Norm
Wizard
I think the latter.
My nephew, Daniel (named after my brother who died in 1972), visited me for the week. He got his motorcycle endorsement about a year ago and is a good rider. I've ridden with him before. He's a freshman in Villanova, just about to turn 19. A bright kid in his own right, he adored Jake for his intellectual capacity and the fact that Jake, the same age, never made him feel inferior. Jake enjoyed Dan's lightheartedness and humor. So I was happy to have him for the week. He actually rode my C14 for a few days because that bike was simply too tall for John, and John rode the FZ1. But the FZ1 has a way of endearing itself to all riders so when he asked if he could visit his friend in Winter Haven, 120 miles away, using the FZ1 I let him go.
100 miles into the trip (he had about 50 miles on the bike from the last fuel up when he took off) he decided he needed gas and felt he needed it fast. Without checking the exit (off of route 95) he took the ramp and learned it wasn't an exit at all but some kind of utility road. Worse yet, the road was full of gravel. He went down, incurring not a scratch to himself, but did quite a number on my shiny new FZ1:
He told me the details a few times but they didn't quite match up to the damage. The bike couldn't have just laid down. Apparently there was a gradient/slope on the right side but the way the Cee Bailey Wind Screen shattered and the right front of the bike took a hit I'm guessing the bike went airborne in some manner and smashed down on the right front fairing. The frame slider had some dirt in it but basically never touched down. The rear of the bike is clean. The tank cover has one tiny smooth indent with no scratch or paint loss.
I took the bike to my now favorite Yamaha dealer and they ordered all the parts, including 2 new mirrors (both seem to have been disjointed at their base), right fairing front cowling, headlight assembly, emblems, radiator cap, and some other things I'm probably forgetting for $1100. They gave me a 10% discount on the parts. They're going to give me nice price on the labor as well and probably have the work done mid next week.
I was gracious with my nephew and blamed myself for not going with him and not going over enough scenarios. He was bumming pretty bad but I told him we both learned something from it and most important, he was unharmed. I also told him that as he gets older he will learn to prioritize better and keep his wits about him. Running out of gas is not the worst thing in the world, I told him. You had a cell phone and could call any number of people who could have bailed him out. On the other hand, panicking about not finding a gas station and not reading road signs and landscape clearly could have hurt you badly. To his credit he dusted himself off, picked the bike up and rode it the rest of his way to his friend's house and then back, after gassing up.
Luckily the bike is perfect mechanically. All three of their mechanics examined the bike, came up with the parts list and cleared the bike for riding. I took it up to a good speed today, then rode it a few hours and, looks aside, it rides fine.
So yes, I'm probably an idiot for lending the bike to an 18 year old (almost 19), but I just can't seem to control myself. My nephew and I also decided his parents didn't need to know about this: What happens in Port St Lucie...
My nephew, Daniel (named after my brother who died in 1972), visited me for the week. He got his motorcycle endorsement about a year ago and is a good rider. I've ridden with him before. He's a freshman in Villanova, just about to turn 19. A bright kid in his own right, he adored Jake for his intellectual capacity and the fact that Jake, the same age, never made him feel inferior. Jake enjoyed Dan's lightheartedness and humor. So I was happy to have him for the week. He actually rode my C14 for a few days because that bike was simply too tall for John, and John rode the FZ1. But the FZ1 has a way of endearing itself to all riders so when he asked if he could visit his friend in Winter Haven, 120 miles away, using the FZ1 I let him go.
100 miles into the trip (he had about 50 miles on the bike from the last fuel up when he took off) he decided he needed gas and felt he needed it fast. Without checking the exit (off of route 95) he took the ramp and learned it wasn't an exit at all but some kind of utility road. Worse yet, the road was full of gravel. He went down, incurring not a scratch to himself, but did quite a number on my shiny new FZ1:
He told me the details a few times but they didn't quite match up to the damage. The bike couldn't have just laid down. Apparently there was a gradient/slope on the right side but the way the Cee Bailey Wind Screen shattered and the right front of the bike took a hit I'm guessing the bike went airborne in some manner and smashed down on the right front fairing. The frame slider had some dirt in it but basically never touched down. The rear of the bike is clean. The tank cover has one tiny smooth indent with no scratch or paint loss.
I took the bike to my now favorite Yamaha dealer and they ordered all the parts, including 2 new mirrors (both seem to have been disjointed at their base), right fairing front cowling, headlight assembly, emblems, radiator cap, and some other things I'm probably forgetting for $1100. They gave me a 10% discount on the parts. They're going to give me nice price on the labor as well and probably have the work done mid next week.
I was gracious with my nephew and blamed myself for not going with him and not going over enough scenarios. He was bumming pretty bad but I told him we both learned something from it and most important, he was unharmed. I also told him that as he gets older he will learn to prioritize better and keep his wits about him. Running out of gas is not the worst thing in the world, I told him. You had a cell phone and could call any number of people who could have bailed him out. On the other hand, panicking about not finding a gas station and not reading road signs and landscape clearly could have hurt you badly. To his credit he dusted himself off, picked the bike up and rode it the rest of his way to his friend's house and then back, after gassing up.
Luckily the bike is perfect mechanically. All three of their mechanics examined the bike, came up with the parts list and cleared the bike for riding. I took it up to a good speed today, then rode it a few hours and, looks aside, it rides fine.
So yes, I'm probably an idiot for lending the bike to an 18 year old (almost 19), but I just can't seem to control myself. My nephew and I also decided his parents didn't need to know about this: What happens in Port St Lucie...
