[Ducati] anatomy of a wreck (was New to list (Tony))

[mike major]

Memory is a funny thing.  I had a really bad one in 66, the reason I
have an artificial hip etc and at first I didn't even remember riding
a motorcycle, or living in California or recognise my then wife.  Over
time the memory returned right up to the image of the car making a
left turn in front of me but I will probably never remember the actual
impact.  I'm told that the mind tends to filter out things too painful
to recall.  Perhaps some of the details of your actual impact were
wiped from the tape, so to speak which makes it harder to analyze what
happened.  Anyhow, glad to hear that you are working on it and hope
you are on the road again soon.  Later, Moonbeam

On Nov 2, 2007 6:16 AM, Peter Bonner <dsi at swcp.com> wrote:
> Yes, the really important part of getting in a wreck, when the wife finishes
> off the survivor part...................
>
> As I get around now with my wreck of an anatomy, I have had more than a
> little time to think about what happened. For me, analyzing and
> understanding what happened is one of the most important parts of having a
> wreck, with the purpose being to avoid the situation in the future. Anybody
> else do that too? I guess now I can ask Mr Desperado about multiple wrecks,
> 2 in less than 3 years oughta count. Of course there is always Phil, but I
> think differently about track crashes, of which I have done plenty as well,
> it is part of the game. But street crashes?  Whole different beast.
>
> Whilst laying in my hospital bed, I thought I had it worked out a bit,
> although when my darling wife brought me the police report, I was a bit
> puzzled at how the road turned after the cattle guard. My memory lasted up
> to the cattle guard, and that there was gravel on the far side, and I lost
> the front end there. Then looking at the pictures from the police report, it
> showed the bike going down on the Right Side, but I remember at the scene
> the clutch was broken, so pieced together a likely scenario whereby I
> ruptured my spleen by coming down on the Left Side Handlebar, then falling
> off to the left, hence heavy bruising to the left side. I felt ok with the
> story and was feeling that about my only avoidance might have been a lighter
> bike to ride up over the gravel instead of push the front end.
>
> Much to my surprise, when I saw the bike, it was the Left Side that was
> messed up (maybe the cop didn't know which end was the front?) and things
> came apart. Furthermore, Marc and I drove out 'our" road (he crashed, same
> road, in June, when a deer ran in front of him) and as we got to the cattle
> guard I thought it was, we kept going, just to see, and went to the end of
> the road. We turned around and stopped at the first cattle guard we came to,
> got out, looked for stuff. It didn't seem like the one I was thinking of,
> but there they were, little pieces of unique stuff, including a chunk of red
> paint, a flap from my helmet air vent, and some reflector plastic. Obviously
> this was my corner. True, there was a rather extensive gravel cover over the
> road but by now, not much left to indicate how things went. Also it had
> rained hard again, a couple days after the wreck, to further obliterate
> signs. Thus leaving me no real clue as to what happened.
>
> Personally, I find it very frustrating to not know the cause of the wreck.
> However as I keep reflecting over the event, it finally started to seep into
> my little brain what one important aspect was. In a word, CONCENTRATION.  I
> had not planned to go for a ride that morning, I was supposed to be the
> photographer at a wedding that afternoon. (they got a backup)  However the
> wife was in Dallas, and I thought I would just sneak up for a look at the
> vintage bikes in Luckenbach. But when I was going along, my mind wasn't 100%
> on riding. Furthermore, I was going much slower than normal precisely
> because I was not paying full attention. The reason I had been thinking of
> the previous cattle guard is because it was a dangerous spot, and that was
> probably the last time I really concentrated, hence I remembered it. However
> the one I crashed on was a much less difficult place, so obviously my mental
> effort was lower.
>
> Bottom line this thing reinforces to me is that the very best bit of
> protective gear any rider has is one's mind. Going slow with a relaxed mind
> can be as dangerous as going too fast without experience. You'd think after
> nearly 50 years on these things, I would know that well, but sometimes we
> just need to be reminded. So I hope for all that read through to here,
> remember to do what you have to in order that your mind stays fresh.
> CONCENTRATE.
>
> Regards,
> Peter
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <TONYG656 at aol.com>
>
>
> > Hey Andy,
>  I have dreamed of  owning a Ducati for
> > years and the last thing I want to do is bust it up by doing  something
> really
> > stupid.... not to mention my wife would kill me!
> >
> > I live in Northern Virginia so Laguna next year may be a little tough but
> I
> > plan on getting to as many Ducati events as my time and budget will allow.
>
> > Tony
>
>
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