If only I'd had ABS...

TallPaul_S

TallPaul_S

TallPaul_S

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Joined
24 Mar 2011
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6,479
Location
Kent
Thursday just gone, I'm riding to work as I've done hundreds of times over the past 10 months. I turn right at the same set of lights I always do here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.144987,0.311669,3a,75y,308.13h,71.54t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sAX0NLRCN0WkCEIqG7BoaZg!2e0?hl=en into a 40mph downhill stretch at which point I realise that the white Audi in front of me is stopped dead in the road, traffic I think. I start to brake, then think "Ok, I'm not gonna stop in time" and squeeze the brakes a little more...

Front wheel locks and (I think, can't quite remember) the tyre slides a little with the bike upright before pitching me off to the left with the bike sliding down the road and me doing a roll or 2 before springing back up while cursing the air something blue!! :p:(

Road where I went down:
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So, in short, the CB400 went down, poor little bugger. Luckily there was an ambulance literally 50ft away waiting at the lights I'd just turned at which swung around and checked me out. Apart from my heart going at 120bpm I had a sore thumb (checked out in the hospital less than half a mile away, I kid you not!) and a bang to my right hip which is fine now. The thumb (right hand) is a bit of ligament damage, nothing more - and apart from it being sore and swollen and wearing a splint for a while, I'm unharmed.

Good kit does make a difference :D My Furygan Duke trousers had both knees scuffed pretty badly, yet my knees are 100%, not a mark. Helmet has some light scratches on the visor and the right sidepod (Arai) so won't need replacing. Boots have a tiny scuff on a toe slider and my jacket suffered a scuff on one of the presstud covers :p



The bike suffered more damage than me and my kit:

Dent on the tank, about 4-6 inches by 3 inches. Not sure what to do about this, a crash bung wouldn't have saved it with the way the tank is shaped.

Broken gauge casing (replacement casings ordered off ebay from china) - stripped them and tested the clocks and apart from a missing pin where the speedo needle sits they work perfectly.

Smashed headlight glass and rim, bulb works fine - found the replacement parts, just need to find them in stock somewhere.

Gear lever folded right in on itself, mirror scuffed/barend scuffed and forks twisted in the clamps (but not bent, they hit the lock stops and the bar dug in so just need a little more straightening, they're only a couple of cm out now)

Scuff on the left hand engine casing, where there already a small scuff.

Oh and a fuse had gone. And I'm gonna need to reset the clock on my gauges :p

Overall, nothing major and all easily fixed apart from the tank dent.

I was going about 20-25mph when starting to brake so probably hit the deck at 15-20mph, now... if only I'd had ABS... :rolleyes::( But.. it could have been a lot worse. It was a wet, damp and grimey road under some trees and tbh I've never been fond of the front tyre on the CB, so that may get changed for a pilot 4. In a bit of a dilemma as to how much to spend getting it fixed up, I'm TPFT so no insurance claim, half of me wants to sort it out properly but it's my every day bike which sees all weathers (and I'd rather put the money towards a fun summer bike to keep nice) so it's not worth getting it really nice, maybe in a year or 2.

As I was taking bits off yesterday I took a look at the chain/front sprocket (got a paddock stand delivered on Thursday) and the front needs replacing as well as the chain as it has at least 2/3 stiff links, so that'll get done too, and I'm gonna be on the lookout for a replacement exhaust as the pipes are blowing a little right under the engine, mild steel pipes which are 14 years old so no big deal, just hard to find bits for the CB400 as it's not a UK model.

So, TL: DR - I fell off, ABS would have stopped me falling off, so to anyone who says it's not worth it... :p;) No major damage to me or the bike, just an annoyance having to take the train for a little while to work!!

I'll post a couple of pics tomorrow/next couple of days, the bike front end (clocks/headlight) as well as gear lever and sprocket cover are all off and it's sitting under a cover at the moment. Oh and to top it off, when inspecting the chain/sprockets, I think I found a nail in the rear tyre! :rolleyes::( Hmm, where's cheapest for a set of pilot 4's... ;)
 
let go of the brake soon as you feel it slip,i know it goes against everything that comes natural but let go and re apply as fast as you can,ive had the front end slide from under me a few times

its easy to suggest things though but its a different story in the panic of the moment

as for the dent how bad is it? some dents can be pulled out,and they can plug the tyre you don't need a new one unless the puncture is near to the edge
 
I did something similar in my first couple months but with less damage.

