January, 28th 2020.
A winter morning and waking up at 5 am is indeed a task. But then when you have to ride, you have to ride. Destination decided was Starbucks, Jewar toll, Yamuna Expressway for a quick breakfast.
Two great friends, on Tiger 800 and Dominar 400 joined me, while two others backed out of the ride. On our way, we witnessed the sun rising up the horizon and the morning was a glorious one. The morning was indeed very cold that day. After riding a while, we pulled aside and gave some relaxing time to our freezing fingers.
Started again and reached our destination. Steaming hot coffee helped us come out of the cold shock
. We let ourselves warm up in the morning Sun much like cold blooded species. After having breakfast and tons of discussion on life and what not, we decided to head home.
Everything was going as per plan. We were cruising at around 80kpmh and were about to take the left turn towards Greater Noida after exiting Yamuna Expressway. The corner came, leaned my Duke a little bit, a flyover joint and a pothole around it unsettled the rear end of my Duke and then an impulsive decision to downshift to 2nd gear. Boom
.
The next events are purely based on my memories of the split second after which everything turned upside down.
The motorcycle was wobbling after hitting a deep pothole near the flyover joint. The rear tyre slided some more in the next joint due to downshift to second gear which was a grueling big mistake. I was hugging the tank by my knees and tried to control the motorcycle. Nothing happened. It wobbled, wobbled some more and I crashed. I could see the tarmac through my visor as I was sliding down the road. After some frightening few second of my life, I sensed myself stabilized in the corner of the road. More like this.
What next?
I tried to feel my limbs. Check.
If I could stand up? Check.
Move to the side of the road. Check.
My riding buddies pulled over, grabbed me and made me sit down. Pulled the motorcycle off the road. Immensely grateful to them who stuck to my side till the very end. Taking care of the formalities now will be a post for some other day.
Now the big question.
Was I hurt?
I am a believer and I believe in the almighty. By the grace of God, it was not my day. Not even a single scratch on the entire body.
What else saved me?
My riding gears.
I was wearing a full face MT Revenge helmet which is DOT and ECE certified with 5-star Sharp rating. A full leather gauntlet gloves, internal knee protectors, riding boots and my riding jacket with level 2 protectors. Let the pictures below tell you why the riding jackets have protectors and the science behind it. What are the impact zones when you take a fall while riding?
Lesson Learnt:
1) Always be extra cautious while you are riding/ driving. You know yourself, not all the conditions which can go against you.
2) Invest in the best possible protection you can get as per your budget. The more the merrier.
3) You cant be careless, ever. No matter how much prepared you are, how much safety features your motorcycle or car has. There is always a way through which bad luck might hit you no matter how good the permutations and combinations are.
4) Lastly, bikes or cars can be repaired/ replaced. A human body is priceless. Remember your mistake, don’t sulk over it. Stand up, let it go and live your life again albeit a little wiser than before.
Keep Riding Safe and please practice ATGATT.
Thank You.