werdigo
Member
Thanksgiving Day, the 2014 NC and I were heading home on a semi-rural two-lane road at about 45 mph when a group (herd?) of about 10 deer suddenly blasted into the road from right-side trees. There was absolutely nothing I could do. I remember a blur of white and brown, then lying on the road's grassy shoulder with a man holding my left hand and taking my BP. He was a volunteer EMT who happened to be passing, and it was probably he who called the police and ambulance. The NC was on its side, about 30' back along the shoulder, so I suppose I went over the windscreen. I stood up to go back to the bike but everyone said "No way!" and the police officer said a hospital visit was mandatory for a motorcycle accident. (Thinking of it, obviously I was unconscious for a while, so the ER was a good idea. The hospital wasn't crowded. They did a head CAT scan (normal), turned me loose, and I was home by 2:30PM.) At one point I heard the officer on his phone say "No, he was encased in kevlar from head to foot," obviously responding to a question about injuries. THANKS AGAIN, ATGATT!
I went out to the towing service the next morning, hoping to ride the bike home, but when I started it found a radiator leak: Something had pushed the aftermarket radiator guard back into the radiator. I had the towing people deliver it to my home, and here it sits. I have a new fender, footpeg, and radiator coming, and am working on salvaging the Givi handguard (the Oxford heated grips still work).
What do you think I should do about the cowls? The headlight is OK, and I have a replacement turn signal. From what I've seen those cowls are hundreds of dollars. I'm not fussy about appearance but if there is (are?) aerodynamics involved, or cooling, I don't want to damage that function. I've even been thinking about shaping some thin aluminum, attaching it with sheet-metal screws, and applying black spray-paint.
PS The bike has 21,000 miles on it. I rode it from Maryland to Alaska, and Maryland to New Orleans, in 2017.
I went out to the towing service the next morning, hoping to ride the bike home, but when I started it found a radiator leak: Something had pushed the aftermarket radiator guard back into the radiator. I had the towing people deliver it to my home, and here it sits. I have a new fender, footpeg, and radiator coming, and am working on salvaging the Givi handguard (the Oxford heated grips still work).
What do you think I should do about the cowls? The headlight is OK, and I have a replacement turn signal. From what I've seen those cowls are hundreds of dollars. I'm not fussy about appearance but if there is (are?) aerodynamics involved, or cooling, I don't want to damage that function. I've even been thinking about shaping some thin aluminum, attaching it with sheet-metal screws, and applying black spray-paint.
PS The bike has 21,000 miles on it. I rode it from Maryland to Alaska, and Maryland to New Orleans, in 2017.