Originally Posted by NoRegerts

Yesterday, the wife and I, with a friend, were riding on a gorgeous overcast day. We were on our second day of a two day trip, totalling about 700 miles.

My friend was in the lead, my wife behind him, and I took the rear so she was protected between us. We have Cardo and can talk to each other.

We're only minutes in, literally in the second right turn, when suddenly my bars started to vibrate and I couldn't turn. At 75 on this highway, the speed limit, the guard rail came fast. I was aimed at it. I tried to reduce speed but didn't grab the front brake, rolling off the throttle, knowing something was wrong.

No, it wasn't a death wobble, my tire pressure was good prior to leaving and my neck bearings were greased and lubed.

Best as we can tell, I hit road debris and had a rapid loss of pressure in the front tire, likey while in the straight, and only realized it too late going into the sweeper.

I kept the bike up and managed to miss the guard rail by only a few feet. I hit the soft dirt of the highway suppression. The bike instantly started to tumble. I help on for one tumble and it threw me off. I banged my left leg and the bars locked left and I was thrown, about 40 or 50 feet, impacting the soft ground like a lawn dart, driving my head and left shoulder into the ground. Missing a tree.

The helmet saved my life, without a doubt. The impact sounded like a cannon blast in my ears.

Amazingly, there was a Boy Scout troop in a van behind me. They stopped and rendered trauma aid with a kit they had. I suffered an avulsion, a large tear of flesh the size of a baseball on my left leg just below the knee. I won't show those pictures.

My back hurt like hell, but I never lost consciousness and was able to provide constant feedback to the scouts, a trauma nurse who was coming the opposite direction but was stopped when the bike landed in her lane. To the EMTs to the trauma room staff.

X-rays were taken, a CT is still pending. An MRI showed L2 L5 vertebrae suffered impact fractures. And more fractures on the wingy dealies where the muscle attaches, causing severe pain when I take in a deep breath.

I had on leather so I have impact injuries, but no road rash.

I have had an incredible support system. My friends have taken shifts to be with me around the clock and my wofe has not left my side, sleeping in the chair beside me as I type this. I have a back brace and have since been able to sit up, but can't stand.

My wife's bike was ridden from the scene and stored at a friend's house. My bike was picked up from the wrecker yard, at the request of insurance. I'll be able to swap a few parts back to stock.

The bike is totaled but can/will be replaced. It will take 6 to 12 weeks before i fully recover. That gives me time to shop. Obviously this was a horrible incident, but I've been here for years and see them from time to time. They serve as a good reminder.

I'm blessed to be posting this sharing my experience. I'm sad about the bike, it has been with me through a lot over the past two years and 25k miles. But things are replaceable. I'm just so glad my wife wasn't on the bike with me. The crash was ruled as not-at-fault single vehicle accident.

Now, what you came to see:
These are only some of the pics taken. I'm keeping this PG.

Originally Posted by Dirty Dude

Sorry to be reading about this Chris glad you're still with us.

I'm curious you said the boss and your friend were both ahead of you did they happen to say if they saw something in road?

Originally Posted by Max Headflow

Wow, Glad you survived.
Tire don't look flat. When you say the bike wouldn't steer, do you mean you were not able to twist the bars or when you twisted the bars nothing happened. If the former a split roller bearing in the fork? Something fell down between the tank and the forks?? If the later, maybe something in the handle bar mount broke? The cut in the from tire might have happened during the crash. I would also guess it's possible that the tire was cut but didn't lose air? Bike was slipping on a loose tread?

Originally Posted by talkingrock

it could take years not to sound negative but we had a near death accident on our 2017 HD Trike In 2019 and have had 4 surgeries and physically will never be the same , i am able to ride the Trike and now having balance therapy to be able to ride my bike , best wishes with your recovery

Originally Posted by NoRegerts

They found gravel right where I went of the road. The debris was further back on the straight.

The bike was very capable of going lock to lock. It did plenty while I was airborne. The bike did not respond to the right input pressure to turn right. It started to vibrate. Felt like rumble strips in the middle of the road. As far as the cut, anything is possible, I've been bed ridden and haven't seen it. I'm going off what was seen by those that picked the bike up, the police report, witness information, etc.

That's my worst fear. Fortunately, seems the worse of the injury has been to my left foot that has been broken. I go in for surgery in 15 hours to get a plate screwed to the bone to put it back together.

The spinal fractures are far more painful than they are dangerous at this point. I was stabilized from c spine down and helmet remained on until it could be taken off safely.