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Rode from Burlington down to Leesburg, Va, yesterday to visit the parents for Thanksgiving. Man, Pennsylvania sucks to ride through. The few good roads seem to always be congested with incredibly slow drivers, and even the slab is one traffic jam after another.
Plus it was raining. The drizzly, misty kind of rain that just immediately fogs up your face shield but doesn't accumulate enough to self-clear like actual rain. God, that sucked. And there was one intersection where it formed what amounted to standing water on a smooth aged concrete road surface. I noticed a bit late that I'd have to turn there, so braked a bit too hard and the front end went right out from under me. Next thing I knew, I was sliding along the road for a surprising distance -- damn, that pavement was slick. It's a totally surreal experience to be sliding along the street watching my bike sliding nearby.
Luckily, there was no damage to me (leather, gotta love it!) and none to the bike aside from a few scratches.
Sliding along the pavement felt a lot like sliding on the snow after a snowboard crash -- about the same amount of friction too (ie, very little).
Rest of the ride went fine, albeit slow. Pennsylvania traffic sucks.
--mark
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Damn, thats too bad. Glad to hear you're alright! Wiping out like that sucks, even if you (yay leather!) and your bike are mostly alright, it's still a hit to the pride and confidence. Ride it off big guy!![]()
SVenpointsixtwo
2016 Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin
2015 KTM 350 XCF-W
Glad to hear that all is well, hope you have a better trip home. See you on tuesday.![]()
i went camping with friends down in the Gettysburg area last year or so and wished i had my bike with me. absolute dreamy farm roads w/ pristine pavement. at least we were ripping it up in my friends WRX. i was gripping my door and oh-shit handle for life! woooo.
good to hear the slide was minor!
Beta 200RR
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Sorry to hear Mark... Glad you are OK... You just inherited "Crashes" nickname.![]()
"I'd rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow"
Bikes: Ducati: 748 (Track) Honda: RC31 (Race/street)/ CRF 110 Mini Moto/ Hawk Endurance Racer Kawasaki: ZXR1200R
BOMO Instructor
EX# X
Glad you are ok Mark!
So glad you and the bike are ok, Mark!
"And I to my motorcycle parked like the soul of the junkyard restored, a bicycle fleshed with power, and tore off up Highway 106 continually drunk on the wind in my mouth, wringing the handlebar for speed, wild to be wreckage forever...." James Dickey
Mark's record is down (pun intended) the drain! Glad you were OK and able to continue.
LRRS EX #7
Low Down Racing
- Woodcraft - Armour Bodies - Computrack Boston - Lifeproof -
Glad you're ok and the bike too. V-Strom or the XR? Either way I'd take a few scratches over smashed pieces any day.
And I agree 100%...PA blows. Nothing but blown off recapped tires and deer carcasses litter the highways. Flat and straight.
Glad to hear your okay Mark. I guess if you scratched it right, it'll be the pieces you wanted to remove anyways. Either way it sucks, but glad you were able to continue.
2008 Kawasaki ZX6R Ebony Edition
Miles my first (this) season: 5800
KAWASAKI RULES WOOOOO!
Ride back home yesterday went fine. I left before dawn to try to beat the traffic, and it worked. Some of those PA roads are actually really nice when they're empty and the sun is shining.
Only problem was that the controller for my heated vest shit the bed after my first gas stop, so I had to make do with turning my heated grips up to high and letting them heat the blood circulating through my hands, which actually did a great job of keeping me warm. I discovered something though: those grips get hot enough (through insulated gloves!) to slow-roast flesh. I actually have some minor burns on my palms now. I guess that's what happens when you use them constantly for 520 miles with no stops except gas/pee breaks.
--mark
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Oh, another thing: I think I'll be retiring my textile riding gear after this experience. The leathers are totally intact with just some minor scuffing; the textile's torn during much shorter-duration offs. This slide was long enough that my mind registered that I'd have to wait until I stopped sliding before I'd be able to get up, so...
Also, I've got no marks on me whatsoever. Not so much as a small bruise. This is probably due to the way the bike went down, not the leathers, but still...
--mark
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Mark, glad your get off was a relatively smooth one. Crazy that you spent thousands of miles on dirt this summer and your one slide comes in Suburbia.
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Have you SEEN the state of my bike? No worries, Armor All has never been near it.
--mark
'20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021
Glad ur ok mark. Can't believe no real damage to the bike. So Lucky.
Any bruising bud? We gonna see you tomorrow still? Glad you're okay.