First real fail........

[houndog]

Well, fellas, 5k miles and my first real crash. On a path I ride 5-20 times a week.
......and if I had not crashed at 45mph and instead slammed or skidded into the trees across the path, that were obscured by a limb hanging down and a slight curve, I'd be out riding today. Had I hit the trees, I'd just be "out" for good, most likely.

Luckily, the excellent front brake worked, locked up, snatched bars, kicked back tire up and the strategically placed stump allowed my head to slow my sliding along the ground to come to a stop just in front of the 2 trees that were dead with bare limbs a couple feet long. The trees were angled down the path and the limbs would have surely impaled me had I not locked that brake.

Super glue worked great to glue my face back. I seemed, other than the face thing completely undamaged, so was the bike! Well, actually I was bleeding from the torn lip, mouth, and nose and had a little bark imbedded in my head. No big deal. Mac was freaked out. He thought I was incoherent and stumbling around. He could not hear me over the Husky and his helmet (he's smarter than me). I was not stumbling! My pistol (PMR30 KelTec,bad ass) had gotten tossed and the magazine was missing! I was looking for the Mag. and he thought I was messed up There was plenty of blood but I really was not "hurt". The mag. was under the trees. It was that close, boys.

Mac did not see the trees until after I got up! They were perfectly camouflaged by the slight bend and the bushy hanging limb. He thinks he would have slammed them even though he was going at least 20mph slower than me. He does not know the path. I could ride it asleep.

My buddy was on his first ride on his completely restored 500 Husky. He can not start it! We towed it to get it going. He had to keep his bike running and could not help me. Of course since all we were doing was a test ride I did not bother to put on anything except my safety glasses and gloves. The stump was rotten and my head demolished it. So we got back and I put some bandaids on and rode the 450 around the block. No pain issues at all,
Had to change safety glasses as they were blood soaked and had bark lodged in them!

Got back. Cut Husky off. Mac tried to start it. No luck, wore him out, I kicked the damn thing 1 freaking time and it fired up! Started it 8 more times with a total of about 20 kicks. I did it easily.

So we go in for a beer. That's when I noticed it (my knee) was swelling. Uh oh. This was last Sat. By Tue. it was big as a grapefruit and turning purple.
Since I'd whacked my head pretty good I did not want to take anything that would thin my blood in case my brain were leaking. Not likely but possible.

My neck and base of skull were sore but not terrible. Still sore when I wake up but goes away as I move around. Super Glue worked like a charm on the flap torn from my lip. It may leave a scar but is healing fine.

Leg is yellow down to ankle now and the purple is dissipating. It seems to work fine, did before swelling too, but still swollen enough to not bend correctly. I think it might take a while to recover, which sucks!

Those damn trees were not down a couple days before. They fell, were not cut.
Man, my legs look like toothpicks!
1st is a couple hours later. 2nd is Tues.
Ed
edit**** I mean first real fail on the EC300 since I owned it and >5k miles! She was a never sold, "new" 2004. If my knee does not heal I'll need an electric start.....or just ride the 450

[AZRickD]

Sometimes I'm glad I'm not fast.

[houndog]

Hey Rick, I'm not fast. I'm confident, stupid and apparently "tough". I ride that path at 24 mph. There are a couple straights where you can hit 50 or more. This happened to be one of them. I knew Mac was going really slow since he does not know the path and it was the first ride on the Husky. I had in mind to blast to the end and then tease him for driving like an old lady. Knowing full well, we NEVER can bait each other into going to fast! But I can tease him!
Not this time.
Ed

[swazi_matt]

That looks like a haematoma. I had a knee like that once the doc drained more than 100 cc blood out of my knee and it felt a hell of a lot better, may want to get it checked

Did I understand right that you were not wearing a helmet?

