The bike started right up and sounded great. I took off for my test loop, a couple of back roads with some nice twisting turns. I headed up 611 and the acceleration was not much better then normal but the power band seemed a little smoother. I turned onto 314 and headed down behind the Adventis Corp. The road here is basically straight and flat when you compare it to the rest of 314. Right after the fence for Adventis ends, the road drops off to the left. The crest of the hill is fairly sharp and you are already turning when you cross it. This time, however, the moment I crossed the crest of the hill the rear end went out to the right as far as it could go. I was standing up now counter steering and looking down the road. In my peripheral vision I saw a telephone pole and I knew I didn't want to hit that. The 800 lbs of bike wouldn't budge from the track it was on. I couldn't bring the rear end back in line and as I crossed the edge of the road into the gravel I knew I was going to crash. Almost at the same instant the thought of crashing came across my mind I was tossed from the bike. I tucked my arms in and my left shoulder struck the pavement and I heard and felt bones breaking. I rolled over my shoulder and back and came up to my feet. The instant I was standing the pain hit me hard and I dropped to one knee unable to breath. For a moment I tried to remain calm and get my breath back. All those years of sports as a kid had taught me to do that.
I needed help and I needed it quickly. Directly in front of me was a house and a car was in the driveway. I stumbled down a 10-foot embankment into the front yard and got to the door sitting on the porch. I tried to slam the screen door but it didn't make enough noise so I used my helmet against the door. No one answered. I looked up for a moment and saw a man coming across the street with a phone to his ear. I was able to get the word "Help" out loud enough for him to hear and he responded, "I'm getting help now." as he came over to me. Another woman stopped and helped phone my wife to let her know what had happened. The police and the ambulance showed up and asked the same questions a dozen times over of who was I and what happened. Now I assume they were more checking my awareness then the information. At the time I was getting annoyed. They strapped me up and put me on a backboard to transport me, since I had hurt my back as well in the fall. That was the LONGEST and most painful ride I have ever been on.
After three days and two nights in the hospital, I finally came home. Muldoons was the towing company that cleared the bike. They charged me $250 for pickup, cleanup, and storage. It would have been more, but the couldn't deliver the bike the day we asked them to so they gave us the extra day for free. What a deal! (Not!) Anyway, all bitterness aside, once I had the bike at home and took a good look it seems that the rear tire went flat at some point before the crest of the turn. When I crossed over the crest leaning into the turn, the bike went out. Both tire beads are still in tacked and there are no sidewall gouges from hitting objects.
After seeing the scene and the bike, it seems that the rear end hit the cable that holds up the telephone pole. That threw the bike into a spin that ejected me from the bike and back into the road. The bike then spun around taking out a curve sign and hit the telephone pole directly in front of the seat on the air cleaner and gas tank facing the opposite direction that I was traveling.
For me, I have a broken clavicle and some broken ribs in front and in the back. The hospital thought I had a small puncture in my lung, but it healed quickly if I did and they were not worried. I get a month or two of watching way too much TV before I can return to work. My helmet has a bunch of scratches on it, but my padded jacket is in perfect shape. The helmet and the jacket protected me from much more serious injuries that I would have had if I had not been wearing them. Always wear protective gear!
Some pictures of the bike:
