What is your Ride?

taxico · Post by **taxico** » Fri, 17 Jun 2011 5:21 pm

my RF-1000 bore the brunt of the slide and saved my melon.

the front lower chin guard and visor were also scratched and damaged in the accident...

my butt however... was very badly... "damaged"

taxico · Post by **taxico** » Fri, 17 Jun 2011 6:18 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Hope you didn't do to much road burn.

my butt was destroyed as i was wearing very thin pants... one of my palms was also very badly injured along with other scrapes and cuts else where (elbows and knees). my feet were saved by my boots.

i couldn't sleep well because the bandage (even special ones for burnt skin) would stick to the wounds if i fell asleep for too long and then the whole thing would bleed again when i tore it off after waking up.

i don't even wanna talk about the agonizing time i had on the crapper.

it took 2 nurses about 30 minutes (i gave up trying to take care of the situation and went to the hospital a day later) to get rid of all the dirt on my butt, and another 30 minutes for all the dirt else where.

peroxide was my friend for many weeks. thank god i'm a side sleeper...! but i guess it was a lesson i learned the hard way...!

i want to blame it on other people, but i think i had only myself to blame. i should have been more patient or just pulled over and breathed. this was what happened:

it was a sunday night sometime late last year, around 11'ish and it had rained earlier. i was riding to my folks' house in the north from the west (not via the highway) and as soon as i left my place, a black audi RS (i can't remember which one) wouldn't leave me alone.

i was riding a monster 400 and in all honesty, i was trying to be safe as the roads were slippery although it looked dry - which was why i avoided the highway. safety first... right?

the dang sonavagun was constantly on my tail and i daresay, taunting me for a race. at red lights, he would pull up next to me and do jackrabbit starts on the green.

so far, at no time did i break the dam speed limit... but i did try to se if i could leave him behind from time to time but he had a pretty fast car... and i was wishing i was riding my liter bike instead...

if i went at 30-40kmph, he would be very close behind me doing the same speed. if i sped up, he would roar up and close up the gap. it seemed like he was following me from the west to the north!

2 lights away from my destination, i decided i was gonna gun it when the signals turned green as it was a 70kmph zone. he had really bugged me for too long... and i knew the signal timings on the following stretch of road and i knew i MIGHT stand a chance to leave him at the next red if i was lucky.

it was a very broad 2 lane road after the lights and i couldn't lose him. he was on the right lane, and i was on the left.

to the the nearside of the left lane was a bus stop with a bus bay and a blue cab pulled out of that bay without checking his blind spot just as i was about to pass him (i was going at 80kmph at this time - 10ks over the limit).

IF I HAD MY LITER BIKE... I THINK I WOULD HAVE BLASTED PAST THE CAB. BUT I DIDN'T. I WAS RIDING A DASTARDLY SLOW 400CC BIKE. THE STUPID CABBIE DIDN'T CHECK BEFORE PULLING OUT GOSHDARNITAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NORMALLY... there would be enough space for most bikes to go between cars... on THIS road the lanes were broad, but the audi driver CLOSED THE DAMN GAP ON PURPOSE! he went past the lane dividers and i was trapped...

so i could either TRY to squeeze through two cars and see the magnificent wobbling and bouncy bike featuring a bucking but now-dead taxico...

or i could crash into either car and hope its bumpers hide a nice soft bumper bar and then pray that only ONE car will run over me when i get flung over...

or i could try to remember all the training i've taken in the past... whoooot?

i checked my rear (thank goodness it was late) and did controlled braking then let it slide coz there were no cars...

as the sparks flew, i could hear the familiar exhaust note from the audi... i also saw the blue cab slow down (brake lights came on a little) and then it too, pulled away quickly.

dazed, and now with oncoming cars going AROUND me (my bike was in the middle of 2 lanes - it IS a very broad 2 lane road), i didn't really know what the heck to do.

when the coast was clear, i crossed to the kerb and pulled my helmet off and tried to think... what... i... should... do... next...

at some point in time, 2 TIBS bendy buses on the way back to the depot blocked the road off and the driver closest to me motioned for me to pick my bike up and push it to the side of the road... and i did.

the bike wouldn't turn over at first but it sputtered to life after a few tries and i rode back to my folks' house. very quietly i cleaned up and then took a cab home, forgetting what it was that i went there to pick up (mail) in the first place.

the pain started setting in soon after getting into the cab...

so... that was the story of how an impatient biker had about 1/8" of his left butt cheek shaved off by the tarmac.

the irony was... that happened on the same afternoon i had nagged at my wife to always wear her armor when we go out, even on hot days.

it just so happened that i just didn't want to wear a wet and smelly jacket and i thought it was okay to ride without any riding gear late at night.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 17 Jun 2011 9:06 pm

Man, I don't wish that on anybody! There are some real bastards on the roads out there and the worst are those with expensive cars. I know the pain you were in! I was blown up in a explosion on an offshore oil rig in Oct 1978. I had over 30% of my body burned (massive 2nd degree burns - you know the ones I'm talking about, where the skin slides off like so much melted wax!. The worst kind of burns, pain wise and all the nerve endings are exposed but not dead like what happens with charred 3rd degree burns. I spent a month in the Baton Rouge, La burn clinic because of that. So, dude, I CAN commiserate with what you went through. Especially the debriding process every morning so the wounds heal from the bottom up instead of scabbing over.

