Well, it seems that my Monster does not like to ice skate! 
Saturday AM ran into a rather large and thick patch of ice on the Crest and down we went. Not too much damage, was able to hard brake and slow down a bit before the ice, but not enough time to get the bike all the way up so it was just a bit of a lowside. It was actually quite thrilling. Think one of the most frightening aspects was hearing my bike sliding behind me. Managed to move my body somewhat to avoid being hit by the bike. Also, my helmet is new and was a gift from my daughter so held my head up for while sliding down the road. Not a scratch on the helmet. The bike needs front & rear turn signals, slight damage to the tank, handle bars are totally tweaked, front faring will need to be painted, bottom of fork has a little grind on it, small ding and grind on the can and rear peg is ground down quite a bit! There were four of us that went down and I'm the lucky one. The other three in the crew totalled their bikes and walked away! The Guardian Angels of Motorcycle riding were definitely with all of us. Alas, my beauty will be down for a week or so, but he will be up and running in no time. Not going to use insurance, so the cosmetic stuff will come with time. Wanting to change my paint job anyway....too many bikes coming out with the same kit as mine! Long story longer.....there has never been ice on this corner, even the CalTrans Snow Plower/Gravel guy said there was no ice on the whole hill except for that corner and he had never seen ice there before! Thank God for riding gear....barely a bruise on my hip where I hit the pavement, no road rash, just sore and feeling great! Can't emphasis enough that you need to always, always, always, wear full gear. Was able to ride the bike down the hill and home. Even with the handlebars tweaked my Monster handles like a dream. So all's well that ends well. Just be careful and be safe everyone!
Saturday AM ran into a rather large and thick patch of ice on the Crest and down we went. Not too much damage, was able to hard brake and slow down a bit before the ice, but not enough time to get the bike all the way up so it was just a bit of a lowside. It was actually quite thrilling. Think one of the most frightening aspects was hearing my bike sliding behind me. Managed to move my body somewhat to avoid being hit by the bike. Also, my helmet is new and was a gift from my daughter so held my head up for while sliding down the road. Not a scratch on the helmet. The bike needs front & rear turn signals, slight damage to the tank, handle bars are totally tweaked, front faring will need to be painted, bottom of fork has a little grind on it, small ding and grind on the can and rear peg is ground down quite a bit! There were four of us that went down and I'm the lucky one. The other three in the crew totalled their bikes and walked away! The Guardian Angels of Motorcycle riding were definitely with all of us. Alas, my beauty will be down for a week or so, but he will be up and running in no time. Not going to use insurance, so the cosmetic stuff will come with time. Wanting to change my paint job anyway....too many bikes coming out with the same kit as mine! Long story longer.....there has never been ice on this corner, even the CalTrans Snow Plower/Gravel guy said there was no ice on the whole hill except for that corner and he had never seen ice there before! Thank God for riding gear....barely a bruise on my hip where I hit the pavement, no road rash, just sore and feeling great! Can't emphasis enough that you need to always, always, always, wear full gear. Was able to ride the bike down the hill and home. Even with the handlebars tweaked my Monster handles like a dream. So all's well that ends well. Just be careful and be safe everyone!
