First Rashing

[Anonymous]

Well I got my first motorcycle when I was about 12, it was my 79 Gs 550e, I got it for 350 CAN from my neighbor. I drove it down my road a few times (I live back in the bush) and a couple years pass and I buy my trike (the 82 R) and after I have it fer about a week, my uncle wants to see how fast it actually goes, and too clock him on my bike... so were racing down through the whidy road, leaning it over, scraping the centerstand on the corners, pushing its limits until I came around this one corner that had sand on the road, as soon as my front tire hit the sand, she kicked out and in a split second i was on my hands and knees sliding across the pavement. after i stopped sliding I got up and looked for my bike, it was at the side of the road in the gravel, my uncle in the bush with my trike (he had to swerve to miss hitting me, and ended up there). I was mostly worried about my bike, not thinkin of myself i ran to my bike to pick it up, I hoiseted it up with too much force and dropped it on its otherside.... shaking i picked it up and put it on its side stand to survey damage, I noticed my handlbars bent, nearly touching the tank, brake mastercylinder busted, brake lever busted, timing cover smashed, footpeg bent, scrapes on one side of the pipe, signal lights scratched but not broken ! tank rashed. I got away with a large gash in one of my knees, no skin on either, no skin on one arm, shoulders a lil bit rash, hands were fine (was wearing kevlar gloves)

I was out fer a lil while, when i saved enough cash, I bought new bars, ,mirrors, backrest, seat, reservoir, lever, and timing cover + DOHC decal.

After I reassembled it and polished it, it looked good as new, almost perfect.

That night my dad decides he would take it on a fire call.... .. ... ...

well ... the headlight went out he tells me...

the new bars bent, signal lights broken, guage cluster... what guage cluster? hea
dlight (obviously) font fender dinged scratched, one mirror scratched and glass broken, new timing cover cracked, missing a few chunks, back rest was ripped off.... footpeg bent again and the brake resevoir was once again broken... He was in rough condition, back rashed, arms, legs, and a hole in his ankle from a stick, but was living and didn't require medical attention.

Well the bike now is fully repaired, with some scraches on the pipes, fender, backrest, headlight ring, and mirror, but that adds character right , the timing cover was tigwelded back together, and all new parts put one. It is now back on the road ready to go. this winter I think i will give it some new rings and gaskets and keep er running fer a few more years, hopefully not anymore wrecks.

[mcycle-nut]

Your DAD crashed your bike? That's a new one. Usually it's the son that crashes dad's vehicle. By the way, what do you do, sell drugs? How does a 17 year old afford all those vehicles?

[Anonymous]

believe it or not i dont sell drugs, i got my first machine (the bigred) from my grampa, i worked it off splitting wood and all the things he told me to do, then i had a paper route for a very long time, i did odd jobs for the neighbors, landscaping, lawns, splitting, piling, cutting wood etc. saved and bought my bike (GS) ($350) and trike (250R) ($650) doing that, then i got a job this summer makin 10$ an hour and 8-12 h days 6-7 days a week, and i got my vision fer 600, and the truck for 1100 at an auction, so i dont have much invested, i just look and wait for the deals!!

[Anonymous]

Ahhh a thrifty shopper, and by the sounds of it a good worker, or at least willing to work .

Keep up the bargain hunting, and keep you face in the breaze!

[Anonymous]

first rashin'

Ahhh, I remember it well. The fall of '75. That's right, 1975 (now stop laughing). I had gotten off duty early for the weekend and was leaving Ft. Stewart, Ga. for my home in N.C.(about a 5 hour ride). As I was coming into a five-way intersection, I noticed an orange Vega (for those of you too young to remember, it was a small Chevy) coming like a rocket towards me. Wierd that my first thought was, "hope the crash bar holds cause she doesn't see me". Just to clarify, I had full gear including full-face Bell Star helmet with headlights on, turn signals on, my paw in the air to indicate a turn thru the intersection even though I had the right-of-way. Things slowed down, which they always do for me, and I got to watch the nose of the Vega crumple the crash bar against the case. I didn't realize that I was already airborne, but quickly looked up to discover that I was headed for the grill of an oncoming '68 Polara (that was a Dodge battleship). I vaguely remembered a police car(?), when I hit the pavement, face first, then rolled over coming ot rest on one knee. As I looked up, I was face-to-face with the grill of the Polara. The owner, pale as a ghost came running around the fender and almost fainted when I stood up. He had seen the accident coming, and by the grace of God had stood on the brakes. When I disappeared from view, he thought I was under the car. As I turned around, I saw my beautiful golden Yamaha 750 Triple all over the pavement. The impact had thrown me 68 feet. I took off my helmet and saw that it had given it's life for mine (Thank-you Bell Helmets!!!!) and was quickly getting a large case of post-crash rage. She later claimed she didn't see me and was trying to get over to pick up her husband in another unit, running a stop sign at the largest intersection on the post. About that time an MP came running up, (oh yeah, there was a police car!) and asked if I was ok. I was about to tell him I was hacked off about my bike, when I realized his uniform was covered in some dark stain. I asked what happened to him. He told me "I was about to take a drink of my Coke, when you went flying across the hood of my car. I turned to watch you and poured the drink down the front of my uniform! I busted out laughing and he proceeded to write the poor girl every citation he could think of! Later, her husband was almost courtsmartialed for trying to imtimidate me out of contacting his insurance company for the claim. LESSONS LEARNED: 1) Never take for granted that others see you. 2) Buy and use a good helmet, what's YOUR head worth? 3) Use gloves, what are your hands worth? 4) Don't let others intimidate you out of contacting their insurance company. The difference may mean a quick settlement or a long nightmare. Thanks for reading the long bedtime story!! Jerry

[Anonymous]

thanks for sharing that one
yashana5783

[Anonymous]

It happens so fast

Hey guys. Could be an interesting thread to persue.Critical situations have such a short learning curve. Having a few thousand miles on my first bike and being 22,my confidence was,in hindsight, overrated. I still don't get Oakley's,shorts, and running shoes on crotch rockets.

So the Honda 550 is running smooth on open highway through farmland.I ease left to get better look for passing car. Look back at car ahead to see brake lights; no turn signal warning. Overreact. Go right. Gravel. Sizeable drainage ditch. Slippery slope. I can ride this out. Almost. Somewhere around 30mph, I hit a beauty of a hole. We part company instantly. I will never forget the inverted view through my legs of my bike . Front tire 2ft off ground;rear tire about 4ft. Only instinct at this point was to stay ahead of bike. As soon as I had control of my body, I rolled (and won). Very fortunate I did not flop.

State Trooper stops by. Lives close. Huge tool box. Realign fork. Invites me to dinner. Good chow. No injuries. Troopers are the best. Highest regards for their proffesionalism in all situations.
Always fair.

[Jay B]

believe it or not i dont sell drugs, i got my first machine (the bigred) from my grampa, i worked it off splitting wood and all the things he told me to do, then i had a paper route for a very long time, i did odd jobs for the neighbors, landscaping, lawns, splitting, piling, cutting wood etc. saved and bought my bike (GS) ($350) and trike (250R) ($650) doing that, then i got a job this summer makin 10$ an hour and 8-12 h days 6-7 days a week, and i got my vision fer 600, and the truck for 1100 at an auction, so i dont have much invested, i just look and wait for the deals!!

You should be the poster teenager for this next generation. You want something go out and work hard for it. Makes it all the nicer when you get it and makes you appreciate it more so you take care of it. So I say good job and remember to thank your parents for doing a good job raising you.