Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

General Discussion => Trips/Ride reports => Topic started by: Jack Leis on January 09, 2013, 05:06:44 am

Title: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Jack Leis on January 09, 2013, 05:06:44 am
 Today was quite a wakeup call. Bare and I took off this morning for a ride thru Deluz Canyon . We decided to ride from there to Rice Canyon, a great twisty winding road when it happened. We were riding along at a nice SPIRITED pace when Bare went a little wide coming thru a turn, just missed a pickup truck and over corrected, went off the road, slammed into a big rock and bounced off it . The bike crashed and tumbled with Bare right behind it flopping all over like a rag doll. He was unconscious, all bloodied up laying on his face. It was horrible. I watched as the whole thing happened. After about 3 to 5 minutes he started to come around, still incoherent , wouldn't stay still and made it really tough to to try to keep him immobile till the medics arrived. The scissor happy paramedics had a field day on his riding gear. They hacked everything off him except his skivies the poor guy. I had to stay at the scene for the Highway paperwork then rode 20 miles to the closest hospital to be with him. In a nutshell, He suffered a concussion, broke I think it was 6 ribs and has some nasty gashes on his face. They are keeping him in the Hospital overnight for observation. His Guardian Angel was definitely at his side. The bike . . . smashed up for sure but who cares. I still have my buddy Bare. The moral of the story ? Don't ride over your head and ALWAYS wear clean underwear when you go riding.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Arizoni on January 09, 2013, 05:17:44 am
Glad to hear you still have a sense of humor after seeing this tragic event.
Even more glad to hear that bare is still with us.  I praying for his total recovery knowing full well that when he gets mobile again, his RE will get whatever it takes to fix it.
That, being down the road a ways, tell him to quit fussing about the bike and concentrate on getting his bod back in good order. :)
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Jack Leis on January 09, 2013, 05:20:25 am
Roger that Jim ! Thanks.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: bluesdaddy2 on January 09, 2013, 12:19:24 pm
Wow! So sorry to hear about Bare.  I always look forward to reading his posts.  Get well soon........  Live to Ride.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: 1 Thump on January 09, 2013, 01:52:44 pm
I hope he heals quickly.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: ace.cafe on January 09, 2013, 04:06:24 pm
Very sorry to hear it.
At least his gear protected him as much as possible.
I have had broken ribs, and it's no picnic, but at least he's still alive.

Best wishes for a quick recovery.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: bikesnob on January 09, 2013, 05:40:29 pm
I got the news from Jack this am, I'm still in shock, I meet Bare thru this forum, and have been on numerous rides with him and Jack, I'm praying for a speedy recovery.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: bob bezin on January 10, 2013, 05:26:37 pm
+1 dont ride over your head. a reminder for all of us. glad bare survived
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: fritz1914 on January 10, 2013, 06:48:39 pm
sorry to hear of the accident,wishing a speedy recovery.god bless
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Jack Leis on January 10, 2013, 06:54:55 pm
 I just got off the phone with Bare. He is still hospitalized and doing some physical therapy to help get the ribs back where they belong. Ouch !
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Arizoni on January 10, 2013, 09:29:10 pm
Thanks for letting us know.

His making it thru the first few days is a good sign.  Hopefully they are keeping him for a few more days to make sure clotting issues don't come up.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: GreenMachine on January 11, 2013, 01:20:35 am
Glad to c he's okay...He must have been hitting it hard...These bikes r so easy to lean..Thank God he's going to be okay and tell him we wish him a speedy recovery...
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: TWinOKC on January 11, 2013, 04:02:59 am
So sorry to hear about his accident.  Get well soon!
 :( :(
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: BarklessDog on January 11, 2013, 05:15:53 pm
Wishing Bare a speedy recovery. Get well soon. My thoughts are with you, Brother!
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: bikesnob on January 11, 2013, 07:39:40 pm
I just talked to Bare he sounded good, he's hoping to go home today.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Jack Leis on January 12, 2013, 05:37:58 pm
Bare is out of the hospital and resting at home now.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: BarklessDog on January 12, 2013, 07:11:44 pm
Thank is excellent news. Thanks for the update, Jack.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: barenekd on January 12, 2013, 08:32:01 pm
Thanks for all the posts, guys. It's good to have a few friends out there!
The crash was caused by a pickup that came around a corner in my lane and forced me to change my line. Unfortunately, that change took me off the outside of the road and into a rocky hill. The last thing I saw was the ground rushing up at my face. I was out until the ambulance got there and the guys loading my up and asking a bunch of goofy questions about what day and year it was. I really didn't know the answers. It was weird, but the memory came back later. I have about 6 broken ribs, but left shoulder is the sorest part. And my diaphragm hurts when I try to get some heavy breathing in. Overall the pain isn't too bad and I can get around without too much agony. Doing much stuff gets tiring pretty quick, but I'll get over that I guess! I got cut up around my eyes by the goggles and broke up some bones around it, but the doctor decided just to let it heal. Not any pain up there.
Now all I have to do is figure the best way to get the bike out of the CHP impound and up to the shop.
Fun stuff!!
Bare
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: ERC on January 13, 2013, 12:05:44 am
I guess you can't keep the 70 yr old guys down. Good luck with the ribs, hope all is ok.  ERC
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: JVS on January 13, 2013, 03:56:51 am
Oh my. I don't have too much to say, I am shocked as everyone else. But very happy to see you typing to us again after that incident.

Bare, I wish you a speedy recovery.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: Lwt Big Cheese on January 13, 2013, 09:50:01 am
Oh man, only just seen this.

