Sharing probably my worse "get-off"... Back around '88 was prepping a Honda Hawk 650 for BOTT racing. 4th of July weekend, a bunch of buddies wanted to take a morning ride to The Rock Store on Mulholland from Las Virgenes (Malibu Canyon). I was going to my parents house after the ride for a BBQ. So, I was wearing helmet, jacket, and gloves but jeans and athletic sho
As usual, being the usual "show-off" I was then, i was way ahead of everyone going way too fast. I start into a right hander at 80 mph, as I lean it way over, I feel the rear starting to come around. No biggie, just stay on the gas, it'll come around. Well, it does, but starts swinging the other way. Pretty quickly I'm in a tank-slapper, before I can do anything, the last thing I see is the speedo as I'm high-sided. Indicated speed...80 mph.
All I know is I can't see anything. I'm thinking to myself If I'm knocked out thats why I don't see anything. Then its, "earth, sky, earth, sky, earth, sky".
I come to a stop off the road in the dirt. While I wasn't knocked out, I had some weird line running across my vision. I looked around and got up slowly. I could see both my shoes and socks were gone, my visor was gone too. As I tried to get up I knew there was something wrong with my right shoulder and a couple ribs. I could feel a little pain but nothing really bad at that point.
My buddies pull up and run over. They are trying to get me to lay down and wait for an ambulance. I didn't want one. I asked them to help me get my jacket off, cause I knew if the EMTs got there, they'd cut it off. As I took off my helmet I could feel this clicking in my shoulder and knew I at last broke my collar bone. I also took off my jacket and sat on my helmet.
My buddies retrieved my shoes and helped me to get them on. One went to get a pick-up truck and another a car to take me to the hospital.
As we looked around the bike was nowhere to be seen. They looked over the side of the road into the canyon and there it was. About 20 feet down stuck in the brush. I was no more than 5 ft away from going over the edge as well and next to me about 2 feet away was a telephone pole. I was lucky to not have hit that pole either.
I don't know how much time went by but before my buddies pulled my bike from the brush a CHP pulled up. He said, he had heard there was a motorcycle accident here. We told him, "No, we're just taking a break". He left. Thank gawd we hadn't gotten my bike up...
In any event, I got to the hospital. Injuries: Concussion, separated shoulder, shattered collarbone. cracked ribs at my sternum, bad road-rash to my knees and feet.
Of all the injuries, the freakin' road-rash pissed me off the most as they took the longest to heal. I wouldn't be here today if I wasn't wearing a helmet. My helmet was completely rashed on the right side down to the "glass" fibers" and it had a crack on the other side from the impact...
There were others but fortunately, they were on the track after that one. I learned my lesson; No More Canyon Racing.
Sorry for the long-winded story, coffee was extra strong this morning...
. Morale of the story, be patient, give it a few more weeks for the city to clear the gravel...
