. I remember going off the road on the outside of the curve. The next thing I remember was waking up on the side of the road and wondering if I'd been in a wreck. Then Mike was there and, in short order, so were two ambulances. One of them took me down the hill to the Longmont hospital's ER. After X-rays and an exam by the ER doc, I was released and went home with Rick. I had a mild concussion and bruised ribs, but recovered fairly soon. My helmet, a three-week-old Nolan N-103, was ruined, with deep gouges on top, front, and both sides. My 'Stitch had a few broken threads on the shoulder ballistics, but everything else was undamaged.
Except for my Connie. Everything from the headlight to the back 6" of the gas tank was destroyed (except for my GPS, which was still in its cradle, attached to the top of the instrument panel).
After we got up the next morning, I examined the bike and then Rick and I went back to the scene of the accident. I was more than a little surprised at the curve. It was one I had ridden many times (well, at least 10-20 times), always in the daytime. It is a 60-70 mph bend and I had crashed at 45-50.
What I learned from this is that our bikes are usually capable of more than we think they are. If I had leaned more I would have made the curve with no trouble. By trying to slow down, I made the bike stand up and widened the curve, taking me off the outside shoulder. If you try braking in a corner, you need to be sure you keep the bike turning instead of letting it stand up.
Other factors in the accident were undoubtedly fatigue and darkness.
Two friends and I were returning from Buena Vista, CO, and were riding the Peak to Peak HIghway, south of Allenspark. It was about 10:00 at night at the end of a long day. I'd been up since 6AM, preached three times and then ridden 200 miles to Buena Vista, and then 161 miles back toward friend Rick's house on CO-7. We only lacked about 9-10 miles of being there. I was going to spend the night with Rick because he had had a rough week. He'd been with Paul when Paul crashed and was killed. Rick had stayed with Paul's body in Utah until after the cremation, and then taken Paul's ashes home to his family in Buena Vista.
We had ridden over Loveland Pass and gotten into light snow which turned into rain as we rode to Idaho Springs and north toward Nederland. The rain had stopped and the roads had dried out. Rick and Mke, our other friend were very familiar with the Peak-to-Peak and were probably more alert than I was. They were riding at a brisk pace and I felt as if I were pushing trying to keep up with them. So I slowed down and found a comfortable 45-55 mph speed that was suiting me. On the third part of a linked series of curves, I suddenly felt as if I was going way too fast. I tried light trail-braking with the rear wheel and then with the front. I remember going off the road on the outside of the curve. The next thing I remember was waking up on the side of the road and wondering if I'd been in a wreck. Then Mike was there and, in short order, so were two ambulances. One of them took me down the hill to the Longmont hospital's ER. After X-rays and an exam by the ER doc, I was released and went home with Rick. I had a mild concussion and bruised ribs, but recovered fairly soon. My helmet, a three-week-old Nolan N-103, was ruined, with deep gouges on top, front, and both sides. My 'Stitch had a few broken threads on the shoulder ballistics, but everything else was undamaged.
Except for my Connie. Everything from the headlight to the back 6" of the gas tank was destroyed (except for my GPS, which was still in its cradle, attached to the top of the instrument panel).
After we got up the next morning, I examined the bike and then Rick and I went back to the scene of the accident. I was more than a little surprised at the curve. It was one I had ridden many times (well, at least 10-20 times), always in the daytime. It is a 60-70 mph bend and I had crashed at 45-50.
What I learned from this is that our bikes are usually capable of more than we think they are. If I had leaned more I would have made the curve with no trouble. By trying to slow down, I made the bike stand up and widened the curve, taking me off the outside shoulder. If you try braking in a corner, you need to be sure you keep the bike turning instead of letting it stand up.
Other factors in the accident were undoubtedly fatigue and darkness.