Bare you hang in there and mend quick. Glad you're, sort of, OK.

Remember with those ribs to breathe VERY deeply as often as you can. When I broke some ribs I breathed really shallow as it hurt - this can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia!

I suppose the internet will be your friend if you can't do much. But I guess I don't need to add links to Hitchcock so you can select the new bits to mend your bike?
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: GreenMachine on January 13, 2013, 04:04:59 pm
Bare: Great to hear u gonna be okay..Did the P/U stop?  Seems to be the norm today..Hoping you and Enfield mend quickly for the spring..I enjoy your riding stories and knowledge of motorcycles..GM
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: barenekd on January 13, 2013, 07:42:56 pm
The P/U didn't stop. He probably didn't know I went down. He was around the corner and gone before I finished skidding down the road. I barely cleared him as it was. It felt like I missed him by maybe 6" at most! I was actually cutting across his front end trying to get out of his way. Having reduced the bank of my turn and grabbing a handful of throttle to move me outside of him is probably what caused me to miss the rest of the turn! Once I missed him, I didn't have time to roll in the bank and continue turning. I looked down to see my front tire running off the road and looked up and saw a rocky dirt wall in front of me. And that was all I remember until I was getting loaded into the meat wagon.
Jack picked up the rest of the story. He said I bounced back into the road and was flopping down it like a rag doll. He said when I stopped, I just laid there for a few minutes and blood was pooling up around me. My face got pretty cut up from the goggle frames and head wounds bleed a lot. (Personal experience).  Then, he said, I got up and started running around like a head with my chicken cut off, and he was trying to hold me down with little luck. The meat wagon came and joined in on the wrestling match. Once they got me held down, they started cutting all my good clothes off, the Gearne boots, my gloves, a Joe Rocket jacket, a good irreplaceable Golden Bears Gun Club sweatshirt, and such. Twas about then that I woke up and they were asking my all these weird questions about the date, the time and such, most of which I couldn't answer. Concussions do strange things to you. Anyway, off to the hospital, and more consciousness. Then it was a lot of laying there, doing little and eating bad food, as little as I could eat, along with getting awakened about every hour at night. Not a place to go for Peace and Quiet!
Anyway, back home now. they didn't really DO anything about the fractured bits, so I guess I just have to wait until everything heals up and stops hurting. Not the most pleasant experience. I can do without it!
The cell phone barely worked which is not unusual for those POSs. On one side of the bed I had some network, but on the other side, 2 feet away, nothing.
Bare

Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: GSS on January 17, 2013, 12:45:55 am
Bare,
Glad to know you are OK. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

GSS
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: jartist on January 17, 2013, 06:19:57 am
Holy smokes! I was just catching up and saw the thread title that Jack wrote and, man am I glad you're ok! Take care and heal quick and give em hell!
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: DanB on January 18, 2013, 02:42:28 am
Good God!  Glad to hear you're on the mend. All the best for a fast recovery.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: boggy on January 18, 2013, 06:50:26 pm
Damn Bare, I told you to keep the rubber side down.  Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I guess.  ;)

Glad to hear you can think and speak and are generally in good shape - All things considered.  6" is the difference between a scary story and a tragedy.  Mending bones suck. Takes forever.  Any road rash to accompany those breaks?  I was cursing my knee rash more than my fractured ankle.

Now that we know you are well(ish), any idea what the damage to the bike is?  Fixable?  Totaled?

Here's hoping you heal like you ride... Fast.
Boggy

*Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Jack.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: True Prophecy on January 19, 2013, 01:01:46 pm
Sorry to hear this.  I hope you mend up soon.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: barenekd on January 19, 2013, 05:54:52 pm
Quote
Now that we know you are well(ish), any idea what the damage to the bike is?  Fixable?  Totaled?

There are a couple of posts up in the "What did you do with your bike today" section about my trials and tribulations with the insurance company. They are going to total it, but the offer they sent me is taking some of the pain away. But the offer is enough to pay mine off and have a decent down payment for a Cafe Racer. So, the next big question is how do I handle not having a bike for a few months. Or is this the sign to get off my sore ass and fix my GB500!
Bare
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: GreenMachine on January 20, 2013, 01:58:58 am
Sounds like a game plan to me. Plenty of time to get that iron out..All u need to do is get well and fit enough for that cafe racer..The GB 500 will fill the temporary void . You're dam lucky it wasn't more serious but I suspect some of that was due to experience or your just to dam ornery..GM
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: singhg5 on January 20, 2013, 03:46:27 am
Bare - So sorry to read about your accident. Damn that pickup truck that got in your lane.

Wishing you a speedy recovery. My prayers are with you that you be well so that you can do what you want to do.
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: wildbill on January 22, 2013, 12:11:39 am
Bare
Sorry to hear about your crash and best wishes for a speedy recovery............a little further down the track cast your thoughts on the red go faster cafe racer,
That should cheer you up
graham
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: barenekd on January 22, 2013, 01:58:49 am
Quote
a little further down the track cast your thoughts on the red go faster cafe racer,

That idea is right in the bullseye!
Bare
Title: Re: EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .
Post by: mattsz on January 28, 2013, 11:56:06 am
Jesus, Bare - I read about your insurance dealings in the "What Did You Do..." thread, but for some reason I got the impression that you had just sort of laid it down and slid off the road.  I'm so glad you've come through this so well and so quickly!  And, selfishly, I'm glad I didn't know about it till now - I would have been worried sick!  All of my new imaginary internet friends here on this forum are important to me!!!