Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Trauma 13

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While I was on my way to work under clear skies farther south in another valley my friend John was riding his BMW R100 to work in fog along a main artery for commuters. Shortly after 7AM his motorcycle slammed into a garbage truck that pulled into the road as he passed.

Emergency responders came to his aid quickly and took him to a local airport where he was flown to a trauma center. Upon arrival he was designated Trauma 13. Seeing that there is no room 13 in the Intensive Care Unit is was odd that there would be a patient designated Trauma 13.

John’s wife is an instructor for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. She told me the visor of his helmet was completely covered with blood on the inside. You couldn’t see in. She arrived on the scene minutes after the accident. They didn’t know the rider’s identity but she recognized the pieces of his BMW. And the helmet. As I talked with her at the hospital she told me that she would be planning a funeral if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet.

The oral and maxillofacial surgeon showed us 3D images of his skull. As he manipulated the images to explain the damages it was unnerving to see how fragile everything looked. John was fortunate that the damage was minor. A black eye, a few hairline fractures, and only one small displacement in the bottom of the ocular socket.

John is a lifelong rider. He’s done the Iron Butt and cross country rider. He’s a daily commuter and wears all the gear. While the gear won’t prevent a collision it will help minimize potential damage. He was in and out of sleep when I visited and at one point he asked me where he was and if there was an accident. After briefly explaining the circumstances I told them they had to cut off his new Revit jacket. He responded with “Aww f**k!!!”. While the doctors already confirmed it I knew there were no brain injuries.

The worst damage occurred to John’s right leg that hit the truck door. Since the truck was pulling out into traffic to move to the next pickup he probably hit at a deflected angle which helped minimize damage but his femur was still in pieces and the patella shattered. Looking at the x-rays I thought about former Washington Redskin’s quarterback Joe Theismann’s leg break during a game with the New York Giants.

An orthopedic team will begin reconstruction Friday morning if the swelling has diminished. Their biggest concern at this point is infection since the bones breached the skin. The armored pants helped keep road dirt and grime on the outside. A pair of jeans would have things dragging through the dirt.

It’s sobering to visit a friend and fellow rider in a hospital. It’s hard not to switch places. It had me reassessing the risk. I haven’t ridden since but only because work has kept me in need of my Ford Ranger. I’ve thought a lot about being Trauma 13. And I know I’ll continue to ride.

John has a long recovery ahead but I suspect he’s already thinking about what to ride next.

Godspeed John.

A Deer and Riding Story

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Since my Vespa is still in my garage as I narrow down the potential problems I wanted to share this video with you. The landscape reminds me a a forested area near here that I ride through and has many deer. While I slow to almost a crawl I have seen groups of riders fly through the area seemingly indifferent to any danger the deer pose. This film is a reminder for the need to make good decisions while riding.

The film, Morning Fall, was written and directed by Edward McGinty and submitted to the Moving Pictures Short Film Contest.

First Drop

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Steve Williams and his Vespa LX150 scooter
Well, I dropped the scooter this morning.

It was snowing when I went to bed last night and I had no plans to ride today because I had to wear a coat and tie to work—not good riding clothes. I got up this morning and looked out at the road and saw it completely covered with snow and ice. The temperature was 19 degrees F. No riding today, I get my fancy clothes all sloshed up. If I had one of those Aerostich suits I could ride but certainly not in my dress clothes.

I remembered my foul weather sailing gear. Big bib overhauls, big coat, waterproof, I could wear that. Sure, there’s a plan. I can ride to work in the worst conditions so far. Great.

So I suit up, have my armored coat under the foul weather gear, take the scooter out of the garage and start it up, walk down to the road to test the surface, all the important steps. The road in mostly snow covered with a mix of packed snow and ice underneath—doesn’t look too bad.

I move onto the road slowly and test the rear brake, stops pretty well without much sliding so I’m all set. I come over a rise about 20 miles per hour and let off the throttle because I know there is a stop sign at the bottom of the hill. I see the sign but also wavy tire tracks from the cars that could not stop and one set going off the road. I put my feet down and gently apply the rear brake. All good—for a few seconds. I see it coming, the ice sheet with powdered snow ahead. I check the rear view mirror—nothing. When I hit the ice the rear wheel begins to slide left and the front wheel right. My foot is down on the ice as the scooter leans and I’m now a tripod sliding towards the stop sign. I hold everything in place until foot finally slips away and down I go. I turn or the scooter engine and get up and do what every good rider does first—look around to see if anyone has seen what a fool I am. Gratefully no one did and no other vehicles came along.

I pick up the scooter and give it a check and find no damage. Start it up and finish going down the hill, this time on the side of the road which is full of gravel and has traction. The rest of the trip is uneventful. The foul weather gear kept me dry and warm and the little fall to the pavement was well cushion with the armor in my shoulder area working just fine. The only injury occurring to my pride. I stopped another mile along to make a photograph of me in my new duds and to clear my visor. Seems the drop got my breathing quicker and was fogging things pretty fast.

So now I know what a 20mph drop feels like. Could I have avoided it? Probably. I could have been going slower, I could have run the stop sign to the bottom of the hill, or I can learn to hold the scooter better in those one-leg-down slides.