Rode 5 hours on the tar, hit the dirt with 10K to go and arse up in the mud went I. Full gearsack, backpack with tent and kitchen sink.
First crash on a roadie
Busted the brake lever and a mirror but wasnt sad about the TRX mirror much, I have seen all there is of the inside of my elbow.Not too much blood carnage, too cold, kevlar jeans helped a bit but still got a bruised up knee with a fair piece of porterhouse hanging out.
Fortunatly there was a trail-biker type in the crew and with some swearing, a cable tie and bruised fingers we grafted a lever in backwards from a CRF450 honda. The cable tie was needed to stop it swinging forward completely .Fortunate also that I didnt have to use it for real, to use the front stoppers now demands removing your right hand from the bars, grabbing the lever, (its out of reach) pulling back a bit -gently- and latching ones thumb back around the throttle for leverage/control. Limped into camp and won a hard-luck award, every cloud has a silver lining! The medical types bandaged me up nice and several liquid painkillers ensued. Kept off the leg 24 hours and came home today.
Front brakes are something you get used to being in one place and acting in a certain way! The honda mod did nothing for this, I can attest! When an unwanted volume of KMHs are acheived there is dancing on the back brake (ouch, wrong leg, that one hurts) then a swerving grab for the fronts and a jerky on-off-on again action ensues.
When the desired lack of speed is reached one had then to push the lever off again, as it was a bit sticky like a handbrake. OK for the 6 hours home today (careful with that speed, now!), didnt have any scares.
Just goes to show you, bush engineering at its best!
Now, what is the current best mirror option?
