Totaled my BMW K75 Saturday

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ammolab

ammolab

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Ruidoso, NM USA
Bought my 1986 K75C new and loved her for 29 years and 147,000 miles, but Saturday I rode off a mountain road into deep gravel @ about 45 MPH and crashed. Started riding in 1962 and this was my very first accident in maybe 380,000 miles since starting motorcycles. I was knocked unconscious and suffered a subarachnoid brain bleed, shattered scapula, two shattered ribs and a collapsed lung.

I remember nothing of the wreck but I have not a scratch on me, so I figure I went vertical off the bike at rather low speed.

Wreck and the wrecker recovery guy damaged every bit of bodywork on the bike..I did have it insured for $4,000.00 so I will take that and ride my 2011 R1200R from now on.

Ride safe guys!!
 
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I'm sorry to hear that and wish you a quick recovery. I had a very close call this year, when an elderly garage-saler pulled a u-turn directly in front of me because they saw some piece of [censored] they wanted. I haven't been riding much since then.
 
Ouch!! sorry to hear of your accident. Sounds like the recovery was not fun. I'm glad you lived to tell about it. I'm not sure i even want to ride anymore.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
That sucks.

Serious question: is there any structural damage to the bike, or just the cosmetics?


Maybe bent forks...but headlight, fairing, windshield, gas tank and all hand and foot controls bent and every body pannel (radiator fairing, both side covers, tail piece and rear turn signals) were scratched or broken. I am not willing to re-cosmetic a bike with 147,000 on the power train.
 
I hope you didn't go down on NM 244 because of the chip seal going on. In my experience the frame is probably bent on your bike also, they twisted easily and are very hard to detect.
Hope to see you on the road soon.
Smoky
 
Very sorry for your accident bro and hope you have a quick recovery/rehab. I had a nasty dirt bike accident back in 1994 because I wasn't wearing the proper protective gear, and 20 years later I had knee replacement. Very painful. I still ride, though.
 
Thinking about this, you may not remember the accident due to your head injury. BUT if you had a transient bradycardia ( slow heart rate) or a dysrhythmia, you might have lost consciousness and that possibly could be the cause of the accident. You sound like an experienced motorcyclist, so the idea of you just going off the road sounds odd to me with your experience. If you have any dizziness or events like suddenly feeling weak or passing out, get that angle checked out. Not saying that is what happened, but you would not be the first.
 
Originally Posted By: Smoky14
I hope you didn't go down on NM 244 because of the chip seal going on. In my experience the frame is probably bent on your bike also, they twisted easily and are very hard to detect.
Hope to see you on the road soon.
Smoky


Chip seal everywhere around Ruidoso this Summer. Wreck was claiming out of Nogal to Ruidoso. Road in fine shape and I have traveled it many times. I left the road 30 yards after a corner...did not slide but went vertical due to terrain. Like I say, not a scratch on me, just impact injury.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Thinking about this, you may not remember the accident due to your head injury. BUT if you had a transient bradycardia ( slow heart rate) or a dysrhythmia, you might have lost consciousness and that possibly could be the cause of the accident. You sound like an experienced motorcyclist, so the idea of you just going off the road sounds odd to me with your experience. If you have any dizziness or events like suddenly feeling weak or passing out, get that angle checked out. Not saying that is what happened, but you would not be the first.


I wonder...or did I get the subarachnoid bleed BEFORE the wreck?
 
My sincere condolences... tossing your prize is bitingly bitter... but
the idea of living life without the riding experience I think is even
more unbearable... so I hope you get back up soon...
 
Originally Posted By: BusyLittleShop
My sincere condolences... tossing your prize is bitingly bitter... but
the idea of living life without the riding experience I think is even
more unbearable... so I hope you get back up soon...


I'm with you bro. I went almost 20 years w/o riding. I got my first bike when I was 20 (Honda XL-250). When I was 33, I had a nasty dirt bike wreck and quit riding for a long time. I couldn't resist the urge anymore, and got my Dyna 3 years ago.
 
First of all, I'm glad that your not hurt. Secondly, that really sucks because you rode that bike since new and really had a bond with it.

Finally, why not buy it back from the insurance company and fix it up? From what you've said the damage isn't too bad and even with the miles it would be worth making roadworthy again.

In any case I'm happy that you are still with us and good luck with the path that you choose with the bike.
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: bigdreama
First of all, I'm glad that your not hurt. Secondly, that really sucks because you rode that bike since new and really had a bond with it.

Finally, why not buy it back from the insurance company and fix it up? From what you've said the damage isn't too bad and even with the miles it would be worth making roadworthy again.

In any case I'm happy that you are still with us and good luck with the path that you choose with the bike.
thumbsup2.gif



If forks and frame are damaged, which is likely along with every single body pannel? Repair would be about $12,000. On a bike with 147,000 miles....I can buy the best K75 in the U.S. for half that. I am good with the $4000 I had the bike insured for.
 
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