First Hard Crash - Rocks Hurt

[R Doug]

I had my first hard fall today.  Sure, I've dropped my DR650 a few time and the EXC once as I was navagating tricky rutted mud or trees.  Today I was 6 miles from the closest paved road by myself and I lost it on a pretty rocky section of road.  Luckily, I had all of my armor on and it saved my ass big time.  When I hit, the wind was nocked out of me.  I just stayed on the ground for a minute before I attempted to get on my feet again.  

Other than some tenderness and bruises, I made it out OK.  The bike's bar is bent, and it had the following injuries (see below).  But, all in all, the EXC crashed well.  










The lesson I learned today is it’s better to travel with a buddy in remote places like this.  I’m not saying I won’t do it again, but I clearly need some local friends to step up and get a lightweight dual sport so they can ride with me.  

[DogBoy]

Dang gravity. Glad you're not really hurt.

I'm a real offroad tenderfoot and steep rocky sections really intimidate me. I know you're supposed to carry speed and keep your momentum but if I can't see where I'm going, I'm not good at keeping the speed up.

[R Doug]

I need to trust that the 21" front wheel is capable of caring more speed over those rocks without damage.  I was actually trying to NOT hurt the bike.    

You're right, gravity sucks.  Though I wasn't going that fast, the fall was far for me because I was standing on the pegs and simply fell to the left which was slightly downhill.  I'm going to take a long time getting out of bed tomorrow morning, I know that for sure.  

[1moreroad]

Glad you're ok.  

Was that uphill or downhill?  Every fall I've ever had (and never anything so rocky as that) has been downhill trying to creep carefully but locking up the front brake.

The whole trick seems to be going really fast. ...which would be great if we didn't crash!

[Mr.Black]

Glad that your structural integrity was not compromised.

[R Doug]

Thanks for the replies.  I'm happy to hear others are or have been on the same learning curve as me re: enduro riding.  I love it, but it's so more technical than street riding to me.  I'm learning.

I need to realize I have a trail bike and not a trials bike.  So, when in doubt, I'll pin the throttle!  

Greg, it was downhill and a little front brake may have been involved.  

cookie, what I'm super surprised at is the fact my structural integrity was not compromised.  The fall happened so quick,  I didn't realize I was going down until I was into the rocks.  It was a hard impact and I remember thinking to myself, "OK, is everything on me functional?"  

[fastdadio]

The lesson I learned today is it’s better to travel with a buddy in remote places like this.  I’m not saying I won’t do it again, but I clearly need some local friends to step up and get a lightweight dual sport so they can ride with me.  

I crashed hard back in the woods one time and required paramedics to get me out. I had my kids with me also but they were quite young at the time. The only thing that made it better was we were riding with a group. All I could do was lay there untill an adult showed up to take charge. Dont ride alone. If you do. Slow the F down, and thats still not a gaurantee. If you don't have reliable riding buddies, seek out and join your local off road or motorcycle club. They need you and you need them. Plus, if your a noob, the guys will have alot of experience to pass along. It's win, win for everyone.
Good luck.

[Rincewind]

Glad you made it out of what could have been a very scary scenario, Doug!    

Way to "Break-In" the new bike, btw!

[garry]

I tend to take it very easy and stick to well-known riding areas when I'm riding alone. Sometimes it's either ride solo or don't ride at all, but you have to figure in the risks/consequences of a breakdown or crash miles from the nearest road.

[R Doug]

When riding alone, I typically do stick to known areas and avoid hero sections.  Yesterday was different.  For months I have been wanting to explore this new-to-me road (Beaver Hollow Road) which travels down to the confluence of the Little Sandy and Cheat rivers.  I've attempted to find it several times and found nothing but dead ends (it's not on any maps that I've seen).  The first part of it was fairly mellow and as I approached the bottom of the mountain.  The road started to become less dirt and more rocks as I got closer to the bottom.  I could hear the waterfalls in the near distance and knew I was close.  So, I made a decision to press on.  It was the wrong decision.  I knew it then and I felt that decision this morning when getting out of bed.  

Part of my decision to continue was the fact I could hear other off road vehicles below.  This road is a one-way-in and one-way-out so I knew the motors I was hearing can only come my way to exit.  I rationalized my choice and proceeded.  

Here's a shot of a more mellow section of the same road.  I honestly can't wait to go back some day to finish going to the bottom.

[R Doug]

Way to "Break-In" the new bike, btw!

It's a dirt bike, taking naps is inevitable.  Now it has a little character.  

[thatguy]

Check yer inbox Doug.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Glad to hear that you're just a little bruised and banged up - just like your bike  

Downhill on those rocks    I'm not terribly fond of downhill regardless of the surface and that just looks nasty. Good on you for wearing armor, too. Oh, and I know that there's generally better control while standing, but like you said, that's a far way to fall (and even further for me   )

Damn. I wish I could find "roads" like that around here  

[Windblown]

I hear ya on the back woods buddy thing. I had a hard get-off last year while off the beaten path. It took a few minutes to gather my wits enough to get up.  I find it tricky to find the right balance between speed and caution. In my case I had just a bit too much momentum.

I still go off on my own but I tend to ride at a more sedate pace. The slower pace can cause as many falls as it avoids but the falls are typically less jaring.

 

[twotrackhero]

+1 on the safety in numbers deal. I rarely ride alone when I ride off road, I always seem too go too fast for my own good  

Glad your ok!! now your bike has some character  

[sprocket]

Alder trail north of South Fork Colorado, picture doesnt do it much justice, but this was a gut buster of a trail



Colorado Motorcycle Jack....it works! The 530 EXC is as good a DS bike as there is!


