Howdy from Texas

Dove into my first bike a little over a week ago. It was sold to be as a 77 kz650. She's been punched out to a 720, 264 cams, re-jetted the Mikunis', "racing clutch", bookoo stiff suspension, ect.

I made the girlfriend drive 3 hours on our anniversary to see it (after buying her nothing). Bought it in the dark, with a snapped clutch cable, and rode it home in 40* weather wearing jeans and a jean jacket. Ran it outta gas, cell phone was dead, killed the battery after gassing her up, noticed there wasn't a kick start lever...haha...

I replaced the cable, bought a new shoei rf1000, and on the way home got ran over by an SOB in a pickup. I was doing about 80 and accelerating to pass between two pickups who were parallel in the lanes opposite to mine. The @$$ on the right started coming into my lane, so I hammered it into 4th, opened it up, and got as far to the left as I could. The bike has a 4-1 kerker into a freakin' straight pipe, so you could have heard me in mexico. The guy looks over and makes eye contact with me as I'm screaming consecutive profanities, and then slams into the back of the bike. This starts me in a tank slapper that also forces the bike into the other truck. So I'm defecating in my pants as the front and rear of the bike are taking turns beating the piss out of the side of the other truck, and the next thing I remember is flopping end over end down the highway, watching the cars behind me get close. Really close. haha.

I then has my first real experience with motorcyclist camaraderie. Two cats, sporting Davidson apparel bore witness to the accident. They helped me get the bike out of the highway. One of them drove me to his house, treated my rash, got a trailer, put my bike on it, drove me home, and stashed it in my garage. How's that for a good Samaritan??

I got out today (day after the wreck) and started the bike. Still runs like a champ. Needs new bars, clutch housing/basket and probably disks, tank, and gauges, but all the important stuff is still A-OK. I was planning on riding this summer, and saving for a winter tear down and cafe build. Guess I'll just have to start a little early.

I'll post pics when I get the chance.

-Dane

welcome aboard i'm sorry to hear about your wreck but consider your self lucky not often do you walk away from that kind of thing, when you do the math a 4500 pound truck against a 500 pound bike phisics usally insists that the truck is going to win. glad to hear your up and about. if this clown has insurance make sure you get the bike checked out by a pro a bike that old they will usally just right off so you might just have a parts bike on your hands go after him for it. these cage drivers have pull there heads out of there asses how often do you hear of a biketrying to take out a defensless truck not often i'll bet.

good to hear the bike is savable, and even better that u are ok. Welcome, and the people on this forum are great and will answer any question you could possibly have.

Insurance. Yeah. Wouldn't it have been far out if the guy had stopped...either of them.

I started the tear down tonight. My left hand is probably fractured, so that made the wrench usage a little difficult. I'm posting the pictures in the project section, if you're interested.

Wow! That's quite an introduction, Dane. Here's hoping that your riding experiences get a bit less interesting in the future.

Welcome Dane...whereabouts in Texas?...and I have had numerous dickheads in pickups attempt to kill me in Texas...and someday I'll carry a pistol and return fire after another attempted murder:)

welcome......a little reflection time with a wrench in both hands is good for me sometimes......i am always fixing or replacing stuff between rides and it kinda helps me focus.... i hope your rides are long...your hobby is fun...and your days are sunny for a while.....all is well that ends well...anytime that stuff happens and we are not in the i.c.u it is 100% good day in a way...welcome and keep us posted...craig

Welcome to the KZR Nation. Great to have you here.

Good people are a blessing... pass it on.

Best of sucess.

Mcdroid wrote:

Welcome Dane...whereabouts in Texas?...and I have had numerous dickheads in pickups attempt to kill me in Texas...and someday I'll carry a pistol and return fire after another attempted murder:)

I live in the greater Dallas area.

Believe me, this particular dick head's face is burned into my memory. As I was "rag-dollin'" down the interstate, one of the many things on my mind was, "I hope this guy stops so I can beat him to death with my helmet". I hope to not be far from a blunt object if I see him again. :evil:

trianglelaguna wrote:

welcome......a little reflection time with a wrench in both hands is good for me sometimes......i am always fixing or replacing stuff between rides and it kinda helps me focus.... i hope your rides are long...your hobby is fun...and your days are sunny for a while.....all is well that ends well...anytime that stuff happens and we are not in the i.c.u it is 100% good day in a way...welcome and keep us posted...craig

I've been a gear head since the womb. Classic 5-years-old-taking-dad's-stereo-apart; but I find something all together more religious about wrenching on my motorcycle. I suppose it's all to do with how visceral the riding experience is.

To tell you the truth, I kind of feel like superman after the wreck. I don't suppose that's a good thing, huh? I hit the pavement at 80, and got up running after the momentum died. Doesn't do anything but bolster that 19 year old invincible self image I have. Someone come slap me.

Welcome Dane.
Quite the encounter you had there. Glad you were able to walk away.
What is it with guys in pickups that want to play chicken with some one on a motorcycle?
A buddy and me were riding one night and a guy in a pickup started playing with us. They were cutting off my buddy, while I pulled back to get out of harms way. I decided to catch up and ended up hitting the back bumper of the truck and bending the wide crash bar on my cb350 and falling over.

Flash Wolfgang wrote:

trianglelaguna wrote:

welcome......a little reflection time with a wrench in both hands is good for me sometimes......i am always fixing or replacing stuff between rides and it kinda helps me focus.... i hope your rides are long...your hobby is fun...and your days are sunny for a while.....all is well that ends well...anytime that stuff happens and we are not in the i.c.u it is 100% good day in a way...welcome and keep us posted...craig

I've been a gear head since the womb. Classic 5-years-old-taking-dad's-stereo-apart; but I find something all together more religious about wrenching on my motorcycle. I suppose it's all to do with how visceral the riding experience is.

To tell you the truth, I kind of feel like superman after the wreck. I don't suppose that's a good thing, huh? I hit the pavement at 80, and got up running after the momentum died. Doesn't do anything but bolster that 19 year old invincible self image I have. Someone come slap me.

Well my 19 year old invicible self image was removed by the sheriff's department for driving a motorcycle without an endorsement, no license, no registration, and no insurance. And my nearly 170 mph speeding offense made the paper. I was in the country playing on my friends project bike, when I tunred around in a small town there they were, and "they" were not happy with me. Yes a judge can take away your birthday too...

Man glad to hear you made it through in one piece, I hope you take the opportunity to learn the most important lesson you can from this. People do not see motocycles, even crazy fast loud ones. You have to expect that the events that happend to you will ALWAYS happen in those situations. You need to ride like everyone is out to kill you, becasue unfortunately most of them are. Even then you can't always avoid situations that put you in a bad place (like between two cars on the highway) But next time you won't make the same mistake, trusting the guy next to you.

Get your new found friend fixed up, and enjoy one of the best passtimes in life, but remember your life is your own responcibility when you ride, like me you will figre that one out in a few years. Dosen't mean you drive any slower though....