Originally Posted by
SMOKEYBEAR
Normally I would agree here but after my conversation with him, it was obvious that he was just riding to work. It's not often I see someone wearing full gear minus pants riding their bike to work in dress slacks. The bike went down from the middle of the ramp, it was apparent he wasn't going fast and hitting the apexes of the ramp. If he went down from the inside of the turn ( where the debris gathers) I'd say he was riding spiritedly. Even after looking closer I couldn't see where maybe he leaned to far in and maybe dragged the foot control/ peg on the inside ( that would have left a gouge mark in the pavement). There was one skid mark left by the rear tire that lead right to where he layed the bike down and into the guardrail. It's like God reached out and swacked the bike out from under him.
I really know very little about bikes, but maybe the changes he made to the rear suspension drastically changed the way it handled and braked.
I didn't handle the crash though...
Smokey,
Thanks for posting.
Regarding the rear brake, I believe things happened in this order:
1. the bike fell down [for unknown reason].
2. the fall bent the footpeg/rearset/rear brake assembly causing the brake to engage.
3. the stopped wheel caused the skidmark as I and the bike slid across the ground.
The right side footpeg is severely damaged. I had to unbolt the master cylinder to release the brake pressure. I wish I had examined the bike with you guys there. I feel like that would have shed some light on the situation. However, I was still kinda groggy from the fall and didn't think about everything. I did not lock up the brake myself. In fact, the brake pedal was snapped off. One of the guys at the scene handed it to me.
I wish there was a provision for "shit happens" in the lawbook, as this is certainly a case of it. The officer who gave me the ticket made it sound like he was obligated to write me up for something and this was the only thing that made any sense. Unfortunately, its a pretty stiff ticket and carries all kinds of negative reprocussions.