Wolfman1

I loved mine! It was smooth and handled well. Also, very dependable even though she is cold blooded!

Derek you just took this thread to a different level!

Frame and forks are bent. She is done! I loved this bike. Insurance appraiser is coming tomorrow. I have full coverage, so at least its not a total loss.

Hello everyone, I finally feel up to posting. I first want to thank all emergency personnel who aided in dragging me out of a ravine and getting me to the helicopter, they were all amazing. Next, I want to thank Mike who drove non-stop to get me and our fallen bikes, Derek / Brian (Whaler) for never leaving my side through this whole ordeal. This scared the crap out of me. It was the hardest hit I have ever received. I want to validate that Derek is not responsible for my crash. It is my responsibility to pick the right entry speed and correct line and in this case neither mattered. This turn was covered end to end with gravel and you weren't going to get through it on two wheels at any speed higher than 25 mph. I want to thank God for turning me at the last second from going head first into a tree to back first. My jacket and ass took the brunt of the hit and I ended up in a pile of brush facing the sky. Got some rash on my hand where it burned through my glove, rash on my elbow where it burned through my jacket and the worst was my knee where my jeans didn't hold up. Thanks to everyone on the board who posted the encouraging comments. This is a huge ordeal for me and my family and all the support we received has been awesome. If anyone reads this post please take this with you. My gear helped save my life. Wear your gear at all times & know what your limits are for public roads because anything can happen at any time.

Got to put my wheels back on tonight. Changed all wheel bearings and had tires rebalanced due to a strong vibration I picked up on the way back from the Epic ride. Just need to put the wheels back on and torque everything. One of the rear bearings smelled burnt and the grease was black, so hopefully it fixes the vibration issue.

I know the best thing that helped when I moved from a cruiser to a sport bike was riding longer routes with a couple of experienced riders. It was a whole new world for me on a sport bike, everything I knew and learned on my cruiser was now different. It took a few seasons just for me to feel comfortable with my new bike. The guys I continuously ride with are great, always giving advice which helped me tremendously with turns. Where to pick my line, how to position myself on entry, entry speed, what gear to be in, when to accelerate out, all things I never thought about before that veteran riders were able to help me with. We also trade positions, I will lead a segment and set the pace, then sweep the next segment, then ride the middle in the next. This also is priceless practice that veteran riders can help a NewB with. I never wanted to lead, but I did it to help me learn how to set the pace, how to space yourself from the next rider, how and where to pass cars, how to notify the riders behind you of debris or dead animals in the road, etc. I learned all this riding in a 2-3 rider group with veteran riders. The best thing for that dude is to continue to get to know and trust his bike and ride with a couple veteran riders who are willing to run a slower pace to critique and help him to become more comfortable. Once he can maintain a comfortable pace with 2-3 riders, a 10 -12 rider group really doesn't change anything, I know it didn't for me my first big group ride.

Great job Whaler! I was the guy just behind him in front of Whaler and when we hit the very first corner of the ride, I could tell he was in the wrong group. I ran up on him so fast in a few turns it made me uncomfortable being behind him. You can see how much room I gave him so he wouldn't feel pressured or pushed. I didn't want to see him go down. Great decision on both riders parts! The sweep for stopping him and the rider for recognizing he was out of his league. The sweep has just as much responsibilities as the leader to make the right decisions for the group.

Welcome to the OR forum!

Derek, just posted all the pics I took including a few from our med-fast group at the gas stop.

Here ya go all. I took a few snap shots with my phone. Not as nice as Dan's of course, but i figured i would share them with everyone anyway. I tried to get a pic of each group at the start and a few at the gas stop. I had a great time. Hope we can do this again in the fall!!