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  1. #1 Missed in Action (almost) - Moved by Admin 
    Survivor of a Close Call MotoDrunken's Avatar
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    Hi Forchetto! After a while I feel complied to write to you `cause you`ve been the one I most often communicate with since my recent membership status. But this also goes for all the fellow members that could have ended up reading my last posts.
    I had a very nasty accident (my fault, really) on my brand new Genesis Supermotard (from all its bloody names), some two and a half weeks ago, and just until now I feel the courage (writing with two fingers) to tell you (and everybody that could be interested) about it:
    I consider myself a decent rider, but I somehow managed to get launched over the bars after a sudden panic braking when a car suddenly slowed down in front of me when I was reaching the apex of an almost 90º curve to the left, after a downhill of some 300 m and about 20º of incline (at about just 80 Km/hr, thankfully).
    Now, after the initial emotional shock, a broken left hand, an exposed patella on my left knee (a wound of some 10 cm long and deep enough), a very badly road-burnt right knee, deep scratches on both shoulders, right upper chest, right forearm, and a bruise on my chin caused by my helmet (thank God I decided to use a racing type helmet that day), I have learned that this kind of bike does not react as the hyper-bike I currently have ridden before(Yamaha R6): Its center of gravity is placed so high in comparison, and it is so much lighter and its little front brake is deceptively too strong in a panic grab situation (modulation problem?). In the end, I just really f.... u.... (sorry fellas). I decided to brake when the imminent threat arised with confidence, gathered from my last sport bike experiencies... but the fault was mine: This bike is definitively not intended to be ridden as a Race-Clone sport bike, fat tires notwithstanding. Period. I f... up (my apologies again).
    In praise of the bike, I have to say that it undergone relatively little damage after it cart-wheeled end over end: scratched front fender, frontal screen, side covers, a little scratching of the rear handles, bent front levers, some little scratches in its lower bars shields, a broken steering stop, and a bent right foot peg mount, slightly scratched pipe and ripped grip ends. Oh! and the cute dash ended up with the speedo glass broken (Bugger!) Have I mentioned it only showed 460 km?
    The tank and its related plastic parts went unscathed, as well as the seat, rims, front forks, engine (even shift and brake pedals), turn signals and its cute little tail.
    I consider the damage could`ve ended up been more severe (in its middle upper section) had I not installed an aftermarket SunLine racing handlebar before, because the obviously weak OEM one would`ve surely fold upon itself and the tank could have enden badly damaged... and a lot more, you can get the point.
    I now can attest of the excellent quality of its plastics, because they just needed some elbow grease to have them looking as new again, after a quality paint job that cost me just a little fraction of what new ones could (about 30 US dollars worth of hand work, as most).
    Well... Lesson taken. Beware of sudden stoppies, and, most of all (the really Genesis of it all), ride with your brain instead of with your heart (at least try to).
    Now, I am looking forward at the opportunity to personalize it, with my own designed graphics and stuff. Maybe some later upgrades.
    Do you or anyone out there know if one can set up a new odometer to the exact last readings of the old one?
    Well, I`m glad to be back, even if I have to wait some four weeks more to be in the saddle again (I hope).
    May our God in two wheels be with you (Hey! I`m sure He does love motorcycles). I`ll be in touch with you in regards of the end of my restoration project.
    Keep the tire`s side up!
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  2. #2  
    Honorary C-Moto Guru
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    I'm really sorry to hear that. Just reading about your injuries I started to feel pain myself, just imagining..hope you're recovered soon.

