Got hit head on

Unfortunately the end of the road is here for the XJ. I was heading down a two lane road about 35MPH when a black SUV heading towards me decided to make a left turn suddenly with no blinker etc. I barely had time to get an f bomb out before impact. Hit her front grill, got tossed up and over, landed backwards and upside down in the windshield. I felt pretty good but knew better than to move so I stayed put until paramedics arrived. Tons of witnesses and one really nice lady came right up, called 911, talked to me the whole time real calmly. Got an ambulance ride and a full trauma 1 workdown with like 20 doctors at once but was discharged last night with just a sprained wrist. Paramedics and doctors were kind of in shock how well I got through that. The witnesses said I landed pretty square on the roof, windshield, and hood all at once which probably softened the blow to me a bit. Busting a windshield out with you ass will definitely leave you sore.

Went and looked at road today, skid mark is less than 5 feet so swerving probably would've made things worse as I would have hit her regardless. The bike did not fare well, I only got a brief look and it's in a garage so I couldn't get good pics. Bent the handle bars with my hand and dent the tank with my leg.

It's just stuff, I'm really not bothered by the bike. Kinda shaken about the whole deal but glad I'm here and in good shape. I've never had a close call, had a few situations but I'm a pretty observant rider and can usually detect when someone will do something stupid, this was really a wrong place wrong time thing.

Called insurance, layered up, let's see what happens. I kinda feel bad for her, she was hysterical but I imagine having someone coming though your window and lay motionless would be freaky but at the same time WTF?! That wrecked my day and had my family in a mess.

More to come.

 

Wow! That's crazy! Glad you came out of that pretty well. Sorry about the bike though! Does it seem repairable?

 

So glad you are OK, and like you said the bike is just "stuff" albeit one beautiful XJ that had received a lot of TLC. And like you also said, wrong place wrong time and nothing you could have done to avoid the hit.

 

NOOOOO!!!!!

Glad you're ok!!

Need parts? You know who to talk to

I'll give you a call

Dave

 

So glad that you are okay, supper lucky and that is a good thing. As for the bike, she is (was) a very nice looking bike. Hope you are able to ride again soon.

Tim

 

So glad you're OK! Once the insurance companies and lawyers get going, keep reminding yourself that you're OK.

 

Thanks all, appreciate it. Dave, I even forgive you for interrupting my nap for that call Good group here.

As far as repairs go, no idea yet. Will definitely need to get a good look at it but only get a few minutes today. Front end is toast obviously but have to look at frame and make some measurements.

 

Whoa, look at those fork tubes. You are one lucky dude to be only very slightly injured. My back hurts just from looking at that.......can I join in the lawsuit?

Really glad that you are okay. Buy a lottery ticket tonight, it's your very lucky week........

 

Jay... OMG! SO sorry. My heart is broken for you and your ride, but as others have said, glad you're OK.

 

Damn man. Glad your ok. Bikes can be replaced people can't.

 

You are one lucky dude.
When I was a teenager a friend of mine had an accident exactly the same as yours. Same basic speeds and a vehicle turned left in front of him.
He didnt make it.

 

Glad you came through relatively intact. Shame about the bike. Really good looking XJ. Hope you are able to get it back and running.

 

That stinks!!

Happy you came through with minimal harm.
Best wishes on coming to a resolution on getting the bike back to where it was. It's a gorgeous looking bike!

 

J, holy cow man. I feel you, ive had my xj for (1) year now and had to avoid 3 close calls from left turning blind m*^%@*f"+*#@s. Get that wrist back into shape and please get your 650 back into shape don't give up brother.

 

I'm glad you're doing ok. To repeat what all others have already said. Nice bike but you're more important than it is. All in due time man. Keep us posted.

 

Ah, man, been there, and it sucks. Take it easy; even without serious injuries the days after an accident like that hurt a hell of a lot. Something about high speed impacts just doesn't make the human body feel good. Also, there's always the possibility (if remote) of internal injuries they didn't detect in the initial check. Pay attention to how you feel in the days to come, and absolutely don't hesitate to go back to a Dr. to get checked if anything in particular seems amiss - just tell them what happened. Better safe than sorry - and I say this from personal experience. Dunno what your poisons of choice are, but I STRONGLY recommend avoiding use of alcohol as self-medication in the first couple days, in case you've got any missed internal bleeding issues. I don't really know anything about US healthcare vs. insurance, but just keep in mind there can very easily be things that don't show up right away.

