Motorcycle-related self inflicted injury OOPS

Secondary title: OWW MY TOE MY TOE! If you are about to eat or just ate, don't read this now.

The back story: When you lose or seriously damage a toenail or fingernail, it grows back much more sturdily. If it happens multiple times, you can end up with a tree trunk-esque nail. After at least three calamities over the last 40+ years, I had developed quite a "Grandpa nail" on my left big toe. So much so that I couldn't trim it with wire cutters any more and have been using my Dremel for the task. Ewww...

SO

Yesterday I'm working on my bike. (Cleaning and polishing the exhaust system.) Been transitioning between the sidestand and centerstand. Wearing shorts and SANDALS.

I popped the bike up on the centerstand, without noticing the sidestand was still down. The "foot" of the sidestand swept across and with 450lbs of motorcycle momentum behind it, snagged my gnarly toenail and RIPPED IT CLEAN OFF. Blood was spewing everywhere; I called my son and upon entering the room, he had trouble not throwing up.

Complicating things, I was laughing my ass off whilst bleeding all over the place, because how the heck do you rip your toenail off with your sidestand, fer chrissakes???

I'm OK, new toenail already emerging. Probably gonna need a chainsaw for this new one. Overall, it was hilarious even though my toe hurts enough (upshifting) to keep me off the bike for a day or two.

Moral of the story: PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING YOU DO IN THE SHOP; EVERY LITTLE DETAIL. Had I been paying better attention, I would have put the sidestand up first. Take a sec and disconnect that battery.

Oh, and don't work on your bike wearing sandals.

 

or ride it for that matter or you may loose your foot, i hear those don't grow back to easily :lol:

PS did you take pics?

i guess i could add one of my stories (is that what this thread is for?), was taking off a master link once with a flathead screwdriver and it slipped off the chain and went straight into my arm, not your average cut, just right into it about 1/4 of an inch or so, bled like a siv!

 

I'll send you some French Onion dip, because I can't tell if that's a Frito or a toenail. 8O

Funny thing with this post is as I am in the process of stripping and repainting the Maxim with Aircraft Stripper yesterday I was wearing shorts and flip flops and I thought to myself "is this a good idea"? Here I take the precaution of eye protection and nitrile gloves under heavier rubber gloves and then wear shorts and flip flops.

Could have been me posting about my "stupidity".

 

ouch, tickles doesnt it, did a similar thing myself but only the top half folded back,

 

i was wearing sandals while working on the bike today, and i thought hmmm maybe i should put shoes on; all while trying to hold up my one end of my exhaust with my foot and the other with my hands trying to line it all up. thankfully nothing happened.... besides getting my foot all greasy

 

At least we know in your case the exhaust wasn't hot.

Sorry Josh, couldn't resist.

 

*claps slowly* well played Biggs, well played. lol

 

Truth being said Josh you've really handled this whole thing very well. Kudos to you! I think most people would have said " frak this" and sold the bike for parts or something similar.

You'll be glad you didn't.

Ok, I'll stop hijacking the post.

 

While we are at I like to be comfy while I work on my bike. Sooooooo I wear my slippers when working out side. Sooooooo while working on the bike I stubbed my toe and guess what took the nail right off. I feel for you Fitz. And yes I still work outside in my slippers!

 

The top of my feet are burnt and itchy. I broke both bolts removing my gauges, broke off an extractor trying to remove one, broke a drill bit in the other, said screw this and welded studs on in place of the bolts. DON'T WELD BARE FOOT!!

 

Huh. I dropped the FJ on my foot today, also taking it off the centerstand. 590 pounds. That hurt. And I dropped it completely.

At least I don't wear sandals. Ever.

 

Don't feel bad. I tore mine up a couple of years back without it or the heavy object ever leaving the ground.

Late at night; it's dark. I'm starting to oil lanes. Had sneakers on, because I hadn't gotten around to replacing my safety-toe work boots. I had spilled some cleaner on the approach, and rather than clean it up while the lane machine went down and back, I positioned my foot away from the puddle when pulling the 350lbs machine off the lane...

...and over my right foot.

I screamed in pain, limped around for a couple of minutes, then went back to work. When I was changing back over to head home, I pulled my shoe off and noticed my sock was all pink at the end. I'm thinking, "Yep... I'm losing that nail."

Then last year I sprained my back... made lifting and lowering that machine REAL interesting.

 

Cutting your nails with a dremel? 8O 8O 8O

 

Fitz..........maybe you need to change you username to 'bigTOE52'.

Biggs said, " I am in the process of stripping and repainting the Maxim with Aircraft Stripper yesterday I was wearing shorts and flip flops and I thought to myself "is this a good idea"?

You better be care there....... you don't want to get aircraft on THAT! (or any other kind of stripper, for that matter......) You'd definitely get burned. LOL

I lost a big toe toenail one time when I let the dogs out for their nightly 'pee before bedtime'............It was so simple--open the door to let them out. Easy task. Well, I opened the door but failed to realize that my left foot was just a little too far forward and as the door swung open it swung right over the top of the toes.......no problem until----the the back edge of the sweep had a burr on it. It caught the right edge of the nail and peeled it right off instantly as the door continued to swing open.

Hope you heal up quick enough!

DAve F

 

LOL - this thread is too funny - in a tragic kinda way. I work in sandals ALL THE TIME and I too have often thought to myself "I should probably put some sneakers on or something". Of course, I then shrug and conclude "NAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa - I'll be fine as long as I'm careful". Right. A few days back I was working in the garage, toes exposed in all their splendor, turned around away from my bench towards my bike, my sandal snagged the air compressor line, I went flying forward and jammed my other foot smack up against the metal shelf of my work stool. At the time I had a freshly repainted speedo off my XS650 in my hand (bezel and glass off) which apparently was used to aid in the recovery of my fat ass - when I looked at it I realized I snapped off the tip of the needle (there's the "long story" behind the need for a speedo/tach needle Dave!).

This is one of those "do as I say, not as I do" moments. I say dress appropriately for the work your doing. However, I do wear shorts and sandals all the time when working on the bikes. That's OK though, I got a Dremel with a good cutting wheel just in case ;-)

 

OMG !!

 

Totally unrelated (sorry!) but I have to share since it's foot related. Last night I was painting my kitchen ceiling barefooted with the television blaring in the living room so I could hear the NBA Finals game (living the bachelor style of life right now) and happened to step right on top of the paint can lid sitting upright. I just chuckled to myself since there was nothing I could do beyond that point

 

Will there be a 'pic-heavy' how-to coming for toenail dremel-maintenance?

 

I dropped the maxim x into my parents 2013 Hyundai..... 1200.00 repair. That sucks. I wish it would have been on me. Would have hurt less lol

 

I sprained my wrist last night. You know that bit of steel rod that holds the bike up, and how you're supposed to put it down before you lean the bike over to get off.....errrmm....ya.....forgot to do that.

 

Don't use a Lincoln "buzz box" while squatting over your project wearing loose shorts.....Try and explain the severe sunburn in that location to your wife, ask me how I know.

But I was careful to wear my auto-darkening helmet and leather gloves!

Dave

 

I have to ask what was the three calamities?

 

I'm curious as well...

Pics or it didn't happen! just kidding, just kidding...

 

Bump

I still gota to know!!!

 

This gave me quite the laugh.... and i do have a tendancy to work in the garage barefoot.

 

I wish I could have shown this thread to the middle age couple I saw on a large harley wearing flip flops and a bathing suit the other day in Maine... If a kickstand can do that much damage just imagine one of those houses on 2 wheels type of harley falling on you :S

 

Dunno about that, but a 600-pound bike made my foot purple for a week through a proper MC boot. I am assuming with a flip-flop my foot would be mush.