Pikes Peak, September 11, 2005.
This report was originated on KLR650.net, and is imported here with some
editing for structure (due to the import process). Typos, etc., have mostly been
left as they are, fixed only for clarity in some cases. The authors have been
identified by their user names on that website. JKarp was the ride
organizer. Martin is identified here as SgtMarty.
Unfortunately, Jkarp had a crash (with his wife, Sally, on board)
after this Pikes Peak ride. That part of this ride report has been left
intact, even though it is off-topic, because it's important to keep these things
in mind. Also because the people we know matter to us.
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SgtMarty wrote: With Jkarp's invitation, some of us
rode Pikes Peak today. What a great day for the ride; warm, sunny, no wind, no
clouds to speak of. Great!
MountainMan trailered his KLR down to meet us in Sedalia. Jkarp
and wife Sally went 2-up on his KLR, I rode mine, and my wife Laurie rode her
new Magna. A mid-morning meet, an easy ride down on and off pavement through
Deckers and into Woodland Park for a breakfast stop, and we were ready for the
Peak.
Here's Laurie.
MountainMan.
Jkarp and Sally.
We kept a lookout for bigfoot at the designated crossing.
Since it was Sunday, the mini-van and SUV fleets were thick. When one woman in a
mini-van stopped in the traffic lane during the ascent to take pictures, I
blared the horn at her (something I don't normally do) until her brains started
working again. I took a few photos one-handed during the ride up.
A few shots at the top.
Me, Laurie, MountainMan, Sally, Jkarp.
A few more shots during the ride down. YardDog, TooTall, and I
rode the Peak on July 25th, and were told that the paving would be all the way
to the top by 2012. Well, in the last 6 weeks, they paved more of the lower road
and several miles of the twisties above the Glen Cove rest area. Amazing
progress.
All that pavement was done in the last 6 weeks.
MountainMan boogied back to head home while the rest of us chatted over
lunch in Manitou Springs. These were the nicest conditions of any of my rides up
Pikes Peak. Thanks to Jeff and Sally for the invite.
JudJonzz wrote: Nice photos, Marty. I always get a kick
out of the Pike's Peak ride, even with the SUV parade.
Does this mean that Laurie is going to tackle the Elephant Ride on the Magna?
SgtMarty wrote: I am fairly confident that Laurie will
never ride in the snow. You will see us again, though, since the camp out itself
was worth it.
Laurie outgrew the Shadow Aero and added the VTX1300 earlier this year. She
traded the Aero in for a lightly-used Magna just over a week ago. Now she's got
the bigger VTX for the long rides and the Magna for local play. She toys with
the idea of riding the Suzuki DR200SE in the dirt more, but I know that's not
likely.
She did well on the dirt roads today; better than she had done in the past.
We'll see.
Jkarp wrote: I sure wish our ride home was as fun as the
ride there
We had the front tire blow out about 10mi south of Franktown doing about 60mph.
Never even had a chance to slow down. Bike went into a vicious tankslapper and
down we went. I was out for a bit, but EMS apparently arrived quick & hauled us
back to Colorado Springs. Finally got out of there about 10pm. We've both got
some rash, in spite of the full gear, and Sally's hand is badly bruised and
swollen. Every single piece of our gear is shredded, from helmets to shoes.
Must've been a hell of a spill.
I can live with the rash; have before. It's hurting my best friend and wife of
18 years that's killing me.
Bah.
Yard Dog wrote: I hope you and your wife get healed
quickly. -Ken.
SgtMarty wrote: I'll post this one publicly.
Jeff, you did not hurt Sally. The laws of physics and chaos touched you, that's
all.
Wonder what blew that tire out? Seems to be a rare incident. When you get a
chance to examine it, let us know what you find.
Jkarp wrote: She seems to know that more than me. She's
even talking about riding again; just not on the KLR
Bike got towed to a yard in Castle Rock. I have a vague recollection of seeing
someone pick the bike up and put it on the sidestand, so at least that works
Too
much pain and frequent rash dressing changes today to deal with it. Anyone in
the Parker / Elizabeth / Castle Rock area got a bike trailer I could borrow for
a day? I think I'd have a hell of a time wrestling it up and down out of the
pickup with a flat front and no idea if it even runs...
No clue on why it blew. I'm one of those anal tire pressure types and check my
bikes at least twice a week. I've even got a digital gage on my keychain.
