GeeSA
Pack Dog
Hi guys,
I had one helluva experience on Wednesday (22 May) evening when returning home from a friends house, check my story below. How I managed to keep the bike upright is an absolute miracle, but it just goes to show what happens when momentum and gyroscopic force is working in your favour. I got off lucky, when the old hyundai bakkie approached me I had no idea that there may be ill intentions involved... not sure what I could have done if they had actually confronted me with a weapon anyway. Just keep alert I guess.
So there I was riding my trusty R1200GSA home from visiting a friend at around 21h15 last night (22 May)... I was riding along at about 120kph, freeway was pretty dark and I was heading east on the N12. So where the N12 splits to the N/S for N3, I took the N3 north heading towards PPC...
"I was riding in the 2nd from left lane and then an object which looked like a silver chip packet appeared directly in front of me. When I connected it though, I knew it was something else. There was a jarring impact as the front rim connected with the block of concrete and suddenly I was airborne, flying through the air about 3m above the tarmac, like Zorro. It was about then that I had a horrible feeling that this was going to end badly. After what seemed like a long space of time, I succumbed to gravity and hit the pavement with a solid jolt... this was followed by a lot of sliding and looseness in the steering (I discovered later that this was due to no pressure in the front tyre and oil all over the back tyre). The concrete block had put a 90 degree ding in my front rim, which would explain the looseness of my steering, and the bash plate along with the bottom of my engine had been removed by the block of concrete , which explained the slippery back wheel.
Now that all things were explained, it was a matter of getting off the road, which I finally managed to do about 300m up the road away from the point of impact. The bike was smoking badly and every single warning light was flashing, so I switched off the ignition, put the bike on the center stand and stood back to assess the damage, as the smoke cleared... (I've attached a few pictures)
Just then, a Hyundai truck which had been parked in the emergency lane about 100m back approached and proceeded to ask me for directions. I told him I would assist as soon as I had made the necessary emergency calls. He shortly afterwards told me that he had found his bearings and left... which left me wondering if he had planted the concrete and was hoping to send me home with fewer possessions --- anything is possible in Africa.
Anyway, I'll spare you the boring details of the towtruck and the drive home (not on the bike). All I have to show is a bruised knee and a roastie on the other, as well as a weird muscular pain up my right inner thigh, which I'm hoping will go away soon...
It is nothing less than a miracle how I managed to walk away from this."
I'm still waiting for the quote on repairs, but have been advised that I may need to refer to a repair center. Anyone know who I could refer the repairs to? Does it have to be a BMW dealership?
Cheers all, I live to ride another day... :thumleft:
I had one helluva experience on Wednesday (22 May) evening when returning home from a friends house, check my story below. How I managed to keep the bike upright is an absolute miracle, but it just goes to show what happens when momentum and gyroscopic force is working in your favour. I got off lucky, when the old hyundai bakkie approached me I had no idea that there may be ill intentions involved... not sure what I could have done if they had actually confronted me with a weapon anyway. Just keep alert I guess.
So there I was riding my trusty R1200GSA home from visiting a friend at around 21h15 last night (22 May)... I was riding along at about 120kph, freeway was pretty dark and I was heading east on the N12. So where the N12 splits to the N/S for N3, I took the N3 north heading towards PPC...
"I was riding in the 2nd from left lane and then an object which looked like a silver chip packet appeared directly in front of me. When I connected it though, I knew it was something else. There was a jarring impact as the front rim connected with the block of concrete and suddenly I was airborne, flying through the air about 3m above the tarmac, like Zorro. It was about then that I had a horrible feeling that this was going to end badly. After what seemed like a long space of time, I succumbed to gravity and hit the pavement with a solid jolt... this was followed by a lot of sliding and looseness in the steering (I discovered later that this was due to no pressure in the front tyre and oil all over the back tyre). The concrete block had put a 90 degree ding in my front rim, which would explain the looseness of my steering, and the bash plate along with the bottom of my engine had been removed by the block of concrete , which explained the slippery back wheel.
Now that all things were explained, it was a matter of getting off the road, which I finally managed to do about 300m up the road away from the point of impact. The bike was smoking badly and every single warning light was flashing, so I switched off the ignition, put the bike on the center stand and stood back to assess the damage, as the smoke cleared... (I've attached a few pictures)
Just then, a Hyundai truck which had been parked in the emergency lane about 100m back approached and proceeded to ask me for directions. I told him I would assist as soon as I had made the necessary emergency calls. He shortly afterwards told me that he had found his bearings and left... which left me wondering if he had planted the concrete and was hoping to send me home with fewer possessions --- anything is possible in Africa.
Anyway, I'll spare you the boring details of the towtruck and the drive home (not on the bike). All I have to show is a bruised knee and a roastie on the other, as well as a weird muscular pain up my right inner thigh, which I'm hoping will go away soon...
It is nothing less than a miracle how I managed to walk away from this."
I'm still waiting for the quote on repairs, but have been advised that I may need to refer to a repair center. Anyone know who I could refer the repairs to? Does it have to be a BMW dealership?
Cheers all, I live to ride another day... :thumleft:
