My first fall
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:54 pm
It's happened, a lot sooner than I expected, only my third trackday and first on the R1.
During the last session of the day at Morgan Park, going for the pass up the inside at turn 1 and for some reason I must have thought that I couldn't make the corner
and I have gone straight on. There was heaps of run off but the due to all the rain recently all the dirt between the clumps of grass was washed away and I could feel the forks bottoming out until it must have caught a clump and tossed me over the right handlebar.
Me: I got to my feet pretty much straight away, but I was very groggy for about 30 seconds and my head was bloody sore (and has been until today). I would imagine (due to the marks on my helmet and the dirt on my leathers - both are undamaged) I've landed on my head/shoulder as it was a bit sore and my right side between my rib cage and hip is quite sore. I am also sore elsewhere but I think that's from the days riding not due to the off, main soreness is my neck at the front, between my adams apple and top of chest bone right across the front, its even sore to touch (probably from smacking my head into the ground)
Bike: As you can see from the photos (the exhaust is ok, I have to take it off to fit the rear wheel tie down), the right handlebar/instrument panel/fairing copped the most of it. The only other problem I've found so far is that the chain tension is a lot tighter than before as I think that after the right handlebar has hit the ground it has flipped and then the left side (clutch cover, footpeg and swingarm) has hit the ground and bent the swingarm itself/pivot point/frame before ending up on the right side.
As a side point: I realise it was the last session (for my group) for the day, but after I got back to the pits (I rode the bike) not one of the officials, organisers, not even the ambo came to see how I was feeling. If I was more seriously injured/concussed etc it could have been dangerous to let me drive. Just a thought for the next person who comes off...
Until the fall I was going ok, I was bumped from the slow group to the medium group, times improved from a best in the first session of 1.21 (worst 1.31) to a best in the second last session of 1.14. Still have a few things to sort on the bike: its very light in the front (got a talking to for an unintentional wheelie
), brakes fad a little during the session, forks need heavier springs and revalve/oil as close to bottoming out under braking/cornering and possibly change gearing.
Anyhow, time to start getting the bike repaired: fairing repaired, frame checked, new handlebar, fairing bracket, maybe new master cylinder and whatever else I find after pulling it apart.
At least I have a Kawa to ride in the meantime
During the last session of the day at Morgan Park, going for the pass up the inside at turn 1 and for some reason I must have thought that I couldn't make the corner
and I have gone straight on. There was heaps of run off but the due to all the rain recently all the dirt between the clumps of grass was washed away and I could feel the forks bottoming out until it must have caught a clump and tossed me over the right handlebar. Me: I got to my feet pretty much straight away, but I was very groggy for about 30 seconds and my head was bloody sore (and has been until today). I would imagine (due to the marks on my helmet and the dirt on my leathers - both are undamaged) I've landed on my head/shoulder as it was a bit sore and my right side between my rib cage and hip is quite sore. I am also sore elsewhere but I think that's from the days riding not due to the off, main soreness is my neck at the front, between my adams apple and top of chest bone right across the front, its even sore to touch (probably from smacking my head into the ground)
Bike: As you can see from the photos (the exhaust is ok, I have to take it off to fit the rear wheel tie down), the right handlebar/instrument panel/fairing copped the most of it. The only other problem I've found so far is that the chain tension is a lot tighter than before as I think that after the right handlebar has hit the ground it has flipped and then the left side (clutch cover, footpeg and swingarm) has hit the ground and bent the swingarm itself/pivot point/frame before ending up on the right side.
As a side point: I realise it was the last session (for my group) for the day, but after I got back to the pits (I rode the bike) not one of the officials, organisers, not even the ambo came to see how I was feeling. If I was more seriously injured/concussed etc it could have been dangerous to let me drive. Just a thought for the next person who comes off...
Until the fall I was going ok, I was bumped from the slow group to the medium group, times improved from a best in the first session of 1.21 (worst 1.31) to a best in the second last session of 1.14. Still have a few things to sort on the bike: its very light in the front (got a talking to for an unintentional wheelie
), brakes fad a little during the session, forks need heavier springs and revalve/oil as close to bottoming out under braking/cornering and possibly change gearing.Anyhow, time to start getting the bike repaired: fairing repaired, frame checked, new handlebar, fairing bracket, maybe new master cylinder and whatever else I find after pulling it apart.
At least I have a Kawa to ride in the meantime
