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View Full Version : Motorcycle accident last Sunday!!



Steve Chryssos
08-24-2004, 05:52 AM
Well, Had my first motorcycle accident. Made some mods to my Harley Davidosn V-Rod and was all excited to try 'em out/show em off. Went to a local Sunday morning hangout called Captree State Park. You know--Everyone hangs out at a parking lot--nice view, etc. Cops everywhere busting top end speeders.
On the way out of the lot we kept it cool until we got to the middle of a lengthy bridge. Then everyone opens up! Viper, 70 Mach 1, my buddy on his VTX and a sweet plum crazy 71 Pro Touring Dart. I look over my left shoulder to make a lane change (my Pro 1 mirrors look cool but are pretty useless). Moved left directly into the side of the Dart who was coming up on me hard and fast. Maybe he was moving fast enough to make up the distance between the time I looked and the time I moved over.
Left leg was pinched between the car and my frame. Kept my cool, counter-steered away. Wife kept her cool too!! Raspberry on my left leg. Broken peg/shifter frame mount. Bent shift arm. Bizzare damage to the front fender (musta gone under his rear bumper as he pulled away???)
Very lucky to have not gone down or worse--got run over by that Dart. Could've been a lot worse. The bike stayed fairly stable throughout the impact. Rode it home (30 miles) with my left foot resting on the front pulley cover.
V-Rods have bolt on lower frame members so no welding required to fix the peg/shifter mount. I'll take this as a warning that I need to chill out--especially when the wifey's life is in my hands.
/Steevo

Q ship
08-24-2004, 06:07 AM
Steevo, I have enjoyed reading your posts and it would be a pleasure to meet you. With that said, WTF were you thinking? With your wife on board? It's one thing to put your own life at risk, but....
VERY glad to hear you're both Ok, hope it wasn't a wasted lesson....

Rick Dorion
08-24-2004, 07:20 AM
I'm sincerely glad you and your wife are OK after such a stupid stunt. I mean this in the right spirit, too. I had a 6 month vacation from work when I was (much) younger from a motorcycle accident that resulted from poor judgement. Slightly different sequence of events and we'd be saying 'Remember Stevo - sure miss him'.

Steve Chryssos
08-24-2004, 09:00 AM
Yup. Lesson learned. As I stated on the v-rod forum:
"Thhat which doesn't turn you into hamburger makes you stronger"

What was I thinking? (not trying to make excuses--literally just telling you what I was thinking.)

Buddy on the VTX took off after a Viper. I was speeding but consciously thinking about just keeping up the rear not catching up. I had just installed new rear shocks so I was in no way going to try to catch up (would have required triple digit speed as opposed to the 70-75 mph at time of contact.
And I had left the Dart/Mach 1 far behind. Probably five or six car lengths. Sometime after I had passed them they decided to get on it. (Probably cuz I passed em) I DID check before changing lanes but the Dart was really moving so when I started the lane change, he was right there. He was passing while we were in contact. So he must have been going 90mph.

SO it's wrong to assume that the flow of traffic is constant. You know--that mental picture that you have where you keep track of everything behind you--everything that you pass. The flow of traffic can be VARIABLE!! Especially leaving a hot rod hangout!!

Guy in the Mach 1 (behind me) said he saw my V-Rod wobbling--Scared the piss out of him. Good thing I went to riding school. Learned how to stay cool and learned the skills and importance of counter-steering. Had I just "leaned" like the typical untrained rider or worse steered like you would in a car, we'd be done. Wife went to the same school.
I'm anxious to get my bike fixed so that I can apply my new found wisdom.
Thanks for the words and :slap:
/Steevo

edit: Hey Rick post a pic of your car. Looks great in your avatar!!

68RallySport
08-24-2004, 09:49 AM
U have a VROD. U *******!!!
David

slck6t9
08-24-2004, 10:24 AM
Steevo glad to here you and your wife made it safely through the ordeal. I just rode a V-Rod for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love. Which V-Rod forum were you talking about? I just want to learn some more things about the bike before I buy one. Thanks.

Scott

colt zantop
08-24-2004, 10:25 AM
glad to hear your ok.........sounds like it coulda been a whole lot worse!!!



colt45

Steve Chryssos
08-24-2004, 10:54 AM
Thanks Colt and others.

Scott,
Great motorcycle. Hot ticket for V-Rod info is:
http://www.v-rodforums.com

Sources for trick V-Rod parts are:
http://www.v-mod.com
http://www.breathlessperformance.com

slck6t9
08-24-2004, 11:50 AM
Steevo thanks for the info.

Scott

Ralph LoGrasso
08-24-2004, 05:50 PM
Steve,

Did the dart have aftermarket wheels on it? I was talking to Eric after you left, and he said he thinks he knows the guy whos car that is.

parsonsj
08-24-2004, 07:48 PM
Steve,
Glad to hear you're ok. And Mary too. The whole scene you painted makes me shudder. Your heartrate must have been 200+! Did the dude in the Dart stop and make sure you were ok? Or did he just keep going?

jp

zbugger
08-24-2004, 08:28 PM
Steevo, glad to see you're ok. Well, physically at least. I had a buddy at school who got sideswiped on the freeway on his Harley. The lady said she didn't see him, but he had open pipes. She had to haf at least FELT him, if not heard him. Also, it's good to see you acknowledging that it was your fault too. Many bikers that I've talked to only blame the car drivers for not looking.

Steve Chryssos
08-25-2004, 04:47 AM
It happened on a bridge, so we both drove for a while until we found a place to pull over. It was all handled in a civil manner. Just a coupla hot rodders. "Nice bumping into you".
Yeah Ralph it's got Billet Specialties 8" wheels all the way around on 255's. Based out of Huntington.

It's over. I cancelled my claim with the insurance co so that I can get cracking on repairs without delay. He--of course--has put in a claim with my insurance company. Whatever.

CAMAROBOY69
08-25-2004, 04:58 AM
Steve I am soooo glad you are ok!! And the point that you had the balls to post about your accident on the site shows how much of a man you are. Most guys wouldnt say anything but its nice that you did to help people in here realize that even the best and most experienced drivers can have accidents. Reallly glad the wife kept her cool too. That really helps a lot! Nothing worse that the wife or girlfriend screaming "OMG were gonna die!!!!!" :rotfl:

Geeto67
08-25-2004, 08:07 AM
Glad to hear you are ok steevo.

This seems to be the season for bike wrecks. I am still recovering from a 65mph slide I took on the northern state (July 3rd) after a hyundai did to me what you did to that Dart. IT was my first accident as well and I have been riddin 11 years. Fortunatly I only broke my toes, sprained everything else. I got a call from a buddy the other day and he told me about two more friends who were in bike accidents. I am beginning to think that NYC and most of Long Island are too crowded for motorcyclists. Plus people around here are not used to looking for them. It sucks

Steve Chryssos
08-25-2004, 09:27 AM
Sorry to hear that Kerry. Feel better soon. Yeah--I prefer to hop the ferry and ride through Connecticut and Massachusetts and look forward to the day when I can ride in the desert (middle of F#$&kin nowhere).

BAD6SPD
08-25-2004, 09:42 AM
Well Steve, Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a real man to admit it...Glad to hear you are both alright.