After 10 years and several thousand kilometers, I have to stop saying I never fell off the bike. Yes, I dropped it many times, I even landed on the floor myself; but I was going so slow that it didn’t have many consequences. Like this:
It happened the first day I could go on a trip this season. I decided to explore the area west from Hyvinkää. I guess I was too excited, because I fell on the first unpaved road I found, Kenkiäntie. Right here.
As you can see in the picture, the road is wide and with gentle curves and I probably didn’t account for the amount of loose gravel on it. I arrived to this curve too fast and I tried to break. Then it happened so fast that I don’t remember exactly, but my next mistake was probably touching the front brake. The front wheel slided and the bike landed on the left side. I fell face down and the bike and me slided out of the road.
At first I didn’t notice anything wrong in me, so I removed my helmet. It was full of sand and gravel, like the front of my clothes. I can’t understand how much sand got inside the anti-fog layer of the visor. It was a sad view of a brand-new helmet.
My motorcycle leaks fuel in the horizontal position, so I went into picking it. At first I couldn’t due to the uneven floor. I managed to drag it around by pulling from the rear and finally I was able to pick it. I’m relieved I always succeeded after learning the technique. I took some time to rest and calm down while I checked the status of the bike. The front fairing was broken and twisted; the left side full of dirt and scratches; the rear indicator twisted. I noticed I couldn’t turn the handlebar right because it was hitting the bar that holds the indicator. I fixed that by forcing it. I was able to start the bike and all the lights and dashboard were working.
As I relaxed and cooled down, I started noticing pain in my left hand. I considered calling for help but since the bike was working and I was able to ride it, I thought I better went on my own. As a precaution I avoided the motorway and drove rather slow. It took me a long hour to arrive home. I took a shower to get rid of the dirt and a friend took me to the Emergency Department of a hospital. X-ray showed that I had a partial fracture of the triquetal bone, so I got a plaster that I must wear for four weeks.
Fortunately, I have time to recover and fix the bike for my Iceland trip. I will try to fix the bike myself, it seems a matter of straightening some bars with a hammer and taping the fairing cracks. Now I understand why Boano’s Rally Fairing is so narrow. This could be a good excuse to get it, some day.
The biggest material loss is the helmet. Arai’s Tour-X 4 isn’t cheap, and it was the first time I used it. It’s not easy to tell wether it is still safe to use, but I’m not buying another unless one of my insurances covers it. My motorcycle insurance didn’t, so I extended it for the next time this happens. I wonder if expending so much in the helmet was a good idea.
At least, it did its job. By all means, always wear a full face helmet. The most vivid memory I have of the fall is hitting the ground with the front of my helmet and then dragging it on the floor. The dirt and scratches clearly showed that. If I had a 3/4 helmet, the consequences would be worse than a broken nose and bruised face. I have a friend in the Emergency Services that has seen a few broken jaws.
The psychological effects will last longer, but are probably good. I must admit that my long history without serious incidents made me overconfident. It is good that I got this reminder that things can happen and have consequences, while it didn’t spoil my trip plans.