Pressures were good before we left Sunday, and although I didn't put a gage to
them, I gave the tires a good squeeze before we left the restaurant. Only thing
I can guess is we hit a big nail or something and it deflated instantly. I also
believe while the KLR did the Peak great two-up, that much rear weight bias
probably aggravated the tank-slapper. It went steering lock-to-lock twice and
then down we went. We'll see in a few days. I'm sure I'll be scouring
classifieds and eBay for deals on mirrors, shifters, etc. soon since I owned
this bike outright and didn't carry collision on it.
Thanks again everyone for the kind words.
Mountain Man wrote: What terrible news Jeff! I'm glad to
hear that you and Sally are up and around. This could have been much much worse.
What an awful ending to an otherwise fabulous day. Thanks a million for the
invitation and the guided tour. I sure enjoyed the company of you and Sally and
SgtMarty and Laurie. Best wishes to you both in the hope that all your
sore spots go away quickly
armyicurn wrote: Oh man! Can't wait to get my toy when I
come back from Iraq. Great shots! Pikes Peak is my playground for many of the
activities that I do. What kind of camera did you use and how much did
they charge you at the gate since you were on a bike?
SgtMarty wrote: Okay, with all best wishes to Jeff
and Sally, we'll return to the ride topic.
armyicurn, when do you get back? I've got several fellows from my police
department over there right now. We are definitely missing them on the street.
The end of season sales prices may be coming soon, if you're in the market for a
bike. Private sellers, too, may be selling their bikes. Are you at Ft. Carson?
I used a Canon A95 digital which has a nice "sports" setting for fast shutter
speed emulation. Keep it in a tankbag pocket for quick one hand grab and shoot.
Throttle lock helps, too.
I reduced the photos in size (and therefore, quality) for loading onto
photobucket dot com, so those shown are not nearly as good as the originals.
Don't know why some came out a different size. Odd.
Pikes Peak belongs to Colorado Springs, and is not a National Park as some find
out at the gate. The cost is $10 per head, or $35 per carload. I know that the
fees go to maintenance and staffing, and now to more paving (which I have strong
mixed feelings about...), but still seems a bit steep for such a heavily-visited
location.
armyicurn wrote: Thanks for the prompt reply! Yes, I am
at Carson and will definitively be looking to buy a bike this winter. I have
been to the top a couple of times while backpacking. Before you know it, this
mountain will be like Mount Evans
KLRTim wrote: Hey, Marty. Thanks for the pics. What a
bunch of incredible views. Makes me mad that I missed the Elephant Ride. It
would've been fun! Here's to hopin' for a speedy recovery for JKarp and
wife!
Ride Safe! -Tim
SgtMarty wrote: Jeff, post what parts you need when
you get an idea. We'll see if we can scrape things together for you. I've got my
stock shifter on a shelf; you are welcome to it. As for mirrors... well, as you
know, I go through them quickly myself.
For everyone else, those cheap ball-and-socket mirrors don't hold up well under
a lot of heavy vibration. The mirror post is spot-welded to the ball on the end.
Both of mine broke (a few weeks apart) while riding. Got one welded back to its
mount (no more ball-and-socket flexibility) and will weld the other up tonight.
Again, back to the topic. Let's see if we as a community can help out. Freebies
or cheap deals might be found.
Post a list, Jeff. I bet you'll be surprised.
Mountain Man wrote: Nothing here is in focus...but I like
the shot anyway.
Twisty road below.
I hope that you are healing fast Jeff and Sally
Jkarp wrote: OK, less than four hours after posting this, I've
been hooked up with a kind soul with a trailer who lives not blocks from me.
You guys are scaring me!
Fortunately, our Canon SD300 survived the "exciting" ride home, so here's a
few more pics from the Pikes Peak Ride. Full set (including gear carnage and one
embarrassingly tough KLR pics) are here:
http://www.red-shift.net/gallery/2005PikesPeakRide
SgtMarty, Laurie (Mrs. SgtMarty), MountainMan, Sally (Mrs.
JKarp), and Jeff (JKarp) at Crystal Reservior.
Cog Railway sucking up tourists.
Gratuitous KLR beauty shot.
Glen Cove Inn checkpoint, just below timberline. They check for crispy car
brakes here.
Roasted Aerostich Darien jacket. This is the 2nd time I've lost skin in
Aerostich gear. I realize every accident is unique, but I also think it's
reasonable to expect the top of the line textile gear to keep me from shedding
hide in a 55 mph get-off. Think I'm going Kevlar or leather this go-around...
Here's why you wear a helmet.
Worst of the KLR damage. Fan shroud got bent in also, which means this tough
puppy hit on both sides.
