Accident #2

[dragonmojo]

To add insult to injury literally 5 minutes prior to the accident I was defending my choice of hobbies to my office manager who very seriously dislikes motorcycles due to the safety risks. (I'm the company safety manager--I set the example) or attempt to.

Reminds me of a parable about the guy who played it safe, never engaging in any activity that had any uncertain level of risk to it. No sports, no camping in the wild, rollercoasters were taboo and definitely no motorcycles. Having gotten to a ripe old age, he was still in good enough shape to have tried riding pillion with an experienced rider. Oh the thrill! He looks back at the years he could have enjoyed this pleasant experience that he found so indescribable, and being informed that there are riders who begin very late in life, decided to try his hand at it.

Unfortunately, he died soon thereafter after slipping on a sidewalk and cracking his skull on the curb.

[1150929]

Loosing the rear like you described is strange, could only be a slick patch, and in your condition you couldn't find out for sure.

So put it behind you, s*&t happens to all of us. Here's hoping your stretch of bad luck is over and you'll be back to doing what we all mutually love. My mental health needs motorcycles, you may be the same!

[Hawk]

Wayne, best of luck for a speedy recovery both physical and mental. I've been fortunate not to have a bad motorcycle accident, all minor stuff, but I have been thrown by, stomped on, and kicked by horses and I still own and ride them. Alas, I will never see 53 again! I wouldn't skip a day of my pleasures for anything!

Life is too short to give up!

[Marty2]

Wayne, wishing you a speedy recovery. See you at the Bash.



Marty

[bmwr1150rbmw]

Take care buddy and feel better.

I was riding yesterday after reading your story and they were a constant reminder to stay alert, prepared, and focused. It's a reminder to us all to stay safe and ride carefully.

As you've been in my thoughts, I will put you in my prayers.

Rocover well!

[pinecone]

So sorry to hear you had to go through this (twice) but glad to hear it wasn't any worse. And good for you for having the guts to share the story.

The loss of traction, while it sounds kind of random, at 30 degrees F it seems plausible. Do you have any idea what happened to your leg, though? While this certainly isn't a major reason to own a boxer, the thought of those jugs sticking out have always given me some piece of mind - you would think they would offer some kind of lower leg protection. Unless your left leg happened to get caught directly underneath?

Take care of yourself & I hope you heal quickly. Just a thought - if you have the opportunity and it fits your style, think about a taking a twist & go scooter out for awhile in the spring until you're back to 100%. It would get you out there riding without any major worries about the leg.

[Max Continuous]

Wayne

I thank you for your courage in posting. In my line of work, we review accident investigations all the time. They are a really useful tool in learning "what went wrong". Your incident was not in vain if someone has the opportunity to learn from it.

I would love to see a forum where we could post our incidents and close calls so that as a group, we can better learn from each other.

I wish you a speedy recovery and hope that you will be back in the saddle soon!

Max

[irishbiker]

Wayne

Sorry to hear about your fall, hope you heal quickly and are back on the horse soon.

All the best

[towerworker]

I have been on this board now since 2003 and each day I am more thankful for the decision I made to buy a BMW. The calibur of people here is second to none. I deeply appreciate each and every good wish I have been given here.

I am a safety manager for a tower construction company hence my handle towerworker. Been in this work for not a long time but still it's been 15 years now. My profession has the potential of being extremely dangerous so it's become a way of life to examine every part of my life both professional and personal to that end. I am glad that so many have taken my posts (both accidents) in the spirit I posted them. I value life and people. If I made or make a mistake I want to know about it and if I did I also hopefully want others to learn so they don't make the mistake I made and endure any of the hurt.

Max Continous I appreciate what you said. Maybe we can compare notes some day.

I returned to work today to a bunch of wonderful and caring people. I spent some time saturday with some members of this board who exemplify all that is good about this wonderful group of people. My leg is healing well and I feel improvement each day. Several here have told me I have been in their prayers. I know that's true because I can feel it.
I am very very thankful to all of you.

Wayne Bowyer
Towerworker
Staunton Va

[doylejj]

Glad you decided to post and that you're progressing well.

I'm just getting back to riding after 3 months, healing from a concussion, a broken clavicle and torn rotator cuff from an incident where the rear wheel of my scooter slid out in a gentle curve and slammed me to the ground. At 66 I wondered how age would affect healing, and the answer is not that much.

Not knowing what happened has bothered me a lot til I saw that a minor gear oil leak has caused gear oil to pool in the tread of my rear tire. Cold gear oil must have slowly warmed and moved to the tire surface. Something similar may have happened to your tire, from cold oils in the parking area or the like. You'll probably never find out, which makes returning to ride more daunting.

I also once had a front tire slide out on a new-to-me VStrom on my second ride. Cold tires with 3k miles on them but the original owner had ridden conservatively and left the sides slick as new. It might be worth checking how well scrubbed your new one is.

[Hawk]

Wayne, glad you are back to work and feeling better. Thanks for keeping us posted.

[ednap]

An interesting story and I trust you have a full recovery.

The point which prompted me to post a reply is you stated profession.

I'm currently the National Safety Manager for our company and I too get the occasional comment about my mode of transport. To be honest these days I do not comute on the bike that often as my job sees me interstate 2 to 4 days a week so spend more time on planes than my bike.