Glad you are still with us!

Post by **x9200** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 9:08 am

Yeap. Bastards are everywhere. Fortunately that type of some active ones not so common in Singapore. Good you got away with it only with your butt sanded off.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Sat, 18 Jun 2011 9:41 am

Mate of mine, could afford any bike in the world... but he swears by Triumph... and here he is...

Michael_A · Post by **Michael_A** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 7:20 am

oh well, there's no helping some people huh

JR8 wrote:Mate of mine, could afford any bike in the world... but he swears by Triumph... and here he is...

Post by **x9200** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 8:35 am

Sorry, I am not a motorcycle brand expert... what's wrong with the Triumph or Triumphs in general?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 12:19 pm

It's okay, Michael is obviously one of those people who would laugh at a Harley as well. Sure it's an anachronism or dinosaur, but cachet is difference than performance. I wonder how many 50 year old Ducati's there are still running like there are Triumphs & Harleys.

I'm not dissing the Ducati by the way. I think it's an excellent bike. But so were the original Vincents and Indians as well. He's like some women who will only carry a Coach handbag.

Don't worry Mike, just havin' a poke this morning. My favourite car is my old Austin-Healey 100-6. It's a brute, it's unrefined, lacks finess, is agricultural in nature (the engine is nothing much more than a tweaked tractor engine) and would blow 327 Corvettes off the road in it's day. (It was built from '57-60 when the Mk I came out).

Which do you think is the better chick magnet? A Golf GTi or this:

The Golf GTi will blow the doors off the A-H today, but standing still the A-H will cause the Golf to not even get a second glance, if it got a first glance at all.

Which would you rather have? An E Jag or a Nissan Z?

Post by **x9200** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 2:18 pm

Oh, clear

I'am not that much into performance and sport bikes. Good if this is combined with the look but if not that I rather have something with moderate performance but looking good in my eyes. I don't think the classical bikes are an anachronism. They could be less practical - storage space for example, but the spots bike are not practical neither. Frankly I see more bikes in the current Triumph's stable that I like than in the Ducati's:

Probably my next would be one of these: FJR1300 or Concours14 providing I make up my mind to own them in this country. Nobody gives here a s**t about respecting somebodies property so you can hardly ride to a shopping mall and not end up with a number of scratches.

Michael_A · Post by **Michael_A** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 2:39 pm

Hey SMS, nice car man, i would have the Healey or an E Type anyday over a Golf.. a mate of mine over here restores old british cars for a living, and races bug eye Sprites in the Historic racing... he is a perfectionist, turning piles of rusted junk into gleaming resto's..

I was just having a dig about the Triumph's.. had one once, would never own one again, nearly killed myself on it a few times.. great motor, just crap suspension, they don't like the twisty mountain roads.. which is why i love my Ducati's.. there's much more Italian passion and style .. and all the jokes about reliability, well who cares.. the older ones are bringing big money now, like everything i suppose...horses for courses..

as for Coach handbags.. Nah, Ducati's are a premium product, more like Jimmy Choo's

sundaymorningstaple wrote:It's okay, Michael is obviously one of those people who would laugh at a Harley as well. Sure it's an anachronism or dinosaur, but cachet is difference than performance. I wonder how many 50 year old Ducati's there are still running like there are Triumphs & Harleys.

I'm not dissing the Ducati by the way. I think it's an excellent bike. But so were the original Vincents and Indians as well. He's like some women who will only carry a Coach handbag.

Don't worry Mike, just havin' a poke this morning. My favourite car is my old Austin-Healey 100-6. It's a brute, it's unrefined, lacks finess, is agricultural in nature (the engine is nothing much more than a tweaked tractor engine) and would blow 327 Corvettes off the road in it's day. (It was built from '57-60 when the Mk I came out).

Which do you think is the better chick magnet? A Golf GTi or this:

The Golf GTi will blow the doors off the A-H today, but standing still the A-H will cause the Golf to not even get a second glance, if it got a first glance at all.

Which would you rather have? An E Jag or a Nissan Z?

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 19 Jun 2011 3:55 pm

Mike,

The A-H was "my" first restoration project as well. Subsequently, I restored a 1960 Merc 190SL Roadster and then my 850 Norton Commando. Shortly after the restoration of the Norton I came to Singapore (82) and around 88 I restored (not quite true - more like rebuilt as it was far from original in spec) a 66 Mini Cooper Mk1 here. That little car was an absolute blast to drive, especially coming the the country of huge chunks of iron in the front and the differential in the back and only a nut in between!

