Crashed my Bike!

One week after owning the bike in the evening, I was riding a beautiful road, Paekakariki Hill rd, which is full of curves and blind corners; Curves = 9, Road = 8, Traffic = 5, View = 5.

I was muscling the bike along as I was still getting used to it when I went in to a left corner and drifted out to the center lane a bit, so I simply leaned into the corner which would be the correct move to bring the bike back on line. Unfortunately I put enough muscle to lean my Canadian bike (515 lbs) over, which was way too much for this little 250 (360 lbs). I leaned into it enough to bring the side stand and road together causing the bike’s rear tyre to loose the road for a split second. In essence it would be like riding through a corner with a metal rear tyre. With nothing to grip the road under my ass the bike laid down spinning 180 degrees, sliding across the road into a rock wall. I did somewhat the same without hitting the wall. It happened so fast and I only remember the feeling of breath loss as I arched my back trying to escape the feeling of a hammer being driven into my back ribs on my right side. Finally falling back to the ground on a pile of rocks where I stayed until the paramedics put me on a board and strapped on a neck collar. After a 2 hour ambulance ride I made it to the hospital and was admitted for 6 days before I saw the world again. I was stuck in my bed for 3 days straight as I was unable to even sit up. Damage report: Five broken ribs and one collar bone, bruised kidney, adrenal glad and liver with some fluid in my right lung. Some say I am lucky to be around. I think I am unlucky that I fell into a rock face. Had the fall happened in the open I probably won’t have broken a bone. It won’t happen again!

The above photos were taken by one of the first Kiwis on the scene, Paul Nuttridge who was incredibly helpful. Paul called Lynnda, came and saw me in the hospital the next and even went to the vehicle impound and paid to get my bike back. I am looking forward to paying this forward. In the Photos you can see the blind corners and some bike damage (missing exhaust, foot peg, smashed tail of bike).