Back to your story rather than mine, truly hope the leg doesn't give you problems and glad to read you are back at work.

Ed

[STDocLizard1]

Hey Wayne,

Get on the mend. There is a boat of riding to be done. Hope to see you at the Bash in May.

My best to you for a speedy recovery.

Jim

[towerworker]

Again I very much appreciate all the good wishes. You folks are great. I am mending pretty well I think. So far I have had two follow up visits with the orthopedic surgeon who worked on me. He says all is progressing as it should. I am able to put a little weight on my leg without any pain or discomfort. I'm using crutches and getting around pretty well. I'm able to drive my truck (manual trans) and there has been an instance or two where the crutches earned me a little extra attention from a couple of cute young ladies! At my age you are thankful for the extra attention anyway you can get it!

Anxiously awaiting the day that I can get on the bike. That's probably at least a month away. My dr tells me I can put all my weight back on my leg in another 3 weeks or so but he is cautious about me getting back in the saddle too soon. One small mishap and I can undo everything pretty quickly. I have repaired the small amount of damage done to my bike and it is now just sitting patiently on the battery tender waiting for the day that I can throw my leg back over it and hit the starter button!

Wayne
04 r

[Jimbobvfr]

Tower, heal fast, get back on the horse! As part of my background, I had a tibial plateau fracture in '93. Driver pulled out in front of me, sending me over the hood and onto the ground. L plate, 5 screws, plus screw in my ankle, oh and 3 broken bones in my rt hand. No wt on that leg for 3 months(I was 35 btw). 10 months later I passed my Army PT test, 3 months later I took the plate and screws out. In 03 I was hit from the rear by a lost pizza guy shattering my L2 Verterbra. 75% compression of my spinal cord. Fusion of the L1-L3, lots of new Ti hardware and chronic pain. I'm still recovering from that one, but I've started running again, lost some of the wt I gained from inactivity, and significantly reduced my need for "pain reducing" treatments.
I say that to say that age was never a factor for me. I've ridden with older riders, and plenty of riders younger than my son. They are impressed at my zeal and passion for riding and some of them have trouble keeping up when I'm on the pace. Rest up, do your physical therapy, and we'll see you back on the road soon enough.
James

[OU812]

Wayne, I have felt your pain. I took a bad one in 91'. Shattered big toes, broken ankle and tib plateau. I used a walker for about a week, and quit racing. Still on the road. Get well! Hope to see you at the Bash.
Steve

[GypsyRR]

............. I had a tibial plateau fracture in '93. . L plate, 5 screws, plus screw in my ankle, oh and 3 broken bones in my rt hand. No wt on that leg for 3 months(I was 35 btw). 10............ In 03 I was hit from the rear by a lost pizza guy shattering my L2 Verterbra. 75% compression of my spinal cord. Fusion of the L1-L3, lots of new Ti hardware and chronic pain. I'm still recovering from that one,..............
..........I've ridden with older riders, and plenty of riders younger than my son. They are impressed at my zeal and passion for riding and some of them have trouble keeping up when I'm on the pace.
James

That ought to give you some incentive, Towerworker!!!

James, good for you for not giving in to pain or self pity! Speaking of "older riders" though, - - you should ride with RBrider one day!!! (not that he is old - just older than me). The stories he told at breakfast during the Arkansas ride about the type of riding he was doing in his early 60's was pretty impressive. Then when he led our group down the Pig Trail - well........ I fell behind pretty quickly. The guy can ride! (and break laws). OU812 - you remember his stories, right?

So Wayne - you'll be telling these stories and inspiring others within a short time. Keep healing well. Can't wait to hear that you are back on a bike.

[Doug]

Glad to hear you are ok and all patched up! Ouch.

Just wanted to add that you're more man than me. 40deg F is my limit!

[Acpantera]

Lesson.........Cold tires don't stick to a cold road worth didly. I had the rear end kick out twice on me and it scared the crap out of me both times. Both times on cold mornings on cold tires. First time was on my spankin new 1982 Kawi GPZ550, Late for school on a crisp spring day, twisted the gas toooo hard coming out of the first sharp right hander 50 feet from my driveway, the rear broke loose, I chopped the throttle closed and nearly hi sided. I felt pretty stupid and must have looked even dumber as my feet came off the pegs as I strugled to regain control. 25 years later while leaving the driveway on my spankin new R1200R on a very cold morning I did the EXACT same thing.......I was lucky that I didn't wipe out and go down but it's the sort of thing that makes you alittle more cautious every ride........cold tires+horsepower+agressive throttle = out of control motorcycle. Get well soon and RIDE ON.

[towerworker]

Thanks to all you folks! Still getting better daily.

I re-installed the scratched valve cover this morning (Beemeridian came by to visit last weekend and removed it for me) I could have gotten it off but getting down on the ground in the cold is not easy right now although I managed it this morning to put it back on. I am getting rather skilled in the use of crutches!

It is also amazing how much attention they garner from the young ladies feeling sorry for an old geezer like myself.

I am re-assessing my cold weather riding habits. The old standard has been if it wasn't too cold to start then it wasn't too cold to ride. But like so many have said here -- cold tires and cold roads are a bad combination. Might have to move it up to 40 degrees or so to maintain the safety margin.

Wayne