Front engine and front wheel drive were something only the better off could afford in the US at that time. Oldmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado and many decades earlier the famous 812 Cord. Real learning curve to driving that mini after being brought up on 396 Chevelle's and 442 Olds' and my land yachts - 72 caddy with a "small" block 472ci (7.7L) engine and current mint '92 Caddy d'Elegance (only 16K original miles from showroom).

Michael_A · Post by **Michael_A** » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 6:22 am

Great job for a first time resto.. love the old cars, sadly don't have anywhere to keep them or time to resto these days.. my bikes and associated stuff keep me busy here.. am currently importing Performance Parts/Wheels & Carbon Fibre here for mainly euro bikes.. sadly will have to sell this when i come to Sg as is too hard to run remotely and work for someone else..
I remember about the time i got my license, a mate of mine had an old Mini.. we used to go "rally" driving at night along the dirt roads out of town... crazy stuff, don't know how we survived to be honest, many near misses.. I also restored a '68 HK Holden Monaro here many years ago, run a 350/T400/9" Diff under it.. was a beast and it was only small block.. wish i still had it, they sell for crazy prices now... cars, bikes, all the same i think .. they just become a black hole for throwing money into..

Here's my current driver... use it to haul my tandem covered trailer for the bikes..

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Mike,

The A-H was "my" first restoration project as well. Subsequently, I restored a 1960 Merc 190SL Roadster and then my 850 Norton Commando. Shortly after the restoration of the Norton I came to Singapore (82) and around 88 I restored (not quite true - more like rebuilt as it was far from original in spec) a 66 Mini Cooper Mk1 here. That little car was an absolute blast to drive, especially coming the the country of huge chunks of iron in the front and the differential in the back and only a nut in between! Front engine and front wheel drive were something only the better off could afford in the US at that time. Oldmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado and many decades earlier the famous 812 Cord. Real learning curve to driving that mini after being brought up on 396 Chevelle's and 442 Olds' and my land yachts - 72 caddy with a "small" block 472ci (7.7L) engine and current mint '92 Caddy d'Elegance (only 16K original miles from showroom).

kingw · Post by **kingw** » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 5:47 pm

just road around the island. stoked.

see you guys out on the road!

Mad Scientist · Post by **Mad Scientist** » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 6:15 pm

Hey Michael

Is yours Disco 4 or 3. I am driving right now but Disco 3, 19 inch wheel. Silver but I had to do up the GPS system with a Gyro as Disco 3 does not have on board. Only Disco 4 has everything built in except for the Gyro.
Is your running board from LR. Looks different from the one I have.
Is that bull bar from LR or after market ?

curiousgeorge · Post by **curiousgeorge** » Mon, 20 Jun 2011 6:16 pm

x9200 wrote:Oh, clear
I'am not that much into performance and sport bikes. Good if this is combined with the look but if not that I rather have something with moderate performance but looking good in my eyes. I don't think the classical bikes are an anachronism. They could be less practical - storage space for example, but the spots bike are not practical neither. Frankly I see more bikes in the current Triumph's stable that I like than in the Ducati's:

Ah the Triumph Rocket Roadster, the most powerful of the Rocket III line-up, with a claimed 163 ft·lb (221 N·m) torque and 146 bhp (109 kW).

The RIII is the largest motorcycle in production at 2300cc, and >90% of that mad torque available at <2000rpm. In 2004, the RIII set the world landspeed record for a bike over 2000cc.

Weighing in at 320kg, it is surprisingly nimble for a cruiser (sorry, ultimate muscle bike [sic] - Triumph).

This beast can piss all over any other cruiser out there...not many Harley Riders (or any large cruiser riders) can ride an RIII then live with their slow lumbering beasts without dreaming of life on an RIII.

I might be a tad bias...my latest acquisition was a 2006 RIII back in March. Was a fantastic bike until I binned it making good progress on a highspeed bend strewn with gravel on 9th April...I am still off work with a non-functioning arm following shoulder reconstruction surgery.

I was in full mesh armour, boots, gloves and full face helmet. Funny, just that morning when i filled the bike the lady at the petrol kiosk asked why i wear all that gear for riding. My standard reply is that i dont wear it for riding...i wear it in case I fall off! First road accident in 10 years

I say road accident as I also have a BMW F800GS, which is a fantastic all-rounder...brilliant on poor Malaysian road surfaces, even the track at PG! I feel sure that my accident wouldn't have happened on the sure-footed Beemer...but trying to keep up with motocross buddies on little 200cc machines has seen me bite the dirt a couple of times...

Before that:

ST100 Pan Euro
Honda Deauville
Yammy Diversion XJ600 (The old kind)
GS125...

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