Only been riding for about 2 months, had been stuck in the house all day so I decided to get out for a bit and take the scenic route to McDonalds. All was going well, was pretty wet where I lived but I decided to take the risk so I was riding slower than normal, particularly on corners. Came up to a roundabout in Chester Le Street, if anyone lives nearby, which I found out after is well known for diesel spills. Came up to it about 20mph, knocked down to 4th gear on my brand new YBR 125, and took the roundabout straighter than normal as no one was next to me. Next thing i know I’m halfway round the roundabout, and my bike has slid out; causing me to roll for maybe 8 feet or so. I was very very lucky, riding in jeans and very very thin plimsol style shoes. Didn’t rip my trousers but my classic style biker jacket (heavy metal! :P) is grazed in places. Anyway, the bike didn’t recieve too much damage. The footpeg is bent up, gear lever is bent too, the clutch lever is slightly bent back, one indicator cap is off and it seems a bit loose. I’m fairly unscathed except a small cut on my ankle, a graze at my lower back and my shoulder feels ‘weird’, not really sure how to explain it better. People immediately got out of their cars to help me, and a pickup truck just happened to drive by who took me home. The guy rides himself, and had the injuries to prove it. He said he had fallen off further up the road and showed me the spot where he came off. I thought I’d post my story to share the experience, I for on am going to be extra careful when riding in the wet! Was hoping someone would be able to give me some advice on damage like this, how difficult/easy it is to fix, if its anything major and so on.
Yep happens to us all. When I picked up my first bike, brand new, had less than 100 miles on it after the 1st, but I had managed to drop it 4 times, quite a few scratches later, and a broken lever.
EVERYBODY COMES OFF U JUST NEED TO LEARN FROM IT NOW.HAD TWO BAD ONES 1ST AND 2ND BURNS BACK AND ARMS.THE 2ND KNOCK OUT AND CANT REMEBER ANYTHING FRO 36 HOURS
Glad you’re ok, we all fall off at some point! The bits you mashed up are all basically snap-on parts that can be easily replaced. Some naughty people use this as an excuse to get fancy levers and foot pegs
Don’t trust the road in the wet, be wary and extra vigilant for paint, metal bits like manhole covers, drains, and the like… and don’t you ever ride without proper bike boots, it will keep you from snapping your ankle one day
Good to hear that you didn’t get hurt. Keep an eye out for diesel especially when hasn’t been raining for long, but just a little damp. Hope you manage to fix your bike and ready to ride again.
glad you are more or less ok, sounds like the bike will be good as new soon enough too. Just like everyone else says we all fall off at some point, i fell off mine lulling away from the kerb, small pot hole in the road swallowwed the front wheel and i dropped like a felled tree.
Hope you get back on the road soon - its flippin lovely out there today…!
Play the accident back in your head and try analyse why you fell. Did you accelerate a bit to hard, where you turning when you hit some diesel, was it a manhole cover?
Think about what the bike did and what you might have been able to do another time to avoid falling off. Riding in the rain is OK, you just have to remember to be VERY smooth and controlled, anything sudden will cause you to lose grip.
Glad you are OK and remember, most things can be fixed
Just to prove that you can learn from these things:
When I was a learner I had an off caused by a diesel spill on a very small roundabout in Wellingborough, going onto a slip road up to the A45. Bike just vanished off to the left as I was leaning into the right hand. Ended up with my right leg pinned underneath the bike against the outside edge of the roundabout. A motorist stopped and lifted the bike off me and I was pretty much uninjured beyond a few bruises.
After that I always took more notice of the road surface - not just potholes and stuff but wet drain covers, wet painted areas, wet leaves etc.
Thanks guys for all the kind words! I’m hoping to have the bike looked at over the next couple of days. Can’t wait to get back on. I’m going to get some boots as soon as possible too. It’s nice to know that so many people are prepared to give advice and share their own experiences. Thanks alot!
I just saw Infinity are giving away free SIDI boots when you purchase 1 or 2 piece leathers. This it’s til the end of the month. Have a look if you’re looking to buy some boots.
