While I was getting the Givi windscreen installed yesterday, I had an inclination that the headlight was angled slightly downwards but after looking at it a couple of times, Raymond and I thought that it seemed all right. I planned to check the throw later in the evening but due to the inclement weather I had to call off that plan.
Today morning I was all geared up and on my way to the meeting spot to meet Sojogator and Porschefire when I realized that my suspicions were indeed on the button. The headlight was angled downwards for sure and I was having some difficulty on the unlit parts of the road due to the limited spread. I knew that sunlight was at least half an hour away and I was seriously reconsidering my decision to go for the ride on account of the lighting problem given that the roads were soaked from the overnight rain.
With no traffic on a deserted nearby street, I slowed down and was alternating between the low beam and high beam to check for visibility and confirm if it made sense to continue or not. Having ridden through this road hundreds of times over the last seven years, some hidden biker instinct kicked in and I suddenly realized I ought to be close to an annoying and unnecessary speed breaker and sure enough I was. Just like every other time that I have crossed the speed breaker, I used the brakes to slow down but before I knew it
BADA BING, BADA BOOM I was tumbling across tarmac.
I couldnt get up immediately cause my bag was entangled in the handlebar and some good Samaritans helped pull the bike up while I sat and surveyed the damage. I felt some pain in my right foot but that wasnt much compared to the strong muscle pull I fell behind my right pelvic bone. Think Brock Lesnar knee with full force to your side kind of pain. As fate would have it I had fallen right in front of one of Bangalore's most unscrupulous hospitals, the kind that insists on every known test and treatment under the sun if they know your company provides you with comprehensive insurance. Whether it is required or not is not something they are really concerned about. Money talks. Not wanting to touch it with a barge pole, I gingerly hopped onto my bike and headed home after informing the others that I wouldnt be able to make it.
I willed myself up to my apartment and plonked myself into bed. I couldnt really move my right hand without bolts of pain shooting through my right side around the waist. Sleep finally descended but I woke up to even worse pain that was bad enough that I couldnt even pull my riding pants off. Eventually I decided to just work through it all and a few hours later I had some food and took an anti inflammatory to help reduce the extreme agony. After lunch and a good nap, I felt a lot better and went to a nearby hospital and got my foot wrapped in crepe bandage. Tomorrow I will get an XRay done to ensure that there is no hairline fracture on my right foot.
I've crossed that very same speed breaker at faster speeds, slower speeds and roughly the same speed as today. I've crossed it on hot sunny days, in the pouring rain and every other weather condition in between. Why did I fall? I still dont know and probably never will.
People question the need to spend money on riding gear.
Arre baba, a helmet is enough, why all this gear and all? Who are you trying to impress? Today's experience proves once again that its an investment worth making. It was only around 11 AM or so that I realized that my helmet had also decided to go one on one with the road. I did not know that my head had hit the ground. My HJC helmet had absorbed the impact and saved my skull. Thanks to my gear and divine providence, I do not have a single scratch on the left side of my body (
the side on which the bike fell). Here is the condition of my helmet, I'll have to replace it with a new one.
I thought my bike didnt take too much damage, the clutch lever unit has bent upwards and probably needs to be replaced or hammered down. The clutch pedal needs to be replaced. The left RVM has left the building. One of the photos does make it look as though the handle bar is bent, I didnt think it was in the morning but it certainly deserves a second look.
Despite not being able to make it to the ride, I did get a first hand glimpse of how biking brings us all together. A couple of forum members I have ridden with earlier called me in the morning itself to check on me and ensure I was all right. Another forum member who wasnt even joining us on this ride called me up and offered to take me to the hospital if I needed help. A shared passion for two wheels and the camaraderie from just a couple of bike rides was all it took. I couldnt help but shake my head in amazement and marvel at it all. Thanks a lot guys, it sure meant a lot to me.
While I was lying in bed, completely helpless and alone, I realized this was reality's way of finally slapping some much needed sense back into me. Over the past few months Ive been talking to my wife about potentially buying myself a bigger bike if and when we do make a move to the US in a year or two. Like many others on this forum, I've been reading up on different bikes just to understand how they performed, what they did well and where they needed to improve and what sort of rider they suited. I've looked at everything from the sensible Honda 500s to the lethal Kawasaki ZX10R to the crazy Yamaha FZ09 to the perennial favourite Suzuki GSX750R and everything else in between. I kept telling myself that I was a careful rider and that I would be able to handle the power and all round abilities of these bigger bikes. OK so maybe not that of the ZX14R.
Today I had to admit that I am not yet ready. With roughly 80,000 kms of riding two wheelers in Indian conditions under my belt, I thought that I had learnt from all the best riders I know and was a very safe and sensible biker. I always followed the rules, used indicators, rode responsibly, was extra careful everytime I had a pillion, wore safety gear everywhere, never took risks and so on. Its ironic that in my quest to ensure I was making a rational decision, I took things for granted and made a rookie mistake which led to my downfall (
literally) . Being 100% attentive for 99.9999999999% of the time isnt enough. Through corners on a weekend ride, in traffic commuting to work, on the race track, a rider has to be 100% attentive all the time. All it takes is five seconds of multi tasking or carelessness for something to happen. Trust me, I know
On a lighter note, it certain has been a wallet busting week with regard to riding gear. I just bought my wife a red Alpinestar fending air jacket. She bought herself an AGV 5 continents helmets yesterday. And now I will have to replace my 6 month old HJC. Sigh!