In May of 07 I`d ridden my 84 VF1000F HONDA Interceptor down to Charleston , W. Va. to visit some friends . When I was ready to return home , the next day , I had some extra time so I thought I`d make a run up RT. 60 to Hawks Nest, which is a scenic overlook close to where they do Bridge Day every October . It`s about 35 miles outside of Chas. I`m just cruising along , by myself , not speeding , not even in a hurry . Just past a little town called Gauley Bridge is a scenic roadside stop known as Cathedral Falls . It`s where a water fall just seems to come right out the side of the mountain . About 150 feet before that is a set of rail-road tracks . Nice day , real calm , no wind , coal dust (from a train) all around crossing . I`m going about 45 maybe slower , I knew this road , and still high-side right onto the tracks . The tracks and the road go from being parallel to the shape of an X in a very short distance . The road crosses the tracks left to right and WHAMO ! instand disaster . I`m knocked unconcious , cracked a $600 dollar ARAI Nicky Hayden lid and wake up in Charleston Area Medical Center , and don`t even know why I`m there , the whole thing happened so fast . I even missed a ambulance ride and a cool life-flight in a chopper ( No , not that kind ) .I have to stay there 5 days , come home with a cast on my right ankle ( 2 screws ) , cast on my right wrist , which was apparently crushed by the bike , ( 2 plates - 13 screws ) . I was black & blue just about everywhere else . I missed 4 and a half months work , destroyed a really clean old HONDA ( 18,000 miles ) , and had to go through 6 months of rehab just to get use of my hand back . I really liked that HONDA since I`d owned it for almost 6 years . I ended up selling it though as I`d bought a Silver 04 ZRX1200R that previous September , with only 5,000 miles. I started riding again in May of 08 . Later that month I bought a new left-over 07 ZX14 , in Plazma Blue . I figured that some day I`d be too old to ride a bike like that , so if I wanted one , I better get it now . I`ll be 62 in August . I found out while I was off work , that the crossing near the Cathedral Falls is the # 1 crash site for motorcycles in all of W. Va. Thats a pretty tall statement considering all the curvey-ass roads down there . In Oct. of 07 we drove back down to the crash-site to try and figure out what had happened . The police report & description of the site was very vague . We found parts from at least 4 other bikes littered through the rail-bed around the crossing . This is a dangerous crossing , but has no lights , no caution signs , no anything to warn you about the possibility of a slippery area . If it hadn`t of been for that helmet , there is not doubt in my mind that I`d be worm food at this point . Needless to say , but I bought another Arai Corsair helmet to protect my old-ass head .

Geez-Glad yer okay.Yeah,things can happen FAST.I just had passed my 1500 mile mark on my 07 zx14.I'd been taking treatments for a liver disease for a year .I had finished treatment about one week-and after that year,I "thought" I felt pretty good.(I did compared to previously).So I go to my buddy's house,on my zx,and we go for a ride(He's got an 08 busa).I'm followin' him-two lane kind of country road.We stop at an intersection.He takes a left and gets on it.Hell,I gotta keep up,right?So he's way ahead-I punch er,you know ,I'm hittin about 70ish.I see the sign-"curve ahead"you know,the arrow with the speed in it.Sheez-15 mph.Just ahead,not far,he's hittin the curve and GONE.(I mean,it's a 90 degree right hander-and I'm about 150 feet from it.I'm still on the gas(geez,I had NO idea THIS was comin'up)."okay,shit,think fast".Yeah,I aint gonna make it!Lay on the brakes to scrub off speed.Shit,this is gonna -BAM!!I'm "wakin' up.My precious new baby is layin there.I'm layin there.Shit-WTF just happened-gotta get to my baby and shut the key off.Okay-crawl over-shut key off.Take a quick look-She's totalled.God-how could I?Lay back-waitin to see if I can feel anything.In shock.Here comes my bud-"shit man,are you okay?". "Yeah,give me a sec". "I looked back there,and didn't see ya come through". "yeah,I wasn't expectin a 15 mph corner bro". Moral of my story-ride yer own ride.Fergit the ego.And be clean and sober(in my case,off the effects of a year long "mind fry"(the medication I was takin')I should have never been ridin,even though I "thought" I felt okay(gotta watch medications,they can get ya).Be safe-think first.BTW-she wasn't totalled-just EVERY piece of plastic was GONE.Bars,trashed.Brake and clutch perches-gone.Cowl-snapped off bike,hangin there,unrepairable.Pipes-history.Other than that,she was fine!So I had a friend weld the broken meter bracket mounts back on(snapped at the bolts on the steering head).Bought the new bodywork.New pipes.Looked like a BRAND NEW BIKE again-I learned MY lesson LOL.I was fortunate-broken collar bone.broken right hand.Helmet saved my life(deep gouge in my ARAI in the back).Had there been a car comin around that bend,I'd be dead today.Ride safe all-(I LOVE MY 14 bluebird!!!)Just as a footnote-my liver is FINE-I'm healed thank God.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/11/2009 @ 10:15 PM *

Yeah, you have to stay SO alert while riding these things. Especially early in the riding system, I sometimes find myself getting into a corner too fast. I hate it when that happens... -bg

It`s amazing how quick things can go OH SO wrong . The thing is , I knew that road and had ridden to Hawks Nest before on that same bike . Although I`ve lived in Ohio since 64 , I grew in South Charleston which is in the same area , well close anyway .It`s just on that day with no brezze at all to keep the crossing somewhat cleaned off , the dust became like graphite . - - - This Summer I plan to take a ride down south to give that Tail-of-the-Dragon a try . I mean just a criuse . I`ve what several Deal`s Gap video`s from on-bike camera`s and that looks like a blast even at sane speeds , (as in don`t take it out of 2nd gear) .I`ll probabley take the ZRX . It seems a little more flickable so to speak . Remember , Keep the rubber side down !!