SueCanada's "accidentally" customized F650GS

[nhmaf]

Quite a few of the folks here know our dear little Sue, and know that she had quite an unfortunate turn last autumn with a terrible crash on a lonely road in western Canada.   Despite her small stature, Sue's heart is huge, and her passion for motorcycling is tremendous, so she is planning to be out again this summer on a bike after spending these past months in a painful recuperation.  

Sue did not want to post these pics of her bike earlier, as she didn't want to get our online family overly upset over her ordeal.   But, she asked me to put these up now so that we all might see them if you choose to do so.   IT isn't intended to be a sobering reminder of what can happen when things go wrong, but if it does help even 1 member here to take the extra minute to put on that helmet or gloves, etc.  before taking that quick trip to the store then that could also be a good thing.

Sue's bike caught fire and rather completely burned as it continued to run while it was tipped over and fuel was spilled all around.   Fortunately Sue was lying far enough from the bike to not get caught up in the flames - it was a close call !

I am very happy that we still have Sue with us and I really look forward to seeing her on the road this summer and at the national rally in Tennessee !

Following are pics:

scene of the accident:


The "ash-grey" version of the 2008 F650 GS:


The bike must have flipped a few times before coming to a stop as you can see the degree to which the handlebars are bent, and one of the fork tubes is broken and ripped out of the triple clamp.

Please, Be careful out there, everyone !
 

[Bob_Roller]

It's amazing that Sue got out 'relatively' unscathed, compared to what could have happened !!

Just curious, was there any 'official' incident report from law enforcement, as to what the probable cause of the incident was ??

Looking at the pictures, I see two exhaust pipes coming out of the engine, wasn't Sue's bike, a F800ST, not an F650

Remember the saying, 'dress for the crash, not for the ride', as the beginning of another riding season starts in the northern hemisphere.

[nhmaf]

The "new" F800 and F650 are essentially the same twin cylinder engine - the F650 is just a detuned version of the F800 with, I think, milder cams, remapped FI, and different stroke.  It is still really quite powerful for a 650.

Sue will chime in soon with her details and the official report on this incident - I don't know if we'll fully know for sure.  

[NC Steve]

To add to the confusion, the F650 also has an 800cc engine as does the F800, just de-tuned a bit as Mike says, from 85 to 71 hp. It's  also lower, a bit lighter, has cast wheels, etc. Some of us saw Sue and her beautiful new bike at the Gathering of the Clans here in NC, just a week or so before the crash.

I knew her bike had burned, but I had no idea that it burned up! Jeez!  

[aussie]

Damn - I knew it was bad, but I had no idea that the fire was as bad as the picture shows.

Has to make you think - and yes - suit up prior to any ride.

Most accidents occur within 5kms of home.

[SCJJR65]

Yikes, I get shivers just looking at those photos!!  

[Justin B.]

Holy Crap!!!!  Sue, you are definitely more durable than a lot of folks.

[suecanada]

Hi there everyone! I needed to share these photos but have only just got to the stage where I've looked at them so much that they don't cause an apoplectic fit anymore I shamelessly asked Mike if he'd help me out by getting this on the forum and I thank him profusely! Some day and it may be sooner rather than later, I will get the photos on the Advrider.com site where lots of F800 and F650GS riders post. With all the recalls these bikes have gotten, someone needs to be alerted to the possibility things can go very wrong. At the very least, the fatigue factor in riding long distances needs airing.

The police version is what is had to be..they had no choice but to call it a single vehicle accident, 100 percent the rider's fault....most probable cause was the rider lost control on the gravel section of the road. So off that goes to the insurance company and voila a 53 percent increase in insurance cost...now it's $652.00.  No matter whether the accident was caused by me falling asleep or the bike have a catastrophic failure...in the end I lost control.

Now, here's my lesson to me. Assume you'll be tired after attending a rally; don't ride day after day coming home...take a break say every 4 days and take a day to do laundry or sightsee (I rode 9 days after the rally and felt I was having fun!) Oh well. Stop every 2 hours to walk around the bike; drink your Gatorade even if you are not thirsty because it is a cool day; suck on tart sour candies to perk ya up; watch yourself even more in those flat boring prairies or anywhere else that the landscape is not stimulating; don't assume you'll be yawning or getting some hint you're tired because it won't necessarily happen...just fall down and go boom without warning. This last one is something I would never have suspected!!!

What happened was I had missed the road that Chris from BC had suggested I take south to hook up with the TransCanada hwy in Saskatchewan. Continued in the next post!!!

