FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

Leather is worth every penny.


I was going for a little pleasure ride, hitting some local roads, but not exceeding the speedlimit (not my bag baby). I come up on this nice set of 4 turns, in a 55 zone with brand new asphalt. I think to myself, "sweet, perfectly clear roads and tons of traction". I get through the first turn and come up on the second. I'm doing about 55-60, and an beginning to define my apex, when all of a sudden we're down. It seems that the local DOT had just re-done the shoulders as well as the roads. I didn't even see the gravel (there was a lot of it), and ended up sliding down the road into a corn field. Me and the bike slid like 80-100 feet, hit a little embankment of dirt on the side of the road and tumbled into the field. The bike lands upside down in the dirt, but aside from a scratched up crankcase cover and a streetfighter look we are both ok.

I was wearing some paintball pants (on the same level of protection as textile gear), a yamaha brand mesh jacket, leather gauntlets and boots (and of course a helmet). I had absolutley no idea what had happened, I did everything right: Didn't touch the brakes, kept my throttle very steady, and kept my machine in good order. Carelessness on the DOT worker's part by leaving all that gravel on the road (right in the turn no less) and me exceeding my line of sight contributed to my get off. My gear didn't hold up well, but did save me a lot of rash. I have a very good sized section burned off on my forearm, a tiny bit on my hip and knee. Other than the rash I am fine, and for that very thankful. I can't help but think though, had I been wearing leather I would have gotten out of it with next to no rash and just a little bit of bruising.


ride safe, you can do everything right and still get screwed. Get good gear, while you're sliding down the road thinking to yourself that you should lay as flat on the asphalt as you can in order to slow yourself down because that telephone pole looks mighty solid, the last thing you want to consider is how well will your gear hold up.

I'm in the process of fixing the bike, it turns over but needs some work (carbs got oiled up good becasue it landed upside down). Thankfully I've had an r6 tail and tank just waiting to go on and now I have plenty of motivation to get that going. I can assure you though, before I get back on the road I will be getting better gear.

Ride safe.

Glad you're ok Bro. Get yourself checked for any internal injuries.

+1 Glad to hear you're ok. I never wear enough protection...

Seems like just the luck lately. But remember, before robbing a bank, the successful bank robbers always "scope it out" ... get the lay of the land. I always scope out roads and go down them a few times, get familiar, before even giving an extra 10 mph. Asphalt can hide that kind of gravel pretty well, and you never know when you might even encounter some seemingly harmless road-kill that could cause you to crash. More often lately I've been erring on the side of caution, especially after my MX wreck a few weeks back. Still getting some headaches and various other pain, but not nearly as much. Still makes me extra cautious though, I can't imagine a 500 pound bike sandwiching me between itself and hard asphalt.

Take your time healing up, see a doc to make sure / x-rays or whatever. Sooner the better, and get a REALLY BIG-ASS bottle of advil. Post pictures of damage so we can all share your pain.

Glad you're ok.

Glad you're no more bangged up than you are . Gravel is a biotch. We have had soo many frog choking rains that even familar roads I'm cautious on as the gravel from the so called shoulders have literally been washed onto the asphault. This moring was no exception. Leather is much more readily accessible and is significantly more cost effective than human skin. Godspeed.

tough luck on the gravel!

I quit riding hard through areas I havent been to first cuz of all teh gravel I have around my area

Glad your ok man.. I know since my crash and just getting back on the bike last week, I've taken things EXTRA careful. I am not only scanning far ahead of me for traffic/obstructions, but I find myself scanning right in front of me on the ground just as much... I sure does pay to be cautious.

Hopefully there's not too much wrong with the bike and it's back up and running in no time.!

Glad to hear you're ok! The right gear is always key to minimal rash.. Hopefully you can strip the bike down enough to enjoy the balance of he summer and you have a good winter project!

SH*T !!! Axe what I just told you about the ibuprofen. I think I'm having withdrawal or overdose symptoms.