    For those that don't know Motodrunken's Genesis is the Qingqi/Qlink XF200 super motard, like mine. I think some of us that are unused to this type of bike have to be extra careful. Mine is so light, nimble and easy to manouvre that it sort of encourages crazy riding...it makes me feel 10 years old again!. The riding position helps to make you feel that way. You seem to have all your weight over the handlebars and front wheel, and I can see that in an emergency situation the powerful front brake combined with wide grippy tyres and plenty of weight over the front wheel could encourage a sort of "stoppie" situation, rather than a slide.
    Jincheng Monkey JC50Q-7
    Skyteam Dax replica ST110-6
    Zongshen ZS125-43
    Qingqi QM200GY-BA Super Motard
    Qingqi QM110GY
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  3. #3  
    Administrator-tron CrazyCarl's Avatar
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    Apr 2008
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    MotoDrunken,

    Wow Muchacho! Sorry to hear about your get-off and resulting list of injuries but I am glad that you're taking it in good stride and looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

    Bikes are deceptively powerful machines, even the cheapest of them, but like you said so many times the fault is usually the riders and this is a major way to know if someone is what I consider a "real" rider. Ultimately we are responsible for what we do and only a fool denies himself the relationship between his decisions and their consequences. I've also cartwheeled a bike, getting my ass launched into the air like from a catapult at almost 70kph resulting in tow operations in a pinned collar bone. The problem was my lack of judgment/experience and always will be. Let's be clear...you are not alone!

    I don't think there's an easy and legal way to set a new speedo-unit to the old-unit's mileage that doesn't involve plenty of beer and lots of wheel spinning. Forchetto, good man that he is, has mentioned a bicycle computer that allows you to set the beginning mileage but if this is not attractive to you, consider that a new unit starting from "zero" might be a good thing...symbolically anyway!

    Speedy recovery brother man and here's hoping you come back stronger and wiser than ever!

    Paz,
    CrazyCarlo

    P.S.
    You got any pics of the bike damage?
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  4. #4  
    Senior C-Moto Guru bigdamo's Avatar
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    Sorry to hear about your accident.

    Good to see that it has not dampened your enthusiasm for motorcycles.

    All the best for a speedy recovery.
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  5. #5  
    Survivor of a Close Call MotoDrunken's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyCarl View Post
    MotoDrunken,

    Wow Muchacho! Sorry to hear about your get-off and resulting list of injuries but I am glad that you're taking it in good stride and looking forward to getting back in the saddle.

    Bikes are deceptively powerful machines, even the cheapest of them, but like you said so many times the fault is usually the riders and this is a major way to know if someone is what I consider a "real" rider. Ultimately we are responsible for what we do and only a fool denies himself the relationship between his decisions and their consequences. I've also cartwheeled a bike, getting my ass launched into the air like from a catapult at almost 70kph resulting in tow operations in a pinned collar bone. The problem was my lack of judgment/experience and always will be. Let's be clear...you are not alone!

    I don't think there's an easy and legal way to set a new speedo-unit to the old-unit's mileage that doesn't involve plenty of beer and lots of wheel spinning. Forchetto, good man that he is, has mentioned a bicycle computer that allows you to set the beginning mileage but if this is not attractive to you, consider that a new unit starting from "zero" might be a good thing...symbolically anyway!

    Speedy recovery brother man and here's hoping you come back stronger and wiser than ever!

    Paz,
    CrazyCarlo

    P.S.
    You got any pics of the bike damage?
    I really appreciate your concern, and also want to thank all the fellas who took time to read about my accident and wrote back. Your words (and those from all who cared to replied my post) have been really encouraging. You know, I´ve been feeling really depressed after the incident (the worst I`ve had in my personal motorcycling history... some 27 years of saddle time). My learning curve (and my own abilities, of course) maybe has been in one of its deepest valleys over those last 13 months, since I`ve been without riding to that extent until my buying this bike. Complacency (the deceiving feeling of over-beleaving in our "bullet-proof" abilities and related things we used to do) has to meet the plain and harsh reality: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excelence, then, is not a fact, but a habit" Aristotle.
    For that very emotional reason you may have guessed by now, I have not taken pictures of my damaged bike. I had a friend to took off all the damaged parts and covered its remaining carcass with a blanket, just to not see it again until the time comes when I couuld reassemble and bring it to life again, hopefully better looking, even.
    I have some very sharp pictures of my wounds, but I guess you wouldn`t want to see those. But if any of you would want to, I will gladly attach them I will send some pics of the bike when it gets restored again, though.
    Thank you all Fellow Riders. I will keep in touch in this next weeks until my complete (and the bike`s) healing. Enjoy! Life`s great
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