As to the bike... At least it doesn't look too bad in the pics. Fork tubes aren't too big a deal, and it doesn't look like there's substantial damage elsewhere. Here's hoping it's an easy fix Dunno about compatibility(That's a 650, right?), but I've got a lot of 750 XJ parts, if there's anything you need, you're welcome to it.

Overall, on the scale of how things can go in a head on motorcycle accident, seems you ended up pretty lucky. 40mph doesn't sound super fast, but it's fast enough to really bust your **** up.

 

well since you're not hurt too bad, let me ask you this.
did the lady turn on her windshield wipers to try to get you off her car?

 

Glad you're okay.

Gary H.

 

It appears from the pictures it the frame has indeed been Jacked… The right down tube of the cradle not symmetrical with the left down tube of the cradle, nor is the right tube straight anymore. it curves and closer to the engine then the left side. They both should be straight, parallel, same distance from the engine, etc......

 

I was doing some math, 35 MPH is roughly 52 feet per second. My skid mark was about 5 feet so I was braking for about a tenth of a second. No idea what my reaction time was before that nor do I have idea what that might be but really didn't have much time. That said, even if I got down to 30MPH the bike went from 44 feet per second to 0 in an instant. I'm sure I slowed down a bit before landing on the car but that's still pretty crazy that I pretty much walked away. I had a ticket but didn't win the lotto that night so I guess I used up all my luck on the crash. I'm totally fine with that.

As for the bike, I suspect the frame is tweaked. I didn't get a real good look at bike as I didn't have my ID to get in the yard but I ducked in their garage on my way out. The downtubes appear closer to the motor than usual. I think the right one is against the exhaust nut or flange even. I'm not sure I would even want to trust a frame after that impact anyway. The headstock may be twisted too as the wheel if straight would be in front of the 4th exhaust pipe, although the way the forks are bent might contribute. We will find out.

Thanks for all the well wishes! Too many responses here to thank individually but I appreciate it and hope none of you have to experience anything like this. I know we've had a few other members that didn't fare so well in their incidents, I can't even imagine.

 

I wouldn't even be worrying about the bike right now Too many ppl here have your bAck when you're ready to deal with that.
You have to be sore today.
I assume you had a helmet on??? I don't think Ohio has helmet laws. Same as Illinois I suspect. I still wear mine though constantly. The one time I literally watched a rock get flung up at me,from a semi, and hit and dent my helmet, is the reason I always wear one. I can pretty much argue that I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't have worn it that day. Can't see staying on a bike at 70mph and being hit with a rock square in the noggin. Damn June bugs hurt enough.
To the bike tho. I do hope there are things that can be salvaged should you choose to keep it and get another of the same style. You're one tough dude.

 

Glad your ok. Dismount was a 10 if you only had a sprained wrist and some bruises. Shame bout the bike , she was a 10 all day before that. Getting her back together will be simple enough with a donor bike but insurance company may be a fight. With collector plates here you have an agreed value, but still won't cover all of the labour and love you put into it. If you paid to have it brought back to its original condition cost would exceed $5000

 

Jay, life has gotten in the way of me lurking/ trolling here as often as I have in the past.

Just read this and damn if it wasn't raining inside, my eyes were damp... So VERY glad you are ok, and better yet your reaction (words) to the event tell that you are in a very acceptant place with this. That speaks volumes about you character.

As mentioned, the XJ Gang is here for you... keep fighting the good fight!

 

You are one lucky dude. I hope the insurance bandits treat you fair. The bike was mint.

 

So sorry to hear and glad you are (Reasonably) OK... thought about you a few times every time someone was pulling out in the road in front of me this weekend...

 

That's terrible man. So glad you're ok!

 

Glad you are ok! Had some buttwipe blow through a stop sign out here in the country and almost take me out at 60mph.......luckily that 6th sense kinda kicked in and I could feel what he was going to do, was able to hit a culvert and end up in the freshly chisle plowed corn field....still not sure how I kept two wheels down, but had to have a couple of friends help me get it out of the field. Dude never even slowed down.