SgtMarty wrote: Jeff, I can donate a turn signal and
shifter. Also got a freebie certificate for one tire and mounting. Let me know
when you want them. Jeff, is your tank dented in? Looks like it in the
photo, but can't be sure.
Jkarp wrote: There's a tiny dent on the top if you follow
the handguard bolt down. I think it came from my mp3 player bouncing around in
the tank bag. Since the tank bag covers that spot I figure out of sight, out of
mind
I'll take ya up on that rear signal - lemme know what I owe ya. Front tire looks
fine. Unless something surprising shows up when I dismount it, I'm probably just
gonna put a heavy duty tube in. Come to think of it, I'd better do the rear too,
knowing my luck!
SgtMarty wrote: Ya don't owe me anything. If you can stop
by on the morning of the 24th, you can have whatever parts I have that you need.
We'll be cranking on Simon's bike briefly and then riding somewhere.
Otherwise, I'll send it to you.
JudJonzz wrote: Jeff, just a comment on the Aerostich
gear. I think your Darien did a pretty decent job for you in a 55 mph get-off,
considering its design and intended purpose. I have had a couple of
Roadcrafters, crashed pretty hard in both of them, and sustained a lot less
damage to the gear than your Darien took.
The Roadcrafter is the more protective of the two, uses heavier fabric, and
bigger patches of ballistic nylon. A lot of track schools will allow the
Roadcrafter (but not the Darien) in place of leathers. It is not necessarily the
last word in crash protection, having advantages and disadvantages compared to
good armored leathers. The Darien is intended more for touring, with a greater
emphasis on comfort, warmth and weather protection.
I finally bought a Darien jacket, and I look forward to wearing it as the
weather turns this fall. But if I'm planning to crash, I'll take the Roadcrafter
every time.
Jkarp wrote: Yeah, I'm not trying to bash 'stitch
gear - its form and function is ideal for commuting, which is why I owned it
twice. I'm also not denying that my own circumstances may be particularly
unlucky and that every accident is unique. That said, I've still lost
significant skin in what I consider two relatively "non squid" situations. Five
years ago I low-sided at 35 mph and my Darien abraded through both forearms
after sliding < 10ft before rolling. Aerostich said the jacket was totaled and
they gave me a 15% discount on a new one. (Fortunately) I checked out for this
get-off, so I don't know how I landed or how long I slid, but the back of my
Darien scares the hell out of me. If that optional back protector wasn't in
there (where the hole stops), I'd still be in the hospital in a serious world of
hurt.
No argument that Aerostich is infinitely better than what too many riders wear
(t-shirt and jeans), but in my current state of skillful karma deficiency
I've
got to find something better. Growing skin is frigging expensive - Tegaderm is
$8 a box and it takes over a box to cover my various owies. By the time these
are healed, I'll be out $500 easy. I'd much rather have used that $500 towards
better gear and avoided the pain.
It's probably also worth mentioning that while the Roadcrafter does have double
layered fabric over the elbows, shoulders, and knees, it's the exact same
thickness and material over the back, so I'd have been in the same boat.
Personally, I'd like to see Aerostich move up to a 650 or even 1000 Denier
material like many other gear makers are using. My wife's JR at less than 1/2
the cost is considerably thicker and it showed as she fared much better.
MD_KLR wrote: I'm really sorry to read what happened M8.
I've had a few "get offs" myself thankfully not with my missus on board (the
nearest I came was a "tankslapper" speed wobble at 110 mph on a GPZ 750 lock to
lock taking up 3 lanes for about 1/4 of a mile till it died down at around 90
mph), someone was smiling down at us that day (and perhaps even for you). Anyway
what I'm trying to say is the bike is a material possession, $$$’s can fix it,
I'm just really glad to hear that you and your good partner can talk and
reminisce about this mishap. I hope you and your missus get well really soon,
and best of luck on any future excursions.
Aw Ra Best
Mark
Jkarp wrote: Off topic, I know, but it seemed appropriate
to post here with the original crash pics...
So I finally got the front tire off the KLR to see what the heck happened. Turns
out Sally and I ate pavement thanks to a botched tire mounting. The installer
pinched the tube with his tire iron, causing a partial tear several inches long.
The additional stresses of riding the Peak two-up finally caused the tear to
rupture, producing a hole about 1/2 inch long.
Lesson learned. Heavy duty tubes are going in both front and rear tires!
SgtMarty wrote: Well, at least the mystery is
solved. There was a reason for the failure, and knowing what it was is
comforting (to a degree). At least it reduced the concern that it could happen
suddenly for NO reason.
So, does somebody owe you a tire, and maybe more?