That rear blinker on your bike was coming off sooner or later.   I melted the one on the right side of my bike.
 Check into www.sicassracing.com and replace both blinkers at the same time,You cant really see them here on my bike, but they work good.
The KTM stock mirrior sucks as well check out www.doubletakemirrior.com!

So are you the man to see for kickass DS riding in WV?

[R Doug]

Colorado Motorcycle Jack....it works!

   

That rear blinker on your bike was coming off sooner or later.   I melted the one on the right side of my bike.
 Check into www.sicassracing.com and replace both blinkers at the same time,You cant really see them here on my bike, but they work good.
The KTM stock mirrior sucks as well check out www.doubletakemirrior.com!

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I'll check those pieces out.  The stock turn indicators are designed to break away and they're easy enough to put back on.  But, those mirrors need replaced.  If anything, I need to remember to take them off when doing any double and single track.  

So are you the man to see for kickass DS riding in WV?

Meh, I may not be "the" man, but I have a gained a pretty good knowledge of DS riding in northern WV over the past 3 years.  I would be happy to share what I know if you ever need it.

BTW... regarding protection, I use the (ironically named) Rockgardn flack jacket when I do any serious off road riding.  It worked GREAT!

[R Doug]

BTW - is it proper etiquette to wear a full face street helmet on a DS?  I just bought a new one in hopes of getting to break it in soon  

I take it you are still in the market for a bike.  You would prefer a DS bike?  You acquired a new full face helmet in anticipation of a new bike?  

I suppose it doesn't matter whether you purchase the horse or the cart first.   You'll need both.  

PS... as far as I know, full face helmets are 100% acceptable attire for DS riding.  I have a hybrid DS helmet.  It have a full shield for the fast paved parts and a big enough eye portal to allow the usage of goggles.  If you haven't followed someone on miles of dirt roads before, you really don't appreciate how great it is to be wearing goggles.  

[sprocket]

BTW - is it proper etiquette to wear a full face street helmet on a DS?  I just bought a new one in hopes of getting to break it in soon  

Dont know much about etiquette but a dirt bike helmet vs a street = Dirt is a lot cooler, allows for more and better venting and if you ever get too close behind another rider in the dirt that visor does alot more than provide shade from the sun!

[sagerat]

One thing I've learned to do on the KLR is DO NOT COVER the front brake.  That way it takes longer to use it; I try to avoid using the front brake like the plague, which is hard when almost all of my riding has been on the street.

I had to learn the hard way that the front brake was not my friend, but engine torque and the rear brake were.

You know most pics of an off-road adventure don't do the route justice, but man yours certainly did.  I'd be hesitant to hike that stretch, let alone ride it.  

[leeo45]

Glad you're OK.   I ride by myself in the boonies a lot too, even though I know it's not the safest thing to do.   I do ride a very conservative pace in any rough areas if I'm on my own; and tend to file a "flight plan" and call in before dark when I get back to the pavement and have cell service.

You need to put the Metzlers back on the bike if you're going to ride the technical trails.   The Scorpions are fun on pavement and are OK for getting around on fire roads, but you're probably safer walking through any tough, muddy areas if you don't have some real knobs.    

[kurtw]

That looks like a gnarly route to be riding solo. Glad you and bike crashed fairly well. Time for some flush mount turn signals  

Do you have a SPOT or ACR? That plus a lifeflight membership is a good investment. I recently had to deploy all the tech to call in a heli for a busted friend in the mountains (he's healing well btw). It works.

[R Doug]

When the wifey saw my bashed up bike and the holes / rips in my jersey, she told me I'm allowed to ride solo anymore without a spot.  

[1moreroad]

When the wifey saw my bashed up bike and the holes / rips in my jersey, she told me I'm allowed to ride solo anymore without a spot.  

That's probably just because your life insurance policy requires a body before she can collect.

[DNA]

Doug - glad you are all right.

I was at Hatfields last year and had a little biff - slight rain and a hard right turn. Greasy surface and the slightest bit of front brake had me sliding across the trail and into he ditch.  The little 250 crashes well (and often) but this time i managed to seriously break my right pinky.  Stupid little crash, silly little bone.

I set it on the trail myself while waiting for the others to catch up (or turn back) and then had a 6-8 mile ride back to camp and then a 6 hour drive home.  I had assistance and needed it - riding with a broken hand really hurt and I almost crashed it again many times getting out -no throttle control, no break - and the ride out was really easy 4 wheeler trails.

My point is something silly and stupid ended putting me in a cast for 6 weeks, and could have been tricky had it occurred a few miles back were I alone.

A tree limb in the eye, sliding wide on a fast stretch, etc. Stuff happens.

I will probably never ride without another adult along ever - too many things go wrong too quickly.  This from a guy that does many LD rallies and rode solo 7000 miles around the country with no worries.  Dirt is just different - at least for me.

[Mr Sunshine]

The key over those rocks is 100% speed.  Stand up, keep the throttle on and hold on for the ride.

[mugwump58]

I've learned my lesson, I hope. Last year I highsided the 250 on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, apparently I'm not Joe Kopp. When I regained consciousness both  me and the bike had missed the trees but we were over the embankment and out of sight, not that anybody came by in the 2 hours it took me to get my head together and the bike out of the upland swamp and up the embankment.

Good gear is essential, cheap insurance, but is only helpful up to a point.

It's better to be lucky than good. But you need to know when you've used up your luck.