If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking ibuprofen and seek medical treatment or contact your doctor immediately:
an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
muscle cramps, numbness, or tingling;
ulcers (open sores) in the mouth;
rapid weight gain (fluid retention);
seizures;
black, bloody, or tarry stools;
blood in your urine or vomit;
decreased hearing or ringing in the ears;
jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
abdominal cramping, indigestion, or heartburn.
Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take ibuprofen and talk to your doctor if you experience
dizziness or headache;
nausea, gaseousness, diarrhea, or constipation;
depression;
fatigue or weakness;
dry mouth; or
irregular menstrual periods. <--man if you get these you're REALLY screwed.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Sounds like quite the wipeout. Glad you're ok man. Just reminds me I really need to get a set of riding gear...I have NO money for it though

megaloxana wrote:Sounds like quite the wipeout. Glad you're ok man. Just reminds me I really need to get a set of riding gear...I have NO money for it though

I understand this thinking but at the same time it makes no sense. Not to rag on you cause I haven't bought boots yet cause I have no money but think of it this way... 400 bucks for some good gear is a hell of a lot cheaper than 20K in hospital bills. When I used to race DH I had a shitty pair of knee/shin guards. I went down, cracked them, tore my knee open clear to the cap and in the span of 3 seconds amassed 10K in hospital bills. All because I didn't spend 80 bucks on a set of proper guards. Not to mention the HUGE scar across my knee and random stiffness that occurs.


I sell Personal Locater Beacons at my shop and I can't get people to spend the 600-750 on them because they don't get to use it regularly. The $600 will pinpoint you within a 1/2 mile radius and the $750 will get you within feet because it has onboard gps. Now this is something you will use in a life threatening situation and people won't spend the extra $150 on their LIFE!! I bring this up because it illustrates a very good point... How much is your life worth? $400-500 for some proper gear. $600 for a general location or $750 for a dead nuts "just go and pick them up." Get a credit card if you have to and put it on it and pay the interest added if it gets you into some gear.

Gear or a PLB you'll never fully realize how great an investment it was until you have to use it.

Yeah, +100 on that. I just got my Teknic leather sport pants a few months back, and yes in the summer they're a little hot, but I don't know what I was thinking all those years riding without them.

Full gear is no joke. SCREW being in a hospital with injuries, at least you can save your skin, possibly muscles and bones also.

I see no-gear squids all the time... WITH EXPENSIVE BIKES !!! Apparently no brains though.

YAM93 wrote:I see no-gear squids all the time... WITH EXPENSIVE BIKES !!! Apparently no brains though.

Extra gray matter was too expensive; what with that fancy new Busa purchase coming up and all.

The only thing i need yet is pants, everything else is leather; and I've got my bro getting me a pair of the armored gloves from the army for cheap.

thatkid, i was waiting for a response like that. In fact I would prolly tell someone else the same thing. I honestly would buy gear if I have any spare cash whatsoever. My internship doesn't pay much and the money I do make goes straight into phone/insurance/gas/school/credit card bills. I wear a jacket and boots but they're just not "official" riding gear. I got two helmets

megaloxana wrote:thatkid, i was waiting for a response like that. In fact I would prolly tell someone else the same thing. I honestly would buy gear if I have any spare cash whatsoever. My internship doesn't pay much and the money I do make goes straight into phone/insurance/gas/school/credit card bills. I wear a jacket and boots but they're just not "official" riding gear. I got two helmets

Like I said man, not singling you out. I rode the first couple week with only a helmet. My buddy then found out I couldn't afford a jacket and he mailed me his cause he was a dad now and didn't ride anymore. 2 days later I went down on I-15 and got a hefty chunk of skin torn from my side because the jacket rode up a little and a rock caught my side. My shoulder/elbows/etc were all fine though and I walked away with only the side injury. Pure luck I had the jacket. Taught me not to ride without gear anymore. I always debated the jacket because summers in Utah are freaking hot. No debate after that day. No jacket-no riding. You wouldn't drive a car without insurance, why ride without insurance for your body?

Beg/borrow/barter but get yourself a proper jacket and pants. We don't want to read about you in the paper. This goes for anyone riding without gear. In this day and age of people texting/read/drinking/doing makeup/drugs you name it while driving, you are last on their mind.