I'm VERY careful in the wet and as Wazza said as soon as you feel it slip you need to let it out. Takes getting used too but it's saved me a couple or times now.

That and try avoiding rather than just trying to stop dead, aim to come to a stop alongside rather than right behind and it gives you more breathing space.

Unlucky :(
 
Yeah it's easy to think it, less easy to do when it's happening!

The dent is a scrape too, paint has come off so won't be that easy to fix. That's the last thing on the list though as it's only cosmetic - I'll probably whip the rear wheel off at the weekend and take it to get plugged, or someone else suggested ultraseal or another tyre sealant - supposed to be pretty good vs a plug.

It's times like this though I wish I had a nice warm large garage to be able to work on the bike during the evening, can strip the bike down and not worry about it getting wet/damp/losing bits.

Going to the right around the car wasn't an option as there were cars in both the lanes waiting at the lights.
 
I'd still replace the helmet, or at least get it scanned for internal compression damage.
 
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I came off on diesel braking for a set of lights at about 40mph, you got off lightly; broke my arm in two, tore up my knee pretty bad (was wearing jeans), wrote off my bike and haven't ridden since.
 
Sounds similar to my first off in terms of being a bit brake happy and the front end just going bye bye, but at least you're relatively unscathed and the bike can be sorted.
 
Learn to look further a head to help you read what's going off, I take it the car hadn't just stopped for no reason so must have been cars in front of him stopped. At least you got off light this time


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Just to echo what others have said, glad you're ok but I would be replacing that helmet if possible, its such an important piece of kit and there is no real way to tell if its been badly weakened by the crash .
 
Replacing the helmet is really mandatory after a decent off.

Having a helmet that has had a significant knock and using it again on the road increases the risk of serious injury and death by a rather significant margin.
 
ABS isn't a silver bullet as you can still drop an ABS equipped bike on a slimey surface, so you really do need to look much further ahead in this weather, & really at this time of year I'm more biased towards my back brake than my front one, in that ive actually managed to go a couple of days without touching my front brake at all.
 
bloodiedathame said:
I came off on diesel braking for a set of lights at about 40mph, you got off lightly; broke my arm in two, tore up my knee pretty bad (was wearing jeans), wrote off my bike and haven't ridden since.
Click to expand...

I have a friend who kept dropping his 125 because of "diesel". I called bull. I'd been driving for 10 yrs at the time and never seen diesel spilt on the road.

Did my CBT about 6 months later and Diesel's bloody everywhere.

Its just something you don't notice as a car driver.
 
Hehe glad to see the turnaround at the end of your post mattyg! A couple of times recently I've had a continuous patch down the centre of the lane for miles on my way to/from home.

Stout Paul: Helmet. I know it's painful to replace, but it's damaged and you don't have x-ray vision. The sidepod thing you mention being scratched may have transmitted the force into the helmet (may have = will have). You literally have no way of knowing on your own. Internet it. Arai probably have a "throw it over here and we check". Just don't throw it.

My off was a front lock-up too. Fun isn't it!
 
Considering you can pick up a decent helmet for £50 it's a no brainer to use one that may be compromised, ok they might not look as pretty or have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive helmets but it'll keep your melon protected while you save some cash to move back to a more expensive model if you wish.
 
If you'd slipped a bit further you'd have been at the hospital anyway!!

Lots of stupid traffic around these roads these days due to the the North Farm road works - it will go on for ages though with the A21 widening next.

Glad you're OK. Bikes can be mended.

Andi.
 
TBH I wasn't even braking that hard when it locked up, might have been something on the road but I didn't notice anything when I walked back up to my bike, just damp roads.

I'll see if my local dealer where I got the helmet from can check it, it's gonna be about £80 for new sidepods and a new visor anyway, appreciate the comments on the damage (or apparant lack of).

My Furygan trousers will need replacing too, as the knees are scuffed and had some holes in showing the armor though (which did it's job well, D30 armor), so that's extra cost too... :(

Looks like it's gonna cost around £150 for all the bits (clocks/gear lever/headlight) to get back on the road, so that's not too bad. I'll see about sorting out the tank damage at a later date, if I can find a cheap tank bra/cover I stick one on for the time being, the bike is my winter/all weather bike so it's never gonna be in mint condition.
 
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