[Benztech]

Riding MABDR section 5 today in Michaux State forest. I rode it last week no issues. Today I rode the opposite direction and crashed the bike in a corner doing 25-30. It was hard pack gravel forest road. I went a little wide in the corner and hit loose stuff and was down before I knew it. I broke my tibia and fibula on my left leg. That was the worst of it. Pretty much all of it actually. I had all my gear on- helmet, heavy adv jacket, and riding pants. I didn't hit my head but my gear definitely saved me from other injury.

Thankfully there was a guy riding behind (Thank you Bill!) as I was riding by myself. He stopped to help and call 911 and stayed with me until I was inside the ambulance. I don't know what cell service he had but I could hardly get a call out to let my wife know. The whole thing from crash to getting to the hospital was about 1hr 20min since I was in the middle of nowhere.

It was all my fault and entirely preventable. So the lesson here is wear your gear, slow down, never ride alone if you don't have to, and have good communication. I'll definitely be buying a Spot device or something similar.

As for the bike- R1200GS LC- it faired okay all things considered. Mostly rash. Left fairing, front turn signal, and hand guard ripped off. Cylinder head scratched up good as we're other bits. The bike had no protection. No leaks after and it still ran okay.

 

[bmwbob51]

Riding off the grid alone always scares me, but I do on occasion, but with a Spot locator just in case. Glad you made it out ok along with the bike!

 

[Benztech]

Riding off the grid alone always scares me, but I do on occasion, but with a Spot locator just in case. Glad you made it out ok along with the bike!

Thanks. Which Spot model do you use?

 

[ExHarley Rider]

I, too, had a mishap on section 3 of the MABDR. 9 broken ribs and a broken clavicle with a small pneumothorax. Thanks to my Garmin InReach Explorer, I was able to get EMS assistance and notify my family. I never leave home without it. I have since added a Point Two air vest which would have prevented my injuries.

 

[bmwbob51]

Thanks. Which Spot model do you use?

Spot Gen3 and the wife follows my track.

 

[GrayBeard]

Really sorry to hear about your mishap. It happened to me in the Seven Mountains trails a few years ago - busted ribs and a partially collapsed lung (I found all that out later, I rode the bike out and home to Annapolis from there before seeking medical help - yeah, stupid) I've ridden Michaux from time to time. Typical of forest roads that can be well groomed to a bit rocky and rutted. We rode it a month ago before the snow melted when it looked mostly like this:

One thing I learned that has become my #1 rule of riding a big bike off road - the clutch is your safety switch. Anytime something gets tense or the least bit happening in a way you aren't expecting - just pull in the clutch. Everything slows down and gives your mind a chance to catch up to the action and make a better choice about what happens next. That one single mantra has saved me many times from having to pick my bike back up from a challenging place and I'm sure has saved me some additional pain. That rule combined with always looking where you want to go instead of at what you don't want to hit will get you safely and far off the pavement.

Hope you heal up quickly. Those shattered ribs were unbearable for the first couple of weeks. It made my cracked shin seem like nothing.