[houndog]

Swazi, boy I was hoping that would slip through. No, I was not. We intended on just going around the block and coming back and getting gear on. Taking the path was an after thought. I may leave w/o a helmet but never w/o eye protection. Grabbed the glasses, gloves were sitting there. My eyes and hands are perfect! Other stuff was back at the house. In this case the helmet would have only saved me a cut lip and abrasions on my head. I am not making excuses or rationalizing not having it. Just stating the facts. It was still a stupid decision.

I was very, very lucky. The main lesson I learned is never blast down my paths again before riding them slowly first!

I'm not kidding here, I have a "method" to insure I don't crash by just going too fast. It's simple and has worked for me for years and years. It may work for others.......I simply never go so fast that I have to take my feet off the pegs. I leave my drive, ride my paths, 10 1/2 miles counting the roads and the next time the feet come off the pegs I'm pulling in the drive. That applies to all riding, no matter where. Now, don't get me wrong, sometimes as we all know you must stick a leg down. What I mean is on "paths" or "trails", like at the forest where you don't need too. Please do not think I'm claiming to be some super rider, not hardly, I just dislike crashing so I found a way to insure I'm not going "too fast". Usually works. Never took my feet off the pegs last Sat. until I was flying through the air!
Did I mention I was a lucky man, at least so far, we'll see how the leg plays out. I sent an email to a friend who's a Doc. in another state, He knows I'll not go actually see one unless it is required. I can take it easy for a few weeks if need be.
Happy trails!
Ed

[Coop]

Sorry to read about your knee. Hope that heals ok.

I won't comment on the no helmet, even just "around the block". You can probably guess our opinion on that .

[houndog]

Thanks, Mike. I'll say it for you....."idiot". I've always felt indestructible but many times have been shown this is not the case. It's embarrassing admitting I did not "helmet up" but it's the truth and again, I got very lucky. Had that stump not been completely rotten and like mush not even my hard head would have shrugged it off. I don't mind being told I'm an idiot when I act like one. It shows concern. My wife does it all the time only she uses the word "stupid".

I was bit by a rattlesnake in '85. A couple years later was riding (in a car) with a buddy and we came across one in the road. He made the mistake of saying "bet you won't pick another one of those up" when we stopped to let it cross.
Watcha think happened next? No kidding, he was almost in tears (literally) apologizing and begging me not to pick it up. I loved it. I did. Point is, it's hard to shame me into anything or scare me but on the other hand, I am a severe burden on the wife and daughter right now. That works to change my behavior almost every time. And it's just my knee.

I'll always do it for the family.....helmet 100% of the time from now on. First time this concept has hit me!
Ed

[bowhunter007]

I'll bet most of us have little skeletons in our closets(referring to your fiasco). I'm of course, not admitting any guilt Hears to a speedy & full recovery.

[Cruiser]

Heal fast!! and for god sake dont play with them rattle snakes! get that knee checked out!!
If you really like those snakes they used to do a "rattle snake round up" somewhere near my place.. could always box up a few for you.. I dont like them much..

[houndog]

Thanks Steve, don't get the wrong idea. I was not playing with the snake, but I did drive home holding it to get the wife to take pics I got sloppy. I was actually just rescuing it from the middle of the road. It needed to be relocated. Was too near houses. I rescue or put down (injured beyond help) every single animal I see on the road. Turtles, snakes, racoons, possums.......if it's in the wrong place it gets relocated, if it's "time to go" I sadly do that for them too.

Last night about 4am we heard our dogs barking and one whine. I went out and Sha-Blackie was laying down and bloated. I knew she had the "twisted stomach/intestines" aka "the bloat". Her tongue was black. It had been storming all day and she always hid during storms or busted in the house.

She walked inside and into the bathroom where she would go after busting in the house...she was >100 pounds and hard to stop Plus if she was scared we didn't mind. It was a little after 5am when I decided to put her in Jeep and drive to Vet and wait on them to open. She died while I was getting dressed. I buried her at 5:30am.

My knee ain't shit compared to that pain.
Ed