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They all said to me it would happen eventually. I've been riding for over a year and it finally happened today while I was out for a blast. It wasn't serious but has done enough damage to take the bike of the road for a while. May even start a strip down and rebuild but may just get it fixed for summer. So what happened?...........

Coming off the A303 I took my usual long right hand sweeping corner. Usually I have my knee down round the corner as there are road works there. This time I was going a bit slower but made the mistake of NOT expecting the unexpected. I took it for granted that the road would have the right lane open, cones on the left and the left hand lane being worked on. This is how it has been for ages.

As I came round the corner I realized the cars in the right hand lane had stopped. As I started to slow I also realized that I was not gonna have enough time to stop. There were 4 cars stopped in the only open lane with a work truck picking up the barriers blocking the road. The road works were being packed up. I knew I was gonna hit the car if I didn't go wide. I couldn't slow quick enough because I was at about 45 degrees. I decided instead of hitting the back of the car I would pick the bike up and try and go round them, inbetween the cones in the left hand lane. This would have worked except for the "Stop here when red light shows" sign. I couldn't get the bike up quick enough and it hit the sign on the right hand front fairing.

The sign went flying and the 3 work men moving the barriers further up looked round. Luckily I didn't drop the bike and managed to stop before I ran out of road. I got off the bike, picked up the sign which had no damage and put in back in place. Once I done that the 3 work men turned round and carried on working. I got back on the bike and went home.

As they say 'toad Happens!!!'

Unucky mate, best of all you werent hurt nor is there any complicated claims from hitting someones car! Its all fixable, even your pride!

Unlucky Carney, I have to say I've joined you. I had my first off going into knickerbrook at Oulton Park whilst on the zxr 400. I had just got off the throttle and put a little too much brake on. Didn't help that it had just thrown it down. Bike went down, so did I and all I could think was - there's my bike as I slid on my butt for about 50 yards.

That was a week last Tuesday. On the following Friday on my way home from work I did exactly the same thing on my brand new SV 650. The missus is not a happy bunny! Two crashes, two bikes, three days.

Just to celebrate I booked Croft for next month! Just need to get the 400 sorted now.

I binned my bike 2 times in one night once, dropped it on a left hand, then on a right hand :smt013

That must be the worst feeling ever dropping a NEW bike. How gutted you mest feel i can only imagine.

I don't think I've ever seen that much damage on a bike that WASN'T dropped!!!

if thats the damage from the sign thank got you didn't take the car.bad luck mate but can be fixed, glad your ok!

take it as a learning curve, you shouldnt race into corners / parts of the road you cannot see, i let my guard down last week and ran the 636 up a grass bank, if your gonna race the bike, atleast have a slow run around the roads your gonna ride down, and like i say if you cant see the road ahead, ride defensively,

Rob

RobB wrote:I binned my bike 2 times in one night once, dropped it on a left hand, then on a right hand :smt013

That must be the worst feeling ever dropping a NEW bike. How gutted you mest feel i can only imagine.

I gave a mate a lift to pick up his new bike (new to him) it was a Suzuki Katana 1000, and on the way back we pulled in to the services for fuel. As you came off the motorway the slip lane to the services curved around to the left, I braked and slowwed ready for the corner only to see my mate carry on straight past me into the concrete barrier. The impact bent the bars and cracked the engine casing over the oil pump, so the bike swiftly deposited all its black stuff on the tarmac.

Luckily no sooner had this happened than a chapped pulled in to the services with an empty bike trailer, he was going our way so after lots of sheepish looks from my mate he agreed to drop the bike back for us. Apparently my mate had trouble with the brakes but to this day we still don't know exactly what happened. But one thing I can say is he was GUTTED!

Everyone I have talked to about my crash has said that they have at some point binned their bike. I suppose it's just another club you join when you get a motorbike. The worst thing is when you realize you are OK you start feeling it for your bike!!! As Master's said, just glad I didn't hit the car. If I had, I would definatley have injury's and the bike would probably be on ebay by now!!!

The new fairing is on route from Germany (£125 for the fairing sides and nose cone from Ebay), The stickers and double bubble are on route from Ebay (gotta love Ebay), The bike has been cleaned and the other non damaged fairing parts and front mudguard are all sanded down ready for painting.

The new paint scheme is ready so as soon as it all arrives the bike should be back on the road in about a month. Hopefully won't miss too much of the summer.

Ride safe everyone......and ALWAYS expect the unexpected!!!!!

In my crashes I was worrying about the bike even as the crash was still happening!

First thing I've done every time is got up and gone straight to pick the bike up lol!

The way I see it - I'll heal myself. The bike will cost me money.

its that moment as you've got all the brakes locked on and you feel the front end start to skid away and everything slows down and all you can think of is "how much fucking money is this going to cost me then". Then roll down the road watching the bike flip down a ditch

yes i've been there done that lol