[suecanada]

When I realized I had missed the right road south I asked about the closest road to where I had stopped to ask. The two teenagers said that road was good to get south. What they didn't say was that about an hour south some of the spinoff roads had gravel sections. I checked my map and there were 2 Provincial Parks on Lake Diefenbaker, so they sounded like a good destination and I would stop and camp for the night at one of them. I got to the first Park at 4:00 pm and just decided to continue to the next one about 3/4 hour away..then I'd stop and camp for the night. I remember vividly seeing the flags of the first campsite and making the decision to carry on.
1 1/4 miles down the road, after 2 curves in the road, there was a sign saying pavement changes to gravel. Maybe I saw this or not but I can only assume I got successfully around the second curve then got on the gravel and crashed...I fell off or the bike broke. I landed 15 feet from that burning bike carcass! I was unconscious for 1.25 hours lying face down at the edge of the road. Gee, with all that soft prairie grass you'd have thought I could at least have landed in that! No houses, road signs, driveways, other cars, ditches, guardrails..nothing but grass and gravel rural road. So that was the lucky part.  If I had fallen asleep, how in the world did the bike get around the 2nd curve and not go straight and fall over in the grass? If the bike flipped, as the cops think, the pics show a very hard impact with the road, how did I land only 15 feet away...am I a bronco rider and didn't know it???

So a car came by about 15 minutes later or so and called 911. Those guys I guess didn't think to shut off the bike but probably it was too late anyway to save it. The right sidecase was off and far enough from the fire to not burn and I got it back safely with my gear in it but it was totally crunched and cracked.
 Continued

[suecanada]

The "gear" in that sidecase included my toiletries and shoes which proved really handy and LRB's tools were saved.  All the clothes and all camping gear and stuff for 3 weeks got burned or cut off by the EMT guys. LRB will not lend anything of his to another bike ever again!!!

The recalls so far on this bike and its sister bike the F800GS include: front rotor bolts too short and could come out; rear sprocket bolts the same; axle material not up to spec and could break; sidecase mounting could fail, front brake caliper bolts bad and could come off (Derek suspects this one); maybe some others. Stalling issue too. As you can see they are serious blunders not just the usual nitpicky stuff.

They took my helmet off at the scene and back-boarded me to the Outlook Hospital 45 minutes away. And, I got a CAT scan the next evening but that could've been too late if Natasha Richardson death is any guide. I am so lucky. CAT scan showed all OK. It checks out the physical condition of our brains/heads for bleeding and cracks. The damage caused by the brain being bounced around by impact is different...shearing and neuron damage. I am due for an EEG next week! Yeah! I still have a spacey head feeling but it gets better with time and some days are better than others. Helmet cracked opposite the temporal lobe which is just at ear level.

Enough from me...so I have exorcised myself...thanks Mike!!!

[Bob_Roller]

I'm going to have to agree with you on the fatigue issue, I was driving from Chicago to see my parents in St. Petersburg, FL., I was going to do the entire 1200 mile drive without stopping for the night.

I was feeling quite tired just north of the Florida/Georgia border on Interstate 75, so I was going to stop at the 'Welcome Station' at the Florida border to get a few hours of rest.

Next thing I remember is seeing an exit sign for a small town 30 miles south of the Welcome Station, no memory of that 30 + mile drive, and this was at the time of the 55 mph speed limit.

I don't think that fatigue is given as serious a thought as it should be when driving long distances.

It's tempered my enthusiasm for trying a 1000 mile day on the R65, just to say I did it.

[drewboid]

Sue, Glad you are on the road to recovery.
For some reason I can't see the photos!  Maybe I shouldn't.

As to falling asleep on the bike - I have a story:
Back in 1967 I was in the army stationed outside of Harrisberg PA. I  got a weekend pass and wanted to drive home to NYC. After packing the bike and checking out I finally got on the road about midnight. (consider - I was in basic training - usually lights out about 10:00 and first call at 6:00 or earlier - and a VERY active and physically tiring day).

I remember crossing the Delaware river bridge outside of Easton on old Rt22 - my next memory is of the rear end of the bike jerking as I crossed the slight drop from the road to the shoulder about 20 miles further on. Physically tired, the drone of the bike (JAWA 250) put me to sleep! Fortunately no damage - the bike stayed upright and the adrenalin started flowing.  

Unfortunately, when you are tired judgement is not as good as it should be which contributes to the problem.  I hope I'm wiser now.

[suecanada]

Drewboid... yup, judgement is virtually zilch! Here is one thought that I know is true..... All the way through Sask. I was feeling that the people were not really friendly and I decided that taking a very remote route was better than taking a city but busier, more direct route. The traffic would have been stimulus! Very stupid  and slanted thinking which indicates in retrospect that one's judgement is shot. I was feeling more irritated at small things and thinking the USA is much better,  the people are nicer...now that's a good thought!!!!!
So you are right...watch for bad judgement and irritability with tiny things that normally wouldn't bother you.

[suecanada]

I just thought of something....the bike was bought and I picked it up May16th...the accident was July 28th....it was a brand new F650 2008 twin GS. So just a bit over 2 months of riding and I loved it for its light weight, seat height  and hp...all except...sorta top heavy compared to the R65LS..stupid sidestand which made the bike lean way over so I had to carry a 3/4 inch sidestand support. Really jerky first gear response. All for now.

[MrRiden]

   I'd have to say looks like you were thrown more than fell. The mechanical failures you mention seem suspect. We'll never know tho.
   Just to add to others, yes it is possible to fall asleep on a bike. There is a stretch of Rt 95 in Maine I've traveled on two wheels but never seen.
rich