250SX riding mishap

[smvorndran]

My buddy & I went out riding our 85 250SX's today. There's a large U-shaped trail up the side of the railroad tracks that goes over a creek & culvert. As long as you keep your speed up, there's no danger in going over it. My buddy must have slowed down, and he turned too early, and ran right down the center of the hill, and launched over the edge of the culvert. It was an 7 or 8 foot dropoff, and he just didn't have time to bail off. He was thrown off the trike, belly-flopped into about 18 inches of water, and the 250SX landed right on top of him. It was the scariest crap I'd ever seen. I jumped off my trike, jumped in the creek, and pulled it off of him. He couldn't move initially because the cold water took his breath away. After I got the trike off of him, he was able to climb out of the creek, and walk it off. He had a small puncture wound to his abdomen, a few abrasions on his back where the trike hit him, and his knee is bothering him. He should bounce back alright, but he'll be sore for a few days.

The 250SX had the following damage:
1. Bent bars.
2. Cracked front & rear fender.
3. Bent forks.
4. Bent triple tree.
5. Broken dash.
6. Broken headlight assembly.

We're kind of bummed because he just got it on Thursday. We've been riding for a long time, and he made a split second bad move, and that was all she wrote. I watched the whole thing unfold, and couldn't do a thing about it. We hope to have his trike back in nice shape within a few weeks. Already spying a few parts on ebay. If anybody has a nice triple tree assembly, or forks, let me know what you want for them.

This just goes to show you, it's a good idea to always ride with a buddy. If you look at the first picture, you can see where his tracks are that went right over the edge. I was able to get his SX fired up again, and we were able to power up the side of the creek embankment, and ride it back to our trucks. It's in my garage with the front end assembly tore apart.

Check out the pictures below. I went back and took pictures of it later on today. Here's a video of it on YouTube. You can notice the creek and culvert on the downside of the hill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h92wUDrKDQ

It turned a great day of riding into a crappy day. Bummer. :( :( :( :( :(

[smvorndran]

Yes, it is, John. There used to be a bridge under the tracks, but last year they added a culvert under the tracks, and one about 30 feet away so you don't have to go thru the creek anymore. Are you familiar with this area?

Scott

[smvorndran]

I actually inspected that Big Red on Friday, right before they put it on ebay. I have my business card there, and anytime somebody tries to trade an ATC in there, they give the person my number because they usually don't mess with 3 wheels. :)

I went in and looked it over. The owner obviously took care of it. It's never been seat-deep in mud like a lot of them. It's not mint, but it is in respectable shape for its age. I had just bought a 250SX the day before, so I didn't really need it. I offered the guy $500, but since it's on ebay a few hours later, I'd say they chose otherwise. Pat, the guy that lists their stuff on ebay, came up to me while I was looking at helmets, and asked me what I thought it would go for. I told him $700-$800. We'll see if I'm right. When they sell things, they get a few more bucks than if I sold it on ebay. People see it's at a dealer, and assume it's better than if an individual is selling one in the same condition. They get a warm fuzzy feeling. I do watch their auctions. When they moved into the Powerhouse, I bought about 30 sidebags from GL1200 Goldwings that they wouldn't sell a few months before. I was local, snatched all of them up for $10, and parted them out. (Lights, reflectors, etc.) Good bunch of guys.

Scott

[smvorndran]

White Pigeon is on the way to K'zoo, isn't it? I've been thru there on Hwy. 131 I think. Real close to Schoolcraft?

[smvorndran]

The trails near Hayden's aren't much fun, but it gives you a quick free place to ride. I can be loaded, and unloaded & riding in 15 minutes. Honestly, the trails aren't worth the trip, but the dealership is worth checking out. Working Good Friday, but Saturday would be good. Do you have any good trails near you?

Scott