 

Thanks, ditto to you as well. At those speeds it doesn't take much. The ass probably didn't even notice or know what happened.

 

Settled with insurance and was able to buy the bike back for $80. Glad I went with the agreed upon value, was no hassle and they cut a check immediately after the inspection determined the bike was totaled. They also cut a check for my helmet and pants for full value as well. I will definitely use Hagerty again in the future and I would recommend them, totally no hassle. The injury/medical stuff is still in the works but at least the bike part is done.

Tow truck dropped it off yesterday. My only complaint was it sat outside for four weeks in a dirt yard, it looks like it aged 4 years in 4 weeks. I knew the frame was bent but I didn't realize how bad until I pulled the tank. Wow, that was some impact. I'm on the fence about rebuilding vs. parting. I really liked that bike but I don't want to build the same bike again, there are quite a few other bikes I've never owned and would like to own. 650 Seca comes to mind . I covered it up and will deal with it next spring.

Here' a front shot, the bike is on the center stand and the rear rails are level.


Here's a shot from the rear, again the bike is on the center stand and rear level. Look how bent the frame is to the right, even the motor is twisted up.


Side shot of kinked frame.

 

Wow. Just wow

 

It's a goner......sad.

 

My thoughts exactly after pulling that tank.

Yup, she may be but I'm not and it'll live on either in another one I build or through other bikes. Still a lot of good stuff on it and it still runs.

 

Yes. Often. Best looking xj?

 

Glad you are okay...you could always try to find a donor frame and put any salvagable parts on it...hopefully engine is still okay?

 

Yup. 650 Seca is my fav on styling.

 

Told ya it was bent.......

That's so bent, I would recommend NOT doing anything with. That frame:

1. It would obviously have to be straightened......a LOT
2. That means a lot of the metal will be weakened
3. It will have to pass states salvage inspection before it. Can go back on. The road, and that is A LOT more involved than a regular inspection, and it will cost a LOT more.
4. You WON'T get a good sale off of it because it will have a salvage title. For the rest of it's life.
5. Etc........

Either get another frame and re-create it.....or--part it out and create a new masterpiece.

Whichever way you go, I'm sure I have lots of Parts you'll need
Dave

 

Engine runs fine, started right up even after 4 weeks of sitting outside. That’s the plan, look for another 82 up 650 Max and restore that with this one as a donor. I’m really torn, was a great bike but building the same one isn’t as exciting.

 

There was never any plan of reusing this frame, even before I get it back there’s no way I was going to trust a frame after that kind of impact. Insurance is a PIA too on a rebuilt bike.

 

GOOD.
Sometimes, though, it becomes fun to take what was a perfect bike that got wrecked/stolen/vandalized/abused/etc..... and bring it back to its former glory and they detail something to go one step more---- kind of a "thumb your nose, Nyah Nyah nyaaaah" thing.

 

That is so amazing. Soooo glad you are ok.

 

Oh, wow, that's seriously bent.

At least if you get another 650 to rebuild with this bike as a donor, you get to try something new, go for a new look/color scheme/etc, while avoiding the major part of "I got a new old bike" expense buying all the rebuild kits. You know you've got good clean carbs, good braking components, etc... Then you get a bike full of spare parts too!

 

Yeah I recall Razz's thread when he rebuilt after getting stolen. Labor of love there. If it was some super rare bike then I can see trying to get the frame fixed. I'm sure there are people out there that have the skills/tools to do so but these frames and bikes are all over the place.

 

Bingo

 

hey just playing catchup here - sorry to hear this - glad you're ok.

 

Glad you are OK. That is a good looking bike. I hope you can fix it if your heart is into it. Take care.

 

Cant believe i didnt see this thread... this truly make me sad. This was one of my fav bikes on the site.

 

Wow. That bike took a beating, but I'm sure it will buff out nicely.

But seriously, bikes can be replaced easily, body parts can't . Thank Goodness you made it through that without any serious injury! It's a shame, because I really like that shade of green.

I remember a friend of mine once recounting when he stopped at a toll booth (back in the days when you had to pay with cash) and an elderly woman backended him. He was on a sportbike and the bike shot out from beneath him and he landed, seated, on the hood of her car. She then proceeded to yell at him to get off her hood (as if it was his own choice that he was sitting on her hood)!

 

That’s actually almost funny!!