Test Ride Gone Bad... time for custom paint!

Lesson for the day: Setup your suspension before you go out and nail it. Oh and wear some kevlar jeans of leather pants no matter what. :thumbup $100 Frame sliders also saved me a HUGE amount of money in repairs.

So I met some friends for a "casual" ride. I JUST finished putting on some new OZ rims and Ohlins suspension- upgrading my RSV to RSVR status. WOW what a difference. I probably got 3 short rides in the week before just to warm up the oil for a change and to service the brakes. Everything was check out but the suspension was too soft up front and I just told myself I wouldn't practice any wheelies for a while so I wouldn't have to worry about bottoming out.

Fast forward to Sunday. I FINALLY got the day off for a morning ride with a local group of gentlemen with sportbikes. Because I've been working so much I haven't had time to adjust the suspension or buy boots so I could wear my one piece leather suit. We started up with a nice spirited ride through the country side and I knew where we were headed... to some really twisty roads. The bike was feeling AWESOME and much lighter and faster turning than before. I was just having the best time once the tires were warmed up. Yet I started pushing a little more and a little more... Soon I was up to a very fast pace and 2nd in line in our group. I really whipped it into a turn with full confidence as I had near new super sticky Dunlops on and such...

The problem? I DIDN't STIFFEN UP THE FRONT FORKS!!! I was off the brakes in order to keep the suspension at neutral as best as I could upon entry and then just a tad of throttle to keep thing balanced and moving forward. I could just really feel the front starting to go and I remember thinking, "here we go... just like I see them do on tv.". It's frustrating to watch a racers wheel just go out from under the front end in a turn. Now I know how it really feels. I never thought it was going to happen when I was entering that turn. I'm sure I could have rolled right through it if my front end was more stiff. But my speed was just fast enough to bottom the front fork and at the point the front tire just lost it's grip. :dunno I remember everything down to the finest detail. I read the yellow logo on my tires as I leaned over and tucked into a slide.



The result? I'm in the market now for a tank, front faring, rear tailsection... and I'll be putting down a new custom paintjob which will be trick. I can't wait. Of course it will be better than before and I just never liked the idea of riding around on a black motorcycle. I have always had white and bright yellow bikes and very good luck in traffic, not getting run over.

I basically slid on my WALLET across the road and then rolled on my knee, tearing my jeans and giving me a VERY minor amount of rash... didn't hardly break the skin. The road was completely clean from gravel and me and my bike came to a stop in some soft green country grass. Any riding pants would have kept me untouched. My fellow riders were completely shocked to see me just stand up and roll my bike behind a tree. I am the lucky ******* of the month for sure!! :thumbup:cheers They say my bike vaulted up into the air quite high. How I would pay to have that on video. :devious

I learned more from this experience that will probably save my life in other situations so I'm very thankful my injuries were so minor. My OZ rims and suspension are untouched and my exhaust is even salvageable!! woot! Sato foot pegs are in great shape as well, phew.. I'm going to have to consider some race plastics as I want to take the speed to the track and keep the street riding at a more relaxed pace. Live and learn friends! What an awesome bike...

Things are good. I needed a new jacket, paint job and now I'll be one of the safest dressed riders out there from this point on. My family doesn't even know what happened! *Shhhhh* onder

I'll be getting my butt to the track after this. AF1 is an awesome group of guys and owning an Aprilia means you are automatically a customer of theirs. That is the first place I started buying parts. A few guys have already chimed in to offer their parts so I'm in good hands. Thanks for all the well wishes. I'll be showing pics of the rebuild, new lights and all that stuff I will be working on very soon.

For now I'll have to ride the backup bike. :devious It's a tad slower but gets just as many looks.

No worries here guys. Bolt on a new front bracket, some plastic, a new composite tank (on it's way next week) a tail and I'll be back in the game! Gotta have the bike for the summer time or I have nothing to live for.

I have been slowly sneaking new parts onto my Mille, that's why! I got a set of Ohlins suspension and some OZ wheels recently. I didn't have more than 4 short rides on the suspension and the last ride was a short one on my new rims. Thank goodness they weren't damaged! I'm going to spring right back and have my bike on the road as soon as I can. Here is how I remember my bike in my dreams. irate





I'm wanting to paint it a flame/orange/red with black. I am considering this color off the new Hayabusa - http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/GSX1300RK8. I've always had great luck riding light colored bikes and this paint is pretty nice in person.

ps. I was going to cry if I had to put my old Showa's back on... they are still sitting in my garage next to my Brembo wheels. :cry The Ohlins are in good shape still though... just need some stiffening up some!