Fell off my Guzzi without a helmet

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Did a stupid thing last night...

Purchased a used Hepco & Becker rear trunk from the central PA Craigslist seller (mentioned here on a thread). Brought it home last evening and mounted it on the rear rack and it fits perfectly.

I wanted to see how it served a a backrest for my wife. I had the bike on the side stand (don't have a centerstand) with a 2x4 under it for it to be more upright.  I scooted onto the back seat, put my feet on the passenger pegs and leaned back. Just then, the Guzzi began tilting to the right. I tried grabbing the handlebars but it was too late. I was able to "ease" it down onto the garage floor. I tumbled off the bike and banged my head, above my right eye on the cement floor. (a scrap on the hand guard and a broken brake toe which I'll get welded next week.)

I'm fairly strong, but with the smooth garage floor and the 560 lbs weight, I needed help from my neighbor to pull it back up.

The bang on my head is evident today and it still hurts...  AND I WASN'T TRAVELING AT SPEED. I can't image what it's like to come off the bike and hit your head at ANY speed. That's why I wear a helmet.

You can't will your head not to impact the pavement no matter how hard you try.

[BMWDavid]

Reminds me of an incident I had a few years ago. I had pulled my Buell Uly out to ride. It was started and idling on the side stand...I had just gotten all of my gear on (ATGATT) and mounted the bike to ride off.

I had just started rolling with my feet up on the pegs...made a slight steering correction and next thing I know, bike stalled for some reason and I started falling over to the left. Before I could even get my feet off the pegs I was on the ground. I recall a very loud bang/thump on my head. It was my head hitting the ground...so glad I always chose to wear my helmet no matter what the ride is.

I shudder to think of possible head injury from that fall. No forward speed, it was just the fall from sitting position sideways to the ground. It left a mark on the helmet...could have been my skull/brain!

[Gliderjohn]

A good reminder there.
GliderJohn

[Guzzistajohn]

Ouch! Hope you're OK, I have better luck leaning against my rear trunk running down the highway with the throttle lock on running at speed. Better luck next time

[Arizona Wayne]

Real bikers don't need no stinkin' helmet......especia lly if in their garage!!     Just kidding.

Most people have no clue how little it takes to damage their brain in an impact or kill them.     If your headache doesn't dissipate or you have vision or mental processing difficulties, you better have your brain looked at.

[oldbike54]

 There is some math involved re gravity induced acceleration , one of you smart guys show us the formula . Yeah , if that head still hurts a trip to the doctor might be in order .

  Dusty

[Triple Jim]

Not sure which formula you want, Dusty, but a head free falling from about six feet hits the ground at about 20 mph.

[oldbike54]

Not sure which formula you want, Dusty, but a head free falling from about six feet hits the ground at about 20 mph.

 Close enough Jim .

  Dusty

[lucydad]

Willow,

Glad you are ok.  Fortunately I had my helmet and gear on when I dropped the V7R due to stuck up side stand I was dismounted, and nobody else home, and 98F and wet and coated with fresh road tar goo.  I hit the back of my helmet pretty hard, nicked the shell, but no damage except pinned down...ugh.

Mostly when I move bikes around the garage I have a helmet on, but not always.  I think I will change up and be sure to have the Shoei on my wooden block of a head.  I never get on a bike without a cell phone as it saved me when pinned by calling police help.

[oldbike54]

 Greg , I hate it when sidestands get all snooty 

  Dusty

[Rotten Ralph]

Those of us who have been riding for a few (or more) years and have heard the BWAANGE of the helmet hitting pavement, know.

[Tom]

Let the bike drop next time.  Besides the head injury.  Torn ligaments in the arms and/or damage to your legs and as mentioned being pinned under a bike.

[Chuck in Indiana]

^^^^^ What Tom sez. I learned a long time ago that if something *heavy* is falling.. just let it fall. Whatever is falling can be replaced or repaired. Not so much with ligaments, muscles, etc. I know.. it's not easy to just let your expensive (whatever it is) fall, but it's by far the best thing you can do.

