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Tooch is OK

Marcarl

By Marcarl
in Watering Hole

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Marcarl

Marcarl

Posted
Posted

I just thought you should all know and read his story.

Lesson to be learned here,,,,, Thanks for the description Dave,, I'm sure it will help others avoid the predicament.

Taken from other post.

 

Tooch Went Boom

I got to experience something I've never done before......sliding down the highway at 70-80 km/h and watching my bike sliding down the highway beside me, throwing sparks off of the left rear bag rails.......I was thinking, man all this rain and water on the road and it's still throwing up all those sparks!

 

I'd been in the right lane on the 407 Hwy. just coming up to Hurontario Road, the rain had turned into a monsoon again and the wind had really picked. I had basically no visibility but there was no traffic and I could make out the white lines that I needed to keep it between. I should have slowed down more then I had but I was still an hour out and wanted to get home. I didn't see that the run off was coming across the roadway and was pooling along the right side of the road. I started to hydroplane and the front end lost all traction and started to go into a wobble. I rolled off the throttle but the backend started to slide towards the right. I started to correct and felt her starting to come around but I hit another standing pool of water that totally wash out the front end on me. The road is 5 lanes wide here and the surface is concrete the water was running in sheets down the camber of the road and I might as well have been on ice. As the back end completely wash on me and came around, I knew I was going down. As the bike started to slide onto her left side I just pushed away from her and let her go her way and I went mine. I didn't want to stay with the bike in case she went high side on me.

 

Well I slide down the highway watching and thinking about the sparks when it dawned on me, man, I think this is going to hurt!

And just as I thought that, I came to a stop in the middle of the highway and looked over at the bike which was stopped on its left side over, by the centre concrete barrier. There were no lights, no traffic coming towards me so I did a quick check of myself and nothing hurt so I got up and walked over to the bike on the left shoulder of the road. I picked up my windshield with the windows bags still attached as I walked towards the bike but that was the only thing that appeared to have broken off. I could see a lot of damaged and bent parts on the left side. Wow what I mess if the bikes that bad there has to be some injuries to me. I really checked myself over feeling around and moving everything. My rain suit was shredded and my armoured jacket was full of abrasions and worn right through on my right elbow to the armoured pad. My armoured pants looked the same. I had pair of Kevlar jeans underneath but later I found they didn't have a mark. I didn't have a mark on my body and nothing at all hurt and I felt fine. I didn't think my head had banged off of anything but I took my helmet off and looked it over, not a mark.

 

I went over and wrestled with the bike and got it up right but the kickstand would not come down and was jammed up somehow. I pushed her over to the concrete barrier and leaned it against that. It was still pouring rain and the best I could see the left side was a mess. I threw on the 4-way flashers and dug out my cell phone. Of course my cell phone is dead!

 

As I said not much traffic and what there was, I couldn't get anybody to stop and help me out. Finally someone stopped and of course later I find out he rides and that's why he stopped when he saw me trying to flag him down. Bruno was his name and he called the police for me. The police came and did a report and he called a friend of mine for me, who came with a flat-bed tilt-load and took the bike to his shop, in Vaughan and gave me a lift there.

 

I called Cathy well after 1:30 and woke her up to come get me. She had no idea I had left MD to come home early and was mad, that I hadn't called her to tell her I was on the road on the way home.

 

She drove the hour down from Barrie to get me and I guess she had settled down some, cause she finally ask if I was all right.

 

I was soaked right through by this time, helping to unload & load the bike. (My rain suit was shredded & somehow wasn't doing much to keep me dry!)

 

When we got home I had a hot shower and looked me over again, not even a bruise. Got to bed at 5:15 a.m. And thought, I bet I'd feel it in the morning.........

 

Well I'm not feeling anything out of the ordinary. As I type this, the only thing that is injured, is my pride. I'm OK and grateful that it turned out that way. The bike can be fixed and if not, I guess replaced.

 

Last edited by The Tooch
; Today at 06:31 PM.

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Bert2006

Bert2006

Posted
Posted

Man, what a wild weekend for our members...happy to hear you are ok sir...and thanks for the write-up. I alway's found that my close calls mostly occur in the last leg of my trips when I am tired and pushing to get home...so lesson to be learned for me in this one. :shock3:

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saddlebum

saddlebum

Posted
Posted

Really Glad Dave came through this unscathed. Its getting a little depressing hearing of so many of our members going down and so early in the season (not that there is ever a good time to for anyone to go down) but I would much rather not have to hear it at all. Its unfortunate about his bike but as it has been said so often, it can be replaced were as our friends cannot. I hope we all try a little harder to stay safe.

