beware of the oil slick

scullyfu · Post by **scullyfu** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 2:42 am

i had a spill on my scooter on the way to work this morning, probably going around 25. it had been raining a bit, but not heavily. it was rush hour traffic, cars stopped fast, i braked steadily, yet firmly, hit a slick spot and went down to my left. no serious injuries, mostly my left baby finger which got bent a bit. a little pain in my left upper arm area. i remember my right knee hitting the ground, but no scratches and the padding on my overpants cushioned the contact.

as i was going down, i saw my left hand extending and thinking, 'this is not good' cuz i was in the high lane and heading towards the raised meridian. naturally, i was worried about getting hit from behind as well. fortunately, that didn't happen. whew.

my left side mirror had to be replaced ($13), along with some cosmetic damage to my topcase, the chrome around the headlight, and some paint on the left brake lever, but sophie's still functional and ridable. two nice women separately stopped to help me up and out of the road and stayed with me until i headed back home. one called 911, but she also called to cancel it.

thank the scooter gods, i was wearing all my gear: armored textile jacket, overpants, steel-toed boots, gloves and ff helmet. my jacket was dirty as were my overpants, but no rips. later i noticed some scratches on my face shield. i don't remember scraping the pavement with my noggin.

iced the finger area, then went to the chiro and got adjustments on various parts of the old bod. took the day of work to just relax. not the best way to start the day.

weaseltamer · Post by **weaseltamer** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 4:38 am

a good chiropractor can really work a miracle sometimes.

Sunil · Post by **Sunil** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:14 pm

Glad to hear you and the buddy were not hurt seriously. I take public transportation when it rains. of couse I live in southern California so it isnt a problem too much, but when it finally does rain the streets are very slick.

Keys · Post by **Keys** » Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:55 pm

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, SF...take care of yourself.

--Keys

Macpherson · Post by **Macpherson** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 11:12 pm

unfortunately, i shared the same fate this morning. despite looking at the radar and hearing on the news we wouldn't be getting rain until the afternoon, i went to work. about halfway there i came into an area that it had been lightly raining in. i was taking extra precautions with my braking and throttling and was riding in the tire tracks as much as possible.

after about 10 minutes in the rain, i was coming to a stop going down a slight hill. i was going about 10-15 mph and was in the middle of a brake when the back tire started sliding out. i was afraid of high siding, so i kept my hands on the brakes and the thing kept bucking until it finally slid out from underneath me. i'm pretty sure i didn't grab the brakes, it just seemed like the back end slipped.

anyway, i was wearing my armored pants and jacket, gloves, and my helmet. no damage to me other than a hip that will be bruising. i remember falling on my elbow and side and thinking "that didn't hurt, good thing i have armor". my jacket ripped a little on my forearm, and i have a tiny tear in my pants, but that was all that happened.

the buddy suffered scratches and nothing more. the chrome around the headlight, the silver footpeg, the chrome heat guard, the side mirror stem, and the brake lever had some cosmetic damage, but nothing more.
i got it back up, checked it, restarted, and went to work.

i'm just mad, because i wouldn't have ridden in a fresh rain like that, but i'm glad it wasn't worse.

scullyfu · Post by **scullyfu** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:38 am

wow, mac! glad to hear you're not too badly off and that your buddy got right back to it. going down hill is a tough one. to brake or not to brake, that is the question.

let's hear it for armor and protective gear! hip hip, hooray!!! hip, hip, hooray!!!!

lobsterman · Post by **lobsterman** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 11:27 am

Macpherson wrote:unfortunately, i shared the same fate this morning. despite looking at the radar and hearing on the news we wouldn't be getting rain until the afternoon, i went to work. about halfway there i came into an area that it had been lightly raining in.

I got caught by the same rain on the way into work yesterday, but no drama for me. Where did this happen?

Anyway, glad you're OK.

Macpherson · Post by **Macpherson** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:04 pm

I'm glad to hear you're okay too scully.

It happened on southbound Burnet Ave just south of Taft. I guess all the oil was just washing down the street and didn't make much of a difference if I was in the tire tracks or not.

It was just frustrating because I was taking my time, being careful on the brakes, and I had left about 4 car lengths between me and the car in front of me. I guess the best thing would have been to just be late for work and get out of the rain for a while, but my company is pretty inflexible about that stuff.