[canuguzzi]

GO TO THE HOSPITAL OR SEE YOUR DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. NOT TOMORROW, NOT NEXT WEEK!]

If you develop issues, by the time you figure it out they will be permanent.

I am serious as a stroke, you banged your head on concrete the last thing you should be doing is posting on WG and reading stuff about anything else.

Your head still hurts and we're talking about other useless stuff? A head injury is a deal with it now or deal with it the rest of your life. Small impacts can develop into life altering events if not reviewed by a doctor.

[Tom]

Concussion isn't something to fool around with.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  I hope you didn't chip the concrete with your head.  That can be a pain to repair.

[Nic in Western NYS]

If you had even momentary loss of consciousness, had any visual changes (saw stars or lights), confusion, disorientation, worsening headache, vomiting (not from drinking), memory loss, mood change, personality change (unless you had a rotten personality and it is now great), or if you get a nasty lump on your head, see the doc. BTW, don't trust yourself to know if you've had a personality or mood change.

[not-fishing]

I broke my second collar bone in a 3 mph bicycle crash.  It's not you're forward speed, it's your vertical speed with the sudden stop of the ground in my case asphalt just like falling off the ladder.  and yes I did break my bicycle helmet in the fall but then I've always worn a helmet since the '70's on my bicycles

[Kent in Upstate NY]

Subdural hematomas are slow killers. When I was a kid and got bonked on the bean, my parents would wake me every hour to make sure I was still around.

[vf84pc]

Glad you are okay, may want to touch base with your doc just to be safe.
I was at the national in Ontario and I dropped my cali turning into a dirt parking lot. I had an old US army MP helmet on, that helmet saved prevented a painful injury a pricey hospital bill and probably a concussion. From now on I always wear a full face Arai and all my saftey gear.

[Aaron D.]

I understand the concerns on hematomae and concussions, and the hardest hit my head ever took was on a bicycle that was stationary as I dealt with a dog-and my feet were clipped in.

But what is the lesson we are taking? That we should wear a helmet to move a motorcycle around the garage?

[Green1000S]

That.... And with full face helmet you get to keep the jaw and don't have to eat through wired mouth. Good to hear you're ok!

[twodogs]

Glad your ok willow, sometimes something so simple goes bad in a hurry, been there, maybe the sport don't want a top box, LOL.

[guzzisteve]

Crashed many times w/o helmet in IL where you didn't have to wear one. Here in GA the last crash, I remember my helmet touching the pavement after clearing the Volvo and rolling.

Sooner or later it'll catch up w/odds.

[Joliet Jim]

Crashed many times w/o helmet in IL where you didn't have to wear one. Here in GA the last crash, I remember my helmet touching the pavement after clearing the Volvo and rolling.

Sooner or later it'll catch up w/odds.

That explains a lot.  though I don't think I'll wear one in the garage I usually wear one on the road. That said I did take a few lidless rides this year and thoroughly enjoyed them. Rekindled a lot of memories from my younger riding days when I never wore a helmet. Today's toys for tots run will have over 10000 helmet less riders or at least the vast majority. If I were riding in it I'd have mine on, but not just because it's cold.

[George_S]

I may "cheat" a bit sometimes with an open face helmet, but I never go helmetless. Ever since.....

1977. On my Honda CB360T. two lane country road in northern NJ. speed limit 45. A sunny, clear day. I see a huge dump truck with flatbed trailer and a bulldozer on it, stopped on the dirt shoulder, my direction, 4-way flashers on. As I approach, he starts a left turn into a side road. I lock the brakes, stay straight and upright. C'mon, C'mon, stop already. I almost made it, but struck the dump body right behind the driver's door. By now, only doing like 10MPH. I do recall my cheap, white, JC Whitney helmet banging against the dump body. I was 100% OK. Helmet, not so much. But it did it's job and gave it's all in saving my noggin.