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Tonys96 wrote:
I have to agree. One beautiful, sunny Saturday morning this past April I was heading up the interstate on my '83 1100i at freeway speeds and noticed something bouncing down the road in front of me that suspiciously resembled a valve stem. I was in the center lane and began to slow (brakes and gears combined) as I pulled into the breakdown lane. At approximately 40 MPH the front of my bike started to bob and weave and it was all I could do to hold onto the handlebars.
When I thought I couldn't ride it out anymore I decided soft dirt is better than hard pavement and moved into the grass. Sadly, the ground was so soft that the front forks dug in and the bike stopped. I didn't. Pigs may not fly but I know of one that bounced.
Bent forks, broken cockpit, damage to bearing head, damaged fairing (I removed the windscreen flying through it) and sadly, a totalled bike. If I had been in better financial condition I would have kept it to break out or even repair as a project. Instead I used the settlement to buy an'85 Aspencade w/trailer.
I was wearing my helmet (by choice, your own decision) and was glad that I only suffered a single fractured rib. Am now considering switching to metal valve stems when I replace tires. Any thoughts on the switch?
Tonys96 wrote:
I have to agree. One beautiful, sunny Saturday morning this past April I was heading up the interstate on my '83 1100i at freeway speeds and noticed something bouncing down the road in front of me that suspiciously resembled a valve stem. I was in the center lane and began to slow (brakes and gears combined) as I pulled into the breakdown lane. At approximately 40 MPH the front of my bike started to bob and weave and it was all I could do to hold onto the handlebars.
When I thought I couldn't ride it out anymore I decided soft dirt is better than hard pavement and moved into the grass. Sadly, the ground was so soft that the front forks dug in and the bike stopped. I didn't. Pigs may not fly but I know of one that bounced.
Bent forks, broken cockpit, damage to bearing head, damaged fairing (I removed the windscreen flying through it) and sadly, a totalled bike. If I had been in better financial condition I would have kept it to break out or even repair as a project. Instead I used the settlement to buy an'85 Aspencade w/trailer.
I was wearing my helmet (by choice, your own decision) and was glad that I only suffered a single fractured rib. Am now considering switching to metal valve stems when I replace tires. Any thoughts on the switch?
