Panel fell off on motorway!! : Can I nip back and retrieve it?

Soldato
Joined
4 Feb 2004
Posts
13,382
Location
Fife, Scotland
I feel like such an idiot. Was cleaning the bike a few days ago and removed my full size carbon swing arm protectors. They are held on with one bolt which also secures one of the carbon hugger mounting points and a strip of sticky adhesive tape on the swing arm itself. It's then all gently clamped in place by a movable lever on the back which secures it tight up against the swing arm. So I refitted it and had no sticky pads to attach it to the swing arm. Decided it would be ok with just the bolt and the lever and I'd grab a few sticky pads from Halfrauds ( like the ones you use to attach car number plates ) at a later date.

Anyway, was out yesterday and totally forgot about the lack of sticky pads. Coming down the motorway near me I felt a slight movement near the gear lever but didn't think anything of it. Just noticed this morning that the carbon cover has gone!!. £100 worth!!!. :eek:

So I nipped out this morning in the car and retraced my steps. Unbelievably, at about the same place on the motorway that I thought I could feel some movement at the gear lever, there it is - carbon cover sat in the central reservation under the barrier ( most probably damaged ).

So, can I nip back, stop on the hard shoulder and nip over to grab it?. I know its certainly not a good idea to be running back and forth across a motorway but I have worked on motorways in fast moving traffic as a pedestrian many times before in my work ( firefighter ) so I'm pretty used to it and the need to be able to judge speed etc before crossing. And to be honest, the actual part of the Mway where the cover is sat is very quiet especially at this time of day.

The thing I'm not sure about is any legal implications?. Google doesn't throw up anything other than "If something falls from your vehicle on the motorway do not attempt to retrieve it. Pull over and call the Police". That said, in the unlikely event that the police happen to come along and catch me red handed crossing the road, am I likely to get a slap on the wrists and told to not be a silly boy again or can they charge me with anything?.

Ta.
 
Gutted, at least you found it.

I'd buy a new one and forget it, it's probably trashed by now and is it worth the risk of getting flattened or just getting knicked by the old bill

Sods law says you pick it up, it's fine you turn to go back and see a mway cop holding all the traffic up and you get a £80 fine
 
personally speaking i'd go around sunrise time when it will be nice and quiet and just retrieve it.

Put a high vis jacket on and i bet the camera operator half asleep at 5am prob wont even notice :D
 
Problem solved. Went back in the car and ran past the object that I "thought" looked like the protector. On the third approach to its location I pulled over on the hard shoulder and had a closer look at it. Although the object sat on the central reservation is uncannily similar in shape and size, its not my carbon protector. Damn. :mad:

No idea where it is on the road but to be honest as already mentioned, its likely to be trashed anyway. I'll just have to bite the bullet and purchase another set. Lesson learned - don't put off till tomorrow what you could do today when it comes to fixing things to bikes. :p
 
EDIT: Ignore me, started replying then had to answer phone so didn't see the last post.


If it's in the central reservation then chances are it's been put there by cars etc. running over it, I wouldn't get your hopes up too much!

It's certainly an offence to be walking on the motorway unless an emergency (I don't think carbon panel falling off counts!), I don't know what the likely penalty for this is but you'll probably get a bit more than a slapped wrist.

If it's a reasonably safe bit of road, i.e. not on a bend where you can't see anything approaching and no CCTV cameras in view, then I might be tempted to get it very early in the morning, but obviously that's at your own risk.
 
this reminds me of when riding tzr125 and half of the powervalve shot out side of engine (cover had got loose)

went back to the dual carriageway and there it was in the central reservation in some brambles, lucky find!


it sounded abit loud without it as I had created a new exhaust port :)
 
this reminds me of when riding tzr125 and half of the powervalve shot out side of engine (cover had got loose)

went back to the dual carriageway and there it was in the central reservation in some brambles, lucky find!


it sounded abit loud without it as I had created a new exhaust port :)


LOL bet that was fun.

I had a shot of a scrambler once and the exhaust fell off (Bike was a pile of dung) that gave me a bit of a fright seeing flames then it stopping
 
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