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Max

Max

Posted
Posted

Tooch Went Boom ... Thanks for the write up.

Man, my blood pressure went over the top reading this post. Caution factor just elevated a notch, having run the 87' on the 407 in rain (not as severe) a couple times.

Glad you came out unscathed!

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XV1100SE

XV1100SE

Posted
Posted

Dave - so glad you went unscathed. If there is anything I can do to assist you with the bike, let me know.

 

Nancy and I left MD with Tooch, MarCarl, Wizard765, Reinyrooster, and Dogman around 3:30 on Saturday and for the most part stayed in between rain. Stopped for dinner in Erie (I think) and when we came out it was raining pretty hard. Geting back onto the highway I had a "moment" where the back end started to twitch and the front end felt "light". Managed to keep going but after that puckering moment lost some confidence riding. Thankfully the group slowed to a speed I was comfortable with.

 

This was the first trip I had pulled the Time Out trailer. I've pulled a Tag-Along for about 12,000km (roughly 8,000 miles) with no issues and no concerns. I checked my tongue weight before we left MD and was about 35lbs. Tires - front 37, rear 40. Front shocks 5psi, rear a little over 30psi. Coming down from Ontario it seemed to be fine, but for the ride back the front end felt light and "wiggly" at slow speed. Wasn't noticing any bounce on the rear hitting bumps. By the time we got to Angola NY it was getting dark, had seen deer on the shoulder of the highway, few dead ones too. Temperature was going down and was a drizzle by this time.

 

At this point I asked for advice from the group. First recommendation was that my rear shock needed more air based on the trailer weight of 325lbs + baggage. Was suggested that I take the front down to what I normally ride at which is 3psi. Thanks to Dogman, we brought the rear shock up to 48psi.

 

I'm usually tail gunner but this time because of my concern with the ride I left with the group but went to a middle position. Bike felt great as we got back on the road. Much better handling and front felt good. Because I had riders behind me, I now found out that the running lights on the trailer weren't working. Brakes and turn signals were fine but no running lights. I put my 4-ways on and we pulled off at the next rest area.

 

Jiggling the connector didn't fix the running lights and with the temps dropping and it still raining, and now with no running lights, Nancy and I decided to drop out of the group and get a room for the night in Hamburg NY.

 

When we woke up this morning, temperature was 45 F and drizzling. But it was daylight, which made me feel more comfortable. Bike felt good and low and behold, the running lights on the trailer were working again. Must have needed a rest. I'll go thru the wiring when the weather gets better and before the next trip.

 

We took our time going thru Buffalo and crossed at Fort Erie. When we got to the border, there were no line ups so we sailed thru. We took our time, stopped for breakfast and coffee a couple times to warm up and made it home around 2-2:30.

 

MarCarl called us to make sure we made it home safe before I had a chance to let the group know we made it okay. Thank you for your concern Carl !

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SilvrT

SilvrT

Posted
Posted

Tooch, glad to hear you're OK but I thought I said on the thread about Yammer that it was time to stop this... and now you! And I'm heading to Venture West June 23rd.... all of this is really starting to freak me out and I'm thinking maybe I've pushed my luck too far and it's time to hang up the guns! ..

 

Geeesh .... NO MORE you guys! Be safe out there ... we don't want to be reading any more of this!

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YamahaLarry

YamahaLarry

Posted
Posted

Scary read but glad you are ok. Unlike you, I am wear only jeans and a tee shirt when riding (unless it is cold or raining) and convinced I would not have fared as well. Plus, the old body aint what it once was.

 

And also like you. on my return trip from a week long trip to Tennessee mountains yesterday, I pushed the RSV pretty hard the last 120 miles or so, but it was beautiful weather.

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cowpuc

cowpuc

Posted
Posted

OUCH!!!!! Dave, soooooo glad you are ok my friend!! Sure sounds like it could have easily been a whole lot worse, think I will start calling you Miracle Man!! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the informative and well written update about it all, you never know - your words may very well save someone life!!

Thanks Carl for posting this!!

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Yama Mama

Yama Mama

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Posted

Hope you are doing well. I was so sorry to hear about the mishap. I did not even know that you were are MD, which happens to me all the time. I probably even talked to you and did not know you were Tooch. Please let me know next time. We used to chat all the time on VRchat.

Yama Mama

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