[Nova Scotia Strommer]

Sometimes things don't go as planned


Well I am sad to say that the epic journey ended early for me. After completing roughly 2/3 of the Trans Lab I crashed the bike. They tell me that the road claims about 30% of riders(I have doubts on that) and I joined the club Monday afternoon.Worry not I only broke my shoulder blade...it could have been a lot worse and the bike is only cosmetically damaged.Lots of road rash and the usual broken signal and mirror.

Thank God for good fortune and travel insurance. DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT! They flew me home Wednesday and the bike will be shipped home at a later date at their cost.

I will have the bike repaired and as soon as I am well enough I will ride again. It's in my blood and I ain't no quitter.and i absolutely love this bike.

Up until the and after crash I had an unbelievable time. Labrador is beautiful and the people are unreal! The help I received is indescribable.

Unfortunately my buddy had to finish the trip for us alone. GO JOHN!!

i am down to one finger typing (and the best i can do is 2) so i apologise for the lack of capitals from here on.

this is what happened:
somewhere east of lab city we ran into rain and bad road conditions because of construction.i was standing on the pegs and was heading up hill.i wanted to get farther to the right because i didn't want to reach the crest in the middle of the road. because of the conditions i misjudged the gravel i had to cross and and as soon as the front wheel hit it was all over.not sure if i would call it a tank slapper but the bike slewed about and i went down.i am not sure of my speed as i was on the pegs but it wasn't excessive due to the conditions. i landed hard on my right shoulder.
i tucked and rolled and immediately jumped up and John and i righted the bike.we sorted everything out as i thought i could ride.that was when i realized there was something wrong with my right shoulder.
we weren't on the side of the road 10 minutes when a fellow from happy valley on the way to lab city stopped.we got some help and loaded my bike on his truck and he took me to the hospital in lab city.he made sure i was taken care of and continued to his nieces where my bike was unloaded and put in her husbands new garage safely stored among his "toys" where it will stay until shipped home. LABRADOR-ION'S ROCK. the help and kindness of these people will never be forgotten.

the doctor told me that in his career he has only seen one other case of broken shoulder blade,scapula and he was no spring chicken and quite a character to boot. leave it up to me to do something unusual!!!

i consider myself lucky as about 3 weeks ago a fellow motorcyclist was killed in the same area and another one went down there the week before i did.

hindsight being 20/20 i may have been able to save her if i had been sitting down as their isn't as much strength with the arms in that position.there are always ifs buts and ands and i have replayed the situation over many times and it is what it is.

if i had my way i would return and finish what i started but my amazing wife says no way.she rarely stands in the way of me chasing my dreams and i do not want to screw that up.i will go back some day with fishing rod in hand and 4 wheels under my butt because as i said before Labrador is beautiful and i have made some amazing friends.

if i had one piece of advice to anyone crossing the trans lab is if it starts raining stop and wait it out even if it means setting up camp in the rain.the rain really changes the road conditions and impairs your judgement.

RIDE ON

 

[ockerstrom]

Bummer.

But at least you walked away from it basically intact.

Sounds like the bike took the hit well too.

Nice to hear of a place where the people are really good to meet and make friends with.

It's good that you are planning to get back on the bike again.

Heal well.

 

[Alannc]

Sorry you had the problems.

As one "one handed" typist to another:

Got a plate and screws put in my hand about a week ago. Mine wasn't the Wee but my vintage Trials bike.

Like you I'll be back at it in a couple of months.

Ain't it funnnnnnn ;0(

 

[greywolf]

That sounds all too familiar. Your attitude sounds good and that's major. This too shall pass.

 

[kenneth_moore]

That sounds all too familiar. Your attitude sounds good and that's major. This too shall pass.

I know it's hard to say "what might have been" when you weren't there, but do you think a steering damper might have saved him? If I were going to do any off or rough pavement riding, I'd sure get one.

 

[greywolf]

I know it's hard to say "what might have been" when you weren't there, but do you think a steering damper might have saved him? If I were going to do any off or rough pavement riding, I'd sure get one.

It's possible. It sounds like a rut knocked the tire aside and jerked the handlebars. A steering damper would have prevented that.

 

[Nova Scotia Strommer]

I know it's hard to say "what might have been" when you weren't there, but do you think a steering damper might have saved him? If I were going to do any off or rough pavement riding, I'd sure get one.

kenneth
i had a scotts steering damper installed well before i left on the trip.so i guess my answer to your question is no.it probably helped as far as a tank slapper goes but as i said the front end seemed to "push" into the deep loose gravel and the bike seemed to "wallow" back and forth before going down.It all happened very fast.I didn't even have time to be scared.
i believe a steering damper can only help so much.it won't absolutely keep your bike stable.
I think the fact that i was standing up on the pegs and unable to muscle the bars was the biggest reason i lost control.

 

[PTRider]

It sounds like the deep gravel trapped your front wheel and the bike wanted to go another direction---sound about right? Or did the front slide out when it hit the gravel?

What tire did you have on? Could a knobbier tread have helped? Small knobs on Heidenau K60 Scout or Mefo Explorer, or big knobs on Metzeler Karoo or Continental TCK80?

Which travel insurance, and did you buy it mainly for medical evacuation? Your Nova Scotia Medical Services Insurance will cover all medical bills, won't it? (My U.S. insurances cover nothing outside the U.S. with the exception of Medicare covering the most direct route to Alaska through Canada.)

Do you think a Hit-Air airbag jacket or vest would have helped? (I'm trying to decide about buying one.)

 

[Nova Scotia Strommer]

It sounds like the deep gravel trapped your front wheel and the bike wanted to go another direction---sound about right?

sounds bang on.but still just a guess.

What tire did you have on? Could a knobbier tread have helped?

i had a tkc80 up front and a k60 on the rear.

Do you think a Hit-Air airbag jacket or vest would have helped? (I'm trying to decide about buying one.)

anything that would have protected the shoulder blade on impact might have helped.the body armour dirt bikers wear might have saved my shoulder and i could have rode on.
you should see the right rear of my helmet.i just got back from town(the washer packed it in while i was gone:headbangand there was a guy standing outside the Sears store with one of those teeny little lids they think are so cool.i felt like talking to him but figured he wouldn't get it.

[/QUO

i purchased the travel insurance through CAA. AAA probably has similar coverage although the premium is higher if you leave your home country.visa and major credit card company's offer similar protection plans. knowing the risks i especially wanted to be covered for air evacuation and repatriation of myself and my bike.insurance is a no brainer especially when you consider the cost. it cost me under $30 dollars to cover me for the duration of the trip.in my case money well spent .
and yes my provincial medical insurance will cover the medical bills as i was still in Canada.

 

[Nova Scotia Strommer]

I am back in the saddle again and it sure feels good.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
After waiting over 2 months for the return of my motorcycle I got it back a couple weeks ago.I cleaned her up and patched her up with a bit of duct tape,put on a chrome mirror I had in the garage,geared up a makeshift signal light and took her out for a 300 km ride 2 days after it returned home.
She didn't look to good but man oh man she works as good as new.The damage is only cosmetic.I may rename this bike "Timex" because she takes a lickin and keeps on tickin.
I managed to get out yesterday for another 380km ride(been pretty busy hunting).I dropped the bike off at the dealers for repairs this afternoon.
My shoulder is almost 100% but my wrist is still giving me grief...although not enough to prevent me from riding.:yesnod:
It's going to be a mighty long winter...