[105]

I was on the way to work this morning and a cat ran under my rear wheel. A black cat no less. It was pretty thick traffic (30-40 mph) and I saw the cat cross a couple cars ahead, but then it crossed back!! I didn't see it until it was right next to me. THANK GOD FOR MY HELMET. I fell on my head and right shoulder and slid about 10 feet at the most. I hit my hip somehow also its kind of aching. I scraped my elbow a little through my jacket even though it has hard pads, I guess it shifted a little.

The bike fell on its right side. Looking it over so far I sse: Scraped muffler, broken front turn signal, cracked and spraped front faring, bent brake rear brake pedal, bent rear peg, and the end of the throttle is half taken off. I rode it the rest of the way to work and it seemed to ride and brake fine.

I just started riding and already this. I was just about to get frame sliders too. Would they have helped in this case?
Any advice for repairs and upgrades are welcome. I'll definately be getting an aftermarket slip-on.

Oh and the cat lived, I saw it run off kind of ****** though.

The muffler and handle bars saved the frame and tank.

 

[scott26]

Of course the **** cat lived... sorry to hear about the crash... I hear that the J bolt kind of Sliders suck if you had full fairings most of the time with the nakieds you can get bolt on sliders stright up to the frame and those should would pretty well and if you were only going abou 35mph I would think that the sliders would have done alot more to protect the damage to the bike make just some scuffs but that is just my .o2 cents

 

[SuperSmitty]

sorry to hear about the crash. good thing you weren't injured more than what you are.

 

[scott26]

You should go back find that cat and teach it a lesson...

 

[SVstryker]

glad you're ok bro. a black cat! i just can't imagine that luck. a skunk did a ninja kick spray on me on a highway and the bike and i got pretty foul from the smell.

GOOD frame sliders are what i consider a necessity especially after my first crash (i had the cheap crappy OEM ones with the j-bolt). putting frame sliders on AFTER a crash is like putting a band aid on a broken leg. too little, too late.

look into R&G frame sliders or motosliders. they both utilize a heavy duty bracket and the slider material is top of the line.

 

[Nudist]

I decapitated a cat on my GSXR 750 back in 2003. That sucked.

 

[105]

I just posted some pics of the damage. I know I'm gonna go ahead and get a better sounding slip on exhaust now. Some ideas for the other parts that are F'd are welcome. I might as well upgrade some stuff.

 

[kjkrow]

Glad to hear you're mostly alright and that it wasn't too serious. None of the damage looks very bad on the bike, and with some time and tlc, it shouldn't be too hard to fix.

 

[badsv]

I had sliders on my sv and the exact same amount of damage on mine.Now have a full cage. Glad you are ok.

 

[briderdt]

I'd say just chop that muffler... It's not like you'll make it look worse.

 

[105]

I had sliders on my sv and the exact same amount of damage on mine.Now have a full cage. Glad you are ok.

It seems like for this type of crash the sliders would've made more of a difference on the other side.

 

[tgang50]

frame sliders would help a lot. i liad my bike over last year on the right side and it just broke a piece off my brake pedal and a small scratch on back of my mirror and exhaust. frame slider looked shreded after the wreck but it saved my bike. wreck give you an excuse to get some new accessories though like flush mount lights and shorty levers. glad to hear your all right. i got a knarly bruise on my hip too from it.

 

[105]

Is there any way I can reduce the look of the scratches on the muffler. Wet sanding and polish maybe? I can't afford to get a new slip on right away. I just spent $200 for a new upper fairing.

 

[manganos]

Don't worry about the stock exhaust. Save your pennies and just get a slip on. I got mine for 150 on the forum here. Check out the classifieds. Glad you are ok.

 

[Marcosf1]

That sucks. Looks like helmet did a good job doe. It's tough to react accordingly in emergencies. I think if its you or another person in danger because of an animal, the animal gets it.

Frame sliders make a difference when its not a front collision. Save your pennies for a new slip on. I'm saving for a Scorpio. Glad you are ok.

 

[gregg-k]

The brake pedal looks like it will straighten out, as long as you use the right technique.

First off, DO NOT try to bend it straight ... the pedal will snap off. The trick is to use a 1 pound "dead blow" hammer (I kid you not). With the pedal off the bike, and supported on a block of wood with the point of the bend facing upward, use the DB hammer to knock the bend down. Use sharp blows, and the pedal will soon be as good as new.

I kid you not, I've used this technique zillions of times to straighten aluminum brake pedals, shifters, and levers. Try it, you have nothing to lose.

Good luck, and I'm glad your body got off pretty lightly.
.. Gregg

 

[ZeroSpawn]

Next time a small animal crosses your path throttle up and cut through that sucker!

 

[auburngsx]

The muffler and handle bars saved the frame and tank.

It's usually the handlebars that ruin the tank.

 

[Zokambaa]

Just be glad it wasn't a car deciding at the last minute to make a left hand turn directly in front of you at an intersection.....

or a ******* in a dualie deciding not to shoulder check and side swipe you to the curb... and then fu(k off before you could get his plates....


the sideswipe was not too bad as I just got a bit bruised... but the crash into the side of a car kind of sucked ... actually it still kind of sucks...


one thing to watch out for is animals... if you see one near the road... expect that they are going to run out in front... dunno why.. they just seem to do that...

Anyway..... this will give you all the more reason to go with some LED front lights and a slip on....even though the rash isn't too bad... especially since I don't see any motosliders on the bike... yeah they would have helped.... maybe not the pedal... but more than likely the body work and most of the pipe... although you may still have hit the pipe and possibly have ripped off the blinker... but... you need them... I tried some fake motosliders and they were crap... spend the extra $20 and get motosliders.... they are woth it..

swap out the bar ends... no biggie... you might be able to buff up the mirrors... and do an ebay special for the foot peg... (or throw in an ebay special mirror too if you have to) and of course get a slip on... but I am sure some autobody guy could buff that scratch out...

the rest... well.... just consider them war wounds... some rubbing compound may make it a bit less noticeable... but that front one.. duno... check with an autobody guy...

I had some scratches on my 99 SV mirrors from the old owner... what I ended up doing.. to hide it.. but also to make me more noticeable at night.. I got some black reflective tape and ran a strip down them... it covered the scratches and made me more noticeable at night...

and the helmet.... well.... just consider it the cat's way of telling you to get a decent helmet.... if Shoei RF1000 is a bit much... AGV makes good ones and aren't too pricey....

I am almost as anti- hjc as I am anti- icon so I guess I am biased...

I'm not a fan of chinese made anything... but it seems the Scorpion helmets are not bad...

One thing.... consider my first crash on a SV looked like this....

 

[ridenaked1]

Thats not bad u should have seen mine on my first crash i lost my shifter my clutch lever and my blinkers so now its a street fighter.