Just had a get off myself at a little over 50mph because I was having a little too much fun on a twisty road that I know well. Unfortunately, my local knowledge of the road was not equivalent to the vast psychic power that was needed to forsee a parked cargo van at a the exit to a blind curve. Bottom line: my bad for letting my enthusiam overwhelm my judgement and going too fast, and the jerk's bad for parking a cargo van at the exit of a blind curve on a tight, twisty two lane road. FWIW, I did manage to not actually hit the van.
- Myself: Nothing broken, but a slightly twisted ankle. The bike slid on top of my left leg for about 20 feet with my left foot being twisted in at a 90 degree angle. How I ended up in that position I will never know, but the boot armor prevented damage to the bones from the weight of the bike. Road rash on my left index finger, left knee, and right back part of the hip, most serious on the index finger and knee, but no serious bleeding and no damage to bones, joints or muscles. A little stiffness the next day in the left leg and right hip, but again, nothing serious.
- Helmet - Arai Astral X: No major indentations. I slid about 40-50 feet, mostly on my face, but the inital impact was to the top right part of my head. There are no major indentations in the shell, though it's been ground down a good 1/4 inch. The visor stayed in tact through the whole slide, but is ground down to an opaque, sand paper like consistancy. The plastic puck type device Arai places over the hinging mechanism is somewhere back on the road and the mechanism itself is in several peices. Will replace with the same.
- Jacket - Rukka Air Power 2: The peice of gear I will miss most as they are wonderful jackets and nearly impossible to find in the US. Even if you find one, they're usually around $800-900, and I had found this one gently used for $300. The armor is all completely undamaged and I have salvaged it to place in my new jacket. The more substantial portions of cordura on the shoulder, back and elbow are scuffed, but did not rip. No seams ripped. There are a few holes in the lighter weight matierial on the hip area that corresponds to the road rash. I'd love to replace it with the same, but I seem to have misplaced my Swiss bank account number, and a deal that good doesn't come along often.
- Gloves - Olympia Summer Gel: Completely and totally destroyed. Several seams broken, the fabric tore, and they provided almost no protected, accounting for the large, deep patch of road rash running most of the length of my left index finger. They were comfortable, but I will never wear a glove without leather on the fingers again. Live and learn.
- Pants - Levi's 545: About as much protection as you would expect, accounting for the large and deep patch of road rash on my left knee. I still won't wear riding pants though - far too much hassle for commuting. I might consider some Draggin Jeans though.
- Boots - Oxtar Matrix Gore-tex: Completely destroyed. Several holes straight through the leather on the left boot. Toe shifter melted (who knew it would melt!?). Stitches all held together, and I credit them for preventing a broken ankle and shin from the bike literally sitting on top of my leg through the better part of the slide. Replacing with the revamped for 2005 Alpinestars Effex Gore Tex due to mild comfort issues with the Oxtars and a slightly better fit to the shape of my foot on the Alpinestars.
